The station, which handles solid waste disposal, is located on Bevins Street. Garbage that Lakeport residents deposit there is then hauled to the county's Eastlake Landfill in Clearlake.
County Public Services Director Kim Clymire said the station will close permanently at the end of business Saturday, with services to be assumed by Lake County Waste Solutions, at 230 Soda Bay Road in Lakeport, beginning on Monday, Dec. 1.
The plans to switch over collection services to Lake County Waste Solutions have been in the works for some time.
In March of 2008, the Board of Supervisors voted to support the company's facility upgrade which would allow the station's closure, as Lake County News reported. This past June, the board gave county staff the go ahead to prepare to close the station, which at that time was estimated to take place in October.
In recent years the transfer station's aging equipment has begun to fail, and replacing it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for basic repairs and up to $1 million for full replacements, as Clymire previously told the board.
Clymire said that the tonnage being deposited at the transfer station by Lakeport residents has gone down substantially – he reported a 25-percent reduction in refuse, which has resulted in the loss of approximately $500,000 in annual revenue.
He estimated the transfer station's closure will save the county approximately $250,000 annually in salaries, benefits and operational costs.
Clymire called the switchover a “win-win” for everyone.
The transfer station is located on land owned by the city of Lakeport. Earlier this year the county and city renewed a contract to offset street maintenance costs resulting from the station.
The city currently is receiving about $4,500 a year from the county based on the agreement. The county also paid the city more than $15,000 to cover the years since the original contract expired in 2004, as Lake County News has reported.
The property reverts to the city if it's not operated for 30 days, according to interim Lakeport City Manager Kevin Burke.
As a result, the transfer station's closure will be the focus of upcoming discussions to iron out some of the details for how the property will be handled going forward, Burke said.
The transfer station building itself was placed on the property by the county, and what to do with that building will be one of the points of discussion, Burke said.
“At the present time the city does not have much of a need for the structure itself,” he said, adding that the city hasn't evaluated the future of the site yet.
The two governments will need to consider options including whether or not the city will pay for the structure or if the county will take it down, Burke said.
He added that Clymire has been communicating with the city on a regular basis about the transfer station developments.
Burke expected the negotiations will extend through year's end. “We definitely don't have any immediate plans for that property,” he said.
Burke, who noted that he's used the transfer station himself, said he'll miss it. He said the county operated it well, and the staff was very friendly and helpful.
With the station being located near an important entrance into the city, Burke said the Lakeport City Council and staff are very interested in exploring future options for the property.
Clymire said Lake County Waste Solutions' fee structure will be the same as that of the county's transfer station, charging $48 a ton.
He said the major difference will be that Lake County Waste solutions will charge for loads over five cubic yards based on tonnage and not volume – the reverse of how county gate charges have been determined – so load charges may vary.
Clymire said weighing loads by weight and not by volume is a science and will eliminate any potential for error when assessing fees for loads over five cubic yards.
Loads five cubic yards or less will continue to be based on volume, he added.
Lake County Waste Solutions already takes recyclable and other materials at its Soda Bay Road site, and on Monday the company will begin providing a one-stop disposal and recycling facility.
Clymire said customers can drop off household refuse, recyclables, appliances, tires, greenwaste, electronics, concrete, roofing materials, asphalt and other items the county’s transfer station could not accept.
He said Lake County Waste Solutions will be open one more day per week than the county currently is, with a schedule of Monday through Saturday, from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.
For more information about the transfer station closure and the Lake County Waste Solutions expansion, contact Public Services at 707-262-1618.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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