Finding a dumpster solution for 27 Market St. continues to be a focus for Oneonta city officials three weeks after they thought they found one.
The city approved an agreement with Logan’s Trucking to handle dumpsters and site maintenance at what is technically 23 Market St. on June 30, one day before a deadline for both Casella Waste Systems and Logan’s Trucking to remove the dumpsters.
Logan’s Trucking still has not signed it, Mayor Dan Buttermann said at a Common Council meeting Tuesday, July 21.
However, Buttermann said he “came to a meeting of the minds” with some downtown business owners and Logan’s Trucking in a meeting earlier that day. He said the main issue with the agreement as approved for Logan’s Trucking was the cost of erecting a screen to conceal the dumpsters, as mandated by the agreement.
Logan’s Trucking has not returned requests for comment about 27 Market St. over the last month.
Buttermann said some businesses were interested in helping the waste hauler with erecting the fence.
“So next step is that the they’re going to start drawing it,” he said, adding that the plan is to meet again next week.
Buttermann said the issue with the delayed signature was because Logan’s Trucking received a bid for building the screen which was “way higher” than anticipated, about $16,000. He said the group was hoping for something closer to $4,000.
Buttermann said after the meeting that there were six business owners in the meeting in addition to a representative from Logan’s Trucking. He declined to share the business owners’ names, though “they were all interested in working together to make Market Street meet the requirements that the city set,” including by sharing the financial burden.
“I’m not trying to negotiate,” he said. “I’m trying to facilitate this so they can they can get it going.”
During the meeting, Council member Scott Harrington, R-Sixth Ward, said he would offer until the next council meeting before pushing to have the city take some kind of action. He said Logan’s Trucking was “kind of in violation” of the previously-imposed July 1 deadline for dumpsters to be removed.
Harrington added that the extension in spite of the deadline and an unsigned contract could undermine the council.
“I’m going to trust you, I will give you to the next council meeting,” he said.
“That’s the headline,” said Don Mathisen, D-Eighth Ward.