The county's interest in the proposed solid waste transfer station could wipe the current locations Roanoke Rapids is considering from the table.

City Manager Paul Sabiston told council Tuesday night the county remains interested in joining with the city on the project.

Representatives from both governments have met on the matter and another meeting is scheduled, the city manager said.

Sabiston said the county has a deadline to consider and that is a 2013 one when its contract with Waste Industries expires.

Sabiston believes county interest in the project will make it more stable and help reduce costs through cost sharing.

County interest in the project also means the city will run the current county landfill site in the western part of the county through its matrix system as a possible location.

A joint public hearing is being planned on the location of the transfer station, which includes the three sites chosen by the city and the county landfill site once it is analyzed by the city.

That public hearing is tentatively scheduled for July 7 at 6 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension auditorium in Halifax.

The city is considering the following sites, although a partnership with the county could change that:

Highway 158 off Deep Creek Road, the old landfill site, which contains 10 acres of land the city owns. Early evaluation lists this as the top site although there are wetlands issues and the soil must be examined.

The industrial area behind Kennametal, a 30 acre parcel, which has access issues and would possibly need road improvements.

Highway 158 at the old airport opposite the former Harley-Davidson dealership. This site is 50 acres and the biggest issue is sewer.

In a recent memo to council, Bill Dreitzler of ms consultants  wrote none of the sites need to be rezoned but would require conditional use permits, which do require public hearings.

The Deep Creek Road site, however, would require a roadway, which is estimated to cost $260,000 and $40,000 for water extension.

The industrial area in the Becker Industrial Park would require an access road estimated to cost $39,000.

The site near the old airport is in what Dreitzler described as a fairly residential area in which subdividing is not an option. “The city would have to buy the entire property.”

These three locations were narrowed down from seven finalists. While cost estimates for the transfer station are between $700,000 to $750,000, land acquisition costs remain unknown.

According to a memo from Sabiston to city council, the initial projections for revenues and expenses are based on a total volume 28,000 tons of solid waste per year.

The city’s own residential solid waste and debris accounts for approximately 7,200 tons per year, the remainder an estimate of the commercial waste in the city, the memo says.

The city estimates an increase in revenues over expenses with a transfer station of $102,071 to $282,814. “This gain in annual net income is greater than the original memorandum provided to you as a result of the interest rate for a loan has dropped from 4 percent to the new market rate of 3.05 percent and the term of the loan for the repayment of the facility was extended from 10 years to 20 years in accord with traditional loan terms for such facilities,” the memo states.