Halifax County Board of Commissioners Chairman James Pierce extended an invitation for the city to join in its plans to build a solid waste transfer station tonight. City council will make a decision at its Tuesday meeting.

The invitation came at the end of the meeting which included talks from the head of Pasquotank County's solid waste transfer station, talks from county and city engineers and a public hearing on the sites that are being considered for the facility.

“We're running out of options,” Pierce said, referring to the expiration of its contract with Waste Industries, in which negotiations with have all but stalled. 'We're going to move forward with the proposal. We would love the opportunity to partner. We're going to go forward.”

Mayor Emery Doughtie said council would discuss the matter at its meeting Tuesday. “We are already with you on Waste Industries. If you build a transfer station we would use it.”

Pierce said the county is interested in lowering its costs on solid waste.

Commissioner Marcelle Smith said the county should have a meeting after the city makes its decision and commissioners agreed to a 6:30 p.m. meeting on July 19. That meeting will focus on the county's plans for a facility regardless of the city's decision.

Doughtie said following the meeting he believed the city should join with the county. “I can't speak on how the rest of council feels, but I can't see any reason not to. We need as much tonnage as we can get. I would certainly hope we will.”

Commissioners and council members listened to several presentations during the joint meeting, which was held in Halifax.

Mike Etheridge talks about the facility in Pasquotank County.

They heard a presentation from Mike Etheridge, who runs the solid waste transfer station in Pasquotank County where an educational and recreational facility complete with a manmade lake for swimming was built.

Etheridge acknowledged that on some days there could be odors from the site, most likely on hot days and depending on what kind of trash comes in. He also said there are noises from such a facility, much like is heard when garbage trucks are compacting trash.

Pieter Scheer, an engineer with Richardson Smith Gardener and Associates, which handles engineering work for the county, said a transfer station would cost between $1 million to $1.7 million to build. There would be $140,000 in operating costs.

If the site is run correctly, savings of $100,000 to $300,000 are possible, Scheer told the boards. The site would be built to handle 200 tons per day although the typical tonnage is 75 tons a day.

Bill Dreitzler of ms consultants, which handles engineering issues for the city, went over the three sites the city is considering.

Dreitzler said should the county landfill site be chosen, it would still have to have a conditional use permit from the county to operate the transfer station.

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.

The county landfill is located on Liles Road off Highway 48 in the Aurelian Springs community.