County planning new waste site for Blanchard

BLANCHARD — Plans are under way to develop a full-service solid waste collection site in Blanchard, Bonner County Planning Department records show.

The county is seeking a conditional use permit to create the site near the corner of Highway 41 and Paisley Road.

The site would be outfitted with eight 8-yard Dumpsters, four to five 50-yard roll-off containers and four 8-yard recycling containers. Bear-resistant Dumpsters are being considered for the site.

It would operate from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

There would also be a 120-square-foot attendant’s station and a 100-square-foot hazardous materials storage shed, according to the permit application.

The site would be encircled by 30-foot-wide tree buffer and downcast lighting would be used to limit light pollution and its access road would be paved to avoid fugitive dust, the application states.

It’s estimated that the site would see traffic of 100 vehicles per day during summer and 75 vehicles in winter.

The new site would relieve Blanchard residents of the 15-mile trip to the Idaho Hill collection site in Oldtown and hopefully reduce illegal dumping in southwestern Bonner County.

Siting waste collection facilities can be a controversial affair, but Public Works Director Leslie Marshall does not foresee an uproar with this particular project.

“This site was identified for purchase as suitable for having a minimal impact on surrounding landowners,” Marshall said in the application.

The 2 1/4-acre site would be located on a 19-acre parcel.

The project is still in the design phase, with bidding and construction slated for the winter and spring of 2015. If the permit is approved, the county anticipates having the site up and running by the summer of 2015.

The permit is undergoing a review by government agencies and has not yet been put out for public review.