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The grinder that turns branches into mulch at the Intermunicipal Relations Committee compost facility near Buckhorn has broken, leaving committee members this week chewing over gnarly options for regaining control of a growing brush pile there.
The facility is running out of space for brush, and it won’t be long before fall cleanups deliver plenty more. But getting additional space isn’t easy or cost-effective, due to issues with permits, water runoff and transportation, if additional space is off-site.
The grinder can be repaired, but minimal repairs for $1,400 might not buy much more time for the worn-out machine and extensive ones for as much as $40,000 – which would include replacement of the hammermill that is at the heart of the machine – might not add even as much as another year. The committee doesn’t want to spend money on a lost cause.
The committee could outsource grinding, either by bringing in another organization’s machine or sending brush away, but that too would be costly – as much as $90,000 a year, partly due to transportation costs.
Ideally, the committee wants to buy a new grinder, but that would mean spending $600,000 or more – and the price is going up $30,000 in October. A lease-to-buy arrangement now would cost $11,800 a month, straining the committee’s difficult finances – although the committee could get $70,000 on a trade-in, including anything additional it invests in the current grinder, according to Executive Director John Frederick.
A smaller grinder would cost only $465,000, but it would be 15 percent less efficient, because it couldn’t handle material larger than two-thirds the size of the material the bigger grinder chews up. A state recycling grant would help, but the grant program is on hold, possibly because of the recent transfer of $9 million from the state’s recycling fund to the general fund to balance the budget.
For now, the committee authorized Frederick to spend up to $19,500 on repairs.
“Try to keep it to a minimum,” said member Patrick Plummer.
The 18-year-old grinder has been down five weeks. It’s about two years past due for a rebuild, which probably contributed to its fragility, as worn parts contribute to imbalances and vibrations that cause other parts to wear, Frederick said.
In addition to a hammermill, the grinder needs a docking plate, side curtains for the conveyor and more. Staff may also explore options for additional storage space, while applying for the grant and pursuing a separate federal grant.
If the committee ends up in a lease-to-buy arrangement for a new grinder, it would probably need a guarantee of the loan from all four member municipalities, because the committee doesn’t have a definitive income source, according to solicitor Larry Clapper.
Committee members talked about buying a used machine, but that probably wouldn’t make sense, because organizations that use grinders generally don’t get rid of them until they’re spent, like the committee’s current grinder, Frederick said.
The committee is required to grind wood waste into compost, based on state Act 101 requirements for communities mandated to recycle, as are the four represented on the committee – Altoona, Hollidaysburg, Tyrone and Logan Township.
“There are a lot of contingencies,” Clapper said in an understatement.
“The day of reckoning has arrived,” Frederick said, referring to increasing concerns about the long-term solvency of the committee.
“We’re in a pickle,” said committee member Plummer.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.