Bid process discussed by 109 Board, FC liaison committee By JOE REDMON A brief liaison committee meeting between the 109 Board and Fiscal Court liaison committees took place at the office of the Meade County Solid Waste & Recycle (MCSW&R) Dec. 6. MCSW&R Coordinator Mark Gossett greeted 109 Board members Shannon Loose, Heber Burchett, and Magistrates Herbie Chism and Harold Davidson with sample bid request packets and a detailed treasury report listing financial obligations and a copy of the organization’s check register. 109 Board members Bill Hoffman and Chair Bim Wardrip observed. Short questions were met with direct answers and all in attendance seemed agreed operations were proceeding as necessary toward privatizing garbage collection. When asked how much it would cost to run the office, recycle operations, and billing, Gossett figured around $400-425 hundred thousand dollars a year. The meeting concluded quickly and it was agreed to meet again within the next 30 days. Because of the holidays, the date and time will be determined later. When asked about the future of the 109 Board, no one felt qualified to comment. “That’s a matter for the new (Fiscal) Court,” commented one and others agreed. When pressed further about whether a “new” solid waste management board would be utilized after collection is bid out, committee members were circumspect. “That isn’t up to us,” appeared to be the consensus. Gossett commented he understood he would then report to the judge executive and concentrate upon illegal dump identification and cleanup, litter abatement management, and environmental education on the benefits of recycling. After the meeting, Gossett said the board would be looking for “reputable” firms to submit winning bids and that “ability to do the job” would weigh heavily upon all bids. He said he expected “six to eight companies” to pick up packets and stated he wasn’t sure how many would be interested in submitting a bid. The bid packet commanded bids be presented no later than Jan. 31, 2007, and be effective April 1. Some of the details included the bidding contractor having to maintain a local office and continuing once per week collection. Details of insurance coverages, performance bond, letters of credit, licenses, and permits were included.
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