Glocester council cans plan for trash fence at transfer station following $50K estimate

GLOCESTER – A fence to contain loose litter will not be built at the Glocester Town Transfer Station after all.

At their recent meeting, Town Council members agreed that the cost of constructing a fence to help stop loose litter and debris from blowing into the adjacent Smith and Sayles Reservoir was just too much.

The proposed fence at the station would have been 8-feet-high by 3,750-feet-long. A green vinyl chain link fence with green privacy slats, similar to the one at the Glocester Police Station, would cost an estimated $50,000, according to Department of Public Works Director Gary Treml, who researched the cost.

“I asked him to get an idea of what a fence would cost,” said Council President William Worthy. “Obviously, this is pretty expensive.”

The problem was first broached by Worthy at the previous council meeting regarding problems at the town transfer station on Chestnut Hill Road, where a combination of factors led to trash – mainly bags – being blown across the road into the Smith and Sayles Reservoir. Most of the trash appears to be coming from vehicles, particularly pick-up trucks and trailers, arriving with uncovered loads. Town ordinances prohibit transportation of uncovered garbage and/or trash by vehicles.

One of the proposed solutions to prevent trash from being blown into the reservoir was to construct a fence on the road side of the transfer station to catch any loose debris. Recent high winds have only contributed to the problem. Worthy suggested at the time that handing out tickets for littering might also help. Additionally, Councilor Walter Steere suggested posting a Code Red announcement reminding residents to be more careful with loose trash, went recently went out to all town subscribers.

“I think with our chief kind of helping to police the trash, and the robo call, I think we are going to give that a try instead of raising taxpayer money by $50,000 right now,” said Worthy. “Maybe it’s cheaper in the future. But, right now, monitor it.”

Glocester Police Chief Joseph DelPrete said he plans on getting some signage up by the end of the month as well. At the previous meeting, he offered to have signs created and posted around the town to make the public more aware and to warn them that there were fines for littering.

“I think we keep the awareness out there, and hopefully keep it clear,” said Worthy.