The Pasco County Commission has approved $198,500 for design and permitting work for site refurbishment of the East Pasco Transfer Station.
The task order will be accomplished by JMG Engineering Inc., according to agenda background materials for the county board’s March 23 meeting.
The East Pasco Transfer Station, at 9626 Handcart Road, in Dade City, was constructed in 1991 to support the transfer of municipal solid waste from the east side of the county to the county’s Waste-to-Energy Facility located at 14230 Hays Road, in Spring Hill.
The county began expanding the East Pasco Transfer Station in 2017, to increase the overall size of the facility to support the rapid volume of waste growth, driven by development, on the eastern side of Pasco County, the background materials say.
For instance, in fiscal year 2020, the transfer station processed more than 92,800 tons of garbage, up over 25% from the 74,000 tons it processed in fiscal year 2015.
The expanded transfer station enables the facility to handle the increase in tonnage, but the facility also needs to be refurbished, according to county documents.
The structure has experienced wear and deterioration through its many years of operation, and
its refurbishment must meet current codes and operational standards.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) requires that the proposed improvement design work be under the direction of a licensed professional engineer.
JMG will perform the design and permitting work necessary to allow the county to put out public bids to refurbish the facility.
Improvements to the site and facility will include:
- Constructing a new access road that will reduce queuing of vehicles on Handcart Road, which services the transfer station
- Modifying the stormwater system to support the proposed roadway changes and improve the overall site drainage
- Designing drawings and specifications to replace the tipping floor pit and metal framing
- Evaluating the facility roof and exterior walls
- Designing drawings and specifications for repair and/or replacement, modification, and permitting of the facility’s leachate collection system
- Evaluating the fire system and developing specifications needed to update the system to the current Florida Building Codes
The scope of work also includes obtaining all applicable permitting and handling any zoning modification that are required.
The refurbishment will allow additional area to handle waste and will provide space for recyclables collection, increasing the efficiency of the county’s collection of recyclables by allowing waste haulers to deliver recycling to the eastern side of the county.
JMG is expected to begin the task this winter and complete it within a year.
Construction is expected to begin in the Spring of 2022 and be completed in Winter 2023. Funds for the construction will be included in the 2022 budget year.
Published April 07, 2021
