Roll Off Agrees To Purchase Lowell Land

Representatives of Roll Off Service, the trash-hauling company, have agreed to purchase 9 acres from the city of Lowell, Ark., for $300,000. The offer must be accepted by the City Council.

Tom Smith, president of Roll Off, said plans are to build an enclosed solid-waste material-recovery facility that will allow trucks to unload trash inside and recyclables to be recovered.

By building within the city limits, Roll Off will be subject to tighter regulations than if it built outside the city limits. If the council approves the contract to sell the land, Roll Off officials must submit a large-scale development plan and follow the city engineer's recommendations. The Planning Commission must approve the project.

Roll Off officials say they "want to be a good neighbor" at their proposed place in Lowell.

"That's the ultimate test," said David Harsh, project manager. "If we aren't, we could lose our $1.5 million investment (for cost of the land and development)."

Last month, Roll Off offered to purchase the property for $300,000 and asked the city to provide a street and utilities. In May, the council countered the offer, declining to build street and utilities.

Roll Off officials agreed to the $300,000 price contingent on planning-commission and code-inspection approval as well obtaining appropriate permits.

The proposed facility is not without opposition. Council member Sheila Norris is concerned about the industrial area being too close to a residential area.

"There will be heavy traffic on South Lincoln, and trash blowing. We want (that land) for light industrial, not heavy industrial. It's not in our current land-use plan," she said.

Roll Off officials promise to make sure their facility is clean, odor-free and trash-free. Employees will clean up trash daily and inspect all loads for spoiled or rotten material, they said.

"(The site) will be regulated by us, the (city) code enforcement and the state Department of Environmental Quality. No one will be allowed to bring in (trucks) without tarps and tied down. If any debris blows, we will clean it up daily," said Smith. "We will do wash-downs as necessary to prevent material on the floor."

The city will reap financial benefits from every ton dumped at the facility, Smith said. As a host city, Lowell will receive $10,000 to $25,000 per year from Roll Off, based on 20 cents to 50 cents per ton.