Kevin Paterson, Environmental Services Manager for the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK), says that it is hoped the Kimberley Transfer Station will be fully operational by later this year.
The Transfer Station’s main building was destroyed in a fire in July of 2018. It was partially re-opened three days later, but the temporary bin for garbage is not large enough for big loads. Regular users, such as the City of Kimberley’s garbage trucks, have been using the Cranbrook Transfer Station and the Central Landfill.
However, a significant step forward was achieved late last week with the arrival of building components to rebuild the main building.
“The new building components have arrived and are on site,” said Paterson. “Our priority is getting the main building rebuilt as quickly as possible so that we can return to the full-use of the site.
“We appreciate that this has been a long road for regular users of the transfer station as we’ve worked through the process with the insurance company and are eager to see construction completed. This is a big step toward that goal.”
Once the main building construction is complete, work will continue on an adjacent portion of the building that houses facilities for on-site staff.
At first look, it was thought the steel structure could be saved, but after a thorough analysis by structural engineers, it was determined the building was not salvageable and would have to be fully replaced, Paterson says.