Yellow Pages
Recycling facility would add 25-30 jobs
Deluxe Recycling and Disposal has received the green light from the city of Sedro-Woolley to build a 30,000-square-foot processing facility on Jameson Street.
Until the business owners receive additional permits from Skagit County, the facility will act as a processing plant for recycling only.
Eventually, Deluxe owners say they want to operate Skagit County’s first privately owned transfer station.
If they garner the necessary permits, garbage would be trucked into Sedro-Woolley and sorted through for recyclable materials.
Deluxe officials have said the garbage would be quickly processed at the facility, often in less than two hours. The remaining garbage would be shipped to a landfill outside of Skagit County. The Sedro-Woolley site would be cleaned daily with automated machines sweeping the floors.
The recycling facility has the potential to do some pretty neat things in the city, said Eron Berg, Sedro-Woolley supervisor and attorney.
“This is about economic development, jobs and environmental responsibility,” he said.
There are several ways the community would benefit from the recycling facility, he said. One of them being the fact it will provide living-wage jobs with benefits. Deluxe officials have said the new facility will bring 25 to 30 new jobs to Sedro-Woolley.
The modern, state-of-the-art facility would also provide an additional tax base for the city and schools.
The Deluxe Recycling facility in Ferndale is a clean operation, said Sedro-Woolley Mayor Mike Anderson. He said he was originally skeptical of building a similar facility in Sedro-Woolley, but a trip to Ferndale changed his opinion.
As part of the environmental review process, Sedro-Woolley recently set forth 27 requirements under the SEPA Mitigated Determination of Non-significance (MDNS).
The city is not going to let the facility open until it’s done right, the mayor said.
SEPA conditions include limiting construction hours from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends; complying with the landscape and site design plans as approved by the planning department; and constructing sidewalks as well as planter strips on the south side of Jameson Street.
Another SEPA requirement will be reopening Jameson Street through the former Weyerhaeuser site to State Route 9.
Last week, Sedro-Woolley city officials were informed that the project would receive $150,000 from the county’s Economic Development Public Facilities Projects. The city originally requested $500,000 and $400,000 was slated according to the county commissioners agenda.
It was dissapointing to receive a smaller amount, Berg said.
Sedro-Woolley doesn’t have the necessary $2.8 million funding required for the project. It will rely on grant money and Deluxe Recycling to help foot the bill. Berg said the owner of the former mill that used to occupy the site offered to contribute money toward the project.
Other off-road improvements include a turn lane on the eastbound side of Jameson Street, west of what would be the facility’s main entrance.
The SEPA also requires the site’s entrance/exit to be designed to restrict westbound traffic from entering the site and exiting traffic from traveling east on Jameson Street.
Sedro-Woolley city officials said they think it may take about a year or two for Deluxe to open its doors. Deluxe co-owner Larry McCarter said he thinks the business will be up and running this summer.
If the company wants to open right away it will need to pay to put the road in, Berg said.
Berg added if Deluxe Recycling does not come to Sedro-Woolley, it is only a question of how long before another business decides to occupy the property.
One positive for the city is if Deluxe were to locate in Sedro-Woolley, some 40 acres of unused industrial land would be developed, Berg said.
Deluxe would pay a utility tax to Sedro-Woolley, providing the city with opportunities to make improvements.
If the facility becomes a solid waste transfer station, then it could decrease garbage rates for residents.
Related Deluxe Recycling Articles:
Deluxe: Definition Info Box
Countywide officials discuss governance board
A look into Recycling and Disposal Services
SWHS students opposed to locating facility next door
Zoning regulations limit Sedro-Woolley options
Neighborly Perspective
Deluxe Recycling MDNS Highlights
