The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Monday heard two presentations, one warning them that the county’s landfill will run out of space in eight years, the second telling them of new services planned for the county library system.
Solid Waste Director Amanda Bader outlined a plan for extending the life of the Ann Street Landfill. She proposed constructing a transfer station that will allow waste to be diverted to another facility while removing compacted bales of garbage from an unlined portion of the landfill and making room for new cells that meet state and federal regulations.
Bader made her presentation during the board’s 9 a.m. meeting Room 118 at the Cumberland County Courthouse. She told the commissioners that bids have been solicited for hauling waste elsewhere and her staff is waiting for responses, which are due March 31. She hopes to complete the transfer station by mid-2024.
Part of the expansion will require seeking public comment on the proposal. The Solid Waste Department will hold an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. March 2 at the Department of Social Services building. More information is at cumberlandcountync.gov/annstreetplan.
Bader’s report was for information only, and the board took no action.
In the second presentation, Library Director Faith Phillips updated the commissioners on library system operations, programs, and services based on a community assessment from 2019 and 2020, staff conversations and community feedback.
At the Headquarters Library, Phillips told commissioners, the plan is to align with the federal emphasis on STEAM — science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
The West Regional Library will have a space for teenagers, seating areas, and a storytelling area. The East Regional Library will have a teen space, and the Bordeaux branch will have a children’s area.
Service initiatives will include an internship program with ServiceSource — a nonprofit agency that serves people with disabilities and other barriers to employment — and Cumberland County Schools for students in the Works for Me occupational program. And in a partnership with ServiceSource, the library will open a coffee shop at the West Regional Library, for which people with disabilities will be hired. The emphasis will be workforce development and job skills training, Phillips said.
The library also will partner with Alliance Health to provide adult mental health first aid to all library staff in March and April.
Training will be provided in coding, robotics, cybertechnology, and vocational and career developmet, as well as financial aid preparation for college.
In other business, the commissioners unanimously voted in favor of contracting with former County Manager Amy Cannon, who retired in December, for consulting services. Her contract will run through the end of June and will not exceed $30,000.
