A business on Needmore Road is needing more room for expansion.
McMinnville officials are considering a measure to lease a portion of its Transfer Station on Sunset Point Road to McMinnville Green, a small recycling company that accepts cardboard, paper, aluminum cans, ink jet and toner cartridges, and plastic bottles for an expansion.
According to McMinnville Public Works assistant director Brad Hennessee, several discussions have been held with the business regarding recycling opportunities with the city and those talks have led to a request to lease part of the building.
“One of the things that has come up is the possibility of them leasing the unused portion of the transfer station,” said Hennessee. “We are here tonight to get an up or down or gauge of interest in pursuing the matter. In meeting with them, we have hammered out some details the city would want and that McMinnville Green would want in the lease agreement.”
Hennessee presented the information Tuesday night to members of the county Streets and Sanitation Committee.
“One of the benefits for us is that it would minimize the expense of the Transfer Station on the city while allowing the city to still have access to the portion of the facility we currently use,” said Hennessee. “The other potential big advantage to the city is that it allows the opportunity for McMinnville Green to establish markets and establish end users for recyclables that the city could, maybe, piggyback off of in the future that currently don’t exist.”
Another advantage to the city is this expansion could allow McMinnville Green to take the city’s cardboard.
“They are wanting our facility so they can expand,” said Hennessee. “They are wanting to do cardboard in one place and plastic in the other. If we can get to the point where we can have the same arrangement with them that we do with the county’s recycling, it will take away the transportation cost out of the cardboard. Transportation is the major expense in it for us right now. It’s a logistics advantage to us if they receive access to our facility and we are able to work that out.”
Committee members Mike Neal, Ryle Chastain and Ben Newman gave their approval for Hennessee to pursue the matter and bring back a written lease agreement for their consideration.