After numerous delays, plans to renovate Macon County’s convenience centers haven’t been scrapped yet.
Scaly Mountain’s new convenience center has been finished and open for over a month, and construction has wrapped up for the Junaluska Center in Nantahala. The latter isn’t open yet, however, because the site is partially located in a floodplain and a topographical survey had to be done to make sure newly installed compactor controls weren’t at risk of flooding.
Macon County solid waste director Chris Stahl said the results of the survey are in and there may be a few additional structures to bring in, but the center should be ready for residents soon.
“It appears that we will have to fabricate some stands to elevate the inverter and control panels,” Stahl said. “We are going to the site … to measure for the stands, and make sure our elevations are correct as to how far they will be raised. Once we have the panels lifted, the Inspections Department will sign off, allowing us to get power to the center.”
The topographical survey has also been completed for the new site of the Carson Center, which will be at the old Cartoogechaye Elementary School location. Franklin businessman Phil Drake is donating the property.
Stahl said that construction at a new site will be less of an interruption to services than continuing at the current site.
“I know it can be precarious to schedule construction projects in the winter, but we hope to have the new center designed, constructed and ready for use before, or at least by, early spring,” Stahl said. “Fortunately, since we are moving to a new location, we will not experience the interruption of service to the community experienced during the Junaluska and Scaly Mountain projects.”
It has been a tough year for renovating convenience centers, Stahl said. The pandemic led to many delays in shipping materials in the spring and summer, while some centers, specifically Highlands Road and Iotla, are difficult to plan for because of issues with available space.
“It is our goal to keep these projects going until all the centers have been renovated to remove ramps, dry van trailers and open-top containers,” Stahl said. “We are also hoping to complete a couple of additional projects in 2021. These include an upgrade to the landfill leachate collection system that will bring automated monitoring, and control of the leachate pond and pumps. We also hope to complete the renovations to a new administration office, converting and completing a home that was under construction on one of the properties purchased for the landfill expansion a few years ago.”