File photo
Last spring, a sign adorned the front of Forestland Nurseries letting residents know that the compost site behind the nursery was closed. This year, the site remains closed as the city looks for options on cleanup and a new operator for the entire nursery/compost parcel.
With the future of the Forest Lake compost site still in doubt, city officials are working to set up temporary options for residents with composting needs.
During the City Council’s March 16 work session, council members and staff discussed option for residents who wish to compost. City Administrator Aaron Parrish said city staff members are currently working to secure a permit for a temporary composting location on the Forestland Nursery site on U.S. Highway 61. Forestland sits in front of, but is not affiliated with, the compost site that was operated by Buberl Recycling and Compost until site violations led Washington County to deny a compost permit.
Before that site is opened, residents have the option of paying Wyoming-based SRC for one of its compost disposal options.
Parrish noted that people are asking about compost disposal now, but the city likely won’t have a site in place until mid-April, which he said is typical timing.
“It just seems (the requests have come) really early because of the weather we’ve had,” he said.
While the city hunts for a temporary solution, however, it is still working on finding a long-term resolution to the compost site cleanup and its interactions with Buberl. In October 2014, the council voted to sever ties with Buberl on the grounds that the operator was in violation of its city contract to operate a compost site. The council also gave Buberl 30 days to vacate the property, but Parrish said the company is still occupying the site, though it doesn’t appear to be engaging in active operations. As such, the city has not started cleanup operations at the site.
“We’re continuing to work through the legal process on that,” he said of the attempt to get Buberl to vacate the property.
Councilman Ben Winnick said he believed Buberl should fund the costs of the temporary site, as the operator’s contract with the city specified that Buberl operate a compost site. He also requested that the city’s legal representation get “more aggressive” in their attempts to get Buberl to vacate the area.
“They’ve used any goodwill up a long time ago,” he said of Buberl.
The land where the compost site and Forestland sit is owned by the city of Forest Lake. Parrish said that the city has fielded multiple inquiries from people interested in operating either the compost site or both the compost site and the nursery area. Forestland has not renewed its lease and is selling off its inventory into the spring.
“We’ve had people, at least two parties or … three, approach us with the idea that they would like to run the entire operation start to finish,” he said.