The Buckingham County Board of Supervisors approved a motion that will see the county seeking bids for construction relating to a $335,000 plan to replace currently unfenced landfill sites with access-controlled sites.

According to County Administrator Rebecca Carter, there will be fenced, access-controlled sites at Arvonia School, Dillwyn, Gravel Hill, Route 655, Route 56, a new Bates site and Route 600.

“The board has already agreed to close the Bates site located along U.S. Route 15 and will construct a new site behind that site,” Carter said. “The new site will be fenced and become an access-controlled site.”

She said the board plans to close the present Gravel Hill site since it is not on county property and will construct a new site within that area.

“This site will be fenced and become an access-controlled site. Both sites will remain open until the new sites are operational,” Carter said. “The St. Andrews site has very recently been closed due to the request of the property owner. The Andersonville unfenced site will be closed. Only fenced access-controlled sites will remain.”

The switch is part of the county’s Solid Waste Committee developing a proposed solid waste management plan that will best serve citizens of the county, best protecting the citizens’ taxes by trying to eliminate as much illegal use of the sites as possible and trying to lower the overall cost of solid waste management.

“The citizen must have a valid county decal in order to use the sites. Each decal will have a code imprinted that will signal to allow access to the sites,” Carter cited. “Each decal will have a different code and will expire on April 15 of every year, just as the county decal presently expires.”

Carter said the property owners that do not live in the county will continue to be given decals or permits to dispose of their trash as long as their taxes are paid to date. The cost of the decal will remain the same at $25.

“Camera systems will be installed that will monitor the sites,” Carter said. “Should anyone attempt to go under the arm and take waste into the site or to get through directly behind someone else, the camera will record that violation. Prosecution will be sought for illegal use of this system or of the site.”

She said the arms will have a safety feature that will break away if they come down on something or someone.

“They also have a safety timer,” Carter said. “The county will have the ability to disengage the arms at anytime.”

With the controlled-access system in place, access to the landfill will be possible 24 hours a day.

Carter said the unfenced sites that are open 24 hours a day without any monitoring realized a lot of abuse once the sites started closing the three hours in the daytime. She also cited the Route 56 site being locked up at night as another reason for abuse.