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Incinerator Officials Opening Facility to Public Scrutiny

Posted on: Tuesday, 25 October 2005, 00:00 CDT

By Ryan Burr, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.

Oct. 24--Bay County's financial obligations to the waste-to-energy incinerator have frustrated local officials and residents, but the recent equipment upgrade is seen as a wise, albeit required, investment.

The retrofitted equipment allows continual emissions monitoring to ensure compliance with state and federal environmental regulations. Also, it burns trash more efficiently.

The parties involved with enhancing the incinerator want to establish and maintain positive sentiment toward the facility, so a public tour of the site has been organized for Saturday.

"This is a celebration of a project that went well, and we want to show it off a bit," said facility manager Jerry Gross, who is employed by Montenay Bay LLC, the operator of the incinerator.

Information booths and the tour are a part of the day's events. Also at the facility site, there will be a recycling container, and people are encouraged to bring their plastics, aluminum and newspapers. The incinerator is at 6510 Bay Line Drive, off U.S. 231. The public event starts at 9 a.m. and ends at noon.

The emphasis on recycling and operating equipment that is less harsh on the environment coincides with the annual collection of household hazardous waste. Aside from ammunition, explosives, gas cylinders or flares, residents may pitch old batteries, antifreeze, latex paint and other products.

People can bring their hazardous items between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. to the Panama City Transfer Station on Bay Avenue, behind the city police department. For questions on what can be discarded, call the county Solid Waste Division at (850) 784-4028.

Bay County spent $18 million to retrofit the waste-toenergy facility, money that came entirely from a half-cent local sales tax that expired in 2003.

Most of the activity at the incinerator Saturday will be outdoors. Camp, Dresser McKee Inc. designed the retrofit equipment and Merrick Industries built it, Gross said. Both companies and Montenay will occupy a tent.

The tour will provide a look at the turbine and generator to see how power is made and the part of the facility where trash becomes ash before it's hauled to Steelfield Landfill.

Since the tour basically will avoid high-heat areas inside, people won't need to bring hard hats or other protective devices. The facility will be operating normally.

Gross said he's hoping that several hundred people turn out during the day.

"This was done to raise public awareness of the facility," he said.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.

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Source: The News Herald

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