County manager discusses need to acquire land for Stanfield trash site with commissioners

Published 9:18 am Monday, April 3, 2023

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At a recent meeting of the Stanly County Board of Commissioners, County Manager Andy Lucas discussed the possibility of acquiring more land in Stanfield for expansions of the waste convenience site.

Commissioner Brandon King posed a question to Lucas after the county manager made a department presentation on the county’s solid waste operations.

King asked about problems with the driveway of the Stanfield site, which is at the crossroads of Oak Grove Road and N.C. Highway 200, approximately 1.3 miles south of the town limits.

“I have had several complaints about the one in Stanfield,” King said.

Lucas said Todd Lowder, head of the Facilities Management department for the county, and his staff “try to stay on top of it, especially potholes that form. Stanfield is really tough because…it’s a postage stamp. That’s a heavily used site. We have actually been looking for some additional property.”

Lucas said the county has looked across the street and about a half-mile down the road for more property for the site.

“We would love to have a couple of acres where we could do more in that part of the county,” Lucas said.

Chairman Scott Efird asked if the county owned the site.

“We would love to own our own site where we could do more with recycling,” Lucas said.

Lucas said he would like to see the Stanfield site be able to accept electronic recycling and household goods like the county’s site on Newt Road.

“The ingress and egress is not great. It’s right at that intersection,” Lucas said. “I think that would be a wise investment on the county’s part.”

In an email Friday, Lucas clarified his comments, saying the county is “not actively looking at this time, but we have made some inquiries over the past few years with different landowners in the general area. With the population growth in that area, the County is cognizant of the need to enhance convenience site operations to meet demand.”

About Charles Curcio

Charles Curcio has served as the sports editor of the Stanly News & Press for more than 16 years and has written numerous news and feature storeis as well. He was awarded the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and named CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He has also won an award from Boone Newspapers, and has won four North Carolina Press Association awards.

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