(This story has been updated to include the name of the contractor.)
The city has agreed to provide trash services at Fort Liberty after the Fayetteville City Council unanimously approved a motion Feb. 10 to enter a contract with the military installation.
The agreement aims to solve an issue Fort Liberty has had with waste management on post.
On Feb. 12, Fort Liberty Garrison Commander Col. Chad Mixon, Mayor Mitch Colvin, and city manager Doug Hewett formally signed the intergovernmental service agreement at the Dorothy Gilmore Recreation Center.
City spokesman Loren Bymer said via email that the agreement strengthens the city's partnership with the Army installation and will create jobs for the city.
According to the agreement, the city will hire a contractor to collect waste and maintain containers at Fort Liberty and Camp Mackall.
How the agreement happened
Jodi Phelps, assistant city manager, said the installation reached out to the city last spring about providing solid waste services due to waste management issues on post.
Existing intergovernmental service agreements between the city and Fort Liberty include janitorial services on post and a long-term lease for the construction of the MacArthur Sports Complex on MacArthur Road.
Phelps added that after city staff presented the idea in October, the city issued a request for proposals for solid waste collection.
Addressing council members' concerns
Before voting on the motion, Councilman Derrick Thompson said he wanted to make sure there was oversight of the program.
Brook Redding, the city’s special projects manager, said at the meeting that there will be quality control in place to make sure Fort Liberty gets the services they’re paying $6 million for, with the proposed contractor, Zero Waste, holding similar standards to the city's own.
Thompson also expressed concern over garbage trucks driving on the highway and trash potentially blowing off the backs.
“They will have preventative measures in place on their vehicles to prevent spillage and things tipping over,” Redding said.
Councilman D.J. Haire asked who would be responsible if a truck broke down.
Phelps said the subcontractor they are planning to work with has experience working with military installations and the contract includes 24-hour roadside service should an incident occur.
Phelps said a contract for the solid waste provider will be presented for approval at the Feb. 24 meeting with the goal of the contractor beginning work by March.
“We understand the value of our partnership with our military neighbors, and we are always looking for opportunities to be a good neighbor, and this is yet another example of that,” Phelps said.
Government Watchdog Reporter Claire C. Carter can be reached at [email protected].
(This story was updated to correct a misspelling.)