Welcome
Jefferson County is currently conducting a public planning process leading to a new solid waste facility that will cost-effectively provide services to the community for the next 40 years.
This website provides an overview of the work completed by the Solid Waste Facilities Task Force (Task Force), Public Works staff, and a consultant throughout the planning process.
WHY DO WE NEED A NEW TRANSFER STATION?
- Aging infrastructure
Our transfer station was built in 1994 and the recycle center in 1983. As with any industrial facility and equipment, the costs of maintaining them increase over time. Capital repairs needed for continued operation are estimated at $4,100,000. - Facility Capacity
The transfer station was designed to handle 50 tons of waste per day but is now processing about 54% more. The amount of waste handled at the transfer station increased by 10% between 2024 and 2025 alone. The increase in both tonnage and transfer station users is straining our system, creating longer wait times and more frequent operational delays due to equipment failure. - Limited Space
The transfer station property appears to have room for expansion but much of it is encumbered by the closed landfill and septage lagoon, wetlands, steep slope, and other functions such as the City of Port Townsend’s biosolids (composting) operation.
SOLID WASTE FACILITIES TASK FORCE
The volunteer Task Force members were appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. Since September 27, 2022, they provided Public Works staff and our consultant with a diverse range of opinion and subject matter expertise. Together, the Task Force, staff, and consultant developed a recommendation for the preferred site and what functions beyond garbage disposal the facility will offer. Public Works presented this recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.
The Task Force convened 7 meetings that were open to the public and widely advertised.
PUBLIC PROCESS
The Task Force met 7 times between 2022 and 2026 at meetings that were widely advertised and open to the public. In between these meetings, community and transfer station customer surveys were conducted and the Board of County Commissioners were apprised of the process at several workshops which were also duly noticed and open to the public.
SITE SELECTION
Four different site selection exercises were used to eventually narrow over 9,000 individual properties within the study area down to the best four. These four properties included:
- An 80-acre County-owned property next to the current transfer station and accessed from Cape George Road
- A 105-acre privately owned property near the intersection of Rhody Drive and Irondale Road
- A 37-acre County-owned property across from the visitor center at the intersection of State Routes 19 and 104
- A 145-acre privately owned property on Center Road a few miles south of State Route 104
In the 4th and final site selection exercise, the best four sites were screened based on 8 criteria developed with the Task Force’s assistance.
Adaptability
Future population growth area
Adaptability
Legislative changes to waste management
Service Equity
Drive times from population centroid
Environmental Excellence
Greatest potential for greenhouse gas emission reduction
Land Development
Least impact to neighbors
Public/Private Partnership
location increases potential for new partnerships
Other Operations Co-Location
Can the county use the facility for other or consolidated operations?
Cost Containment
Most economical to operate over 40 years
By consensus, both the Task Force and Public Works staff separately scored the State Routes 19 and 104 the highest with the Center Road property a close 2nd.
LIMITED FIELD STUDIES
After the 4th selection exercise, in-field and desktop studies were completed on the top two scored properties to identify:
- The types of road improvements that would be needed for safe customer entrance and exit
- Noise impacts on surrounding properties
- The load bearing capacity of underlying soils and depth to bedrock
- Locations of critical areas (wetlands, streams, etc.)
These studies found that:
- Both properties would require the same type of turning lane.
- The SR 19/104 property would have no noise impact to surrounding properties while the Center Rd. property development would be limited to avoid or lessen noise impacts to surrounding properties.
- The SR 19/104 property soil types and depth to bedrock are favorable while the Center Rd. property has bedrock near the surface which would require expensive grading
- The SR 19/104 property would require one stream crossing but otherwise would have 17 developable acres if the most stringent critical area setbacks were used while the Center Rd. property has a much larger span of critical areas which would further limit development.
WHY NOT REBUILD OUR CURRENT FACILITY?
The Solid Waste Facility Task Force and Public Works staff asked the same question. The simplest answer is the current Transfer Station facility fails all 8 of the site selection criteria used in the final evaluation. When compared to the other sites, it was found that:
- It wouldn’t be able to adapt to planned population growth in the Tri-Area Urban Growth area or accommodate legislative changes to waste management that would require more space.
- The drive time from the population centroid (roughly Chimacum High School) was slightly longer than the SR 19 site.
- It would increase greenhouse gas emissions rather than curb them, like the two SR 104 corridor sites are predicted to.
- It would have a large residential impact due to Gun Club Road improvements needed to create a circular traffic pattern.
- It would not accommodate either public/private partnerships or the co-location of other County operations due to very little room for expanded facilities.
- It is unlikely to be able to meet customer demand over the next 40 years, making it a poor investment of our customer’s money.
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATION
At a January 26, 2026 public meeting, that was widely advertised and well attended, Public Works presented the preferred new transfer station site to the Board of County Commissioners; the culmination of 4 years of work. An early conceptual design rendered to roughly 10% detail was presented with the leading design goals being:
- Enough capacity and adaptability to meet 40 years of increasing facility use
- Separate lanes and scales for commercial and self-haul customers
- The ability to compact materials into trailers for greater efficiency and to “top-load” during compactor maintenance and repair like we do at the current transfer station so that the facility is always open for business
At a follow-up workshop with the Board of County Commissioners on February 9, 2026, Public Works was given the “green light” to continue planning for a new transfer station at the recommended SR 19/104 property.
WHEN WILL IT MOVE?
With a very long to-do list and limited staffing, a new transfer station is years away. We’re tentatively planning to move around the year 2032. However, that date will change as we move forward through this process.
Next steps include:
- Review and critique the design from colleagues at other transfer stations across the state
- Cost estimating
- Mapping the wetland areas and setbacks
- Securing water rights from the Department of Ecology
- Getting an access easement from the adjacent property
- Conduct the State Environmental Act review
- Rezoning the property
- Developing a financing plan
- Securing construction loans and grants
MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
There will be plenty of opportunities to add your voice to the conversation as we update the Board of County Commissioners at workshops along the way and conduct the SEPA review. Stay tuned to this page for updates and we will continue to use multiple media outlets to keep you informed.
Meetings
There will be plenty of opportunities to add your voice to the conversation as we update the Board of County Commissioners at workshops along the way and conduct the SEPA review. Stay tuned to this page for updates and we will continue to use multiple media outlets to keep you informed.
February 9, 2026
At a February 9, 2026 workshop with the Board of County Commissioners, staff presented a summary of the work and answered questions from the public. The BoCC directed staff to continue to focus on the County owned SR19/SR104 property for planning for a new transfer station.
January 26, 2026 – Joint BOCC meeting & Workshop #8
Tri-Area Community Center, 10 W Valley Road, Chimacum, WA 98325 and online via Zoom
Meeting #8 was a joint Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners and Solid Waste Facilities Task Force meeting held Monday, January 26, 2026 at the.
Solid Waste staff, Al Cairns, presented information supporting the recommendation to relocate the transfer station to SR19/104 and answer questions from the public.
Due to technical difficulties, the meeting was not recorded as planned.
November 20, 2024 – WORKSHOP #7
Site Selection, Conceptual Design, and Funding Strategy
Supporting meeting documents??
This workshop will provide the Task Force with feedback gathered at a public open house, staff’s analysis of one or more sites located within the General Area selected at Workshop 6, a conceptual design, and a funding strategy.
The Task Force will provide feedback to staff on a draft recommendation to be delivered to the Board of County Commissioners.
October 9, 2024 – WORKSHOP #6
Virtual on ZOOM or in-person at the Public Works office, 623 Sheridan St., Port Townsend, WA
Solid Waste Facility General Area Siting
Workshop #6 Primer includes a brief review of the work conducted in Phase 1 and 2 including the public survey, surrounding transfer station visits, property screenings, guiding principles, and the transfer station’s “report card”.
Workshop #6 Presentation: Reviewed Phase 1 & 2 work and Phase 3 Planning Exercise (Where should the new facility be located (generally)
This workshop will provide the Task Force with a review of the work completed collaboratively in Phase 1, review the work completed by County staff in Phase 2, and conclude with a siting exercise that will identify a general location within the study area that staff will then consider in more detail.
July 28, 2023 – WORKSHOP #5
Virtual on ZOOM or in-person at the Public Works office, 623 Sheridan St., Port Townsend, WA
Site Selection Criteria and Screening Model
Workshop #5 Handout 1: Transfer Station Current Assessment Report Card; Initial Facility Design Alternatives Definition DRAFT; Updated Screening Process – for Draft Initial Facility Design Alternatives
Workshop #5 Handout 2: Results of Community Survey #1
Workshop #5 Handout 3: Potential Sites; Sites Screening Criteria
Workshop #5 Handout 4: Study Map Area; Initial Sites Screening Maps
This session is intended to achieve a shared understanding of the criteria and approach that will be used to screen potential facility sites, including the existing ones, and to develop an initial list of potential alternative locations.
On July 28, 2024, staff and the consultant met with the Task Force to review a screening method facility design. The Task Force was also provided with a current state condition assessment of the transfer station facility which showed the facility to be marginally meeting service demand and unable to meet demand over the next 40 years. Results of the public survey were also shared.
April 28, 2023 – Workshop #4
In person at: County Public Works Office, 623 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend, WA and online via Zoom
Solid waste facility potential alternatives development and screening
- April 28, 2023 Agenda
- Workshop #4 Guide: Alternatives Screening Criteria
- Facility Alternatives
- Meeting Notes
- Meeting Presentation
At this workshop the project team will leverage the community needs and existing facility condition and performance data to develop, screen, and rank potential facility improvement alternatives. These alternatives will include facility rebuild and replacement options that will potentially meet community solid waste facility needs for the next 40 years. Selected two to three high ranking alternatives will be evaluated in detail later in the planning process.
On April 28, the SWFTF learned about the consultant team’s work to develop potential alternatives for how to address the existing Solid Waste Recycling and Transfer Facility’s challenges. Alternatives were shared that could be mixed and matched to address challenges such as site access, congestion on site, and site flexibility to manage future growth and types of materials collected for disposal and/or recycling. The SWFTF provided their thoughts about the elements of each potential alternative. The SWFTF also gave feedback on potential criteria for how to evaluate the different alternatives to reconstruct or replace the existing facility. At future workshops, the SWFTF will consider whether the current location can accommodate different rebuild or replace alternatives.
March 10, 2023 – Workshop #3
In person at: County Public Works Office, 623 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend, WA and online via Zoom
Solid Waste Facility Current State, Community Needs and Associated Level of Service
- March 10, 2023 Agenda
- Work Plan C SWFRP Project
- Integrated Project Team Charter
- Stakeholder Needs Study Memorandum
- Workshop #3 Presentation
- Workshop #3 Meeting Summary
- JCSWF Current State Condition Report Card
This workshop’s goal is to achieve a shared understanding of a number of things, including:
- The current state of the existing Solid Waste Facilities
- The community’s priority current and future facility needs
- The associated levels of service (i.e., service types and scope, facility refuse handling capacity, recycling operations, space, traffic, safety, compaction, etc.)
- Design criteria and functional requirements that establish the basis for design of the facility alternatives, necessary to achieve the optimal level of service.
On March 10, 2023 the SWFTF discussed and finalized their workplan and charter. They heard an informational presentation from the County’s professional consultant lead, Dr. Victor Okereke of Vikek Environmental Engineers, LLC, about the current condition of the County’s Solid Waste Recycling and Transfer Facility at Port Townsend. The condition assessment looked at many areas of the facility, including site access, capacity, scales and scale house, congestion, traffic flow, recycling, building conditions, public facilities, environmental quality, and customer experience. Sarah Fischer, of BLRB Architects, another consultant team member, shared ideas and information about how deficiencies at the existing facility could be addressed. Prior to the meeting, the SWFTF members had provided ideas for additional changes that could be considered as part of the Solid Waste Facility Replacement Planning project. At the meeting, the SWFTF participated in a polling activity to identify which ideas of those collected were of the most importance to them.
December 15, 2022 – Workshop #2
Online via Zoom
Charter and Workplan Review and Adoption
The purpose of the session was to discuss and achieve a shared understanding of the integrated project team charter and the work plan and agree on the adoption of both documents.
The SWFTF met to review and comment on a draft project charter and work plan. The SWFTF discussed and gave specific feedback on guiding principles, an updated project goal, the project scope and workplan, and success criteria. A revised project charter and work plan will be presented to the SWFTF for approval early in 2023.
September 27, 2022 – Workshop #1
Workshop #1’s purpose was to discuss and achieve a shared understanding of the project’s vision, goals, scope, stakeholders, schedule, boundaries, and the form of the final work product that will be delivered to the City Council and Board.
A kick-off meeting with County solid waste personnel, the Solid Waste Facilities Task Force (SWFTF), and the consultant team was held at the fire department training facility in Chimacum. After introductions and an overview of the solid waste system and the project, the SWFTF was presented with draft project goals and objectives. Members of the SWFTF suggested the County include an assessment of solid waste facilities and services to inform what facility improvements might be needed. The SWFTF also engaged in a public involvement workshop, suggesting key stakeholders, community issues and needs, and providing input on potential concerns and key messages.