Westport Board of Health heard transfer‑station closure after truck repairs; staff used overtime to clear backlog

The Westport Board of Health on June 22 heard that the town’s transfer station experienced a brief operational closure after a municipal truck went into the shop for routine maintenance and then experienced parts delays.

"We had the truck back Monday at after 1:00," the Director reported, adding that staff borrowed the highway department truck on June 12 but that vehicle later broke down and had to be towed. Staff stayed late Monday and worked through Tuesday on overtime to clear the accumulated material so the facility could reopen on Thursday.

Board members and staff said they posted information on the town web page, issued e‑alerts and used the site sign to notify residents, but acknowledged limitations in reaching all permit holders quickly. The Director described outreach options as constrained: "other than going door‑to‑door for people who have transfer station passes, there's no other way to effectively get the word out right now."

Town staff stressed the pressure such interruptions place on transfer‑station employees and the community. A board member asked the Director to document the extra duties staff performed during the outage so the workload is clear for future planning.

The Director said the truck is back in service and crews cleared about 90% of the backlog between Monday afternoon and the end of Tuesday. No formal action was required of the board; members accepted the report and moved on to other agenda items.

Next steps: staff will maintain public messaging channels and discuss any options to improve rapid notification for future unplanned service disruptions.