Currently, the public access recycling site shares space with the city-owned Creager Field Dog Park parking lot, just north of the Foell Public Works Center.
Moving it to the just south of public works center will create “a safer environment for users of the center by removing it from the heavily-used and often congested dog park parking lot,” Oakwood Vice Mayor Steve Byington said.
The project is expected to cost about $257,000, officials said. It has been awarded a $72,000 grant from the county solid waste district provided the work occurs this year, city records show.
The new site is “going to provide the same 24/7 access,” Engineering and Public Works Director Doug Spitler said. “But it’s going to be at a facility that’s dedicated just for the recycling drop off.
“So it’s going to be easier to get in and out. And they won’t have the combined popularity and traffic from the dog park. So it’s going to be more convenient.”
The city owns 7.3 acres at 210 Shafor, county records indicate. That includes the dog park and public works center land, Spitler said.
The new public access recycling site is planned to consume 0.21 acres, but will be larger than the current one and provide more space for yard debris drop offs, he added.
Oakwood Mayor Bill Duncan said the change will make it “easier for the staff to handle the recycling material and it’s going to give a lot more room for the dog owners.”
Spitler said he was notified of the county grant last week. He is working with contractors to secure pricing and proposals for extending a retaining wall, a key part of the construction, which is targeted to start in late summer.
Perimeter fencing and site work will be required, and the goal is to have the new location completed by the end of 2021, he said.
“We really want to get the popularity of both of these services that we provide at one location now and we want to separate them,” Spitler said of the dog park and the recycling site.
“We want to separate them so the community has a little bit better access to both facilities and they’re not conflicting with each other,” he added. “And then also it will allow us to process the material a little bit more efficiently because that recycle material will be at our main service center.”
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