City Council recap: $1.9 million in the works to relocate ‘trash mountain’ at landfill

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Just under $2 million will likely have to be spent by the city to move a massive pile of waste built-up as a result of previous cell construction delays and increased tonnage at the St. Joseph Sanitary Landfill.

City Councilmembers heard an ordinance for first reading Monday to authorize a $1.9 million project to relocate "trash mountain" from temporary storage at the St. Joseph Sanitary Landfill to the new Cell 8 opened this year.

"Trash mountain," a buildup of roughly 400,000 to 500,000 cubic yards of trash, is the result of a yearslong capacity situation that nearly hit a breaking point last November, when a combination of cell construction delays and a huge increase in yearly waste put the landfill on the brink of a soft closure.

Delays in construction of Cell 8 beginning in 2022 were compounded by a simultaneous increase in waste from 110,000 tons each year to nearly 215,000, depleting space and forcing the city to request waivers with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for additional temporary storage until enough room was made available upon completion of Cell 8 in June.

"So DNR compromised with us and we're going to get started on moving that. We wanted to delay the relocation of (trash mountain) until it was cooler outside so the smell was down," St. Joseph Public Works and Transportation Director Abe Forney said.

If approved by City Council at the next meeting Nov. 24, MCON will be tasked with carrying out another expedited and costly landfill project for the City, or risk fines from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources if temporary waste isn't relocated in time.

MCON was contracted by the city to finish development of the aforementioned Cell 8, a $1.1 million project successfully finished earlier this year despite challenging weather conditions during construction, including subzero temperatures in the winter and rain and mud in the spring.

"We're going to start getting fines if we don't get that trash moved. So we had to expedite this," Forney said. "But the vertical expansion we were approved for, we only have to move some of that trash."

Forney said the city will be required to move roughly 84,000 of the 400,000 to 500,000 cubic yards of waste in trash mountain. For comparison, Cell 8 is designed to hold 1,669,000 cubic yards of waste.

Construction crews are actively working on excavation and development of the next Cell 9 to ensure enough space is available moving forward. Cell 9 will include 1,764,000 cubic yards of airspace, an increase of 100,000 cubic yards from Cell 8.

According to the ordinance, $1.9 million will be used from the city's landfill fund, which currently has a positive balance of $21,317,542.

"Due to staffing shortages and time constraints, the City solicited bids for a contractor to provide all necessary labor, materials, tools, and equipment required to transfer waste from Trash Mountain into Cell 8," the ordinance states.

Council moves to finalize $7.4 million grant agreement with 139th Airlift Wing

City Councilmembers are one step closer to finalizing an agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to help design a state-of-the-art aircraft maintenance complex at Rosecrans Memorial Airport. 

Monday’s City Council meeting featured a $7.4 million grant agreement for first reading with MHTC for design phase services for a new aircraft maintenance facility at the 139th Airlift Wing at Rosecrans Memorial Airport.

Development of the new facility is a major checkmark for potentially securing the coveted C-130J model, a major upgrade from the C-130H currently utilized by the 139th Airlift Wing.

With a first reading now complete, final approval is expected to take place at the next City Council meeting on Nov. 24.

A new hangar wasn’t the only high-profile aviation project on Monday's agenda. 

Councilmembers also heard an ordinance for two reimbursable agreements worth $727,954 with the U.S. Department of Transportation FAA to provide design, engineering, and installation of FAA telecommunications systems and air traffic equipment for the new Air Traffic Control Tower under construction at Rosecrans Memorial Airport.

City purchases land to build new transit bus shelter on Frederick Avenue

St. Joseph transit riders will see a new bus stop added along the main corridor to Downtown in the near future.

City councilmembers voted to approve a $25,000 real estate contract Monday with Goldenho LLC to acquire property at 2001-2005 Frederick Avenue, just west of Lehr Construction.

If approved, the city plans to build a new transit bus shelter on the property to help support faster headways, improve overall system reliability and provide a designated space for bus drivers to pull off of Frederick Avenue so passengers can safely access the bus.

St. Joseph Fire Department nears partnership with Doniphan County Fire District No. 4

Two area fire departments are hoping to strengthen ties with a new agreement brought up for first reading on Monday.

The St. Joseph Fire Department and the Doniphan County Fire Protection District #4 in Elwood, Kansas, are nearing a partnership that would allow the two to provide emergency services in the other's jurisdiction for a five-year period.

Pending approval of the agreement at the next council meeting, services would include requests for assistance, directions to incident scenes and other mutual aid opportunities.

Data from October shows SJFD had roughly 128 personnel on staff, a strong figure that includes 51 firefighters, 33 drivers, 33 captains, three fire Inspectors, three Battalion Chiefs and five Fire Administration positions.

Other bills approved by City Council

• Approval of an amendment to roll forward remaining donated funds in the amount of $23,456 from AGP and CoBank for firefighting equipment for fire trucks responding in the South Side.

• Change order no. 3 with Mid-Continental Restoration Company, Inc. for $127,159 for the City Hall masonry project. 

• A resolution authorizing the purchase of a 2025 Ford F750 Service Truck from Rush Truck Centers for $197,209 for the Landfill Division.

• A resolution canceling the regularly scheduled meeting of the St. Joseph City Council on Dec. 22, 2025.

Bills for first reading

City Councilmembers also reviewed an $38,930 construction ordinance between the city and Delta Innovative Services to be used for replacement of the bathhouse roof at St. Joseph Aquatic Park.

Nominations and appointments

Councilmember Randy Schultz nominated Ron Ruhnke to serve as a member of the Tree Board for a term expiring Nov. 10, 2028, he is replacing Mary Jo Harris, whose term has expired.