ROGERSVILLE — The Highway 113 solid waste convenience center in Hawkins County relocated about three miles to Old Highway 66 on Tuesday.
It is located at 1291 Old Highway 66, with the entrance on the Old Highway and the exit going onto Highway 66.Â
“The new one is quite a bit larger area,†Solid Waste Director John Lilly said. “Because its one of our busiest sites we receive the grant money to add a third compactor.â€
He said they have been working on the project just shy of a year.
Traffic flow will also be improved at the new location, said District 7 Commissioner Robbie Palmer, who is the chair for the Solid Waste Committee.
“[There] should not be any kind of traffic jam,†Palmer said. “When they exit out of the convenience center, they’re all exiting onto Highway 66, they can go left or right with visibility.â€
Along with increased traffic flow and adding a compactor, the new center will offer recycling bins, oil recycling and scrap metal.
The new center has the same hours — 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.— from Tuesday to Saturday, and the same employees transferred to the new center.
The county signed the lease for the Highway 113 property in 1984, County Facilities Manager Sarah Davis told the Times News. However, with the county growing and a larger space was available, Palmer said they decided to switch.
“The major decision was safety for citizens in and out of the convenience center, the size Hawkins County is growing — we're getting a lot of people moving in here,†Palmer said. “This is a plan to think 20 years from now, not just for next year.â€
All funding came from the Solid Waste Fund, Palmer said, no increase in taxes or pulling from the Undesignated Fund Balance was needed.
He also added that this location is more centric in the county, since the 113 center was always so busy, the larger size and central location will be more convenient to citizens.
