SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen approved purchasing three plastic Jersey barriers for the transfer station last night.
Department of Public Works Director Jeffrey Neece said the barriers would be placed in front of the trash compactor, which is now a tripping hazard.
Neece said last year a woman was cut from a fall there and numerous residents have tripped there. The barriers would prevent people from getting too close to the compactor and risking injury.
“We thought about ways to put up a barrier and ideas ranged from putting up a series of bollards to a guard rail,” said Neece.
Neece said he and Selectman Russell Fox brainstormed on the best solution.
“Russ and I have been thinking about this and came up with plastic Jersey barriers filled with water or sand,” said Neece.
The standard height of the barrier is 32-inches at a cost of around $300. Neece and Fox tested several pick-up truck tailgates and said they averaged 31-inches.
“We want to allow people to drop a tailgate without damaging their truck,” said Fox.
Neece said shorter or taller barriers cost more because they are special order items. He recommended purchasing three orange 28-inch plastic barriers at a cost of just over $500 each.
“This would be a little lower than the lowest tailgate,” he said.
The board unanimously approved the purchase.
