Northampton DPW Team: Linda Sorto, Kathryn Thiel, Helena Charron, Kathryn Sheffield
2006-2007: In collaboration with the Northampton Department of Public Works (DPW), this student team designed a new residential solid waste transfer station to address the shortcomings of the current facility and effectively handle the volume of solid waste and residential traffic.
The team analyzed the current transfer station with regard to safety, traffic flow, waste capacity, parking, and monitoring of on-site activities. Combining this information with visits to other existing transfer stations, the team developed and refined a design for the new site. The final design separates user traffic from DPW vehicles, enables one-directional traffic flow, incorporates lowered roll-off containers so that users can deposit waste at or below waist height, includes a centralized employee facility for ease of monitoring, details a reuse facility as suggested by current users, and proposes locations for and examples of appropriate signage.
The team prepared site plans, a three-dimensional computer model, and a timeline for the permitting process, including required permits, fees, and processing durations. The team also delivered a wetland mitigation plan to comply with the Northampton Wetlands Ordinance and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.