Chelan targets spring 2027 for recycling center rebuild

CHELAN – Chelan plans to break ground on a replacement recycling center as early as weather allows in spring 2027, more than two years after a fire destroyed the city’s facility.

Public Works Director Jake Youngren told the Chelan City Council on Nov. 3 that the city had signed its proof of loss about two weeks earlier, giving staff enough certainty about insurance funding to move ahead with preparations. By then, he said, the window for starting work before winter had passed.

The building has been ordered, Youngren said. Staff intend to use the time before construction to line up subcontractors and get contracts in place and approved by the insurer.

City staff told the council that the city and its insurer were once more than $1 million apart on the cost of replacing the facility. After reviewing the insurer’s estimate line by line, staff said they believed less than $100,000 in costs remained in dispute.

Youngren proposed setting aside $200,000 to $250,000 in the 2027 sanitation budget for improvements that could make sense to do while a contractor is on site. Insurance generally pays to replace what the city lost, he said, and rebuilding could give Chelan a chance to make improvements that would otherwise have to wait.

Youngren estimated the sanitation fund could end the year with about $1 million and said the city could set aside the money while maintaining its 90-day operating reserve. Staff would return to the council for approval before spending from the proposed contingency.

The July 24, 2024, fire also displaced 911 Glass Rescue, a Lake Chelan Rotary project that pulverized used glass for reuse. Youngren said a city project manager had contacted the group to share the updated construction timeline.

Chelan has continued to collect curbside recycling every other week since the fire. The city says those materials are taken to the regional transfer station and disposed of with other solid waste because it lacks a cost-effective way to process them while the facility is out of service.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media