The situation with National Tire Recycling is a fluid process, yet also stagnant.
Ponoka County CAO Charlie Cutforth explained to council during a recent meeting that the draft agreement outlining the monetary guarantees for the county will be forthcoming. This will include all of the current tires recycled and removed, along with paying back any money the county has provided for expenses to date.
In addition, the company’s recent attempt to process tires with a mobile unit was unsuccessful, but representatives have seen a unit in North Carolina built specifically to recycle tires with just 50 hours of use.
That unit is up for sale for about $250,000 and two other pieces of equipment — a cutter and tire debeading machine — would need to be purchased to get all of the tires processed properly.
Cutforth suggested — and council agreed — that once the agreement is finalized, the county can front-end the money needed to buy those pieces of equipment. The county would not transfer ownership of the units until the county’s cost is recovered.