DEXTER -- The Stoddard County Sheltered Workshop has received a $50,000 grant from the Bootheel Solid Waste Management District. The grant was announced recently by County Commissioner Carol Jarrell and Solid Waste Management District Planner Willard Adams.
The $50,000 grant is for the fiscal year 2014-15.
Sheltered Workshop Manager Jim LaBrot said the funds will be used to help with day-to-day operations at the Workshop, which is located on Center Street in Dexter. The Workshop currently employes 48 people and recycles most types of paper, plastic and aluminum/steel cans. There are recycle trailers owned by the workshop placed throughout the county to collect recyclables from the public.
Since the mid-1990s, money from landfill tipping fees has gone to the Bootheel Solid Waste Management District which is made up of 62 communities in six counties. The governing board of the district is made up of one member from each of the six counties who is appointed by the presiding commissioner.
Tipping fees are collected per ton for waste accepted by landfills and transfer stations. Adams said the fee generates between $180,000 and $200,000 annually.
Each year the management district takes applications for grants from entities throughout the six-county district. The board then reviews the grant applications and awards the grants based on a set of criteria. The grants are then sent to the Department of Natural Resources for final approval.
The grant was prepared by LaBrot and Adams. LaBrot said the Sheltered Workshop usually receives grant money from the Solid Waste District, but the grant this year "was one of the biggest in years."
LaBrot said business has been slow the past few months due to the weather. The workshop was closed several times due to ice and snow, and picking up recycled materials was difficult due to the inclement weather. He expects business to pick up as the weather improves.
"The solid waste district is proud to be a part of the ongoing work of the Workshop staff and associates," said Jarrell, who also serves on the Solid Waste District Board. "The volume of material being recycled reduces the flow of waste going into the waste stream."
Adams added, "The Solid Waste Board appreciates all the involvement by communities in our six county area who make the recycling program a success."