Kootenai County Solid Waste will pursue a $90,000 property purchase for a new dump site, after getting the go-ahead from the county commissioners on Tuesday.

The commissioners voted 2-0 at their business meeting for Solid Waste to move forward on purchasing 9.1 acres at the intersection of Chilco and Ramsey roads from Caravelle Corporation.

"Roughly a year," Solid Waste Director Roger Saterfiel said of how long the property purchase has taken. "It feels great to get it done."

The property was chosen as the location for a new dump site, consolidating the rural Twin Lakes and Garwood sites.

The commissioners have already granted a conditional use permit allowing the operation, a condition for the land purchase, Saterfiel said.

"The landowner has been very patient," he said, adding that the CUP process was a lengthy one.

Worth it, though, for the benefits of a county-owned site, he said. Solid Waste didn't own the Twin Lakes or Garwood sites, Saterfiel said, which prevented the county from making safety or efficiency investments.

"When you don't own the site, it's hard to spend taxpayer dollars on it," he said.

The new site will boast turn lanes and at least 50 Dumpsters, with the possibility of 100, depending on growth.

The consolidated site will save money, Saterfiel said, but Solid Waste will probably reinvest those savings in improving other dump sites.

"You're not going to see a decrease in rates," he cautioned.

The site probably won't be operational for two years, as Solid Waste is also focused on the Fighting Creek Landfill expansion, Saterfiel said.

But no one will have to worry about it going away once it's finished, he said.

"The big thing is, it assures people in the rural community that they are going to have a site to dispose their waste somewhat near them," Saterfiel said. "When somebody else owns the property, you're never quite sure when they're going to tell you to leave."