So.  Our beloved incinerator is now at 66% capacity.  That’s still 24% short of its breakeven point, but remains 66% higher than it was just three weeks ago.  After reading the description of the facilities in today’s Patriot, I’m surprised that nobody pulled the plug on Barlow Projects earlier: 

Idled furnaces were extinguished in midburn, meaning their hoppers were piled with ash.  Halted conveyor belts that remove the burn byproducts were strewn with ash and twisted, scorched metal.  Making matters worse, the bowels of the plant were cast in darkness, as most interior spaces lacked lighting to safely walk around.  Several electric breaker boxes — including that of the plant’s 24-megawatt generator — weren’t grounded.  Administrative offices were never finished.  Access roads were never paved.  Tarps (replace) permanent canopies. — Luciew, J. (2007, January 23). Heaps of problems bury municipal garbage burner.  The Patriot-News, p. A4.

Admittedly, I’m not a certified building inspector.  But I would think that upon seeing building parts scattered and rusting in a field, or missing access roads, or unlit interiors, someone would have stomped on Barlow a long, long time ago.  They’ve had the contract since 2004, and only now — three years later and at the hands of a completely different company — are we seeing any progress.

I think the incinerator still has potential.  I think abandoning it at this point would be a critical mistake.  So far, Covanta Energy has been able to put their money where their mouth is.  Or, more aptly, our ash where our money is.  So when do we get to put our trash in Barlow’s mouth?