Jury opens bids for purchase of Webster Parish landfill

By Bonnie Culverhouse

Three businesses responded Monday to a request for bids to purchase the Webster Parish Landfill, but only two of those companies submitted actual numbers.

The Webster Parish Police Jury requested a minimum bid of $10M.

Madden Contracting Co. of Minden bid $6.2M, plus “to be negotiated overage to ultimately obtain the $10M plus minimum over a yet to be determined negotiated number of years.”

Webster Parish Landfill, LLC, which is a subsidiary of current operator Republic Services, submitted a bid of $20M.
“We will take all bids under advisement,” Lisa Balkom, WPPJ Secretary-Treasurer said. “We will turn these over to Patrick Jackson, our parish attorney. He will be reviewing those and we will award the bid after he looks over everything.”

Green Meadow Sustainable Solutions did not submit a formal bid, however, they requested an additional 60 days, saying there was a lack of information available and the current operator Republic Services, has “significant additional information related to the landfill which would have been beneficial to all bidders … “
Jury President Jim Bonsall said he was surprised at how few bids were received.

“I thought we would get five or six,” he said.

While the police jury has owned the landfill for more than 25 years, they have not operated it since 1997. Since that time, it has always been operated by a private company, currently Republic Services.

The landfill, located north of Dixie Inn, consists of more than 420 acres and includes the Sarepta substation.