Enfield’s Trash Outsourcing Report: Keep It In-House

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This table is from a consultant’s report prepared for the town of Enfield by Mercer Group Associates and BridgeGroup. RRM refers to the town’s Refuse and Resource Management division. The table also notes that 2025 is an election year, hinting at possible political considerations. Enfield has released the final consulting report on the possibility of outsourcing trash hauling — and it recommends keeping the service in-house. The report by Mercer Group Associates and BridgeGroup LLC says the town would see only “limited” cost savings by outsourcing its Refuse and Resource Management (RRM) services. But the town also provides a level of service that many other municipalities don’t necessarily offer. It describes RRM as having an “experienced, committed staff” with a “strong work ethic,” and warns that outsourcing could mean losing that expertise. At the same time, the consultants say the town could improve efficiency and productivity through better management, equipment replacement, and ...

How great is the Enfield Public Library? Truly great




I just love the Enfield Public Library. Everything about it. The catalog system is easy to use. You can get books from regional libraries if Enfield doesn’t have it. Its research page is very useful, especially is you need to use newspaper archives. The staff is super, and they have done a great job managing the pandemic. 

I’ve been using the curbside pickup mostly. For those unfamiliar, you put in reserve and when the book is ready, give them a call. You then arrange for a pickup time and the book will be waiting in a paper bag on a table. How great is that?

But a week ago, I went inside the library, the first time since March. Wonderful. The pandemic has taken so much of our old normal away, that any little slice of it seems like gold. 

They have set up plexiglass screens to protect the librarians at the checkout, but otherwise, all seemed unchanged. You can browse books. 

The Pearl Street library is more restricted, it seems, based on this sign out front. Haven’t been in that library since the 1970s. Someday.

If you aren’t a regular user of the public library, give it a try. It’s one of the best things about living in this town.

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