Print |
E-mail to a friend
PUTNAM NEWS
Waste Management may buy Cummings Collection
With more than 50 years spent serving the community, Cummings Collection Service may soon have a replacement in Waste Management of West Virginia.
Purchase this photoHURRICANE, W.Va. -- Trash collection concerns in Putnam County may soon be put to rest as Waste Management of West Virginia has been named as a potential buyer of Cummings Collection Service.
West Virginia Public Service Commission spokesperson Sarah Robertson said that a joint application was filed with the commission on Aug. 27 indicating that a transfer of all certificates, permits and assets belonging to Cummings be transferred by way of a purchase agreement to Waste Management's organization.
In the application document, Cummings, described as a solid waste hauling and disposal and recycling business, lists the cost of these transfer items at a total of $2.5 million. A Cummings sand and gravel business located in Hurricane is not part of this agreement. Although the matter has not yet been put on the docket for consideration, Robertson says the application also includes a request for expedited treatment with an unspecified date for intervention.
If the sale moves forward, Waste Management, headquartered in Bridgeport, W.Va., will enter into a property lease agreement with Cummings for up to one year until they can acquire or construct an operations facility of their own.
Serving Putnam County for more than 50 years, Cummings has been plagued for some months with several unforeseen setbacks, resulting in unsteady service and many unsatisfied customers. Complaints ultimately led to investigations by the West Virginia Public Service Commission. Arson, vandalism, mechanical problems and a lack of drivers were said to be factors bringing about service delays.
Though co-owner Betty Cummings declined comment about the possible purchase, in a previous interview she said she hated that the circumstances had affected her customers in such a way and pledged to do whatever possible to rectify the situation. With over 14,000 customers in Putnam County and parts of Charleston, sale of the business was the last option her family would consider, she said.
