In the rush to start trash collection in St. Paul by April 1, the base of operations for the city's new trash hauler opened without flush toilets, and workers are instead using port-a-potties.

The dispatch lot for hauler FCC Environmental Services on 560 Randolph Ave., between W. 7th Street and Shepard Road, has been a lightning rod for neighbors.

The parcel's hurried path through city zoning approval has been bumpy with the City Council voting to block the hauler's use of the site in March. FCC Environmental began trash collection from the site on April 1 only after Mayor Melvin Carter declared a state of emergency.

So far, actual collection of household garbage has gone well, with Carter saying in this week's State of the City speech that fewer than 1% of households complained of missed pickups in the first three weeks of service.

On Thursday, the city's zoning committee approved details about how FCC will turn what is now a gravel parking lot into a permanent garbage truck storage and dispatch lot with a compressed natural gas fueling station.

FCC's Greg Revering said the company has designs to improve the site, with plans to plant trees, build sidewalks, add lighting and better manage stormwater.

The company also plans to connect a small office building on the site to sewers. Tia Anderson of the city's Department of Safety and Inspections said engineers hired by FCC found that the building is connected to a septic system, but "that is going to be removed and replaced by a direct sanitary line to the city's sewers."

Despite these promises, neighbors were still angry, saying they didn't feel their worries about truck traffic were registering with city officials.

A ticking clock

The emergency declaration that allows FCC Environmental to continue using the site ends in mid-June.

Several permits still must work their way through regulatory processes to let the hauler keep parking its trucks at the lot and move forward with building the compressed natural gas fueling station for the vehicles. The plan approved Thursday was a critical step.

FCC bought the site for truck storage last September, about six months after it won the contract for St. Paul's garbage business.

During Thursday's zoning committee meeting, neighbors, many upset that the former tow lot in an industrial area will not be redeveloped into something more inviting, raised concerns about how the site will prevent their hopes for mixed-use residential development in the area and how fast the permit process is moving.

Toilet hookups?

Just five weeks before the scheduled start of trash pickup, key details remained uncertain, including how the site's toilets connected to the sewer system, according to an engineer's notes to city officials dated Feb. 25.

FCC's engineers found a unused septic system on the property, according to the mayor's office, but decided it was inadequate for the company's drivers and dispatchers' use.

A spokesperson for Carter's office said FCC employees are using port-a-potties at the dispatch lot for now.