X-ray machine finds new home
After gathering dust in the corner of the Stark County Courthouse for about seven years, a luggage X-ray machine will soon be hauled off. The machine will be taken to the Dakota Women’s Correctional Rehab Center in New England.
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After gathering dust in the corner of the Stark County Courthouse for about seven years, a luggage X-ray machine will soon be hauled off. The machine will be taken to the Dakota Women’s Correctional Rehab Center in New England.
“We basically agreed it’s not functional for use at the courthouse,” said Ken Zander, Stark County commissioner.
The fact that it’s been sitting unused in front of a door at the courthouse is Zander’s biggest complaint it.
“It’s a hazard to the public because of where it’s at,” Zander said. “Especially with young children that could walk right into it and injure themselves.”
The machine, which is about 28 years old, was purchased from the Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport in 2003 for $800, said Alice Schulz, Stark County auditor. It hasn’t been used since, said Clarence Tuhy, Stark County sheriff.
“At that time, there was a big push for courthouse security, even at the state level,” Tuhy said.
The Women’s Correctional Center will use the machine for security, Zander said. However, attempts to reach officials at the center were unsuccessful Friday.
If the machine would not have been given to the facility, it likely would have been taken to the landfill.
Before finding it a home, county officials researched whether or not any special procedures had to be practiced when disposing of an X-ray machine.
“The likelihood, in my opinion, would be pretty small that this contains anything hazardous,” said Warren Freier, environmental scientist for the North Dakota Department of Health. “The reason that there is difficulty in disposing it is they are insulated with oil.”
Prior to 1976, the oil contained polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, Freier said. If the machine contained PCBs, it must be disposed of more carefully, he added.
“You’d have to sell it to the hazardous waste people and then they know how to process it,” “Freier said.
X-ray machines also contain lead, which can be recycled, Freier said.
The courthouse utilizes cameras and metal detectors for security, along with officers, Tuhy said.
“I’m kind of disappointed that we don’t have (more) courthouse security, because I think it’s a need in this area,” Tuhy said. “But at the same time, that’s a decision that has to be made by county commissioners.”
Zander said courthouse security will be discussed between county and state officials over the next several months.
Tags: news, local, stark, county, courthouse, x-ray
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