KALAHEO — Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said he would like nothing better than to come to an agreement with a landowner and community on a new county landfill site.

And although that is definitely not going to happen in the case of a site in Kaua‘i Coffee Company fields near Brydeswood subdivision, Carvalho knows one of the most difficult decisions a mayor is ever called on to make has to be made by him, now.

“It is time to act. We have no choice but to act,” Carvalho said to around 250 people in the Kalaheo School cafeteria Thursday night at a landfill-siting meeting. “I know it can be done.”

With the anticipated remaining life of the Kekaha Landfill at around seven years even with three more planned expansions, and the two mayors before him failing to successfully site a new landfill, the task has become Carvalho’s.

“There is no good site for a landfill. There is no community that will welcome a landfill with open arms,” said Carvalho, who has recommended the Kalaheo site, known as “‘Umi,” to the Kaua‘i County Council.

Councilmembers must make the final decision, and Carvalho, his administration, county Department of Public Works leaders, consultants and others know time is of the essence.

“We have to agree that we have no choice but to select a site for a new landfill very soon,” said Carvalho, who recommended to the council the Kalaheo site recommended by the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Landfill Site Selection.

(Full disclosure: One of the roughly 15 members of the MACLS is Mike Curtis, brother of the author.)

Thursday’s informational meeting was not required as part of the landfill site-selection process, but was scheduled by Carvalho “because you deserve to know how we got to this point.”

The 50-year-old Kekaha Landfill is expected to end its useful life in seven years, and in the late 1990s it was recognized by county leaders that a new landfill site was needed.

In 2001, then-Mayor Maryanne Kusaka identified a new landfill site, near Hanama‘ulu, but dropped that plan after fierce community opposition, Carvalho said.

In 2007, then-Mayor Bryan Baptiste convened the MACLS, with representatives from all geographic areas of the island. After Carvalho added two other factors for consideration, environmental justice and host-community benefits, the committee’s final report was issued in May of this year.

“I’ve heard it said that we are rushing this process,” said Carvalho, adding again that the Kekaha Landfill has a useful life of just seven more years.

In addition to siting a new landfill, Carvalho said an even bigger goal is to make the landfill the smallest part of the county’s Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan.

“Even though we’re strapped for funds,” the county is also aggressively moving forward with recycling and other waste-diversion plans, he said.

With Carvalho were Executive Assistant Gary Heu, Administrative Assistant Beth Tokioka, Finance Director Wally Rezentes Jr., Planning Director Ian Costa, John Isobe from the county office of boards and commissions, and County Engineer Donald Fujimoto and various other DPW staff including Troy Tanigawa, Allison Fraley and Rick Renaud.

Also present were several Kaua‘i Police Department officers, including Assistant Chief Roy Asher and acting Capt. Mark Scribner.

Brian Taketa, of the design, engineering and management firm R.M. Towill Corp. in Honolulu, concurred with Carvalho that siting a landfill is one of the most difficult things a mayor, council and DPW entity ever has to do.

Taketa also said that, even with all the recycling efforts the county plans to undertake, a new landfill will still be needed.