The dozer that arrived last week for use at the Nevada County Landfill was dedicated to Wayne Gourley, a longtime worker at the landfill who passed away this past November.

This morning at 10:00 a.m. a group that included the Nevada County Judge as well as Justices of the Peace was joined by friends and family members of the late Wayne Gourley to dedicate a Caterpillar dozer at the county’s landfill.

The dozer has a sign on it that says “In Memory of Wayne Gourley,” who was a longtime worker at the landfill who died this past November 2 at the age of 49.

After the ceremony, County Judge Mike Otwell said, “He'd been out here at the landfill for a very long time. And a lot of people knew him. That piece of machinery, right there was what he would want.”

The dozer, which is equipped with a climate-controlled operator cab, will be valuable for the county, Otwell said, because it will protect the driver from possible contamination from the substances being disposed of.  He said the county will be putting out a bid notice for another dozer soon.

In addition to the painted sign on the dozer, a banner commemorating Gourley will be attached to the chain-length fence around the landfill’s offices.