DEXTER — When the Dexter landfill on the Upper Garland Road is officially closed this summer, the huge mound of trash will be capped with clay, covered with loam and seeded. But unlike other towns, Dexter probably won’t have to raise taxes to pay for the closure.

According to Town Manager Steve Whitesel work on closing the dump will begin in June and take until August or September. The estimated cost of the project is $550,000. Under the state’s reimbursement formula for landfill closure costs, the town which has already received $70,000, could be eligible for as much as $267,000 more to pay for the closure.

In contrast to other towns, Dexter may even make money on its landfill thanks to an arrangement between the town and Penobscot Energy Recovery Co. to use front-end residue from that company to grade the landfill several years ago. While other towns had to purchase fill to grade their town’s landfills, Dexter was paid about $400,000 by PERC to use the front-end residue.

This summer, the landfill will be covered with clay and graded so that rainwater will flow off the mound of trash thereby prventing contamination of nearby land or water sources. The clay cap over the landfill will provide a barrier to impede the seepage of rainwater through the landfill.

The town also will save about $50,000 by using Biosoil, a product recently approved by the Department of Environmental Protection, as a cover material for the landfill.

Biosoil is a mixture of dirt and a non-hazardous byproduct of paper production. Using it will reduce the quantity of topsoil needed to close the landfill. Resource Conservation Services will oversee the transportation of the paper production byproduct from Scott Paper Co. mills and provide the seed and mulch. The town will supply the needed topsoil. Engineers for the project have estimated that with a 40 percent reduction in topsoil cost and no expense for seeding, the town could save as much as $50,000 in closure costs.

With a reimbursement from the state, Dexter could stand to make about $335,000 from the landfill closure process, Whitesel said this week. That money, he said, could fund a number of projects in town such as a paving program, or could be used to help pay off notes on a new fire truck or ambulance. Whitesel said he was confident that the town would get the expected reimbursement despite the state’s financial problems.