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08/10/1998 - 00003702CITY OF FRIDLEY ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY & ENERGY COMMISSION MEETING AUGUST 10, 1998 CALL TO ORDER: Vice-Chairperson Svanda called the August 10, 1998, regular meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Rich Svanda, Jack Velin, Pete Panchyshyn, Rosalie Landt Members Absent: Brad Sielaff Others Present: Julie Jones, Recycling Coordinator APPROVAL OF APRIL 21, 1998, AND MAY 19, 1998, ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY & ENERGY COMMISSION MINUTES: MOTION by Mr. Velin, seconded by Ms. Landt, to approve the April 21, 1998, and May 19, 1998, Environmental Quality & Energy Commission minutes as written. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON SVANDA DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. NEW BUSINESS: a. Election of Officers This item was continued until the next meeting when the Chairperson is present. b. Discussion of Fridley Recycling Center Budget Ms. Jones explained that the operation costs of the Fridley Recycling Center (FRC) came under scrutiny during the June 10, 1998, City Council budget review session. Many costly capital improvements are needed at the FRC that cannot be further delayed. These improvement and the budgeted operating costs totaled a budget deficit of $81,000. Due to this extensive proposed investment, the City decided to conduct a survey of the users of the FRC. The survey results were then received. Ms. Jones reported that the City Council, upon reviewing the survey results at their July 20, 1998, meeting directed staff to write a letter to Anoka County requesting additional funding. If Anoka County will not financially support the FRC, the City Council directed staff to make plans to close the FRC effective April 1, 1998, when all existing contracts have terminated. Ms. Jones explained that the County staff's reaction to the letter has been ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY & ENERGY COMMISSION MINUTES AUGUST 10, 1998 PAGE 2 punitive. County staff has indicated that when the City does not meet its recycling goal in 1999 due to the closing of the FRC, the County will change the rules and install financial penalties for not meeting the goal. The County staff has also suggested that the City will have to replay SCORE funding used to finance the site in the past. The City has not received a formal response from County Commissioner McCarron yet, however. The Commissioners discussed options four and five in the memo from staff. Option five was of concern since it did nothing to provide options for businesses during the week. There was also concern about the difficulty of securing volunteers and how much the volunteers would want to receive for donations. The logistics of making option four work financially were discussed. Ms. Landt asked if the City would still need to install the accessible restroom and some of the other capital improvements under option four. Ms. Jones stated she did not believe the City would need to do that if the site was only open part-time. She also indicated that the City would not need to install the floor drain if the aluminum operation is eliminated as proposed in option four. The 3-phase power would still be necessary, however, if the City installed a baler for corrugated cardboard. Other improvements like fencing, screening, and landscaping could possibly be done less expensively than proposed. Mr. Panchyshyn asked if any other City buildings had 3-phase power. Ms. Jones stated she would investigate whether or not the Public Works Garage has 3-phase power. Ms. Jones stated she preferred option four to the other options investigated since it does the best job of "complimenting" the City's curbside recycling program by taking those items that cannot be collected at the curb efficiently, but which are recyclable. MOTION by Ms. Landt, seconded by Mr. Velin, to request the City Council to pursue option four with Anoka County, allowing City staff to negotiate the exact terms of a"pilot project" agreement. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON SVANDA DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. c. Discussion of Anoka County Master Plan Review ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY & ENERGY COMMISSION MINUTES AUGUST 10, 1998 PAGE 3 Ms. Jones explained the process being followed to develop Anoka County's Solid Waste Master Plan. She explained staff's concerns regarding parts of the plan reviewed thus far. She also explained her concerns regarding certain sections not yet reviewed, including tree waste and problem wastes. Ms. Jones stated the next review meeting is scheduled for August 19, 1998. d. Review of 1998 Workplan Ms. Jones reviewed the status of various sections of the Commission's 1998 workplan. She noted that curbside and multi-unit recycling tonnages are falling short of goals. She reported that the City is at 97% of goal for the first half of the year and will unlikely reach 100% with end-of-year figures. She noted staff time limitations in scheduling on-site visits with apartment complex managers and difficulties in getting residents to join EcoTeams. Mr. Svanda stated that the Commission should start reviewing the 1999 workplan at the next meeting. 2. OLD BUSINESS: a Update on Springbrook CWP Project Ms. Jones reported that there have been a few problems with sampling, but the monitoring is generally going along on schedule. She explained that the Education Subcommittee has met four times now and is now fairly clear on the direction it wants to take in the Education Plan for the project. Details of the focus of that plan were discussed. Ms. Jones stated it is expected that analysis of the samples thus far will not occur until October. b. Update on Wellhead Protection Ms. Jones stated that she had no new information since the memo included in the July meeting packet. c. Update on EcoTeams Ms. Jones reported that a representative of Global Action Plan ( now called Full Circle Institute) and she attended the Annual Block Captains' meeting in April to recruit interested residents to join EcoTeams, but no one signed up. A meeting was also scheduled and advertised to the Fridley Seniors, but no one came. Ms. Jones reported that she then borrowed a national recruit EcoTeam video and created a lead into it and additional local recruiting information, making it ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY & ENERGY COMMISSION MINUTES AUGUST 10, 1998 PAGE 4 part of the June Community Development Journal on cable TV. No one responded to the video program. Staff and Full Circle Institute are planning on repeating the call for team members with the Senior Center in the fall. d. Update on Commission Openings Ms. Jones stated that the Focus News did not print the notice sent to them in June advertising openings on the Environmental Quality & Energy Commission. Administrative staff has resubmitted the request to the Focus News. She apologized for failing to ensure that the notice has been printed. None of the Commission members had noticed the posting if it had been printed. 3 OTHER BUSINESS: �►C•TiL� ADJOURNMENT: MOTION by Mr. Landt, seconded by Mr. Velin, to adjourn the meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON SVANDA DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE AUGUST 10, 1998, MEETING ADJOURNED AT 8:35 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Julie A. Jones Staff Liaison