Solid Waste Meeting Minutes

Committee Members Present: Michael Myszka John Bomba

Gene Klisiak Steve Essling

Lewis Cooper Arnold Arquette

Marilyn Hennon Ken Kohs

Also Present: Tiffany Eichorst, Calhoun County Solid Waste Director

Tracy Powell, Calhoun County Community Development

Annette Chapman, Calhoun County Parks and Recreation Director

Jocelyn Godfrey, Cereal City Recycling

Chairman John Bomba called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m.

Chairman John Bomba led the committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion made by Arnold Arquette to accept the meeting agenda as written with one addition per Steve Essling to include discussion on the Solid Waste Planning Work Group Meeting. Supported by Mike Myszka. Voice vote: motion carried.

Motion made by Mike Myszka to accept the regular meeting minutes of May 10, 2004. Supported by Lewis Cooper. Voice vote: motion carried.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FUND

2004 Challenge Grants

•  Calhoun County Parks and Recreation Department Challenge Grant: Annette Chapman, Director of the Calhoun County Parks and Recreation Department was present. She gave a presentation on ideas for her challenge grant. There has been increased usage at the county parks and with this increase comes an increase in litter. This presents a particular problem at Historic Bridge Park because it is adjacent to the Kalamazoo River. The grant focus is to try to educate the public about water quality issues. The idea is to build an educational kiosk to display educational flyers. Recycling barrels would also be placed at Historic Bridge Park to try to help contain and control litter. Annette would also like to include a pet waste disposal facility with the means and materials to properly dispose of pet waste. This too is a concern for water quality near the river. Materials include two 3-barrel recycling centers, 1 message center, 2 dog-waste bag dispensers and mutt mitts for dog waste. The amount being requested is $3,367.

Annette informed the committee that county workers and county vehicles are currently used to take care of waste disposal at Historic Bridge Park and the same would be true for the disposal of the recyclable items that will be collected in the bins.

Annette also informed the committee that she has received a grant through the Battle Creek Community Foundation for a Bike Patrol to police the parks. Currently, Parks Police

Patrol keeps a close eye on the activity at the parks and enforces closing times. There have been a few citations so far and the idea seems to be working very well.

Discussion took place about the 25% match required through the Solid Waste Challenge Grant. Annette is trying to establish a County Parks Endowment Fund and solicit public and private donations. Short of a bake sale or a car wash, there is just no money in the general fund for the match. Annette thanked the Solid Waste Committee for the opportunity to apply for their grant.

Discussion continued on the Parks and Recreation Challenge Grant. Ideas were presented by committee members on how to fund the grant including: donating the money to the Parks and Recreation Department, using money from in-kind services, using labor and fuel as a match, incorporate this grant into a bigger grant and include the bike patrol as the match, asking other organizations for donations for the match such as the Ironworkers' Union, Civil Engineers, Townships, Battle Creek Community Foundation, or the Humane Society (Dog waste and education). The committee members agreed that if we bend the rules for one grant application, then you will have to bend the rules for all.

The committee agreed that they would like the Parks and Recreation Department to really get creative to find the matching funds. The Committee would like to support the grant but because of the parameters set, they are unable to do so at this time. This is a good way to promote recycling and environmental awareness. Discussion took place on changing the Challenge Grant requirements for 2005. The 2004 Calhoun County Parks and Recreation challenge grant was tabled until the next meeting.

Environmental Health Department

Tiffany informed the committee that she contacted Bob Overley to inquire if there was an actual agreement between the Calhoun County Solid Waste Management Fund and the Health Department for the monies included in the budget for the Household Hazardous Waste Collections. Bob informed Tiffany that he was not aware of any formal agreement. A committee member added that they were sure at some point there was an agreement, and directed Tiffany to investigate this further. Discussion continued.

Budget

Tiffany informed the committee of a few changes to their packets. The first correction is a typographical error at the beginning of the budget break down - the budget is for the year 2005, not 2004. The personnel salaries should be changed to $37,696.00. This reflects 85% of Tiffany's salary, 5% of Mary Jo's salary, and $2,000.00 per year for management salaries. Discussion took place on the Tire and Appliance Collections. The budget for this may need to be increased due to changing laws and regulations on what type of materials are being accepted in landfills. Thoughts were expressed on having three tire collections a year instead of two, to divert the increasing amount of tires found on roadsides.

Discussion took place on the Community Compost Center. The committee requested Tiffany to do additional research on the Compost Center and find out their hours, fees, volume taken in from residents, financial status, trend for the last three years, operating costs, and production amounts. Tiffany will follow up on the Compost Center and provide the information to committee members at the next meeting.

Motion Made by Mike Myszka to reconvene the committee on August 9, 2004 at

6:30 p.m. to further discuss the budget. Supported by Steve Essling. Voice vote: motion carried.

Challenge Grant Updates

•  Huron Potawatomi (2000): Tiffany reported that she met on June 14, 2004 with David Jones from Huron Potawatomi to discuss their obligations required for fulfilling the 2000 Challenge Grant agreement. Tiffany informed the committee that their project is still on hold due to a land trust issue. However, Mr. Jones assured Tiffany that the tribe would have some sort of recycling efforts in place within sixty days. The committee discussed the project and agreed that the tribe would be given sixty days from today's date to show progress or the committee will ask for the grant money to be returned.

Motion made by Mike Myszka to grant Huron Potawatomi sixty days from today to implement a recycling program. If no recycling program is implemented after sixty days, the SWMPC will ask that the Challenge Grant funds be returned. Supported by Marilyn Hennon. Voice vote: motion carried.

•  S.C.R.A.P. (2003): A n update was provided to the committee. The committee discussed requesting a more detailed report as to how the money was spent (i.e., specific kinds of tools and supplies that were purchased).

•  Homer Recycling Center (2003): Tiffany informed the committee that the Homer recycling center is currently asking for donations to meet their construction costs goal. They should start breaking ground soon on the facility. They have had to make some cuts and changes from their original plan. They haven't reached their financial goal but are still actively working toward it.

Calhoun County Community Development

•  Event Information: Tiffany reported the amount of materials collected from the Spring Tire & Appliance Collection and the Computer and Television Collection. Mike Myszka asked if Tiffany could provide the committee with a community list of where various materials could go in a one-page handout to answer the public's questions.

•  Littering Ordinance: Tiffany explained that Dennis Randolph, Managing Director of the Calhoun County Road Commission and the Calhoun County Board of Road Commissioners have asked her to put together a County Ordinance on littering. Discussion took place on whether or not you could write the ordinance to include a portion of the fines going back into the Solid Waste Management Fund. A committee member expressed concern on whether the “offensive odor/animal offal” wording should be changed. This potentially could be used against farmers spreading manure. Further clarification may be needed. Committee members also recommended looking at the definition part of the ordinance to make sure that the definitions were clear. Litter is any waste thrown from a vehicle and the collective term “trash” should be used instead. Discussion took place on local township littering ordinances and a committee member shared that if there were both a township and county ordinance, the township ordinance would prevail. The committee agreed that the littering ordinance would be a positive thing for Calhoun County.

•  DEQ Letter regarding Solid Waste Management: Tiffany informed the committee that due to the DEQ's lack of funding they would be delaying the updates of the Solid Waste Management plans again.

Discussion took place on Springport's wastewater treatment facility.

•  Planning Work Group: Discussion took place on capacity issues, citing criteria, Act 641, and

waste entering and leaving the state.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANNING COMMITTEE

Solid Waste Industry Representative Vacancy

John introduced Jocelyn Godfrey from Cereal City Recycling. John informed her that she needed to send Tiffany a letter of interest if she was interested in serving on the Calhoun County Solid Waste Management Committee as a Solid Waste Industry representative.

Jocelyn is a buyer for Cereal City Recycling and is interested in trying to make recycling a collective effort within Calhoun County; therefore, she is very interested in serving on the Solid Waste Management Committee. Cereal City Recycling has their own fleet of trucks and offers Calhoun County residents free recycling drop off at their site. They also handle many commercial cardboard accounts. Jocelyn added that they are now taking computer equipment, plastic and metal containers and certain construction materials to be recycled

With no other business or member comments, the meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m.

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