2021-05-26 EMC Minutes draft - Laserfiche WebLink

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And we need to look at growth. Do we need to continue trucking from east to west for the next 30 to 100 years? Is it environmentally reasonable to continue this? All these options are being considered. But Commissioner Olson is correct that with more people comes more need and more waste being generated. Service comes at a cost. Commissioner Olson said this is why he had been trying to start a discussion about collecting a disposal fee at the point of purchase, so we get the money out front. Director Mansour still wondered whether building more transfer stations was the best use of those funds. Commissioner Olson said the County is falling far behind and we are way behind on what should have been done. Simply allowing it to be paid through property tax is not sustainable, he said. Director Mansour said once we determine the option, we look at the cost of that option, and then identify the fee to be implemented to cover that option. Once the fee is recognized, we need to look at whether it is being collected at the point of service or is it being implemented as a fee for each parcel? That is a process and we need to select the easiest implementation. That is something that is not accomplished by legislation, as we already have the authority in the administrative rules in place. Once we start implementing that, then we can start telling constituents this is way past due and this is what we need to do. And we might start doing it with a pilot program. Commissioner Cardwell commented that with the massive population growth in Puna comes a huge increase in the amount of trash on the side of the roads, and also much illegal dumping. She doesn’t think that building a transfer station is going to help much. We need some kind of collection system because that will lessen the amount of trash on the road. It would take care of a lot of problems. Hawaiian Paradise Park would be a perfect place for collections. But she agreed this is something we need to move on and we are moving out of time. Director Mansour and Commissioner Olson briefly discussed issues involving the condition of private roads in Puna and historical land planning matters. Chair Adams asked Director Mansour about whether he had a timescale to consider proposals. The director replied he had just sent an email to the Solid Waste Division Chief that morning. When he gets back, the Director said the Division Chief will start doing timelines, which would be shared with the Commission. 4. Wastewater Division Projects and Updates Chair Adams addressed the topic of the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant. We heard a presentation at our last meeting from Dr. Rick Bennett, and she participated in another Zoom 21