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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-03-27 Enviromental Management Commission Minutes Minutes for Wednesday, March 27, 2002Page 1 of 5 Return to: Home Page | Table of Contents | Commission Page ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION MINUTES Wednesday, March 27, 2002 9:05 a.m. Hawaii County Council Room 25 Aupuni Street, Room 201, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 PRESENT:Riley SmithALSO PRESENT:JenRa Javier David FrankelMichael Kaha Peter MartinWalter Iida Hugh OnoTiffany Edwards (West Hawai‘i Today) Carolyn WitcherGretchen Ammerman Mack AsatoChristine Ross Patrick Gorman STAFF:Galen KubaMike DuBois Peter BoucherDebbie DuBois Larry CapellasMarty Berger Gerald TakaseMike Allen Valerie TanimotoJay West EXCUSED:Barbara Bell Luana Jones Sam Kawamura 1.CALL TO ORDER Riley Smith called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m. 2.APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 27, 2002 MEETING Carolyn Witcher moved to approve the minutes. Mack Asato seconded the motion. Motion was unanimously carried. 3.STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON ITEMS LISTED ON AGENDA Ululani Rosario of Orchid Island Rubbish & Recycle is concerned about increasing the tipping fee. It is a little premature and not fair to have the Commission have the powers to set fees. This should still go through Council. Council and Public Works need to initiate the pay-as-you-throw program which is an initial start to get people at the transfer station to realize the cost involved in handling solid waste and give them the opportunity to also recycle at the transfer stations. Jay West of Waimea is opposed to the state bottle bill. Concerned about increasing the size of state government. There’s only 13 other states that have a beverage container bill and why doesn’t the other states have this. Also with the advanced disposal fee, the County gets funds from the Health Department to set up a program that’s been in effect with the County to pay people to collect the glass. Main concern is that the Health Department already has this one fund for the glass and for education for recycling. I see it as funds coming from first of all from me, any consumer buying anything. Who gets to decide when it’s necessary to have a redemption center meet the prerequisites for a solid waste landfill? Our County does not have the term redemption center in our zoning. We have recycling centers. Just sees it as another level of bureaucracy that is not necessary. Marty Berger of Hilo testified in support of the bottle bill. Almost 5% of all solid waste that we have here file://C:\Test1\minutes032702.htm6/22/2011 Minutes for Wednesday, March 27, 2002Page 2 of 5 come from bottles. Almost 50% of all the litter on the island comes from bottles. Our landfill is overflowing. Our economy is based on tourism and the beauty of the islands. If litter and solid waste rise to a level where it turns people off from coming here, we are going to lose a lot more money then we’re talking about the nickels and dimes. You can make your money on volume. 4.APPROVAL OF ADDENDUM AND/OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA David Frankel moved to amend the agenda to include a discussion on the Volcano Transfer Station as agreed to at our last meeting. Hugh Ono seconded the motion. Motion was unanimously carried. David Frankel motioned to discuss the diversion of items from the West Hawai‘i Landfill which is a continuation of our discussion from the last meeting. Hugh Ono seconded the motion. Motion was unanimously carried. Carolyn Witcher moved to discuss the items heard on the latest council’s Public Works and Environmental Management Committee meeting. David Frankel seconded the motion. Motion was unanimously carried. 5.CORRESPONDENCE/REPORTS/DISCUSSION State Bottle Bill  Gretchen Ammerman, State Recycling Coordinator reported about House Bill 1256 and Senate Bill 2266. All of the counties, the EPA, the Sierra Club, and most of the recyclers are in support of the bill. Only the beverage industries are opposed to the bill. Redemption centers (1 mile, 3 miles, urban and rural) would be the areas where a consumer would take their beverage containers. Five cents is put on glass, aluminum, and numbers 1 and 2 plastic. Both the two cents and the five cents are a one time cost to the consumer. The additional cost is at the discretion of the bottler. A person returns a bottle and they are paid five cents. The seven cents is not recoverable by the bottler except through price control. Director’s Report  Galen provided a written report to the commissioners. Met with the Mayor and requested the release of $750,000.00 to hire a consultant for the first stage of the regional transfer station. Construction is in the overall 6 year funding package.  Attended a Puna Community Association meeting, and at that meeting they reaffirmed that a large portion of the litter along the highways are beverage containers. The administration is supporting the State Bottle Bill as a secondary effort. Assuming the bottle bill doesn’t pass, the administration intends to support Lorraine Inouye’s Bill No. 2005 (pilot project for Big Island only). There is an 8.1 million-dollar shortfall as far as the coming budget. Rather than go across the board on a real property tax increase perhaps look at solid waste as an individual line item. Approximately 7.2 million dollars is transferred from general fund into solid waste. By putting it into real property tax, that amount would be covered through the additional tax or fee freeing up the general fund. Suggested that a line item for a solid waste user fee or user charges with an appropriate amount be listed on the real property tax bill. You pay the total real property tax plus the solid waste user fee. Recycling Coordinators’ position is approved by the Department of Civil Service and in the process of getting it filled. We need to go before an Executive Review Committee to get all new hires approved. It will take several months before we can hire. Solid Waste Division Chief’s Report  No written report. Riley requested that a written report be provided at each meeting. This will enable the absent Commissioners to be properly informed. file://C:\Test1\minutes032702.htm6/22/2011 Minutes for Wednesday, March 27, 2002Page 3 of 5 Larry discussed about the proposed regional transfer station. It will be a solid waste facility or complex that will accept and process all solid waste products generated in East Hawai‘i except hazardous waste. Several modules in this complex would have a green waste processing area, a scale house, an office baseyard facility, C & D landfill, regional transfer station, recycling product drop off sites, and an equipment repair and maintenance facility. The preliminary projected area of the complex is approximately 15 acres and the C & D landfill is about 5 acres. There are some sites in the vicinity of our transfer station and at the present landfill in Hilo for the regional transfer station. Electricity, water and sewer have to be brought in. Need access roads. The estimated time schedule is between 27 and 36 months. The landfill will probably close in 26 months. Our existing program on metal recycling is funded by a fee and car registration and that is to handle all products related to vehicles such as used motor oil, batteries and tires. A grant is received from the State that subsidizes the oil program. These items will come under review and will be addressed. We are having continued smoke emission and odor from the closed Waimea rubbish dump. There are two major sinkholes. Cracks have been covered up with wet soil, rolled and compacted. It is currently smoking and very hazardous. We have a reporting system and a monitoring system in place. In regards to the solid waste/real property tax fee, this would be for single-family residential units. We’re trying to center on those who use the transfer stations for free and they will be in a position of a user fee based on the real property tax. Industrial waste, commercial waste, and multi-family waste are all handled by commercial units and they are charged at the landfill. Riley suggested a written report from Larry. Larry will also prepare a timeline schedule for the landfill closure, the consultant’s scope of work for the design and facility. Need to get a bar chart from Waste Management as to what rate is paid for what tonnage and what the rate changes to up to the next breakpoint. Riley requested some graphic illustration of what it is so that the commission can understand what solid waste division is faced with when a bill is received for 250 tons a day versus 240 or 260. Wastewater Division Chief’s Report  No written report. Riley requested that a written report be provided at each meeting. This will help to keep the absent Commissioners informed. Peter contacted the Clean Water Branch with the Department of Health regarding the toxicity tests and Department of Health confirmed that public notice for disclosure of this particular test result is not required. He clarified his earlier statements by stating that the Wastewater Division was not in violation of any of it’s permits, but had exceeded the threshold value for whole effluent toxicity from the previous NPDES Permit. Although no additional testing is required, Brown and Caldwell are performing a Toxicity Reduction Evaluation. Peter will get a status report from Brown and Caldwell, which would include when they intend to complete their work. Riley also suggested that after Brown and Caldwell concludes their work that they should give us a summary of what they found out. David Frankel wanted to know whether the amount of testing being performed is the same amount or whether it increased. Peter was requested to prepare a written report for the commission. 6.OLD BUSINESS None. 7.NEW BUSINESS Approval of Memorandum of Agreement between Hawai‘i County and Hawai‘i Island  Economic Development Board for Keaau Transfer Station Pilot Project Hugh Ono moved for the commission to concur on this agreement. Carolyn Witcher seconded. It’s a file://C:\Test1\minutes032702.htm6/22/2011 Minutes for Wednesday, March 27, 2002Page 4 of 5 $400,000 grant that will be given to the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board. David Frankel opposed the motion. Motion is carried. State Bottle Bill – Letter of Endorsement to Mayor Kim  David Frankel motioned that the co-chairs send a letter to the Mayor Harry Kim and the State Legislature supporting the passage of House Bill 1256 and Senate Bill 2266. Peter Martin seconded. Hugh Ono and Carolyn Witcher opposed the motion. Motion carried. Galen Kuba to draft a letter for signature by Barbara and Riley. Solid Waste / Recycling Property Tax Fees – Letter of Recommendation to DEM / Mayor  Kim David Frankel motioned that the commission shall authorize the co-chairs to send a letter to Mayor Harry Kim and the Hawai‘i County Council recommending to support the concept of the creation of a solid waste fee, that shall be paid as a line item on the County real property tax statements, that would, together with an increase of a tipping fee, as a minimum, eliminate the need for general fund transfers to subsidize our solid waste operations. Peter Martin seconded. Motion was unanimously carried. David Frankel and Peter Martin to collaborate on a draft letter for the commissioners to review before the next meeting. Larry to report back to commission on how many people applied for that credit for the commercial haulers. Larry Capellas explained that a single-family residence is an unattached dwelling on a single-family lot and/or agricultural lot. Multi-family structure, commercial and/or industrial structure will not apply. Status of Recycling Coordinator Position  David Frankel moved that a letter be sent to the Mayor and to the Department of Civil Service that we want to make sure this position is created and filled. Mack Asato seconded. Motion was unanimously carried. David Frankel to prepare a letter for co-chairs to review and execute. Discussion on Future EMC Meeting Locations  The location for the next July meeting will be in Waimea. Meeting location for Hilo will be for the months of February, May, August and November. Volcano Transfer Station – Container Donation  Deferred. The Volcano Community Association proposed donating a large recycling container to the County. Increasing the recycling opportunities in Volcano will reduce the amount of garbage headed to the Hilo dump. David wants this listed on the next agenda so that the commission can recommend that the County accept the proposed gift. Larry said that the County’s position is to provide subsidies for recycling. Recycling is left up to private industry. The Solid Waste Division does not have the manpower to manage the container. Commercial haulers will not pick up recycling container owned by other people because of liability. Business Services Hawai‘i is currently picking up the container. Diversion Grant Credits  Deferred. David Frankel proposes that the Department of Environmental Management, Solid Waste Division should offer waste diversion grants of up to $38.00 per ton to remove four tons per day from the waste stream from the Puuanahulu Landfill. Also, that the Hawaii County Council should appropriate funds to increase diversion of waste from the Hilo Landfill and that a recommendation be forwarded to the Mayor and the Hawaii County Council. The County pays Waste Management $43 per ton for garbage taken to Puuanahulu Landfill. We would have to pay $60 per ton if we receive less than 250 tons. If we can reduce the margin up to about 255 tons, we save money. If we go under 250 tons, we would pay more. file://C:\Test1\minutes032702.htm6/22/2011 Minutes for Wednesday, March 27, 2002Page 5 of 5 Larry will get a graphic about how the rates are structured at Puuanahulu and need to clarify whether that’s based on daily, monthly or annual. This issue will be discussed at the April Commission meeting. Regional Transfer Station – Letter of Endorsement to DEM / Mayor Kim  Peter Martin moved that the co-chairs send a letter of endorsement to the Department of Environmental Management and the Mayor. Mack Asato seconded. David Frankel opposed. Motion carried. Galen Kuba to draft a letter for Barbara and Riley to sign. Public Works and Environmental Management Committee Meeting  Carolyn Witcher discussed what she saw on the latest televised Public Works and Environmental Management Committee meetings. Someone from the commission should be in the audience or attend these meetings so we have more feedback. Commission should be notified by the Acting Director of the Department of Environmental Management or members of the department to bring to our attention any matters that would come up at the committee meetings. Carolyn Witcher requested to be on the Public Works and the Environmental Management Committee Meetings mailing list. Valerie Tanimoto to add her name to this distribution list. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Volcano Transfer Station – Container Donation  Diversion Grant Credits  Request for Proposal for Regional Transfer Station  8.ANNOUNCEMENTS Wednesday, April 24, 2002, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Waimea Civic Center, 67-5189 Kamamalu Street, Kamuela, Hawai‘i 96743 Wednesday , May 22, 2002, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Hawai‘i County Council Room, 25 Aupuni Street, Room 201, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 Wednesday, June 26, 2002, Kona Police Department Conference Room, 74-5221 Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740 Wednesday, July 24, 2002, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Waimea Civic Center, 67-5189 Kamamalu Street, Kamuela, Hawai‘i 96743. 9.ADJOURNMENT Hugh Ono moved to adjourn the meeting. Peter Martin seconded the motion. Motion was carried unanimously. Meeting was adjourned at 11:55 a.m. Minutes Respectfully Submitted by: ___________________________________ VALERIE M. H. TANIMOTO Interim Environmental Management Secretary Return to: Home Page | Table of Contents | Commission Page ©Copyright 2002 County of Hawaii, Hawaii file://C:\Test1\minutes032702.htm6/22/2011