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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-11-21 Enviromental Management Commission Minutes ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION Wednesday, November 21, 2007, 9:06 a.m. Liquor Control Conference room, First Floor, 101 Aupuni Street, Hilo, HI 96720 COMMISSIONERSALSO Carolyn Witcher Jon Olson PRESENTPRESENT: : Bobby Cooper Marjorie Erway Suzanne Mayhew Diana Miller Arnold Okamura Paulette Pavao Sam Sumner EXCUSEDSTAFF: :Bill Sanborn Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, Director Sharron Henry, Secretary Michael Dworsky, SWD Chief Terin Gloor, SWD Engineer Nelson Ho, Deputy Director (late arrival) CALL TO ORDER: 1.Commission Chair Witcher called the meeting to order at 9:06 a.m. APPROVAL OF ADDENDUM AND/OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA (Taken out of 3. Order) Commissioner Erway made a motion that approval of the October 1, 2007 Special Meeting minutes be added to Item no. 2. Commissioner Mayhew seconded and the motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 26, 2007 MEETING: 2. Commissioner Cooper moved to approve the September 26, 2007 minutes as written. Commissioner Okamura seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF OCTOBER 1, 2007 MEETING: Commissioner Erway moved to approve the October 1, 2007 minutes as written. Commissioner Mayhew seconded and the motion passed unanimously. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON ITEMS LISTED ON AGENDA: 4.None CORRESPONDENCE/REPORTS/DISCUSSION: 5.(taken out of order) Abandoned Vehicle Program Report (attached to original minutes) nd It was clarified that the 2 Quarter figures were for the month of October only. Solid Waste Division Report (attached to original minutes) SWD Chief Dworsky introduced Terin Gloor, SWD Engineer. HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE EVENTS: December 1, 2007 in Hilo; December 8, 2007 in Kona; March 1, 2008 in Pahoa; March 2, 2008 in Waimea. Submitting budget request for funds to include more dates and locations around the island. 2-BIN RECYCLING presentation was given to Council. Educational efforts will continue. TIRE BAN ORDINANCE, first reading, was approved by Council yesterday. Division is working with tire companies to assist in adjusting their business. o Big Island Scrap Metal has a permit to produce tire blocks. These blocks are being used o for ramps at Hilo and Kona transfer stations. nd There are viable solutions for tire disposal if the ordinance is approved at 2 reading. o BALE AND BARGE questions being asked by the County: Will tipping fee include fees at the end landfill? o What is the County’s liability for clean-up relating to possible landfill violations? o What are the legal and contractual issues? o Commissioner Cooper offered that the County needs to take care of our own trash. o Commissioner Miller stated that Reynolds Recycling was approaching community associations with an offer to come to the communities to pick up recyclables. Technical Services Section Report (attached to original minutes) Department staff, along with the County Controller, met with DOH Wastewater Division accounting representatives yesterday to discuss State Revolving Funds for CIP projects. NAALEHU/PAHALA LARGE CAPACITY CESSPOOL (LCC) REPLACEMENT: Moving ahead to acquire property needed. HONOKA`A LCC REPLACEMENT: Business owners are not happy with the County’s design. o The County will continue with the current plans and suggest the owners request funds o from the State Legislature if they want additional extensions. The Department of Education may be requested to contribute funds since schools are o included in this project. QUEEN LILIUOKALANI VILLAGE LCC REPLACEMENT: DHHL gave verbal approval 9/25/07, granting the County temporary sewer easement on o their property so the subdivision can be connected to County sewer via Laiapoua Connector Road. We are awaiting formal documents/ KOMOHANA HEIGHTS LCC REPLACEMENT: Council approved eminent domain needed due to encroachments in the easements. o KEALAKEHE WWTP UPGRADE: Director Leithead Todd will check on and report back the status of the consultant o contract. Wastewater Division Report (attached to original minutes) SEWER FEE INCREASE:The Division is finalizing a contract to have a sewer fee study done. Upon completion, the department will request Council approval to increase fees as o follows: Option 1: fees would include operation and maintenance only. Option 2: fees would also include capitalization PERSONNEL: Wastewater Division Chief interviews will be held later in November. Director’s Report (attached to original minutes) WASTE REDUCTION TECHNOLOGY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP): Leithead Todd accompanied Council member Naeole to site visits of a Wheelabrator waste to energy plant and a monofill landfill in Connecticut. Council member Higa joined them for site visits to a Wheelabrator facility in Tampa, Florida. The plants visited experienced no problems and were found to be clean and emissions o within EPA standards. Until a contract is finalized with HELCO, the County will be unable to obtain a revenue o amount. HELCO will only provide “range” amounts of what the County will be paid for electricity. Having a waste to energy plant will not exclude continuing aggressive recycling since o trash can be diverted to the Hilo plant from other parts of the island. Also, the volume will grow with continued population growth. EIS preparation would delay start up by one year. Estimated landfill closure date is o August, 2010. Interim disposal methods would be bale and barge or trucking to Pu`uanahulu landfill. Council member Hoffmann visited waste to energy plants Germany. All three Council members were supportive of the technology. The deciding factor for the Council will be the price. This Commission will be the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) for the update to the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 6. DISCUSSION AND DECISION MAKING: NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2008 OFFICERS Miller made a motion to approve the Committee’s recommendation that the Vice Chair automatically replace the outgoing Chair each year. Pavao seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. Sumner made a motion to accept the Committee’s recommendation of Arnold Okamura as Chair and Suzanne Mayhew as Vice Chair for 2008. Miller seconded and the motion carried unanimously. DISCUSSION: WASTE STREAM VISION STATEMENT The Chair made a clarification that this item was Commission members’ vision statements and not Waste Stream, as indicated in past agendas and minutes. Chair Witcher requested and received from each member, reasons for their commission membership and what impact they felt they had on their communities as members of the Environmental Management Commission. It was noted that the roles of the commission will increase with participation in the ISWMP update. Witcher requested each member to: support department staff, programs, and requests for funding for Solid Waste and o Wastewater projects take a more active role and keep a strong relationship with Council members o defend the department when there is community criticism o attend council meetings and call your council members to keep them informed of items o being discussed at commission meetings. Henry will provide the Council calendar and meeting agendas to the commission members. DISCUSSION: UPDATE TO THE INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN: Deferred. NEW BUSINESS 7. DISCUSSION: LONG –TERM E-WASTE RECYCLING Request for Proposals has been prepared. A list of questions was discussed and circulated. Henry will provide the Commission members with the list in digital form via email. Commission comments and input will be provided at the January Commission meeting. The following possible funding options were discussed: (1) advanced disposal fee and (2) advanced product fee. DISCUSSION: TRANSFER STATION ENHANCEMENT PLAN Gloor distributed: (1) sketches of possible transfer station upgrades; (2) sample signage; and (3) site plans for Glenwood, Pahoa, Volcano and Waiohinu Recycling Stations (attached to original minutes). Public meetings will be held in December to provide to and receive information from community residents as follows: Pahoa: December 4, 2007: 6 p.m., Pahoa Neighborhood Facility, 15-2910 Puna Road o Waiohinu: December 5, 2007: 6 p.m., Na`alehu Community Center o Glenwood/Volcano: December 6, 2007: 6 p.m. Cooper Center, Volcano o Options of signage design being specific to each area/community will be discussed at the community meetings. A request to present enhancement plan information has been sent to County Council. DISCUSSION: FEBRUARY 2004 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SUSTAINING AND REPLICATING THE KEA`AU RECYCLING AND REUSE CENTER BY THE HAWAI`I ISLAND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD AND RURAL COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE CORPORATION: Deferred. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 8. Adjusting meeting dates that conflict with the 2008 County Council meetings. FUTURE COMMISSION MEETINGS 9. January 2008 meeting: TBD March 2008 meeting: TBD May 28, 2008, Liquor Control Conference Room, Suite 230, 101 Aupuni Street, Hilo, HI 96740 ADJOURNMENT 10. Erway moved to adjourn. Sumner seconded and it passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 11:50 a.m. Minutes Respectfully Submitted by: SHARRON HENRY Environmental Management Secretary BOLD FORMAT NOTE: ACTION ITEMS ARE IN PRINT (MOTIONS AND ITEMS REQUIRING ACTION TO BE TAKEN FOR FUTURE MEETINGS).