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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-02-26 Environmental Management Commission MinutesENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION February 26, 2014 Puna Conference room, County Bldg., Room 1501, 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, HI COMMISSIONERS ALSO PRESENT: Anne Lee PRESENT: Mayor Billy Kenoi John Dill Nancy Cook -Lauer Bruce Lim Kevin Dayton Trina Nahm-Mij o Christine Dochin Thom Randle Kerri Marks Sherm Warner STAFF: BJ Leithead Todd, Director John Medeiros, Deputy Director Sharron Henry, Secretary Amy Self, Deputy Corporation Counsel 1. CALL TO ORDER & ANNOUNCEMENTS: Commission Chair Anne Lee called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JANUARY 22, 2014 MEETING: Commissioner Sherm Warner moved to approve the January 22, 2014 minutes as written. Commissioner Thom Randle seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously with members present: Lee, Dill, Lim, Nahm -Mijo, Randle and Warner voting yes. 3. APPROVAL OF ADDENDUM AND /OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA: None 4. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON ITEMS LISTED ON AGENDA: None 5. CORRESPONDENCE /REPORTS/DISCUSSION: ■ Director's Report (attached to original minutes): Bills 194 & 195 have been received from the County Council for review and comments. This will be placed on the March 25, 2014 meeting agenda. Wastewater Division 3. ADMINISTRATION - CE 1 interviews were completed on February 25, 2014 and a selection will be made this week. - CE IV and Student Helper interviews are scheduled for next week. - Recruitment announcements have been made for the other open positions. 4. WASTEWATER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS A. Nd'dlehu Large Capacity Cesspool Replacement - Community concerns are being taken into consideration regarding selection of the treatment plant site. - The county will hold an informational meeting for the community. 7. NEW BUSINESS — TAKEN OUT OF ORDER Update on the Mayor's Alternative to Hilo Landfill presentation to County Council - Mayor Kenoi thanked the commissioners for their service. - The Mayor made the following points related to choosing an alternative to the Hilo Landfill: County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. • The issue has been ongoing for 20 years. • It is a difficult decision and there are long term costs. • There are diverse viewpoints on the waste stream. - Bottom line: We cannot push the can on down the road. There will be no more studies. • Where we are: - Need to establish a strong foundation so that people feel the process is fair and has integrity. - Maui and Oahu waste reduction facilities have been reviewed. - Need to set an aggressive timeline and hit every deadline to continue the process. - DEM is the most regulated department in the county with 44 Federal and State permits; 40 Solid Waste and 4 Wastewater. Daily tonnage for solid waste fluctuates. Options: 1. Truck all trash to Pu`uanahulu — West Hawai' i Sanitary Landfill. The Mayor and Council have taken this option off the table and it is not being considered. 2. Open a new landfill in Hilo: - Cost prohibitive cost at approximately $222M. - FAA approval is highly doubtful due to the close proximity to the Airport. - Time prohibitive. Waste reduction technology (WRT) - Options regarding type of technology are open. - 2 -Stage Request for Proposal (RFP) • Stage 1: Request for Qualifications (RFQ) * Money * Technology * Track Record Vendor must provide proof that the technology is safe; has a track record of 3 years' operation/management of a facility; financial ability and financial options offering private financing of Build- Operate of a facility. After review, there will be a short list selected to receive the State 2 RFP. ■ Stage 2: Waste Reduction Technology Proposal Timeline: February 4, 2014: Mayor presented information to County Council March 3, 2014: RFQ will be issued April 15, 2014: RFQ response deadline June 2, 2014: Selection of qualifying vendors July 15, 2014: Issuance of Stage 2 RFP October 15, 2014: Deadline for Stage 2 proposals January 1, 2015: Vendor selection April 3, 2015: Finalize and present contract to Council and Environmental Management Commission The commission will be updated throughout this process. Concerns: - It may be necessary to redirect some of the transfer station routing to ensure that we meet our obligation of guaranteeing 300 tons of trash a day in Hilo. - Green waste will not be utilized and there will be no impact on the county's recycling and diversion efforts. - The Mayor has had informal communications with HELCO regarding an energy purchase agreement and will increase the communications in hopes of having an informal agreement in place during the RFP process. Protests and challenges will delay the timeline. County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. - Questions and answers: • What is the site for the facility? It is anticipated to be at the Hilo Transfer /Sort Station site where additional land has been identified. The Sort Station may be used for pre - sorting. • What about necessary permits? The vendor is responsible for permitting. • Will there be 2 WRT's? We are looking at one at this time. • Who will review the submittals? The review committee will be made up of individuals with expertise in Finance, construction, bid awards and knowledge of the county's history of solid waste disposal options. • Commissioner Randle commended the Mayor and department for presenting the plan to council and asked that the commission and council be kept informed during the process. The Mayor will update the Council and the commission in a few months on Stage 1; technologies submitted for consideration; HELCO update. 5. CORRESPONDENCE /REPORTS/DISCUSSION (Cont.): Wastewater Division (Cont.) E. Kealakehe Aeration Upgrade and Sludge Removal - The bids received were higher than expected so this project will be rebid. G. Wastewater Equipment Replacement Projects - Hilo Outfall Repair: The commission members are requesting follow -up information on the issuance of federal permits and the bid opening. Solid Waste Division 1. OPERATIONS • Scrap Metal & Appliance Recycling - The county is receiving $42 /ton for scrap per the contract. • Used Tire Program - The bids received were over budget. - The department is evaluating the cost to ship the tires to HPower on Oahu for processing. 2. SOLID WASTE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS • Volcano /Glenwood Transfer Station Repairs - Construction is anticipated to begin in March. 3. COMPLIANCE • Renewal applications for the 22 transfer station DOH permits will be completed in the next two months. • The scrap metal site cleanup /remediation plan has been submitted to DOH and we are awaiting approval. 4. RECYCLING SECTION: Other Recycling Section Activities: 5. Backyard Composting Workshops Workshop dates /times can be accessed on the Recycle Hawaii website. HR Issues: The West Hawai' i Recycling Specialist II position that is open may be reallocated. Sort Station Update: County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. The Sort Station operating costs are not tracked independently. Commission Member District Update Reports — includes information obtained from meetings with council members and district residents since the last meeting District 2: Commissioner Randle met with Council Chair Yoshimoto and reported that the Chair was pleased with the mayor's presentation to council and wanted the council to be kept updated on the department issues. District 6: Nd'dlehu resident Keoni Fox contacted Commission Chair Lee to indicate his concerns with the location of the site that is currently being considered for the WWTP. District 9: - Commissioner Warner attended the South Kohala Community Development Plan meeting where the members indicated they were in favor of individual wastewater treatment facilities in lieu of a county wastewater treatment plant. - Waimea residents are asking about the cost of recycling. - Warner requested the department provide a brief point -by -point overview of the recycled materials we are currently collecting by item, i.e. paper, glass, 2 -bin, etc. - Waimea residents also want to know what happens to the recycling once it is collected. Deputy Director Medeiros stated that the contract with the vendor required recycling to be sent to a certified recycling company. - The county is working with DHHL regarding the new subdivision being developed adjacent to the Waimea Transfer Station. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None 7. NEW BUSINESS Update on Water Shut Off by Department of Water Supply for nonpayment of sewer bills - Bills 194 and 195 will be reviewed and comments provided at the March 25th EMC meeting and forwarded to the council so these two bills can move forward. Update on the Mayor's Alternative to Hilo Landfill presentation to County Council - Taken out of turn. See page 1. Update on Solid Waste Division Accounts Receivables. (Agenda incorrectly read "Payables" instead of "Receivables ". Chair Lee noted the correction. As of January, 31, 2013: Current: $ 598,146 31 -60 days: 151,464 61 -90 days: 32,872 Over 90 days: 839,198 $1,621,680 $252,859 of the over 90 days are at Corporation Counsel for write-off. Update on the State Department of Education's recycling efforts - Commissioner Lim indicated that he had communicated with Cheryl Sumida of the State Department of Education local office. She indicated that recycling was being done on a school by school basis and through club fundraisers. She provided her phone number so the Recycling staff could contact her for more information. This item will remain on the agenda for next meeting. Update on the Maui RFP and contract - Maui County has executed the contract. Discussion of Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant (KWWTP) effluent and future funds /plans for capital improvements - Chair Lee received emails from a Kona resident, Steve Holmes citing his concerns regarding the County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. plant. (Attached to original minutes.) Mr. Holmes was not in attendance at this meeting. This item will remain on the next agenda so the commission can receive more information from the department relating to capital improvement projects and funding of these projects. 8. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS - Update on Waste Reduction Technology - FY 2014 -2015 Budget Review (March) - Sewer Connection Waiver /Exemption Policy Update to include expected date of implementation 9. MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS March 25 WHCC Community Meeting Hale (Bldg G) April 23 Aupuni Center Conf Room., Hilo, HI May 28 WHCC Community Meeting Hale (Bldg G) June 25 Aupuni Center Conf Room, Hilo, HI July 23 WHCC Community Meeting Hale (Bldg G) August 27 Aupuni Center Conf Room, Hilo, HI September 24 WHCC Community Meeting Hale (Bldg G) October 22 Aupuni Center Conf Room, Hilo, HI November 26 WHCC Community Meeting Hale (Bldg G) December No meeting Kailua -Kona, HI Kailua -Kona, HI Kailua -Kona, HI Kailua -Kona, HI Kailua -Kona, HI 10. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Dill made a motion to adjourn. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Randle and it passed unanimously with members present: Lee, Dill, Lim, Nahm -Mijo, Randle and Warner voting yes. Meeting adjourned at 11:15 a.m. Minutes Respectfully Submitted by: 1 SHARRON HENRY -` Environmental Management Secretary FORMAT NOTE: ACTION ITEMS ARE IN BOLD PRINT (MOTIONS AND ITEMS REQUIRING ACTION TO BE TAKEN FOR FUTURE MEETINGS). County of Hawai `i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.