HomeMy WebLinkAboutSWAB minutes 091400 ORANGE COUNTY SOLID WASTE ADVISORY BOARD
Minutes
September 14 , 2000
The first meeting of the Orange County Solid Waste Advisory Board was held September 14 ,
2000 beginning at 7 : 00pm at the Homestead Center on Homestead Road , Chapel Hill , NC .
Members Attending ( affiliations listed in parentheses ) : Mike Babuin ( Orange County ) ,
Roger Barr ( Orange County ) , Joal Hall Broun ( Carrboro ) , Jacqueline Gist ( Carrboro ) , Barry
Jacobs ( BOCC Liaison ) , Jan Sassaman ( Chapel Hill ) , BJ Tipton ( UNC Provisional ) , Al
Vickers ( Chapel Hill ) ( NOTE : Town of Hillsborough Representatives not yet appointed )
Staff Attending : John Link ( County Manager ) , Wanda McCain ( Solid Waste Management ) ,
Blair Pollock ( Solid Waste Management ) , Paul Spire ( Solid Waste Management ) , Rod Visser
( Assistant County Manager ) , Gayle Wilson ( Solid Waste Management ) , Terry Campbell
( Orange County Public Works ) ,
• Members and staff made self- Introductions , with members explaining their representation
and why they are interested in serving on the SWAB .
• Gayle Wilson reviewed the interlocal agreement , explained UNC has not yet signed on to
the agreement . BJ Tipton of UNC says she has talked with UNC folks only briefly , but
thinks they are interested in participating — " we want to have a place to throw our
garbage " . Wilson explained that signing the Interlocal Agreement means that the signing
entity is committing its garbage and recycling to Orange County Solid Waste Management
operations .
• Wilson read the SWAB responsibilities outlined in Exhibit C of Interlocal Agreement .
• The SWAB held a discussion about procedures , such as number of unexcused absences
permitted Gayle Wilson has a set of suggested procedures coming from SWAB . . The
SWAB made a decision that planned absences should be called in /e - mailed to Wilson or
Wanda McCain so they don ' t count against the members in terms of the long -term validity
of their membership .
• Rod Visser clarified that first year of membership for all initial appointees ends June 30 ,
2001 based on approved amendment to the original Interlocal Agreement .
• Jackie Gist recommends waiting until the next SWAB meeting to appoint a chair — no
other comments were made on this point . No chair was appointed .
• Meeting times were set as the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7 : 00pm , alternating
between Government Services Center in Hillsborough and Southern Human Services
Center in Chapel Hill . The SWAB will not schedule a July 2001 meeting for now , and may
back off from monthly meetings if they determine those are not needed further down the
road .
• The staff will keep minutes and the SWAB will approve them at beginning of each meeting
• There was discussion about how on - line electronic discussions should be conducted , to
what extent they ' re open and meet criteria for open meetings laws— Staff will report back
on this at next meeting .
• John Link requests that the SWAB receive information at their next meeting on timeline for
County ' s budget process .
• The SWAB agrees to base any voting on a majority of SWAB members present and
voting , until and unless the attorneys give us different guidance .
• Barry Jacobs mentions that BOCC wants SWAB to submit an annual report including
positive progress .
• Wilson mentions that the BOCC would like the SWAB to look at the following topics :
electronics recycling , volume - based waste collection or Pay -As -You -Throw , sewage
sludge or biosolids from Orange Water and Sewer Authority ( OWASA ) ( and possibly
Town of Hillsborough ) , commercial recycling , and food waste composting .
• Jacobs proposes that SWAB also consider fairly soon how the extension of waterlines to
Rogers Road properties should be paid for , who pays for plumbing , etc .
• Wilson mentions staff interest in doing work session ( s ) to bring SWAB members up to
speed on solid waste management programs and issues facing Orange County .
• Wilson schedules landfill tour on 9 /27 at 5 : 30pm , but we ' ll reschedule for anyone who
can ' t make it and wants to go . Tour will include recycling pad , which is subject of an
Special Use Permit modification request to Orange County , Paul Spire mentions that by
9/27 tour construction of the fourth ( and final ) landfill cell will still be ongoing ( the plastic
liner will be covered with earth by that point )
• Wilson reports on early July meeting with landfill neighbors about the upcoming cell
construction stating , " We try to keep the " core group " of citizens in the vicinity of the
landfill posted on major developments . Things have been shaky in the past , but are
getting better" .
• Jacobs mentions BOCC interest in the SWAB making contacts with other jurisdictions
who may be interested in pursuing interlocal agreements , " drum up some business " and
refer them to SWAB . He mentioned that elected officials from Durham
have indicated openness to possible joint facilities in west Durham - east Orange
• Wilson mentions Triangle J Council of Governments ' interlocal SW planners ' group that
meets monthly — will keep SWAB posted on opportunities for regional cooperation that
arise in that group ' s discussions .
• Jan Sassaman states he prefers to receive materials electronically . Wilson says we ' ll try
that next time with meeting notice before trying to send the whole packet electronically .
• Mike Babuin and Roger Barr both mention that when they received attachments from
mailings to the Construction and Demolition Waste Task Force , those attachments
sometimes opened , sometimes didn ' t . Blair Pollock is to check with Information Services
Department of Orange County on this .
• Sassaman observes that workload identified may not be able to be dealt with in monthly
meetings .
• Wilson mentions that SWAB may need to address C & D recycling ordinance at next
meeting Jacobs cites need for input on thresholds in the ordinance , such as whether to
target major developers rather than individuals " remodeling their porch "
Meeting adjourned about 8 : 15 pm September 14 , 2000 .
Corrected and resubmitted to Manager : October 17 , 2000