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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSWAG quick report 011112Quick Report FROM: Name of Advisory Board: Solid Waste Advisory Board SUBJECT: Monthly Meeting DATE: January 11, 2012 LOCATION: Sold Waste Administration Building 1207 Eubanks Road Chapel Hill ______________________________________________________________________ MEMBERS PRESENT: Jan Sassaman, Chair & Chapel Hill Rep., Linda Bowerman Carrboro Rep, Remus Smith Hillsborough Rep., Al Vickers Carrboro Rep. MEMBERS ABSENT: Jim Ward, Chapel hill Rep. Steve Yuhasz County Board liaison, BJ Tipton UNC ex-officio. STAFF PRESENT: Gayle Wilson, Blair Pollock, Mary Carlson, Cody Marshall, Paul Spire, Terry Thomas, Jane Cousins (Chapel Hill Public Works staff) _____________________________________________________________________ Beginning time of meeting: 7pm Old Business (if any) NONE New Business Topic A Approval of November, 2011 minutes: Approved 4-0. Topic B: Notification of Memorial Tree Planting and Plaque Installation for Grant Gale and Bonnie Norwood Topic C: Walnut Grove Church Road Convenience Center Construction and discussion of services that could be available in the interim period during construction – Wilson gave a briefing on the proposed construction schedule and showed the temporary site to be used during construction. He requested feedback from the board on what services should remain during construction. The board seemed to favor a very simple set of services focused mostly on just MSW and the existing ‘shed’ for oil, filters, batteries and anti-freeze while eliminating any other services during the construction period. There was no formal vote taken. Topic D Solid Waste management plan three-year update. The State informed Orange County, contrary to what we had believed and to past state practice, the County’s three-year update to the ten year plan will now be due December 2012, not June 30, 2012, and must include the electronics recycling plan and an abandoned manufactured home plan for the County or other entities to be eligible for state funding for those two programs, It is not obvious at this point if all four governments will continue to collaborate on the submittal as they have in the past. The SWAB did not therefore take any action on recommending how the update might be pursued. 2 a. Landfill Gas Recovery Project Paul Spire gave a briefing noting that the flare for gas had begun operating the previous week and that would continue to burn the extracted gas until the pipeline to a gas fired reciprocating engine was built. UNC was scheduled to accept the project on January 13. The gas line and power plant are now in design, permitting and construction and scheduled to be complete late in 2012. Orange County will gain an estimated $3-4000 in revenue monthly from flaring of gas and that will increase to a projected $ $7-8,000 when the gas is converted to electricity by combustion in the engine to be built at Carolina North. To follow-up on community concerns expressed at the November SWAB meeting about noise from the flaring and blowers, staff member Paul Spire and Board Chair Jan Sassaman conducted an aural review of the installation and found it inaudible from Eubanks Road, the nearest public location to the installation. Chairman Sassaman also presented the Town of Chapel Hill noise ordinance criteria and indicated that both from UNC’s modeling and their field observation, this installation was performing below their thresholds for violations. b. Shingle recycling project has been put on indefinite hold due to market and financial conditions and staff work load. The State grant funds will be repurposed to another grant to the County. c. Jan Sassaman presented the SWAB input to the Annual BOCC retreat which he submitted on behalf of the SWAB and there was no discussion. d. Other: Wilson indicated that he plans to include the High Rock Road Convenience Center improvements in the 2012-13 budget request. He further noted that the County may, with manager approval, conduct a rural recycling customer satisfaction survey later this year. Meeting adjourned 8:30 pm Name of minute taker (s): Blair Pollock and Mary Carlson.