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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCMinutes_2017_07_12 Sustainability Council July 12, 2017 A meeting of the Sustainability Council was held on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. at Brookings City & County Government Center with the following members present: Norma Nusz Chandler, Nels Granholm, Stephanie Aure, Ben Kleinjan, Bob McGrath, Jennifer McLaughlin and Paul Peterson. Mike Lockrem, Jane Hegland, Betty Beer and Caleb Vukovich were absent. Others present: Guest Lawrence Novotny, Solid Waste Director Todd Langland, Shari Thornes and Laurie Carruthers. Chair Nusz Chandler called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by McLaughlin, to approve the agenda. All present voted yes; motion carried. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by McLaughlin, to approve the June 14, 2017 minutes. All present voted yes; motion carried. Updates / Reports: Committees Urban Ag/Local Foods. A draft of the Curbside Composting Report was presented by Nusz Chandler. Solid Waste Director Todd Langland advised the City of Brookings Regional Landfill is permitted to compost yard waste since 1996 but not municipal solid waste (MSW) or source separated organic material (SSOM). The yard waste bags (containing mostly plant waste of grass and leaves) are picked up curbside twice a week and deposited at a composting site at the landfill. 67,000 yard waste bags are sold each year. Mother nature does most of the work, but the landfill adds water as needed and turns the compost in the summer. The finished compost product is free and used by residents in gardens and lawns. The DENR follows federal law, which at this time considers composing part of solid waste operations because by definition food scraps are classified as municipal solid waste (MSW). Therefore, subject to the same regulations as a solid waste landfill. It would be the responsibility of the DENR to set new regulations. To begin composting SSOM, it is a difficult and expensive process. The landfill would need a new site plan as well as additional factors including: purchasing outside land, building structures, testing, liner costs, additional trucks & containers, and personnel. Sioux Falls and Huron are interested in composting SSOM. Langland will discuss composting with other representatives across the state at their fall annual meeting. Rapid City is currently composting food waste, but received a grandfather clause. A material recovery facility is administered in Rapid City where all the garbage is processed and the compost is a sideline byproduct. The compost end product has no value because it is grey and other materials are present including glass and/or plastic. Another problem is the smell due to pathogens from allowing dairy and meat waste. If food waste is limited to plants, vegetables and fruit, the smell and pathogens would be minimal. McGrath advised that Brookings currently composts plant material, which has a high fertilizer and pesticide count. If the landfill started to accept food waste for composting, the collection site would be treated like a new landfill. A new food waste composting site would require an excavation, liner, density testing, leachate system, additional clay and collection system. Ultimately, it would be similar to building a new trench, and the cost is estimated at over a million dollars to engineer and design. The subcommittee does not recommend this be conducted at the current site of the landfill or it will shorten the lifespan of the landfill. However, there is room to expand the current location. Some states have redesigned their regulations, including Minnesota in 2015, to add a third category – source separated organics (SSO). SSO requires a liner, but no density checking and is reasonably compact. The runoff must be controlled, which can be done with a berm. More testing is required of the ground and water surface water. This could be built on the current site of the landfill and by digging the last trench. The question remains if Brookings wants to allow SSO. Under the current regulations, meat, dairy and bakery waste is considered MSW. The more waste that is allowed in composting, the tougher the regulations. The City Council is asking if Brookings should do more with regards to composting. Langland advises that the grocery stores could generate SSO and estimates 12 tons per week. The cost to pick up recycling and sending to a processing plant is $55 per ton and the benefit of saving landfill space. It costs $44 per ton to bury MSW. If Brookings moves forward in collecting SSO, it needs to sell this concept to the businesses who generate the most SSO. A question was asked about collecting methane gas. Langland advised that landfills take 30-40 years to generate methane gas, which can be used to heat buildings or sold as an alternative revenue for the city. The current site is still at least 10 years out from producing methane gas. Sioux Falls received a grant to begin a methane gas collection program. When City Council asked about composting, the subcommittee looked at the regulations and found none. It is possible to establish local regulations without state regulations in place. Once regulations are established, the city could encourage private development of a Source Separated Organic Material Site and collection service. A recommendation needs to be presented at the August City Council Meeting. Brookings has always been favorable to recycling awareness with residents as well as businesses in town. The average resident is affected by recycling at home and work. Brookings has an 80% participation rate in curbside recycling – out of 5,600 residents, 4,100 are currently recycling. When Brookings started distributing recycling carts, everyone wanted one. Education was the key. Langland advised that some of the larger cities struggle to get participation in recycling and landfill space, including Minnesota. Most cities initiate composting programs with a pilot program and grants are available. Since large businesses and institutions generate the highest volume of waste, the subcommittee recommends, after regulations are in place, the City seek funding for a pilot program for the large consumer composting. Since Brookings has a high awareness of environmental protection, Brookings should develop a public education program to promote residential backyard composting and its benefits. A motion was made by Kleinjan, seconded by McLaughlin, to approve the draft as to substance and leave the remainder as to form by circulating electronically for any objections. All present voted yes; motion carried. Poster series new images and updates; recycling, backyard composting. Thornes advised the following posters need to be updated:  Community Bike Ride  Mayor Reed Recycling – suggestion: alternate transportation on a bike  ReStore  Hy-Vee Reusable bags  Nature Park winter skier  Biking winter (in progress)  Jack at Farmers Market Green Drinks. Nusz Chandler advised the Green Drinks needs to adjust the location into the gathering side room at Wooden Legs or an alternative location. The last several Green Drinks have been very loud and this has distracted the presenters as well as guests. It was suggested to contact the building owner. Jim’s Tap or Cubby’s are alternate locations. The venue change should be done at year end. New topics for next year include: Erin Cortez SDSU Ag Department, paperless small business and how they changed to green, Lean, rebates from Brookings Municipal Utilities, composting, medical field, LED - how/what to buy. Aure left at 5:12 pm. Smart Energy/Wind Turbine. Steve Meyer will be a guest at a future meeting to discuss wind energy. Carruthers will reach out to Meyer about October meeting. Beer is looking at regulations for wind turbines. McGrath went to Northern Tool to look at installation requirements for a wind turbine. The installation instructions advised the wind turbine to be 20 feet higher than any direction within 500 feet. Brookings’ current regulations need to be amended to accommodate a three-legged stand, as one would not fit in most of Brookings according to these regulations. McGrath advised that residents could consider the helical type instead of the blade type. Executive Committee Report Tilton Byrne was active on several subcommittees. The Council may want to reestablish members to fill the vacancies. Liaisons: Comprehensive Master Plan Steering Committee Community Workshop was on July 12. Nusz Chandler reported the July 11 Stakeholder Meeting seemed positive and the consultants listened and understood concerns. RDG does have a background with sustainability and due to prior backlash, they refer to it as ‘healthy communities.’ Nusz Chandler provided some of the reports and materials to the consultants including the Brookings Benchmarks. Thornes advised the consultants were impressed with the level of board engagement and their priorities and work plans. Kleinjan advised that sustainability was clearly in in RDG’s top 2 or 3 topics as it pertains to cost effectiveness and practicality. Nusz Chandler advised that she connected with Jonathan Rosenbloom (Kleinjan’s professor from Drake University) and discussed his work on how economics help drive sustainable principles. Big Sioux River Board Granholm provided an update from the last Friends of the Big Sioux River Board meeting. USDA projects are going well along Skunk Creek, which provides volume to Big Sioux east of Lake Madison. SRAM projects provide buffer strips and remedial practices. Currently, 44 miles are covered under SRAM protection. The Big Sioux River Mapping Project is underway, which maps out the Big Sioux River from Watertown all the way to the Missouri River in Sioux City, Iowa (approximately 160 miles). Part of the survey is a ground truth observation of every aspect of the channel on a kayak. The voyage from Brookings to Flandreau is scheduled on July 22, and guests are welcome to attend with a kayak. So far, they have not observed cattle in river. The FBSRB are interested in urban properties and how to prevent runoff, and there is a fescue grass project underway to reduce runoff on Kiwanis Avenue. It is difficult to keep things going and funded. Members of the board put together a list of directions and procedures, which includes, but is not limited to: outreach, legislative, membership and finance. Affordable Housing Task Force Lockrem to report at next meeting. Bicycle Advisory Committee Thornes advised the BBAC recently adopted goals for 2017-18, and the Mayor’s Ride is scheduled on August 17. Announcements/Correspondence/Communications/Calendar McLaughlin inquired about the pledge cities are taking towards advocacy for the Paris Climate Agreement. Thornes will look into information and visit with the Mayor. Kleinjan left at 5:55 pm. Adjourn Meeting adjourned at 5:56 p.m. Submitted by Laurie Carruthers