HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoard of Selectmen Minutes January 21, 2009 Afternoon Meeting_2014020616121488681
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Minutes of the Meeting of 21 January 2009. The meeting took place in the Conference Room,
Town and County Building, 16 Broad Street, Nantucket, MA 02554. Members of the Board present
were Rick Atherton, Brian Chadwick, Michael Kopko, Allen Reinhard, and Patricia Roggeveen.
Chairman Kopko called the meeting to order at 1:07 PM.
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION
Solid waste consultant George Aronson gave an update on solid waste issues. Mr. Aronson
reviewed an aerial photograph of the landfill which outlined the potential lined landfill cells and
different mining scenarios. He reviewed the base case scenario – what would happen if no mining
occurred or stayed at the current rate of mining of 5,000 cubic yards per year– as well as an
accelerated mining scenario, which would be mining at a rate of 50,000-100,000 cubic yards per
year. Mr. Aronson said that if the landfill is mined at an accelerated rate, the DEP might be flexible
about the cap and closure date of cell 1C. He said that mining reduces the environmental impact of
the landfill while creating new space. Mr. Aronson said the settlement agreement with Waste
Options (WON) states that the Town is responsible for the closing costs of the various cells and
that it is estimated to cost $2.8 million to close cell 1C alone. A discussion ensued about the long
term goals of mining, possible capping of some of the cells, and shipping solid waste materials off-
island.
The Solid Waste Enterprise Fund (SWEF) budget was discussed and Mr. Aronson handed out a
budget analysis summary. Mr. Aronson said there is a $1.9 million shortfall in the SWEF budget
that is above and beyond the transfer from the General Fund which has already been incorporated
into the budget. Ms. Roggeveen commented that this shortfall is a municipal cost and could be
dealt with by raising fees or taxes. Mr. Aronson reviewed the budget summary with the Board and
explained that tip fees for asphalt, brick, and concrete (ABC), brush, scrap, and clean wood were
raised in 2008, and that the volume in the past six months has declined by 40-60%. He said that
residential construction and demolition (C&D) waste and mixed bulky waste is being disposed of at
no cost to residents, while costing the Town $330 per ton to handle and ship it off-island for
processing. A discussion took place concerning commercial and residential C&D and mixed bulky
waste disposal, and the Board’s policy of that waste disposal. Mr. Aronson said putting a fee on
residential C&D and mixed bulky waste would help the budget.
Mr. Aronson discussed the WON contract. Until the end of FY 08 there had been an arrangement
for recycling that deviated from the contract, which was that the Town received recycling revenues
directly and did not give a recyclables credit back to W0N. Mr. Aronson said that the contract is
clear: WON should receive recycling revenues then give recycling credit back to the Town after
expenses. Mr. Aronson noted that within the last three months recycling has “tanked” not just
locally but worldwide. Mr. Aronson said the Town would be prudent to put in zero for the FY 10
budget for recycling revenues and hope that the markets recover and that revenue exceeds costs.
He said there are still outstanding issues with WON with net recycling credits that the Town
retained in 2007 and 2008 and it is not clear in the contract if the money should have been kept; he
said this is an open issue that should be discussed with WON. Mr. Aronson discussed restructuring
the C&D portion of the agreement and said open issues include the volume of C&D and noted that
in the past six months the volume of C&D has dropped tremendously. A discussion ensued
concerning fees and costs for C&D, mixed solid waste (MSW), and the materials recycling facility
(MRF). Assistant Town Manager Malachy Rice brought up the subject of legacy costs and said part
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of the general fund contribution goes toward cleaning up the landfill and noted that that cost is over
and above the operations of the landfill. Ms. Roggeveen said the Town recognizes that the
municipal subsidy covers MSW and not much else. Mr. Aronson said that they are trying to
schedule a meeting with WON next week to discuss the mining plan. Charlie O'Neil from Reis
Trucking mentioned the "ever-increasing piles of compost and mulch" and said that in his opinion
the quality is not good and the process for consumers is not convenient or efficient.
The meeting was unanimously adjourned at 2:37 PM.
Approved the 8th day of July, 2009.