HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 06/19/20020
MINUTES
CITY OF FORT COLLINS
NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
SPECIAL MEETING
281 N. COLLEGE
June 19, 2002
For Reference: Randy Fischer, NRAB Chair -
226-5383
Ray Martinez, Council Liaison -
416-2154
Michelle Pawar, Staff Liaison -
221-6263
Board Members Present
Reagan Waskom, Nate Donovan, Linda Knowlton, Phil Murphy, Randy Fischer, Don
Rodriguez, Kelly Ohlson
Board Members Absent
Arvind Panjabi, Steve Ryder
Staff Present
Natural Resources Dent: Mark Sears, Michelle Pawar, Terry Klahn
Guests
Eric Hamrick
Janna Six
Agenda Review
No changes.
Solid Waste Diversion, Susie Gordon
Gordon provided a brief background and an update of the City's solid waste diversion
plan.
Discussion
• Fischer: If this presentation is going to Council I would suggest changing the names
of the categories.
• Gordon: It's more likely that we'll go with a short list. Some of the things that are
cheap and easy we may just do automatically.
• Knowlton: Why is there a lack of good data if it's easy to correct?
• Gordon: It isn't that we haven't been doing it. We're making a concerted effort.
We're fairly aggressive, and each year it gets a little better.
• Murphy: Number 5 (reduce collection schedule for recycling) you say is easy, but
who is it easy for? I would erase that one. It might be easy for the City, but it's
difficult for the homeowner.
Natural Resources Atsory Board •
June 19, 2002
2
• Waskom: It would help me to have numbers about how much more would be
diverted.
• Gordon: What we heard from the Skumatz report is that the big chunks are
construction debris and yard waste.
• Fischer: One important issue is increased commercial participation.
• Gordon: We have said, "here's our top picks". We're trying to stay open minded.
Every one's perspective is valuable. When we go to Council it would be helpful to
say we talked to the board and the community, and here's the top choices.
• Gordon: I was surprised at the support for new measures from the haulers.
• Fischer: I would like for board members to think about an effective way to
communicate with Council. We need to make hard decisions, even if they cost a lot.
What are the most cost effective of the alternatives?
• Six: What would the City have to do about the yard waste?
• Gordon: There must be a guarantee it goes to a certifiable recycling community.
That's a problem. Currently there's Roger Hageman, and a few places further east. It
could increase diversion by 10%. We heard from the committee that it could dis-
incentive back yard composting.
• Pawar: Do we have a sense of approximately how many people compost?
• Gordon: It's difficult to measure.
• Ohlson: It's not even allowed in many HOA's.
• Gordon: Part of the practicality is the budget cycle. We'll be going through the
exception process.
• Murphy: I'm a big fan of increasing what's required to be picked up curbside. In
some ways I'm not a big fan of seeing the yard waste included. The City has done a
great job with educating people about yard waste, I'd hate to give people an out.
Increasing commercial and multifamily recycling has always been a high priority for
the committee, and this group as a whole.
• Donovan: I agree with Phil on the yard waste.
• Rodriguez: There seems to be a huge disconnect, if 80% are recycling, and we're only
diverting 17-24% of the waste stream. The commercial sector needs to be engaged. I
believe curbside yard waste collection is a good idea. The people that compost will
continue to compost. I don't see that as a dis-incentive.
• Ohlson: I'm not clear on the time table. If we leave things off now, when will they
be revisited?
• Gordon: We can go to Council with immediate projects now, but come back with a
complete work plan for the following two years.
• Pawar: Our goal is to sync up with the budget process.
• Ohlson: I think you need to define "expensive". This department needs to operate on
the same wave length as other departments. Also, Number 4 is a big one. We need
systemic change. We need to make people pay for the trash they throw away. If you
do, they'll recycle. It's market economy. It's fair and just, and all the other stuff is
just frosting. We have to improve multi family recycling. That's always been on the
agenda. What does it mean when you say phase in a two year project for baseline
data?
Natural Resources Atisory Board •
June 19, 2002
• Gordon: We have a proposal, that if funded, would being out a plan to work with
select apartment managers on a voluntary basis. We would do site by site analysis
and ask them what they need.
• Hamrick: Council likes to know how much things cost. It would be good to have
some rough numbers. Present both sides, cost and benefits. The exception process is
coming up, right now the City has 10 million dollars of one time money. It might be
worth considering.
• Ohlson: There is also the overage money. It's staggering how much is available in
one-time money.
• Gordon: Would the committee like to meet and refine the list?
• Fischer: The committee will work with staff to refine the list and come up with
something to send to Council that everyone is comfortable with.
Nate Donovan made the following motion:
Move that the NRAB send a memo to Council, with the content to be determined by the
committee and circulated to the full board.
The motion passed unanimously.
Acquisitions — Formal Action
Randy Fischer said Mark Sears has a couple items that require board action.
Provincetown
Sears provided some background information about the purchase and the property.
Randy Fischer said he some problems with the development, and letting a developer put a
detention basin on a natural area. Sears said they paid fee simple 100% value of the land,
and the City has been fully compensated for their facilities. They're also restoring 20
acres that would have had to been restored at our expense. Sears added that in ten to
fifteen years we'll have 83 acres of prairie and 73 acres of marsh, wetland habitat.
The NRAB unanimously approved the purchase of the property.
Fossil Creek 10 Acre Parcel
Sears said this is a ten acre parcel completely surrounded by open space. We've been
negotiating for a couple years on this parcel. Currently there is an offer the seller would
be interested in considering. This is the last piece of the puzzle.
• Rodriguez: Any chance of a land swap?
• Sears: We've been bringing him parcel after for parcel for years. He hasn't been
interested.
• Donovan: Paying this much per acre couldn't do anything except raise the bar a little
for other property owners.
• Fischer: We've passed on high dollar properties before.
Natural Resources Misery Board •
June 19, 2002
4
Linda Knowlton made the following motion:
Move that we recommend to Council not purchasing this property at this price.
The motion passed unanimously.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned to a work session format at 8:00 pm.
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