The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCONSENT SWAC Appointment Walter-Hansen Jefferson County Board of Commissioners Consent Agenda Request To: Board of Commissioners Josh Peters,County Administrator From: Heidi Eisenhour,Board of County Commissioners Agenda Date: hcm a iv,, f 7 2-c'z ;' Subject: Solid Waste Advisory Board Appointment ADVISORY BOARD APPOINTMENT Advisory Board appointment(1)re: Solid Waste Advisory Committee(SWAC); District 3 Citizen Representative Analysis: The Board of County Commissioners has received two requests for appointment to the SWAC for the vacant District 3 citizen representative position. Both candidates have been informally interviewed and their applications carefully considered in light of the upcoming Solid Waste Management Plan update process in which SWAC will play a significant role. Recommendation: Mr. Simon Walter-Hansen is recommended for appointment to the SWAC. Department Contact: Al Cairns, Solid Waste Manager x213 Reviewed By: , //1 1 /96 Jo Peters,County Administrator Date Department of Public Works 623 Sheridan Street Port Townsend,WA 98368 Jefferson County, Washington 360-385-9160 MEMORANDUM To: Commissioner Eisenhour Through: Eric Kuzma, Public Works Director j From: Al Cairns, Solid Waste Manager Date: February 10, 2026 Re: SWAC Appointment Recommendation Revisions to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) by-laws have been in process for several months. These were initiated by a request from the Clerk of the Board to bring greater consistency between various advisory board/committee by-laws and additionally by a request of several SWAC members to have a role in the vetting of potential members in the way that Parks and Recreation Advisory Board does. The PAO review and SWAC meeting calendar has made the by-law revision process longer than desired. As the by-law revision process has unfolded, two applications for the vacant District 3 Citizen Representative position have been received. Until such time as the new bylaws are adopted, Public Works' recommendation is to fill that position using our existing process which is: • Public Works review of the candidate application • Informal interview of the candidate to determine suitability for SWAC • Recommendation for appointment to the BoCC if appropriate In keeping with this process, Public Works staff have reviewed both applications and have had lengthy conversations with both applicants. Based on a review of the applications and these conversations Public Works recommends Mr. Simon Walter-Hansen for appointment because he: 1. is the sole proprietor of multiple local businesses and understands financial management which would benefit SWAC and staff in the Plan update which will include a triple bottom line element 2. has a background in agricultural production in Jefferson County which would be beneficial to SWAC given that the current Ag representative and soon-to-be Conservation District manager, Sierra Young, will be resigning from SWAC after April 3. has an interest in the solid waste program as a whole 4. has experience working in collaborative group settings 5. understands the value of compromise in reaching agreement 6. does not have any obligations that would prevent him from regular meeting attendance or fulfilling a full term If this recommendation is satisfactory,the next step would be an Agenda Request for consideration of the full BoCC. Please find one is attached along with the two applications. Summary of Applicant Qualifications 2/17/2026 Category Jim Friedman Simon Walter-Hansen Background - Education, Job Experience, Special Areas of Interest, etc. Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Univ. of Florida. Near 20-yr experience in degree- relevant work, including 12 yrs of Navy contract work and project/program/people mgmt. Newfound special interest in civic responsbility, engagement. 2000 B. Mechanical Engineering w/ Management Minor, Univ. of Minnesota. Graduate studies in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. 2003-2008 Owner/Operator TriStore/TriStore.com (triathlon). 2008-2010 Software Developer - eHungry, Inc. (online ordering for restaurant). 2017-present Owner/Mgr - Mozaic Farm (Chimacum Eggs/Mozaic Meat). 2023-present Owner/Manager - Chimacum Cafe. Community Activities - past 5 yrs Volunteer work in Quilcene through events run at Worthington Park and Quilcene Garden Club. Civic engagement through BoCC Community Conversations, public comment periods. Dominoes weekly at community center with wide variety of community members. Farm Tour, Connectivity Summit, Preparedness Day, Old School 4th of July, Rhody Parade, Wooden Boat Festival, County Fair Why applying for this appointment? Recommended solution by all three County Commissioners and Solid Waste Mgr as good and productive way to help affect policy re: solid waste solution for community. To help support finding long-term solution to solid waste management in county. Observed Problems, Issues, Concerns - Proposal to Address Insufficient public representation in recommendations affecting current policy. Solution is to be involved in SWAC and provide a more diverse view of ideas and experiences. Two main challenges/decisions: 1. current facilities expansion v. new facility; 2. site selection. Proposed approach: 1. Weigh sunk cost of current infrastructure and necessary upgrades, costs, timelines, level-of-service expectations v. cost of design and greenfield development of a new plant, simulations to model traffic flow and queue times to give visual representation of current and proposed options. 2. Use John Buck's Collaborative Economic Development approach to planning and decision-making to help bring stakeholders into alignment on community asset development. SWAC Applicants Category Jim Friedman Simon Walter-Hansen Knowlege, Skills, Abilities in Subject Area Program Mgmt, End User Education, Budgeting, Technical Writing, Math and Data Analytics, Consumer Experience at Quilcene Drop Box and community engagement in South County Formal training involved plant model simulations of process and flow dynamics. Created simulations for Ford Motor Co. and Institutional Food Services to help model and redesign plant operations for throughput efficiency, ergonomics, and cost reduction. Experience with design charrette faciliation as well as asset-based community development. Strenthgs - Broad Knowledge, Interest in Various Views Provide distinct view as rural District 3 resident and as regular user of Quilcene Drop Box. Dedicated much of adult life towards supporting and nurturing living system on planet earth. Bring humanity and comprehensive perspective on systems thinking. Spending time in hospitality in Jefferson Co., especially as a manager, has given one-on-one exposure to broad range of residents and deeper understanding of some of their needs and expectations of community gov't services. Time Dedication, Limitations Regular job from 5am-2pm, M-F. Some flexibility during these times, but fully available outside of this time. Already been dedicating several hrs of time weekly to this committee from the outside. Plan to continue this. Available for quarterly mtgs and 4 hrs of reading/research/development per month. More time on an as-needed basis. Additional Info Biggest interests are problem-solving and finding solutions that meet needs efficiently and effectively. Like to distill big concepts into useful and understandable components. Here to help.