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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.25.23 Staff ReportJEFFERSON COUNTY, WA SOLID WASTE ADVISORY COMMITTEE May 25, 2023 STAFF REPORT Staffing The two new Operators at the transfer station have proved to be very quick learners. One of the Operators was absent for 4 weeks for the Class A commercial drivers license which is required of all Operators and passed the practical exam on the first try which is not common. We still have a senior Operator recovering from an injury and will start a temporary 90-day Operator on May 25th to fill the absence and help through the peak season. We need a little more time to get our new staff “skilled up” but hope to expand the hours of operation for the Tuesday – Saturday schedule beginning in September to alleviate wait times. Webpage Our new webpage is up and running as well as the facility replacement planning process webpage, which is embedded within it. Please take a tour and lend any suggestions for improvements. Staff and consultant are nearly ready to launch a public survey on facility replacement and this survey will live on the new webpage. When ready for launch we will send an invitation to take the survey to a long list of stakeholders and have included a flyer announcement in the June PUD billing scheduled to start going out June 8th. Instagram Our solid waste program is on Instagram now. Add it to your feed: @jeffcopublicworks_wa We’ve got over a hundred followers so far and we’ve been using this platform for education about our program, event announcements and reminders, and for getting timely notices out about congestion at the facility. Solid Waste Education Public Works and Public Health have arranged for the solid waste education program to be administered under Public Works beginning in July and with Laura Tucker still leading the program. A different Department of Ecology grant that is better suited for education activities will be used to fund the program at current levels. The primary focus of the program for at least the first two years will be on food waste diversion and this will build on the great work Laura has already done in this area. Transfer Station Improvements The provider of credit card transaction hardware and software has been unable to provide timely replacement of hardware and troubleshooting so staff evaluated six other service providers and has entered a new agreement with the highest ranked provider. Installation of the new equipment is planned for later this month. Additionally, the scale software is more than 10 years old and will not speak nicely to the new server platform which is also needing to be replaced. A kickoff meeting for the scale software replacement was held recently with implementation including training for all staff will be carried out over the next 3 months. As a measure of the complexity of scale operations and coordination of changes to that operation, 9 different contractors are needed to provided the suite of support services along with 3 County agencies. The electronic gate project is being rescheduled for the 2024 budget cycle due to current workload and staff availability. Now that the transfer station has fiber (thanks PUD!), the gate project will include the installation of a live camera feed so customers can monitor traffic in real time. Quilcene Drop Box Improvements/Revisions The extension of the asphalted area and revision of bin locations at Quilcene for more efficient material management is being rescheduled for the 2024 budget cycle due to current workload and staff availability. Equipment Purchase Staff has identified the right telescoping forklift and attachments to gain material handling efficiencies at both facilities and will bid the equipment when the workload allows. Moderate Risk Waste Program Two residential household hazardous waste collection events are scheduled for remaining 2023: • September 16th, 10 am - 2 pm Quilcene Roads Shop, 295316 Hwy 101, Quilcene • September 30th, 10 am - 2 pm Jefferson Transit Haines Park & Ride, 440 12th St, Port Townsend The Kitsap and Jefferson County BoCC’s have entered into an Interlocal Agreement which will allow Jefferson County residents to dispose of household hazardous waste at the Kitsap County Moderate Risk Waste Facility in the Bremerton area if those customers cannot wait for the next collection event. This will fill the potential service gap caused by the Jefferson County MRWF closure. Transfer Station Replacement Planning Process At the fourth meeting of the Solid Waste Facility Task Force, a number of design options for a rebuilt or replaced transfer station were discussed. A fifth SWFTF meeting is being planned for mid-July at which an optimal design will be selected and applied to a shortlist of facility sites. Staff is working with the consultant to streamline the planning process. Fee Schedule Staff met with the BoCC on April 17th to recommend a new schedule of fees for the transfer station and Quilcene rural drop box. County and City Public Works staff also reviewed a recommended increase to the minimum fee for yard debris on May 1st with the Port Townsend City Council. Staff is scheduling a second workshop with the BoCC in early June to update them on refinements to the proposed fee revisions and possibly schedule either a public hearing or adoption by resolution. Staff will want to review the proposed revisions with SWAC and get feedback that will be shared with the BoCC. Closed Landfill Monitoring A supplemental agreement with Aspect Consulting was approved by the BoCC for continued monitoring and a final report on the monitoring program in January, 2024. The additional scope of work will fill any remaining data gaps and demonstrate that monitoring activities can end after +30 years.