Shaftsbury Solid Waste Committee
Minutes, November 15, 2005
Cole Hall, 7:30 p.m
.
Members Present: Bill Pennebaker, , Karen Mellinger, Michael Biddy
Absent: Trevor Mance, Forrest Snyder
Citizens present: Scott Bernard
The meeting was called to order at 7:40 p.m. by Bill Pennebaker.
Old Business:
Recycling study: Due to the absence of Forrest, any discussion of a recycling study will be held until the next month’s meeting.
Landfill closure: Karen and Bill gave an update on recent landfill closure activities. The Select Board will be requesting a second design from KAS (the engineering firm) that will address possibly using a geosynthetic liner.
White paper: Bill had presented the Solid Waste Committee’s findings to the Select Board on November 7. It was acknowledged that there may be opposition to the concept of a pay as you throw system. The Select Board will be hosting a town informational meeting on solid waste options in early December.
New Business:
There was a brief discussion concerning the Bennington transfer station. Bill has updated some of the information in his profile of that site.
Swap shed: Possible options discussed included moving the present equipment
building and utilizing it as a swap shed. It is unclear whether the building would survive a move. Karen noted the cement slab near the new Water Department building could possibly serve as a foundation for a future swap shed. Bill discussed the potential need to heat the building for the comfort of residents and also if we wish to store and swap paint during the cold months. Bill also pointed out that if we are going to handle paint, we would want access to water for cleaning. Another option would be to only handle paint during the warm months and then bring the remainder somewhere at the end of the season for recycling. This would eliminate the need for heating the building. Bill pointed out that the Pownal shed is not heated.
Mike noted that if the equipment shed were moved, there would not be much protection for nearby residents. He suggested a buffer of trees and a fence.
Traffic flow: Discussion then moved to traffic flow and how to optimize the site. Karen offered to speak to Allison Church who is a traffic engineer working for the BCRC. Scott will speak with his sister who is an architect.
Budget requests: Bill brought up Aaron’s letter, which asks whether the SWC anticipates changes that will impact the budget. It seems unclear at this point.
Monthly meeting schedule: The group present decided to move to a once a month meeting schedule. The Committee will meet on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. if that is agreeable to the absent members.
The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Mellinger