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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Clean City Advisory Committee - 10/01/2009 RECEWED Clean City Advisory Committee NOV 1 2 2009 Minutes of October 1, 2009 CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE The meeting opened at 3:12 p.m. in the sixth floor conference room at City Hall. Roll was taken, and the following members were present: Daiquiri Richard, Mikell Smith, Joan Veith, Scot Barker, Teresa Klein and John Elford. The following members were absent: Anthony Castorena, Paige Dinn, and Brian Cornelius. The following ex-officio member representatives were present: Peggy Sumner and Sharon Lewis for Environmental Services, and Diana Garza and Tracey Cantu for Neighborhood Services. The following City staff was present: Elizabeth Hundley, Lawrence Mikolajczyk, and Paul Bass. The September 3, 2009 minutes were discussed. Joan Veith made a motion to approve the minutes and Teresa Klein seconded the motion, which was voted on and passed by the committee. Discussion over the September 3 meeting absence of Anthony Castorena was initiated. Peggy Sumner made a motion to excuse the absence, which was seconded by Mikell Smith. The motion was voted on and approved by the committee. It was reported that Anthony Castorena, Paige Dinn, and Brian Cornelius gave prior notification of their absence on this day. Daiquiri asked for public comment. Ronald Hamilton stated that he had recently taken medical waste to the VA and they instructed him to just throw it in the garbage. He said that he believes there should be a better way to recycle or dispose of household medical waste. He asked that the committee look into the recycling and disposal of household medical waste. Peggy Sumner stated that she didn't know of other means of disposal other than in the garbage carts. Paul Bass stated that he'd look into the subject more. Daiquiri asked that any new information on the subject be reported to the committee. Daiquiri directed the committee to the e-waste collection event agenda item. Sharon Lewis described the event planned for Corpus Christi Recycles Day, November 14, one day before Texas Recycles Day. Sharon shared the draft the promotional flyer, and asked for comments and recommendations from the committee. Paul stated that Goodwill Industries is working with the Solid Waste department to establish a permanent electronics recycling station at the Citizens Collection Center. Sharon presented the draft City Council proclamation for Corpus Christi Recycles Day. Sharon read the draft proclamation aloud. Mikell Smith suggested that the proclamation include a statement that leadership is required to implement change. Peggy agreed to include the revision. The proclamation will be read before the City Council on Tuesday,November 10. Daiquiri guided the committee to the agenda item for the Up2U Program presentation. Paul explained the origins of the program, and plans to implement a program offering free litter collection bags in our coastal area. The goal is join public and private resources to support the program. Teresa Klein asked if bags were "photo" degradable as opposed to bio-degradable. Biodegradable would be safer for the environment. Paul stated that he'd check into that question. SCANNED Daiquiri asked former City Councilman Bill Kelly to proceed in presenting information on Rat Wheels. Bill introduced his business partners, Rob Ives and Steve Bland. The trio presented video news reports showing extreme instances of rat infestations, and presented alarming statistics on the dangers rats. Rat wheels are replacement wheels for garbage carts, designed with compartments to attract and poison mice and rats. The design capitalizes on the animals' natural behavior of entering small holes. The rat wheels were reported to be EPA approved, child resistant, and sturdy enough to handle the abuse of everyday use. The logistics, costs, and revenue opportunities were presented. There was considerable discussion with the presenters regarding this unique product. Next discussed was the agenda item regarding recycling education and outreach. Paul requested participation from the committee developing the education and outreach program needed to implement the enhanced recycling program. The goal is to assist in developing the messages, format, content, media, and an approach to the promotional campaign. Daiquiri asked for volunteers for the recycling education subcommittee, and the following were selected: Daiquiri Richard, Mikell Smith, Joan Veith, Scot Barker, and Teresa Klein. It was noted that only four would meet at any one time. Next, the committee discussed planning an event honoring Janet Harte, for her early efforts in recycling. The committee agreed to discuss this at a later date to coincide with the roll out of the new recycling program, in May 2010. The committee addressed the agenda item to discuss the calendar of green events. The November 14 e-waste collection event was discussed. Daiquiri mentioned that there would be recycling and related events in the winter and spring. Tracey Cantu announced that there would be a Green (Building) Conference in February 2010. Daiquiri requested that staff provide a planning calendar at the next scheduled meeting to help plan for upcoming events. Daiquiri then moved on to the discussion of the Keep America Beautiful (KAB) Application. Paul stated that there hasn't been a decision in selecting a person for the Clean City Coordinator position, and that this has created a stumbling block in moving forward in naming the KAB executive director. Daiquiri suggested that the chairperson of the Clean City Advisory Committee assume the role of executive director of KAB. No action was taken at this time. Paul, who was not present when the minutes were approved, noted that Brian Cornelius had requested a correction to the date he had started working for BFI. The year is 1995, not 1991. Teresa Klein made the motion to accept the minutes as amended. Mikell Smith seconded the motion, which was then approved by the committee. Agenda items for the next meeting were discussed. Daiquiri mentioned the planning calendar, Scot Barker mentioned including a discussion of Rat Wheels, to review the financial aspects of implementing a program. Lawrence Mikolojczyk mentioned that the rat wheels may have a value for use in City Parks, or locations where it's known that rodents occur. Lawrence and the committee discussed the maintenance, logistics and costs of the rat wheel program. Daiquiri recommended that we include an item to address solving the issue related to identifying a KAB executive director. There was discussion of forming an ad hoc subcommittee to address finalizing the KAB application, with a recommendation for Mikell and Daiquiri to meet the week of October 19th. Meeting adjourned at 4:56 p.m.