Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD)
Board of Supervisors Meeting
Via Zoom and In-person @ 327 Old Ferry Rd, Brattleboro
Minutes of May 9, 2024
Members Present:
Michelle Cherrier, Chair, Dummerston; Dan Towler, Brookline; Kevin Stine, Dover (alternate); Stephan Chait, Halifax (alternate); Kate Ullman, Jamaica; Ellen Dudley, Marlboro, Doris Knechtel, Newfane; Dan Toomey, Putney; Jim Damato, Readsboro (alternate); Irvin Stowell, Townshend; Liz Spector, Wardsboro; Lou Bordeaux, Westminster; Merrill Mundell, Wilmington
Members Absent: Patrick Moreland, Vice Chair, Brattleboro; Lewis Sumner, Halifax; Bob Matte, Readsboro; Rickey Harrington, Somerset; Kent Young, Stratton; Sandra Rulewich, Vernon; Guilford-VACANT
WSWMD Staff Present: Robert Spencer, Executive Director; Anita Grant, Office Manager & Operations Liaison, District Clerk
Other Guests: None
As a quorum was present Michelle called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM
- Roll Call of Members: Anita performed a roll call of members present. At this time, Michelle welcomed Kate Ullman as the new representative to the board from Jamaica.
- Changes and/or Additions to the Agenda: None
- Approval of Minutes- April 2024:
Doris made a motion to accept the minutes from April 2024 as written, Dan Toomey seconded and the motion carried with three abstentions.
- Approval of Check Register- April 2024:
Merrill made the motion to approve the Check Register for April 2024, seconded by Jim and the motion carried with one abstention.
- Approval of Financial Statement- April 2024:
Bob reported that April finished with a $32,000 budget deficit with revenue holding solid at 4% above budget even though the sale of recycled materials had dropped significantly since Casella stopped bringing cardboard to the District in March, and a $20,000 loss in renewable energy credit (RECs) revenue due to a transformer outage last July. Bob said there were not any unexpected expenses, and that tight spending controls were still in effect to hopefully finish the year at zero deficit or a small surplus.
Merrill made the motion to approve the Financial Statement for April 2024, seconded by Jim and the motion carried with one abstention.
- WSWMD Transfer Station Trash & Recycling Disposal Options:
Bob reported that the Executive Board and District’s attorney David Mears met several times regarding the Casella contract violations as explained in the letters sent with the agenda. Casella’s attorney states that Casella purchased Triple T Trucking’s assets, but not their contracts, and since there is no valid contract, WSWMD is free to contract other services prior to the August expiration.
Bob presented three options for the board to consider:
- A new contract with Casella at an 8.5% increase in tip fees and hauling costs (last fall Dave Allen of Casella gave that estimate when asked about cost increases for the FY 25 budget).
- A 60-day pilot to haul trash and C&D to the City of Keene’s transfer station, with the option to negotiate a long-term contract with Keene. Bob has proposals for hauling from Waste Management and Ruggerio.
- A contract with Ruggerio Trash Removal as the hauler to their transfer station in Walpole, or Keene as needed.
Bob said that he prepared the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Keene Public Works Department for a 60-day pilot to test the Keene scenario, and attorney Mears and the City have reviewed the MOU. To reduce hauling costs to Keene, the District would supplement some of the runs by self-hauling and maximize backhauls given the other materials hauled. He also indicated that there was no room in the FY 25 budget to hire a full-time truck driver, but he would utilize the part-time driver as much as possible.
There was a lot of discussion around the options presented, and Bob asked for board approval of the MOU with the City of Keene for the proposed 60-day period. He also indicated Michelle would sign the MOU and hauler contracts as board chair. The following motions were presented to the board.
Motion #1:
Jim made a motion to allow WSWMD to sign a 60-day pilot MOU with the City of Keene to accept disposal of trash and recyclable materials, with the intention of securing a longer-term contract if the pilot is successful. Kevin Stine seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
Motion #2:
Jim made a motion to approve WSWMD to solicit information and/or secure hauling for the 60-day pilot in Keene, also with the intention of securing a longer-term contract if the pilot is successful. Doris seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
- Executive Director’s Report:
- Peter has stepped up efforts to divert more returnable cans and bottles to the Putney Road Redemption bins on-site. New signs and marketing materials have been created to heighten awareness outside the recycling bins.
- Access stickers went on sale May 1st, and to offset the $10 increase, a coupon is being offered for a free bag of Brattlegrow compost.
- One compost distributor has expressed interest in purchasing bagged compost, and Bob and Peter will be researching equipment to bag more efficiently. Manually filling bags with compost takes a lot of staff time.
- The Household Hazardous Waste Depot is scheduled to open on Tuesday, May 14th, and will be operating on Tuesdays from 8:30 to 10:30, primarily staffed by Peter and Anita.
- Bob reported that the USDA authorized WSWMD to notify the three approved contractors to start construction of the new compost facility and plans to have Michelle sign the contracts next week. A press release will be issued once construction starts and a grand opening event will be held after the project is completed.
- Executive Session (if needed)
- Other Business: Michelle welcomed Ellen Dudley to the Board as the new representative for Marlboro, as she was not present when the roll call took place. Ellen acknowledged she was a founding member of the BOS from 1987-1991. Michelle then thanked Anita and the other members of the Board for their efforts to ensure the vacancies were filled and the towns had representation.
- Next Meeting: Thursday, June 13, 2024 @ 7 PM
- Adjournment: Jim made the motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Doris and the meeting adjourned at 8:06 PM.
Minutes prepared by,
Anita Grant
Office Manager & Operations Liaison/District Clerk