Board of Supervisors Minutes 12/8/22

| Board of Supervisor's Meeting Notices, Agendas & Minutes

Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD)

Brattleboro, Vermont

Board of Supervisors Meeting

Via Zoom and In-person

 Minutes of December 8, 2022

 

Members Present: (In-person & Zoom):  Chair: Michelle Cherrier, Dummerston; Vice Chair: Patrick Moreland, Brattleboro; Dan Towler, Brookline; Kevin Stine, Dover (alternate); Stephan Chait, Halifax (alternate), Doris Knechtel, Newfane; Dan Toomey, Putney; Irvin Stowell, Townshend; Sandra Rulewich, Vernon; Kevin Hughes, Westminster

Members Absent:  Michael Becker, Guilford; Jessica Pollack, Jamaica; Stillman Vonderhorst, Marlboro; Bob Matte, Readsboro; Rickey Harrington, Somerset; Kent Young, Stratton; Wardsboro: Vacant;  Merrill Mundell, Wilmington

WSWMD Staff Present: Robert Spencer, Executive Director; John Fay, Programs & Operations Manager; Vicki Hayes, Finance & Office Manager; Anita Grant, Administrative & Operations Assistant, District Clerk

Anita performed a roll call at Michelle’s request. As a quorum was present Michelle called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM

 

  1. Changes and/or Additions to the Agenda: None
  1. Approval of Minutes from November 10, 2022: Kevin Stine said his name had been omitted from the list of members present at the October BOS meeting. A review of the roll call revealed that Kevin was indeed absent from the meeting (as originally reported) so this will be corrected in the November minutes. As Kevin Stine is the alternate for Dover, only the main representative would be listed as absent. Stephan Chait asked for clarification if board attendance was listed by town, rather than board member. Michelle confirmed that it is by town, with the representative attending. She also pointed out that alternates would not appear in the list of absent representatives.

Motion to accept the minutes from November 10, 2022, as corrected; made by Doris, seconded by Irvin. Motion carried.

 

  1. Approval of October 2022 Check Register: There was no discussion on the check register.

Motion to approve the Check Register for November 2022; made by Irvin, seconded by Dan Toomey. Motion carried.

 

  1. Approval of Financial Statements for November 2022: Vicki reported that the District finished November showing a $99,000 surplus that included $50,000 in renewable energy credits (RECS) from the solar array, $16,000 in USDA Grant funds, and $40,000 in S.W.I.P. funds. She also indicated that expenses were up 3% but since inflation was higher than that, very happy with the financial performance. She also cautioned that there were some unforeseen expenses that will hit in December, but she’s hopeful that the District will continue to perform well since it’s 13% ahead of budget.

 Motion to approve the Financial Statements for November 2022; made by Patrick, seconded by Doris. Motion carried.
 

  1. Consider Results of the Public Hearing for the FY 24 Budget: Michelle stated that the FY 24 Budget hearing took place at 6:30 PM prior to the BOS meeting. No public attendees were present, so therefore without public response, it was determined there were no objections to the proposed budget. Bob commented that he and John attended the Westminster Selectboard meeting (at their request), and no issues were brought forth pertaining to the budget or assessments.

 

  1. Ratify the FY 24 Budget:

Michelle made the motion to ratify the FY 24 Budget as approved by the Board of Supervisors at the November meeting, with total revenue of $1,127,870, total expenses of $1,288, 380 and total assessments of $255, 510. Irv seconded. Motion carried. 
 

  1. Glass Recycling Program Update: Bob explained that the District has gone in yet another direction with glass recycling. Last month he reported that a market existed in Springfield, VT to recycle glass as “processed glass aggregate” and would save the District about $170 per ton by diverting it from single-stream recycling. After seeing the press release about the new program in Springfield, Strategic Materials, Inc (SMI) from South Windsor, CT contacted Bob and made an offer to haul the District’s glass to their sorting facility in CT at no cost to the District. The District will store about twenty tons in a new bunker until it’s hauled away. Bob estimated with 60 tons picked up a year, the District could save $15,000 (with single-stream currently costing $250 per ton) per year by diverting the material from single-stream recycling. Fielding questions from board members, he explained that the recyclability factor would be higher as they have a sorting facility and can separate it for three different markets, and that the acceptable level of contamination (5%) will be possible to attain based on previous experience. Bob signed a three-year service agreement with SMI and said that he will invite Board members to have a tour of their facility this spring.

 

  1. Program Manager’s Report:
  • John reported that he was working on the USDA grant application for October 2023 grant period. He explained his rating system conducted by staff and the brainstorming committee (Bob, John, Alex, Anita, and Kevin Stine). Bob explained that the scope of the grant was reduced to make sure the project could be executed with current staff and one part-time employee, while the Compost Facility Expansion would be happening simultaneously.
  • Alex Lacy is currently working on the videos and webinars for the current USDA Grant and assisting on the grant-writing for the October 23 Grant as well.
  • Stephan Chait asked about Prescription Drug drop-off being part of the grant application, but since it was not, Dan Toomey then explained to Stephan where he could dispose of old medications.
  • John also reminded the member towns that he is available to assist on website content, flyers, etc., as he is working with Seth Thomas (Brattleboro’s Communications Coordinator) on Brattleboro’s newest P.A.Y.T. flyer that will be distributed to Brattleboro residents in 2023.
  • John reported on the tire program, initiated last January by N.R.R.A. and that the District has sent a total of approximately 70 tons of tires to BDS’s processing facility in Maine. The bunker created at WSWMD for member towns, residents and commercial drop-off of tires has been a success and the tip fees are covering the costs.
  • Dan Toomey had commented about the website looking good and always updated and was curious about website stats. John indicated that he would create a report for the next board meeting.

 

  1. Executive Director’s Report:
  • US EPA Grant: Bob is currently working on the grant application that he hopes will fund the Compost Facility Expansion (CFE) in its entirety. With the minimum grant amount being $500,000, he added a few additional amenities to the CFE project in hopes of having the entire project grant funded.
  • He is currently working on RFPs for the fabric building, the site work, and the installation of the air and heat recovery system. There was a discussion regarding the different contractors working in tandem to complete the project, and Bob assured the board that they all had distinctly different tasks. He also indicated that he could make all RFPs available to the board members for review.
  • Patrick asked if Bob was seeking out new business to increase the tonnage for the compost facility, and Bob indicated that he would move forward but slowly to ensure the material would be managed properly during construction.

 

  1. Executive Session (if needed): None

 

  1. Next Meeting: Thursday, January 12, 2023 @ 7:00 PM

 

  1. Other Business: None

 

  1. Adjournment: Michelle ended the meeting at 7:52 PM.

 

Minutes prepared by,

 

Anita Grant

Administrative & Operations Assistant, District Clerk