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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07 29 1997 PC Minutes7-29-97 JULY 29, 1997 1 The Albemarle County Planning Commission held a public hearing on Tuesday, July 29, 1997, in the County Office Building, Charlottesville, Virginia. Those members present were: Mr. Jared Loewenstein, Chairman; Mr. David Tice, Vice Chairman; Mr. William Nitchmann; Ms. Babs Huckle; and Mr. William Finley. Other officials present were: Mr. Wayne Cilimberg, Director of Planning and Community Development; Ms. Susan Thomas, Senior Planner; Ms. MaryJoy Scala, Senior Planner; and Mr. Greg Kamptner, Assistant County Attorney. Absent: Commissioners Dotson and Washington. The meeting was called to order at 7.00 p.m. and a quorum was established. Action on the July 15th minutes was deferred to the August 5th meeting. PRESENTATIONS Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority RWSA =Solid Waste Management Update Mr. Jack Marshall, Chair of the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority, Mr. Art Petrini, Executive Director of the RWSA, and Mr. Steve Chitsey, Director of the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority (RSWA), reported on the activities and plans of the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority. Mr. Marshall briefly described the contents of the "Rivanna Solid Waste Authority - Informational Update" report, copies of which the Commission received prior to the meeting. Mr. Chitsey explained how the "streams of material' which are received at the landfill are being handled currently and described future plans. His comments included the following: --Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW), which include household and restaurant wastes, have been the focal point of public concern. Beginning in July, 1998, that stream will be diverted from the Ivy Landfill. Proposals are currently being reviewed to determine the company that will handle MSW. Materials will ultimately be transported to a Sub -Title D facility, outside of this region. --Yard wastes (brush under 6 inches, leaves and grass) are taken to a local farm where they are composted and then marketed. Some brush is ground up, turned into mulch and sold or given to the public. Grass cycling is a public education program. Vegetative material (over 6 inches in diameter) is ground into mulch at the landfill. --Some construction and demolition wastes (CDD) are being re -marketed or given to charities. --Tires are sent away to be ground into re -usable products. o3?!�- 7-29-97 2 --Friable asbestos is no longer buried at the facility. It is placed in a roll -off container and when that container is full, it will be transferred to another landfill outside the region. --Household hazardous waste cycling takes place 9 months of the year. --Closure activities are on -going and have been very aggressive this summer. 20 acres of old cells have been capped ("anything that wasn't active"). --A plan for future utilization as ball fields and nature trails is being developed. --Cell 4 is currently going through the permitting process. It will be a CDD facility. Mr. Petrini summarized the status of the 15 Task Force Recommendations. (Attachment C1 of the Report and made a part of this record as Attachment A). He said he believes 90-95% of the recommendations are being met. Answers to specific Commission questions were as follows: --The MSW contract which is currently being negotiated is for 20 years. There is a longer capacity for CDD at the Ivy Landfill. MSW needs to be reexamined in 10 years to determine the ultimate needs of the community. --The annual budget for the current Fiscal Year is 4.55 million, which comes 84% from tipping fees and 16% from interest and sales of mulch, compost and metals. --The landfill has a total of 30 employees (including both full and part-time). --No more MSW will be buried after July 1998. After that time, it will be transferred to a mega -landfill outside the region. The impact to the customer, in terms of hauling fees, should be negligible. --Part of the materials in Cell 4 (CDD), will be buried. --The County will bear the cost of the entranceway improvements and parking areas which will be a part of the future utilization plan. --Options for the replacement of screening trees include: (1) Plant along the RSWA property line, within the buffer; (2) Plant trees and bushes on the existing landfill slopes; or (3) Plant trees on private property to provide individual screening. It is anticipated all three options will be used. --A drop in number of trucks using the landfill may not necessarily coincide with a drop in tonnage, but it can be anticipated that smaller vehicles will haul smaller tonnages. --It is unlikely a 55-70% reduction in the MSW stream within 5 years (as recommended by the Task Force) can be accomplished. Better goals can be achieved in recycled materials --newspaper, glass. Mr. Chitsey said he is optimistic that a 50% reduction (beginning July 1998) can be achieved in the waste that is left, i.e. the CDD, which the RSWA can control. --The road is policed twice weekly. A mechanical sweeper and a high powered washer have recently been purchased. --The RSWA has no enforcement authority so it cannot require haulers to cover their loads. The RSWA works with the County police force to try to ensure that Is, i ER 7-29-97 4 --Ms. Huckle asked if there will be a way to deal with existing lights. Ms. Scala said there is enabling legislation to allow that. However, the proposed ordinance will address new lighting only. It may be possible, later on, to phase -in a way to retroactively address existing lighting. --Mr. Finley asked how the proposed regulations will effect ball fields. Mr. lanna said there are fixtures available which can be used by ball fields (though probably not very large fields such as Scott Stadium). Mr. Tice commended staff for the educational way this section has been written. He thought the Comp Plan would be more useful as an educational document if all of it were written in this fashion. Mr. Loewenstein thanked staff and Mr. lanna for having conducted the Dark Skies tour which several Commissioners participated in. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8.40 p.m. V. Wayne Iilimberg, DB /-/0