At the May 23 meeting of the Fillmore County Board, concerns were raised over Strongwell Corporation’s dusty waste that is being delivered to the Resource Recovery Center, which may be hazardous.
County Attorney Brett Corson referred to a letter sent to William Hanson Waste Removal in March which raised several issues, for example, TVs in black plastic bags that were not discovered until they were received at the Winneshiek County landfill. Strongwell waste was also referred to in this letter.
Dennis Thorson, Strongwell, attended a meeting in early April and suggested the dust was not hazardous but didn’t dispute that it could be an issue if inhaled. Bagging the material to reduce or eliminate the dust when it is dumped into the pit at the Recycling Center was discussed as a possibility.
Other issues discussed at the April meeting with Hanson included sludge from the Chatfield Sewer Plant and deer carcasses.
In a May 12 letter, Hanson was informed that the Resource Center would no longer accept powdered substances from Strongwell. Kristina Kohn, safety coordinator, expressed concerns about the safety of county employees who may inhale the powdery substance.
Another issue was the question whether the Strongwell waste would continue to be accepted by Winneshiek County landfill. Kohn suggested at a minimum the dust should be bagged.
Hanson reported that waste generated by Valley Design in Fountain is bagged and put in a container and placed in the semi by a forklift. He said he has hauled waste from Strongwell for 34 years and it has never been a problem. County Coordinator Bobbie Vickerman maintained there have been complaints from county employees.
Mike Jaszewski, Strongwell, described a proposal from Strongwell that they bag the material and place the bags in wooden crates, a fully enclosed box. The box would go into the landfill, requiring new boxes to be constructed for each transfer. He requested that they have 120 days to put together the equipment to make this new process work. He asked for the commitment of the board before they expend funds to develop this process. Jaszewski emphasized, “We will certainly work with the county to resolve the issues.” He asked for cooperation from the county as well. Vickerman said everyone has to work together to improve the relationship on both sides.
Commissioner Duane Bakke stated that they will need confirmation from Winneshiek County that they will continue to accept the powdery waste from Strongwell.
Chairman Randy Dahl said we have to move forward in the best interest of our employees. Bakke added that we won’t be accepting the waste the way it is delivered today in the future. Thorson said they are not set up to deliver it bagged and boxed right now.
A motion to give Strongwell up to 120 days, after a response from Winneshiek County saying they will accept the waste, to get their equipment to bag and box the waste installed was approved. Jaszewski said once they receive a response from Winneshiek County they will move forward as quickly as possible.
Approval was given to advertise for a Solid Waste Administrator using the current job description. Commissioner Mitch Lentz voted no. A decision on the hours the Resource and Recycling Center is to be open and allow dumping was put on hold until an administrator is hired.
Approval was given for Spring Valley Overhead to replace a garage door at the Recycling Center at a cost of $1,050.
Other business in brief
• A discussion was continued on the Community Services structure. It was decided by consensus to interview applicants for the social services manager position on June 6 with the full board, as is required for department head positions. Vickerman said she has been stepping into community services, adding there are now two good leaders. She noted she likes the community services model, but acknowledged that we treat them (director of nursing, veterans service officer) as department heads now. Vickerman suggested that they eventually empower them as department heads with the coordinator acting as the support person.
Dahl said he was comfortable with this, saying the coordinator is the representative for the five commissioners.
• Heidi Jones was hired effective May 24 as a finance officer. She has been doing the job as a temporary employee for four months.
• A request from the city of Chatfield for the county board to submit a letter of support for Special Recreational Feature Regional Park Designation from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission was approved. The designation will allow for legacy grant opportunities. Lentz asked that the letter include language that restricts the use of eminent domain or condemnation. The language was included in the motion.
• Two board meetings are to be held in July on the 11th and the 25th. The first Tuesday is the Fourth of July.
• The Nature Conservancy requested that the board approve an acquisition of land in Car rolton Township which will be gifted to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry. James Edgar, DNR, said Minnesota statute says if over 10 continuous acres are class 3, county board approval is needed for an exemption or 90 days must pass with no board action. Bakke said he talked to the current land renter who recommended allowing the exemption. The intention is to reforest the land and for the land to be available for public recreation.
• Corson reported that the clandestine lab clean-up is all resolved. It is mitigated and cleaned up and the $4,400 paid out by the county has been paid back to the county.
• Approval was given to advertise for a crack repair and seal coat project at the Fillmore County Airport to rehab a runway.
Authorization to sign and execute a preliminary grant application to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Minnesota State Transportation Fund for the enhancement of the Fillmore County Airport was approved.
• On-call pay for 24/7 child protection coverage was approved at $200 per week starting July 1. One person is on-call each week. Funds will come out of the Child Protection Grant.
• Jessica Erickson, director of nursing, reviewed the County Public Health 2016 Annual Report.
• Access to the Fillmore County GIS website will be free as of July 1.
• Approval was given to purchase three Surface Pro Systems for the assessor’s office for appraisers.
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