The Haines Borough Solid Waste Working Group will hear from Community Waste Solutions owner Tom Hall and a Department of Environmental Conservation representative at its Tuesday meeting.
The group has been meeting for months, and Hall’s participation is seen as key for moving discussion forward.
Group member Reilly Kosinski asked to hear from Hall at a June 1 meeting.
“I really would like to know Tom’s vision. It would be nice to know if he’s working toward an end game, or if he’s trying to work to some broader vision. But knowing his motives would be nice,” Kosinski said.
“We don’t know who we’re in bed with,” manager Debra Schnabel added about CWS. Group members have asked for more information about CWS and its finances at previous meetings, but none has been provided.
Sally Garton represents CWS on the committee, but June 20 will be Hall’s first meeting.
The group is working on a recommendation to the assembly for possible borough takeover of solid waste management, but deviated from those plans June 1 to compile a list of waste issues.
With the resignation of group chair and assembly liaison Margaret Friedenauer, member Melissa Aronson chaired the meeting.
“It’s become clear that one possible option is for the borough to take over solid waste. The question is whether the borough would be interested in that,” Aronson said.
“I think that’s what we need to clarify. It’s not for us to make that recommendation at this point, but rather to ask the assembly if they even want us to consider that in the menu of options, because we don’t have a plan at this point,” she said.
Before the group drafts pros and cons for the assembly to consider interest in borough waste management, the group should first identify what is wrong with Haines’ current waste system, said member Burl Sheldon
“What is (so) wrong that the action to resolve the wrong is taking over the waste management utility?” Burl said. “What is the wrong that we’re trying to correct?”
The group identified problems including illegal dumping, high cost, hazardous waste, a lack of a defined relationship between the borough and Community Waste Solutions, lack of an alternative or safety net if CWS fails, lack of public education, and a fractured market.
Member Darsie Culbeck suggested developing a focus on possible solutions to the listed problems.
“Going to the borough, we need to give them a better plan,” Culbeck said. “We need to flesh out what we think the solution might be, a clear definition of the problem, a clear solution, and pros and cons of those solutions.”
Schnabel said focusing on facilities that the community needs, like a recycling center, a landfill and a sludge-handling facility, could help identify solutions.
“What’s the bare minimum that we need, and that’s what everybody pays for, then you build on that,” Schnabel said. “It’s kind of a mixed solution.”
Aronson said the group will hear from Sandra Woods of the Department of Environmental Conservation about its assessment of CWS and the landfill at Tuesday’s meeting, The group also will elect a new chair.