Clean Up Day Report, July Meeting cancled

Greetings - due to a schedule conflict with my responsibilities in Lansing, I am going to cancel the July Sustainability Committee meeting.

Here is a summary report on the activity at our Clean Up Day on June 21, 2014:
*109 car/truck/trailer loads (and 109 appreciative residents)
*25 compacted cubic yards of rubbish (equivalent to about 50 loose cubic yards of couches, junk, etc.)
* approximately 30 cubic yards of electronic waste (large and small TV's, computer monitors, CPUs, phones, vacuum sweepers, microwave ovens, etc)
*2 cubic yards of polystyrene ("styrofoam")
* 3 cubic yards of scrap metal

Thank you Mike, Laura, Woody, Russ, Margie and Peter for attending the event. Your volunteer efforts are greatly appreciated!

There were several requests from residents to hold another clean up event next year.  Lets discuss that at our next meeting.

We will meet in August on the second Tuesday to discuss next years event and other items that may come before us.

Best regards,

Phil Mikus
Trustee
Charter Township of Union
2010 S. Lincoln Road
Mt Pleasant, MI 48858

March 11 2014 Minutes

UNION TOWNSHIP SUSTAINABILITY COMMMITTEE REPORT

3/11/14

Meeting began at about 4:05 pm

Members present: Laura Coffee, Mike Lyon, Steve Lawrence, Phil Mikus

Others present: Russ Alwood, Peter Gallinat, Tim Lannen

1. June Clean Up Event June 21
1. Request to add polystyrene (“Styrofoam”). Phil will check with Isabella County MRF.
2. Tires – committee agreed to NOT include tires at the event since the County Conservation District is holding a tire collection event on the same day.
3. Set up the day before - Steve said his staff can help set up traffic control signs/cones
4. Remove roll off containers on Monday - This could be a problem with CMU. Steve will check into this
5. Address list for mailing promotional material - Laura will need by the end of April
2. Well Head Protection Program.  The recently approved Union Township Well Head Protection Program was presented and discussed.
3. Building a Greener Community
1.  CMU has a food composting program, services provided by Morgan Farm, Sears MI
2. Front yard gardening option.  Rules and regulations of the township can be written to allow for front yard gardening
3.  Energy Efficiency.  How can our ordinances and building requirements encourage energy efficient building standards
1. Create a statement that welcomes energy efficiency
2. Information flyers on why it’s a benefit to the community
3. Encourage heat pump technology

Meeting adjourned at 5pm.

February 11, 2014

1. Waste List check list (as handed out at the meeting). 2. Volunteer target: 20 adults, over the age of 18, minors will not be allowed to volunteer 3. Volunteer Orientation: a meeting will be held the week before the event, on June 14, 2014, at the township hall, 10 am 4. Security - Brian will check into the cost of a contract with Sheriff department for an officer assigned to the site 5.Waste Acceptance list on line. Mikus will provide a list from DEQ. Most lists describe what not to accept. See this link: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-oppca-bannedlandfillmaterials_286106_7.pdf 6. Mikus will check on the schedule of special/hazardous waste days schedule by the County. 7. Question came up of how many deposit containers may be in trash. The answer is: More than a de minimis amount of open, empty, or otherwise used beverage containers as defined in the Initiated Law of 1976, as amended (Deposit Law) is prohibited.(https://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,4561,7-135-3312_4123-96663--,00.html) 8. Brian will double check the calendar of events for conflicts on our date. 9. Mailing list for our event will include rental inspection list, and recycle route list. The number of units may be 2,529, plus apartment. KCI may be the mailing service contractor.

2014 Spring Clean Up Day Work Flow (draft)

Here is an outline of material flow procedures for the Clean up day
Hours - 8am to 1pm. Expect lines forming before 8am, and a line still at 2pm. Establish
a cut off at the end of the day, they must be in line by 1pm so we can close at 2pm.
Residency verification - compare photo ID with tax roll address to verify residency
Trips per household - establish a limit of one load per household, other wise we may
have people bringing in material from their friends and family of other
municipalities/townships.
Conditions- No "shovel offs". All loose trash material must be bagged or contained in a
box for easy unloading, and to keep the line moving
Equipment needed at the site-
A loader for packing down the material in the roll off, and to lift material over the side
when the doors of the container are closed
Container loading procedure: Materials are carried into the front of the container,
stacked and piled. The loader equipment compacts the material as needed. When the
container is near full, the door is closed. The loader equipment is used to lift material
over the top of the container to completely fill it.
Scrap Metal Bids:
Roll off container(s) delivered the morning of the event or the day before and removed
the day of the event to prevent theft.
Require a rebate for the value of the scrap to be paid to the township to offset the
transportation expenses.
E-waste - may be part of the scrap metal bid. Vendor to provide a container or box truck
for collection of material.
Tires - limit to passenger car/pick up truck tires, not tractor tires or large
equipment/truck tires.
Volunteer Leader/Staff training prior to the event will be necessary.

Sustainability Committee Meeting Report for January 14, 2014

Meeting began at 4:05 pm at the Union Township Hall.

Present: Phil Mikus, Laura Coffee, Rob Bidner, Peter Gallinat, Woody Woodruff, Russ Alwood, Margie Henry.

The report of the November meeting was reviewed.

Coffee reported that the estimated cost of mailing notices for the Clean Up event will be approximately $2500; which would include two 2-sided mailings; the first being a post card, the second a more detailed description of the event/rules/etc.  Alwood recommended we get the notice two months in advance to MACTV; Bidner reported he could get friends to post and distribute the notice in area apartments. We may be able to piggyback the event notice on other Township mailings.

The initial budget request of $10,000 may need to be increased for the additional publicity/promotion expenses needed to properly get the word out.

Bidner reported he will contact Central Michigan office of volunteers to have a notice of opportunity posted.

Gallinat reported he will be attending a grant writing workshop in January.

Mikus reported he will prepare an draft outline of the event and submit it to Manager Smith.

Lawrence reported in an email message that we have received formal okay to use CMU parking lot 63 for the township clean up day.

Meeting adjourned at 5:00 pm.

Submitted by Phil Mikus

Union Township Sustainability Committee Report for Sept 17, 2013

Tuesday, Sept 17, 2013 at 4pm in the Township Hall.

Present: Phil Mikus, Laura Coffee, Rob Bidner, Steve Lawrence

Also present: Margie Henry, Brian Smith, Wm “Woody” Woodruff,  Peter Gallinat


1.    Recycling Depot for Bluegrass/Isabella area.     Phil reported Walmart declined to be a host for a site, and township water department sites are not eligible due to our Well Head Protection plan;  the Isabella County MRF has set up a drop off site at County Place Apartments, on Crawford just south of Broomfield, and Mr. Moogenburg from the MRF office said it can be used by any of the public.  The search for another site in the Bluegrass/Isabella Road area will continue.

2.                  Wind Turbine Update. Woody reported the new owner of the SkyStream franchise has gotten us connected with another service technician, and a new diagnostic protocol to determine the status of the unit at the township hall will be employed.

3.                   Clean Up Day. Progress continued on planning for the first annual community clean up day, tentatively set for June 21, 2014, in lot #63 on the Campus of Central Michigan University (south of the football stadium).

1.                  Hours tentatively set for 8am to 1pm

2.                  Materials:

1.                  Junk/Trash,

2.                  Metals,

3.                  Tires

3.                  Committee structure was re-organized and volunteers assigned to committees as follows:

1.                  Layout & Safety – Steve Lawrence

2.                  Insurance, Risk Management  Bidding & Funding/Grants – Brian Smith, Woody Woodruff, Peter Gallinat

3.                  Promotion/Advertising/Resource Info – Laura Coffee

4.                  Volunteers & Refreshments – Phil Mikus, Rob Bidner

           

            Further discussion centered on;

1.                  the possible need for sheriff traffic control at the entrance off West Campus Drive;

2.                   possibly adding e-waste (computers, anything with a cord) through the metals vendor or through Habitat for Humanity, and the need to certify the proper handling of e-waste by whomever is selected.

3.                  establishing guidelines on what will be accepted and what will not and including a “things not to bring” list for all advertising;

4.                  a big task for Mike Lyon since he missed the meeting.

            Next meeting, second Tuesday of the month, October 8, 2013, 4pm in the Jameson Hall, 5142 Budd Street, off Pickard, one block east of Isabella Road. http://goo.gl/maps/V5ssY

Sustainability Committee Meeting Report 11-12-2013

Present: Russ Alwood, Margie Henry, Brian Smith, Mike Lyon, Peter Gallinat, Laura Coffee, Stephen Lawrence late. Alwood reported it only cost $245 to reset the broken Wind Turbine. Smith reported that Township Liability Insurance covered the community clean up day Group decided to have the Union Township Community Clean up day on June 21, 2014 Gallinat reported that the deadline for the tire grant was changed for the new funding year and has elapsed. Will look into other funding avenues Coffee reported that she just needs a population numbers to estimate the cost of a mailing for the Clean up day. Group decided to have no meeting for December. Meet back January 14, 2014. Meeting adjourned at 4:35pm