The Sherburne County Board last week approved a proposal by HDR to conduct a feasibility study for a permanent household hazardous waste (HHW) facility at a cost of $79,000.
Solid Waste Administrator Dave Lucas told the board that the county currently holds mobile collection events, but there is no permanent site for people to bring their hazardous products.
“We’re limited to the number of events we can schedule based on availability,” he said. “With continued growth, staff prepared requests for proposals to see if a facility is needed.”
Lucas said HHW consists of things like paints, stains varnishes, lawn and garden chemicals, aerosol containers and fluorescent bulbs.
“...items you do not want to throw away in your regular garbage because that does pose a threat to soil and groundwater,” he said. “And most landfills can not even accept that.”
Currently, the closest facility Sherburne County residents can bring their items is in Waite Park in Stearns County.
The proposed study by HDR would look at current service demand and participation trends; conduct a needs assessment to determine if and where a permanent facility should be constructed; determine the size, layout, and cost of a facility; determine staffing needs and hours of operation based on need, and suggest possible opportunities for partnerships with other jurisdictions.
Lucas said HDR would also look at whether and where mobile collection events would still be needed if a facility was constructed.
As part of the request, the board also amended the Solid Waste Budget’s Professional and Technical Services account from $100,000 to $180,000 to cover the cost of the study.
Foster Care Awards
The board proclaimed May 2023 as Foster Care Month, then presented the annual Foster Care Awards to: Kamya Reed as Foster Child of the Year (Social Workers Kaylie Lira and Natasha Ouko); Linda Ryan and Jack Hedke as Child Foster Care Provider of the Year (Social Workers Quish Turner and Chelsea Doherty) and Jessica and Kirby Sundet as Adult Foster Care Provider of the Year (Social Worker Suzanne Stoy).
Legal Retainer
The board approved a retainer agreement for Specialized Professional Legal Services with Ciresi Conlin LLP to assist in solid waste management and regulatory oversight, environmental protection and related land use.
The proposed agreement establishes an hourly rate of $800 for the principal attorney. It is anticipated the initial foundational work with contracted attorneys will occur this summer/fall, at an estimated cost of approximately $75,000.
Other Business
In other actions the board:
• Approved an amendment to the Community Living Infrastructure Grant to extend the original contract expiration date from June 30, 2023, to June 30, 2025, and increase total grant funds from $101,820 to $177,864;
• Approved and accepted First Quarter 2023 donations received by the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department from various donors in the amount of $4,251.77;
• Approved an out-of-state travel request for two members of the Sherburne County Substance Use Prevention Coalition to attend the National Prevention Network Conference in Birmingham, AL from August 15-17, using $4,457 in federal funds from the Drug-Free Community Support Program grant;
• Approve out-of-state travel for two Sheriff’s Office employees to attend the 44th Annual Northwest Shuttle Conference from September 10-13 in Reno, Nevada, at a registration cost of $300 per attendee plus $2,600 in travel expenses covered by the Sheriff’s Office Travel, Training & Professional Development budget.
