5.6. SR 01-10-2005 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Memo to the Mayor and City Council Public Works Master Plan January I 0, 2005 Page 4 Public Works Master Plan Phasing and Budget Item Square Footage Year Estimated Funding Source Amount Tempered 20,000 To be $1,100,000 To be Storage #2 Determined Determined Mechanics To be To be Expansion Determined $200,000 Determined Totals $3,472,000 ($473,000) Government Buildings Fund ($2,999,000) To be Determined Yard Waste Disposal/Composting The composting operation is comprised of two parts: 1) yard waste drop off and 2) compost creation. Currently at the Public Works site residents can drop off branches, leaves, and grass clippings (yard waste). The branches are then ground and the leaves and grass clippings are hauled to Hillside City Park south of County Road 12 to be composted, which takes up to four years depending on conditions. Given the residential developments around Hillside City Park, the Parks and Recreation Director would like to utilize the composting area for a neighborhood park in addition to the mountain bike trails that are maintained by the BLAST group. In 2001, the City Council authorized construction of Fields 5 and 6 at the Youth Athletic Complex (YAC) in anticipation of the Public Works expansion. Originally, it was thought that Oak Knoll #3 would be needed for the construction of the cold storage and tempered storage buildings. In preparing the long range (20 year) Master Plan and evaluating a number of site layout scenarios, it is logical to place the buildings closer together for ease of vehicular movement, creation of a working "yard" and ease of screening. As a result, Oak Knoll #3 became the site of a relocated and larger yard waste drop off site. The Master Plan includes an expanded composting drop-off and processing area, which is flexible enough to respond to changes in the program, should they occur in the future. In order to implement the proposed Master Plan, Oak Knoll #3 would need to be discontinued. In preparing the Public Works Master Plan, staff assumed that the City Council would like to continue to offer compost drop-off as a core service to City residents. Therefore, to improve the aesthetic appearance and efficiency of the operation, staff recommends relocating the composting from its current position to the area occupied by Oak Knoll #3. If the City ever chooses to discontinue compo sting services, the area can be easily utilized for another building or the storage of other items such as stockpiles of topsoil, sealcoat rock, or recycled materials on a project basis. Staff continues to work with the County regarding the City's composting operation, but at this time that County has not made any decisions regarding costs to utilize the VONCO II landfill in Becker, which has been authorized to accept compost. Rebecca Haug, Environmental Technician will have provided a composting update to the Council prior to consideration of this item at the workshop meeting. A follow up worksession to more fully discuss yard waste disposal and composting is recommended.