Palmer Township EAC – Meeting Minutes

Environmental Steering Committee

April 28, 2010 (Rev. 6/15/10)

Attendees: Tom Ganssle, Tom Dittmar, Chris Briglia, Dave Sciascia, Denise Veres, Cindy Oatis, Rob Reese, John Balas, Bob Lammi, Terry Cooper

Meeting opened: 7:04 PM

Approval of Minutes: 1) March 24, 2010 minutes were approved unanimously with no revisions.

Guests: Steve (Mascaro Hauling)

Hauler Report: 1) Steve was present and also had the following comments and/or suggestions:

1. Steve briefed the ESC regarding misc. pick-up & recycling complaints. He also announced yard waste pick-up from May 3 to May 7, 2010.

2. The committee discussed the possibility of changing the hauler contract to include yard waste pick-up more frequently throughout the year and also include pick-up of grass clippings.

Recycling Coordinator Report: Cindy Oatis was present and also had the following comments and/or suggestions:

1. Cindy O. (CO) mentioned that the Township did not receive the Coca-Cola grant this year.

2. CO also mentioned that House Bill 967 was passed and valid through the year 2020.

3. CO mentioned that Pat Volcano suggested 20 recycling containers at the Easton football games.

Old Business:

1. Rob R. mentioned that there will be no stream/river clean-up scheduled.

2. The ESC discussed updates to the Recycling Center Plans as follows: 1) Phases I, IIA & IIB were presented. 2) Plans include 3 drive-through, parking and drop-off areas. 3) Tom D. had several suggestions regarding parking, circulation and equipment and he will produce a memo itemizing all of his suggestions. 4) The ESC agreed that the present parking plan does not offer enough safety.

New Business:

1. PROP Legislative Alert is no longer an issue.

2. Energy Audit Discussion: 1) Denise V. (DV) discussed energy audits and mentioned that Ken Fields, a field professional performs these audits. 2) DV wanted to inquire as to whether or not he could do an audit for the Township gratis. 3) Bob L. mentioned that there is no money in the Township budget for a study this year. 5) DV will make further contacts to move this item forward.

3. E-cycling and Paper Shredding events discussion: 1) The E-cycling and shredding events are under control. 2) Bob L. handled the advertising. 3) Cindy O. handled the fliers. 4) Rob R. handled securing Lot 'C' for the event and planned the traffic circulation. 5) A charge of $2.00/vehicle will be imposed. 6) We need to collect money, count cars and look for any unacceptable materials. 7) We will meet at the High School at 7:30am.

4. The ESC briefly discussed Palmer Days sub-committee status.

5. Rob R. held a brief discussion regarding a customer who used the compost center to dump concrete block, a swing set, fencing, etc. Rob R. mentioned that he wanted to know whether or not this person was fined and if not, they should be to serve as an example for enforcement.

6. Rob R. mentioned that the Township needs professional stencils to mark catch basin curb pieces. The cost of the stencils would be $250.00. The Township also needs more medallions for catch basin marking. Rob R. said he would speak to Tom Adams regarding a potential donation to cover these costs.

7. Cindy O. inquired about "special items" recycling centers and if any of the ESC members know of any.

8. Bob L. mentioned the published % calculations for recycling vs. trash for Townships in Northampton County. He noticed discrepancies in the way the calculations were performed. The ESC agreed that the calculations were incorrect.

Announcements: (1) Tom D. thanked all who assisted in the tree-vitalize program, as it was a great success. (2) Bob L. mentioned that the Mascaro hauling contract was renewed for 1 more year.

Adjournment: 8:32pm motion to adjourn meeting.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is scheduled for May 26, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Palmer Township Municipal Building.

Minutes submitted by Chris Briglia May 25, 2010, Revised and re-submitted 6/15/10.