ORCAA Board of Directors
OLYMPIC REGION CLEAN AIR AGENCY
2940 B Limited Lane NW
Olympia, Washington 98502
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
October 11, 2006
Members present: Bob Beerbower, Grays Harbor County (Chair)
Lynda Ring Erickson, Mason County
Phil Johnson, Jefferson County
Grant Munro, City of Port Angeles (Vice Chair)
Jeff Kingsbury, in for Mark Foutch, City of Olympia
Ann Burgman, City of Lacey
Bob Macleod, Thurston County (Secretary) (arrived 10:30am)
Members absent: Pat Hamilton, Pacific County
Mike Doherty, Clallam County
Legal Counsel: Fred Gentry, Bean & Gentry
Staff Present: Richard Stedman, Executive Director, Mark Goodin, Professional Engineer; Robert Moody, Compliance Supervisor; Dan Nelson, Public Information Officer; Lynn Harding, Administrative Services Manager; and Debbie Moody, Recorder
The meeting was called to order at 10:01 am.
There were no additions or omissions to the Agenda. Burgman moved approval of the Agenda. Johnson seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. Burgman moved approval of the Consent Agenda. Ring-Erickson seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Stedman welcomed Jeff Kingsbury, City of Olympia. Kingsbury noted Foutch was in Japan, at a re-signing event with Olympia’s sister city.
Compliance Update
Robert Moody, Compliance Supervisor, noted the compliance group has been busy with 154 complaints and completing 36 inspections. We did meet our federal requirements with regards to completing inspections of our major sources. The key issues for the compliance group would include Soil Key, in Thurston County--they have been put on notice for odor problems. In Mason County, we have Peninsula Topsoil and North Mason Fiber that we have been working with. They are also contributing to odor complaints. We have provided a lot of outdoor burn brochures to Satsop and Oakville. There seems to be high interest in that area.
ORCAA Permit Actions
Mark Goodin, Professional Engineer, explained Imperium Renewables’ permit has been completed and will be issued once payments are current. Lasco Bathware is currently upgrading their air pollution controls. Their application has been completed and finalized and we are just waiting on fees from them as well. Our engineer, Gordon Lance has recently finalized Crown Cork & Seal’s Air Operating Permit renewal so they are good for another five years.
School Bus Retrofit Update
Dan Nelson, Public Information Officer, stated the Tacoma Rail has put out their request for proposals and we are still waiting for that to come in and for them to move forward with the purchasing of the equipment that will be installed on the locomotives. On the anti-idling side of things, we have heard from most of the districts on the north end of the peninsula and they are very interested in the signage. We have confirmation from Port Angeles, Sequim, Sekiu, and Port Townsend, wanting to be part of the anti-idling program.
Ocean Protein Update
Stedman explained we still have a few complaints coming in, however we have seen a dramatic decrease in the number of complaints overall. Ocean Protein has been paying their fine installments on time and they have just one payment left.
Imperium Renewables – Public Hearing Update
Stedman noted we held a public hearing for Imperium Renewables. The hearing was held at the Port of Grays Harbor and was well attended. There was no opposition to the facility and a lot of support. Stedman stated Imperium Renewables’ representatives stated this was one of the fastest air permits they have ever received. They stated they were very pleased with the fact that it was very exhaustive, thorough and detailed, and appreciated our timeliness on the permit.
Staff Retreat
Stedman explained we closed our office (October 10) so staff could attend a retreat. The retreat was held at Evergreen State College, at their Organic Farmhouse. We had hired Barb McAllister, who was the former EPA Air Program Director, to facilitate our retreat. A majority of the time was spent on the Myers Briggs test and results. Staff also shared more about what they do and what they would like to get from other staff members to assist them in their jobs. Stedman stated it seemed the retreat was a success. Stedman noted he has committed to having a staff retreat annually.
Liberty One Resources
Stedman stated we have had a bit of problems with Liberty One Resources, a source out in the Littlerock area of Thurston County. Apparently they had a fire several weeks ago, which is continuing to smolder. They had about 2 acres of materials (wood debris) catch fire. Liberty One Resources states they process the waste wood debris into beauty bark, but the neighborhood feels they are burning it, not processing it. The neighbors state debris goes in but they don’t see any product coming out. We do have the source registered as a rock crushing operation, but they do not seem to do much crushing. They have built 70-foot burms around the facility to mitigate noise. We have been getting complaints from the neighbors and unfortunately the smoldering will most likely continue for several weeks. Stedman did note this is just another case of inappropriate zoning.
New Web Site
Stedman explained we have been working on redesigning our web page, thanks to Dan Nelson. Stedman noted we have provided a printout of the home page, however due to some computer issues, we are not ready to go live yet. Stedman pointed out all the work was done in-house. Stedman stated he felt, of all the local airs, our webpage is one of the nicest.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Business Rules
Stedman stated he had taken all the comments from the previous meeting and revised the Business Rules. Once the comments were incorporated into the new version, it was sent on to Gentry’s office for review. The new rules do reflect how we really operate. Stedman did note the public records section was replaced with a statement stating we will comply with the current law. Stedman explained we would be bringing a public records policy before the Board. This policy will be incorporated into our Personnel Policy Manual.
Ring-Erickson requested, in the future, it would be nice to have the strikeout version to review. Stedman stated he would make sure that this happens in the future. Burgman thanked Stedman for making the changes.
Burgman motioned to approve the Business Rules. Munro seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Land Clearing Burning Fees
Stedman reminded the Board we have been looking at increasing the land clearing burn fees. Before the Board are three different options that R. Moody prepared. Stedman did note that staff is recommending the first option. Option 1 would be charging a fee based on acreage. Currently, we charge $100 per permit—regardless of the amount to be burned. The proposed fee per acre is $75. In this case, the homeowner clearing their property would most likely be paying $75 to $150, whereas a developer would be paying much more. This seemed to be a more equitable route to take. We believe we would be covering our costs with this option.
The second option would be based on acres cleared. For an acre or less, the fee would be $75, from 1-10 it would be $150, 10-30 would be $500 and greater than 30 acres would be $1000. Stedman noted in this case, there is a little less work as we wouldn’t have to verify acres burned, whereas in option one, there is the chance of people claiming less acreage than they are actually burning.
The third option was to just increase the fee by $60, which would impact homeowners much more than the developers.
Stedman did want the Board to be aware that all other agencies are charging per permit, in the range of $100-$200. We would be moving away from what everyone else is doing
Burgman noted she thought option two was most equitable. Johnson, noting he had been a contractor, stated that of all the options, the fees proposed are still not much when compared to the other costs of disposal. Kingsbury asked if there was any chance we would look at increasing the amount per acreage. Kingsbury did note he thought option one, even though it may increase the workload for staff, seemed more equitable. Kingsbury stated he was comfortable stating he, and his board, would consider an escalated scale for larger developments.
After further discussion, Munro moved approval of option one. Johnson seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Stedman did note this change would become effective at a later date. The current fee is in our Regulations and will have to be changed. It will be approximately 60 days out and we will need a public hearing as well.
Commute Trip Reduction Incentive Program (CTRIP)
Stedman explained Lynn Harding, Administrative Services Manager, had put together a commute trip reduction incentive program (borrowed from Tumwater). This program was modeled after state law, and while we are not obligated to offer this incentive program we would like to set a good example. Stedman noted we are offering vacation time in lieu of a monetary reward. Harding explained she looked at the monetary reward and taking the average dollar amount typically rewarded, converted it to hourly rate here and determined the vacation allotment. The maximum amount awarded, monthly, is two hours.
After some further discussion, Ring-Erickson moved approval of the CTRIP project, adding staff should provide quarterly reviews for the first year. Johnson seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Financial Services Legislation
Stedman explained the agency has been trying to get away from Thurston County Financial Services, with regards to payroll and warrant processing. We see this as an unnecessary burden to both agencies. Our bill failed last year and we are pushing forward with it once again. Stedman stated he was hoping to meet with Senator Frasier, however she is no longer with the energy and environment committee, so we are waiting to hear if she is still willing to go forward with our bill. Macleod asked Stedman to send him a reminder, as he would be meeting with some key people, including Senator Frasier and Dan Swecker, in early November. Ring-Erickson stated she could mention it to Senator Sheldon as well. Stedman stated he would continue working on this and keep the Board posted.
NEW BUSINESS
City of Olympia Diesel Retrofit Project
Stedman stated he is hoping to bring a proposal from the city of Olympia to retrofit some additional diesel vehicles in their fleet. They have identified between $10-$12 thousand worth of retrofits. These retrofits will be funded through our school bus monies. We would like to have some decals to place on the fleet stating something along the lines of ‘retrofit vehicle, clean burning diesel partnership with Olympia and ORCAA.’ We expect to get a proposal from Olympia soon and we’ll be bringing it to the Board with a budget amendment, at a later date. Ring-Erickson stated it might be beneficial to invite Dave Seavey, Fleet Manager for city of Olympia, to a future meeting to present a report of all the great work he has done with regards to their fleets and what they are looking at for the future.
Building Siding
Stedman noted we are having some issues with the siding on the front of the building. We have begun getting bids to replace the siding. Stedman stated he is looking at replacing the T-111 with Hardiplank. Stedman stated he would continue with the bid process, knowing we have the money in the capital expenditures. Munro moved approval of re-siding the building. Kingsbury seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 11:24 am.
PRESENTED BY
Richard A. Stedman, Executive Director
APPROVED BY:
The Majority of the Board
APPROVED and SIGNED this 8th day of November 2006