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This past Monday, a presentation was given by Al Garza on Storm Water/Surface Water Quality Assessment. The report is below for anyone interested to view:
Surface Water
Tonight the Pensacola City Council will be voting on a plan to bring curbside recycling to ALL of the City of Pensacola.
Since last year 375 East Hill residents have been participating in a pilot recycling program. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.
It was determined that most citizens accepted and participated in the program. Through the first 32 weeks, 59.9 tons of recyclables were recovered, for an average of 9.2 pounds per customer each week. This equals a 22% weight reduction of solids entering the landfill.
There was a survey done in December 2008, to which about half of the 375 customers responded. I've attached a presentation below which outlines the survey results.
The presentation also summarizes the potential savings of this program. If we recycle 20% of our garbage waste stream, we can reduce our landfill waste by 4,640 tons and realize a cost savings of $165,000 based on current tipping fees. This savings assumes $0 tipping fee on recyclables. We can realize the savings of over $47,000 in our Transload Contract with Allied Waste. However, these savings might be slightly offset by the increase of city collection trucks having to direct haul to the recyclable process facility.
The presentation also details the financial impact to the City in terms of initial expense as well as the proposed changes to the collection schedules.
Presentation Recycling
If approved by Council, City staff has a target date to start city-wide curbside recycling beginning June 15, 2009.
I am very excited about this historic time in our community when we have finally implemented city-wide recycling. The time for this change is long overdue. In our efforts to increase economic growth and attract new companies to our community, I think this is an important step in showing our community is making a step in the right direction for a progressive green community.
Although glass and Styrofoam will not be collected curbside, we will still be able to drop off glass recyclables at the current drop off sites around the city. City staff is also looking into the possibility of having drop off sites for Styrofoam products.
One of my campaign promises was to implement city-wide recycling and with this vote it will happen. I would like to thank City Staff and my fellow City Council members for working to achieve this goal. I sincerely appreciate all those who have e-mailed and called me to express their support for city-wide curbside recycling. I look forward to receiving my own brown can.
Although this is not specifically a city issue, it is an issue that is nonetheless very important to me. Growing up in Pensacola, I long been a lover of our beautiful Pensacola Beach and its sea turtle population. Judging from the turtle license plates I see on the road, many in our community share my passion.
I spoke with Mr. Buck Lee, executive director of the Santa Rosa Island Authority, about turtle-friendly lighting.
Turtle friendly lighting is important because bright, unnatural lighting can disortient sea turtle hatchlings and cause them to head inland instead of out to the Gulf. When this happens, it almost always ends fatally for the hatchlings as they are often killed by vehicular traffic etc.
We are all aware of the new Indigo Hotel going up on Pensacola Beach and other projects either under construction or on the drawing board. Mr. Lee has assured me there is an ordinance, which is enclosed, that addresses the issue of turtle-friendly lighting. He assured me that all new developments on Pensacola Beach will install turtle-friendly lighting.
I encouraged Mr. Lee to strictly enforce the ordinance. May 1—September 31st is the sea turtles nesting season.
Mr. Buck Lee's letter to me with ordinance language attached:
Sea Turtles
Some more information on sea turtles:
Sea Turtle Pen Bch
Please see the below letter from Larry Kelley, Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation. In response to a request I made, the FDOT has decided to move up the resurfacing of Bayou Boulevard, which will now happen later this year.
My thanks to City Manager Al Coby and city staff for their assitance in this matter, and to Mr. Jim DeVries, Urban Planning Manager with the FDOT, Mr. Greg Vickery, FDOT District Communications Coordinator, and Secretary Larry Kelley.
RE: S.R. 296 (Bayou Boulevard) from 12th Avenue to Firestone Boulevard
Financial Project No. 416914-1-52-01
Dear Councilman Johnson:
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