“Recycling as we know it is changing.”
That was the blunt message from Curran Chrunik, EHS operations supervisor for the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD), one of several speakers at a town hall meeting in Ashcroft on April 12 that was attended by close to 40 residents. Other presentations discussed the new water treatment plant, local government, and local elections, with members of the public asking questions about these and other topics.
Travis Paul from Urban Systems gave an overview of the existing water system, which uses chlorine to treat Ashcroft’s water. He explained that while Ashcroft has fairly good water quality, the current system does not meet health standards for the treatment of protozoa and turbidity. The new system—which will use membrane filters and chlorine to treat the water—will protect the weakest members of the community from illness caused by water-borne diseases.
A pilot project last spring to test the chosen membrane filters worked very well, said Paul, noting that the river was very turbid at the time (March to June 2017) because of run-off. The new water treatment system will include standby emergency power for the river pump station and the treatment plant in case of a loss of electricity.
Paul showed plans of the new water treatment plant, which will be located at the south end of the Legacy Park and integrated as much as possible with the park. The area around the plant will be landscaped, and the building itself will have solar panels on the roof to provide energy for the facility. It will also include bathrooms, showers, and a laundry facility on the north side of the building for those using the Legacy Park. The plant will include two skids of membrane filters, with room for a third skid if expansion is needed.
One intake pump was replaced earlier this spring, and another will be replaced in the fall to increase capacity. The tender will be awarded for construction of the water treatment plant in April, with construction starting this spring and concluding in winter 2018 and the plant starting operation early in 2019.
An audience member asked if the Urban Systems presentation would be available, and was told it will be up on the Village’s website (www.ashcroftbc.ca). Another asked if the new plant would use less chlorine than the current one to treat water, and was told yes, that was the case.
Chrunik, there to talk about the TNRD recycling program, said that there is a new reality in recycling due to China—which has been taking recycling from the TNRD as well as many other jurisdictions around North America and the world—cracking down on “contaminated” recycling.
“In North America we’ve been sending bales of mixed, low quality material to China,” said Chrunik. “They said in 2017 that we’ll have to work harder, and that they’ll only take recycling that is 99.5 per cent pure. Most North American processors’ current sorting technology isn’t equipped to meet that stringent demand. So there’s a slower throughput and it’s more labour intensive. We need to pay attention to the message.”
“We need to change our mindset. There’s a need for purity in recycling, to get back to grass roots thinking. We need to send better quality material to the processor to send to turbulent markets.” This is the reason why, to take one example, paper recycling must be emptied from plastic bags now, rather than simply throwing the bag full of paper into the bin.
Single stream recycling collection will, says Chrunik, turn into self-sort as opposed to what’s happening now, with a jumble of stuff in one bin. The TNRD will be joining the Recycle BC program this summer or fall, which will mean going from single-stream to a self-sort multi-stream. “The Recycle BC model is the closest to keeping up with the required changes, and is only recycling what is actually recyclable. It will save the TNRD money to go over to that model. The first estimate indicates there will be a significant annual savings.
“Brace for change. We need to get better at recycling and create understanding. Don’t assume you’re doing it right.”
Cllr. Barbara Roden gave a presentation about the responsibilities of local government and how it works, the roles of council members and staff, where funding comes from and how much of the annual property taxes collected are disbursed to other agencies, and how residents can become more involved in local government, from attending meetings and serving on committees to running for election.
CAO Michelle Allen spoke about this year’s municipal election and changes to the legislation that prospective candidates should be aware of, including the need to record all monies spent in running for office as of January 1, 2018; the need to create a separate bank account; limits on who can donate to a campaign; the need for a financial agent; the filing deadline to run for office; and more.
This year’s filing deadline starts at 9 a.m. on September 4 and ends at 4 p.m. on September 14. General election day is Saturday, October 20, and there will be four advance voting days.
CFO Yoginder Bhalla gave an overview of the Village’s Five Year Financial Plan, stating that the new water treatment plant is within budget and touching on various ongoing and recently completed projects, including upgrades at the sewage treatment plant and the historic fire hall, work on the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaws, economic development, and asset management, the last of which he described as “very important”.
“The book value of the Village’s assets is $20 million, but the cost of replacement would be five to 10 times that,” he said, which is why it is crucial to get a thorough assessment of all the Village’s assets and what state they are in.
The Village currently has more than $5 million-worth of projects on the go, the bulk of that the water treatment plant. It also has $5.7 million in reserves, with 85 per cent of those reserves restricted.
Bhalla also spoke of the cost pressures facing the Village, such as increases in Hydro and ICBC rates, wage increases, and tipping fees, which cost the Village $40,000 in 2017 (prior to the landfill closure there were no tipping fees). He added that since the landfill closed in December 2016, the Village has lost $20,000 in annual landfill revenue.
A public meeting about the 2018 budget and Five Year Financial Plan will be held on Monday, May 7 at 7 p.m. at the Ashcroft Community Hall.
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