INC NEWS - Minutes of INC Meeting, July 24, 2007

Tue Aug 28 17:42:05 EDT 2007

Inter-Neighborhood Council

www.DurhamINC.org

Minutes of Meeting of July 24, 2007

REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT

Jay Levy                      Forest Hills

Hoss Rostami             Lassiter Street

Renee Lord                 Forest at Duke

Marguerite Ward         Forest at Duke

Jim Ellenson               Old North Durham

Shannon Thornburg    Old North Durham

Patti Thomas              Hardscrabble

Judy Thomson            South Durham

Ellie Mayer                   Woodcroft

Heidi Carter                 Woodcroft

Cathy Abernathy         Hope Valley

Jonas Monast              People’s Alliance

Melissa Rooney          Fairfield                       

Rick Hanford               Watts Hillandale

Christopher Woods    Forest Hills

Craigie Sanders          Grove Park

R W Pickle                  Forest Hills

Michael Shiflett            Northgate Park

Ken Gasch                  Colonial Village

Collin Crossmon         Walltown

Ronnie Griffin              North Garrett Road Committee

GUESTS

Mike Simpson             City of Durham-Solid Waste, Code Enforcement Officer

Donald Long                City of Durham-Solid Waste, Director

Banu Valladares          Durham Arts Council-Education

Introductions – President David Harris opened the meeting.  Members introduced themselves.

SOLID WASTE 

SPEAKER: Donald Long, Director of the Solid Waste Department.

Mr. Long informed the group about the Comprehensive Solid Waste Program, which

Is expected to be implemented in October, 2008. The 2007-2008 budget has been adopted with some incremental improvements for Solid Waste, such as 18 new vehicles.

Elements of the Future Solid Waste Program 

            1. nomal municipal solid waste

            2. yard waste no charges after October, 2008; $5.00 per month for interim                                     months until then

            3. bulky items and bulky brush picked up weekly along w/ regular trash

            4. roll off container for garage and backyard refuse available for week-end use                               with Monday morning pickup; nominal charge.

            5. increase commercial collection of solid waste; increase marketing to                                         restaurants and fast food

            6. household hazardous waste drop-off will expand to 3 days per week.

Questions related to:

--No immediate plans for loose leaves vacuum for the fall season.

--Residents to keep current brown containers; all residents will receive after 10/2008.

--Composting program not on the horizon; need operating permit for a compost facility.

--Currently mixed loads of yard waste and household waste is being trucked to Virginia

(at times in one truck,) in order to reduce the disposal fee.

Additional points:

Important to plan for the future; expect 11% growth in next three years, 2010.

Important to keep household and yard waste separate at the curb.

Some consideration of capturing and selling any methane generated from solid waste.

LITTER – SOLID WASTE CODE ENFORCEMENT

SPEAKER:  Mike Simpson, newly appointed Code Enforcement Officer for Solid Waste Department, City of Durham

Mr. Simpson described a new program from the NC Dept of Transportation.  Administered by the Office of Beautification Programs, the ‘Swat-A-Litterbug’ program is an educational effort for every citizen to assist in monitoring and reporting litterbugs on the NC highway system.  Citizens may report violations online by noting the motor vehicle license number, the date, time, and location of a litter violation.  The Roadside Environmental Unit will then: 1) notify the vehicle owner of the littering offense; 2) inform him/her about the penalties for littering; 3) urge the litterbug to stop littering.

To find the online litterbug report form, go to the website for the NC DOT and search for ‘Swat-A-Litterbug.’  This program is for NC roadways, not local streets in Durham.

Other ways of addressing the problem of litter in Durham: 

--Through the Keep Durham Beautiful program, administered by Dorthea Pearce.

--Citizen patrols for city streets can assist with educating the public about litter.

--Other approaches to market the need to reduce litter:  INC listserve, neighborhood newsletters.

--Adopt a highway program is flourishing. For new initiatives, contact DOT or Dorthea Pearce.

Additional ordinance which is not widely known:

--Household waste must be bagged inside of the green roll-out trash carts.

--Citizens who do not bag their household trash are in violation of City of Durham Ordinance 1050.

--Goal of the enforcement officer is not to collect fines, but to reeducate the public about

the regulations of the Solid Waste Department.  After warnings, fines are added to the City of Durham utility billing system for water and stormwater charges.

WATER MANAGEMENT

SPEAKER:  Vicky Westbrook, Department of Water Management, City of Durham

1. --Provided an update on the quality of Durham’s drinking water.  As of May 15, Durham registered “good compliance” for its 6 month sample.

2. --Distributed the 2006 Water Quality Report.  EPA requirements determine the information in the report.

3. --Discussed the issue of disinfection byproducts in the water system, which are affected by several factors such as age of water, temperature and source of water which will be tested at 8 sites in the system.  As the chemicals of society change and are increasingly detected in municipal water systems, national regulations attempt to anticipate satisfactory levels of contaminants and sophisticated methods of sampling for the contaminants.  Individual departments have some ability to alter their procedures.  

4. --Department of Water Management is aware of how EPA regulations will change in the future and is upgrading the water system to be able to meet the 2012 regulations by increasing the number of sample sites.

5. --One way to keep disinfectant byproducts at low levels is to construct a pretreatment

facility at the front end.  The Department is investigating the costs and complexities of this option.

6. --Reviewed the hazards of lead chemicals in household drinking water in homes built before 1986 because of the lead solder used in typical plumbing installation in residential construction.  Lead solder has just been banned from plumbing installations.

If any household is concerned about whether there is lead in the water, a test kit may be

obtained from the Department.  It is also advisable to run the water for five minutes before using water for drinking or cooking, so that water standing in residential plumbing systems will be flushed thru the plumbing.

7. --Noted that most municipal water systems in the United States date from the 1900s and that 100 year old pipes in systems all over the country can be expected to need to be replaced.  This type of capital intensive need to refurbish the drinking water and waste water infrastructure could become a national crisis.

8. --A broken gate has been fixed and security has returned to the Hillandale water reservoir, after one person broke through the gate and went swimming.

9. --Re the quality of water in the schools, old drinking fountains will be replaced, water will be run in advance of using for food preparation, and the frequency of testing will increase.

10. Durham has two water treatment plants.

11. Extensive discussion about the new rules applicable to Lake Jordan water quality, especially the

increase in contaminants in the streams of the New Hope water basin, which are adjacent to increasing levels of urban development.

About the Department of Water Management

The City’s Department of Water Management is responsible for the operation

and maintenance of Durham's water supply, water treatment and water

reclamation (wastewater treatment) facilities, the collection and

distribution systems (including meter reading) and customer billing

services.  For more information on this department, visit the City’s Web

site at http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/wm/.  

INC BUSINESS:

Centerfest: $500 budget was approved for minor needs.

Hero Award Nominations are due in August.

Neighborhood Summit: date expected to be in October, 1st or 2nd week.

--Program will include a number of classes of interest to homeowners and neighborhoods, like zoning categories, newsletter content, adopt a park etc.

--Sponsored in conjunction with the Durham County Extension Department.

Issue Priorities for INC and the voting procedures of June, 2007 meeting:

Priority Issues Vote in June: Several individuals were concerned that delegates could load their five votes for one particular issue in order to jigger a higher priority calculation.

Newsletter Articles of particular interest to neighborhoods are posted on the INC website.

National Night Out is August 7. Each neighborhood can organize a walk or march. 

Durham Symphony: Judy Thompson, Board Member, Durham Symphony

 --Provided a synopsis of 32 year history of the Durham Symphony evolving from an amateur and volunteer endeavor to its current 50% level of paid musicians.  Several

community programs in the past have been notable.  Currently offers 4 free concerts as well as offering programs for school children and in partnership with community organizations.

Durham Arts Council:  Banu Valladares, Durham Arts Council, Director of Education

--Distributed  brochures about the CAPS program and requested an opportunity to

speak to the INC about programs at the Arts Council.

Cleveland Holloway Neighborhood:  Newly organized group seeks INC support in reversing the decision of the City Manager to donate surplus land in the neighborhood to several social service organizations.  Citizens object to the City of Durham selecting a fragile neighborhood on the rise to be the location of housing and treatment programs for social service citizens.

Meeting was adjourned.

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