07-24-17-R - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

______________________________________________________________________________ City of Arden Hills City Council Meeting for July 24, 2017 P:\Planning\Planning Cases\2017\PC 17-015 - Ramsey County - Organics and Yard Waste Collection Site – Tony Schmidt Park\Memos_Reports_17-015 Page 2 of 6 Ramsey County has since implemented SSO collection at the six other yard waste sites in the County. At the City Council Work Session on May 15, 2017, Ramsey County Environmental Health staff presented collection data and observations from the first three years of SSO collection (2014- 2016) at the six County yard waste sites (Attachment B). Participation in the program has increased steadily from approximately 24,000 total site visits in 2014 to nearly 52,000 visits in 2016. Ramsey County reported there have been no issues with odor, vermin, or increased traffic associated with SSO collection at the other sites. Overview of Request The existing Arden Hills yard waste site occupies approximately 1.5 acres of land on the western side of Tony Schmidt Park south of the Canadian Pacific Railroad line. The site is accessed by an approximately 600-foot long driveway at the end of Hudson Avenue off of New Brighton Road. Operating hours are currently Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and on weekends April through November. If SSO collection were to be added, site hours would be expanded to include weekends during winter months (December – March). The SSO collection area would consist of one or more covered containers that would be located on the eastern side of the site separated from the yard waste facilities (Attachment E). Ramsey County uses a standard four cubic yard container for SSO collection. Photographs showing examples of other SSO collection sites have been provided in Attachment F. Accepted materials would include food waste and scraps, and various types of non-recyclable paper. All SSO materials are required to be placed in a compostable bag, which are provided to residents by the County at no cost. Dry paper products, such as pizza boxes, can be placed directly into the collection container. The collection containers are kept closed when yard waste sites are not open and are serviced at a minimum of once a week by Ramsey County’s contractor, Waste Management. The Arden Hills yard waste site is currently staffed by site monitors who would also serve as quality control for SSO dropped off by residents. Additionally, Ramsey County would implement a promotion and education program to generate interest and educate the public on what materials are acceptable. Planning Commission Review Tony Schmidt Park is located in the City’s Parks and Open Space District and the proposed public use requires a Conditional Use Permit. A full evaluation of the Conditional Use Permit application was presented to the Planning Commission at their regular meeting on July 5, 2017