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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - December I, 2004 3 . Chair Sand invited anyone for or against the variance to come forward and make comment. Terry Noonan, Environmental Services Section of the Ramsey County Public Works Department, stated this program was a joint effort between Public Works and the Environmcntal Health Department. He stated the Shoreview used oil site was an open facility and their experience was occasionally they did get things they did not want there, but the vast majority of the people using the site used it properly. He stated the drums at the Shoreview facility were for used oil filters, and this facility was both a used oil filter and used oil facility. He stated there was a benefit to having a site available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He noted with this proposal, the Sheriffs Department was already on site and they expected there would be little problems with the new facility. He stated there would be security cameras on site as well as a Sheriffs patrol presence. Commissioner Ricke asked if there were State rules in effect if there was some spill or leak. Mr. Noonan replied any hazardous material left was stored temporarily and then taken to a household hazardous waste facility for disposal. He indicated thcy did not get much hazardous waste left, but it did happen occasionally. He stated this new proposal would allow a storage area for this hazardous waste confined in a building. He indicated there were State requirements that dealt with hazardous waste spills. Commissioner Ricke asked if their historical experience had been that there had not been . a problem with people dumping or spilling their used oil. Mr. Noonan replied one ofthc advantages of this proposal was that it was a covered facility. He stated the current facility was not covered and therefore, there was some spillagc. He noted with a covered facility they were able to isolate the facility from the environmental elements. Hc stated the new system would have raised metal grates, which would not become slippcry, as the current facilities metal grates had. He stated the new facility would look much cleaner than the current facility. Commissioner Ricke asked if there was a trend of expanding the collection of hazardous materials, such as computers and other items that people cannot easily dispose of. Mr. Noonan replied the County would probably do what was allowed by the City, but they would not do anything not allowed by the City. Joe Wozniak, Ramsey County Environmental Specialist, replied they looked at this as a "foot in the door". He stated they would not get involved in consumer electronics because of the size and weight of those materials. He stated they had been collecting the same types of materials at their sites for years and he did not believe they would expand on their collection efforts. Commissioner Zimmerman stated there was a benefit of having a hazardous waste collection facility, but he was concerned about the 24-hour a day operation. He noted there were would be no control and that was a concern for him. He indicated there were . other used oil sites in the area. He asked why should Arden HillslRamsey County be in the used oil collection business in a future residential area, and why should they open themselves up to that kind of exposure 24-hours a day, seven days a wcek. He stated he did not want to give people access 24-hours a day to drop off used oil, unless the facility was controlled and monitored. He noted pcople could store their used oil and drop everything at the same time under a controllcd process.