Points on Closing Yard Trimmings to Mulch Center 2001 - 2002

• Frederick County equipment was deemed unsafe (by county) to work so close to buildings (homes). They visited the site and modified & established a particular position the grinder must point in to reduce risk. However, once the industrial park is developed, it is unlikely that this risk mitigation technique would work so site could not remain.
• Since county owned grinder broke down frequently, it was very difficult to predict when it could be scheduled for grinding. Material was therefore stockpiled in the limited space (as there was not space enough to spread it out adequately), and smells from anaerobic bacterial decomposition resulted which obstructed the quality of life for neighboring homes. The active liming program was not enough to keep up with the odor issues.
• Demand for mulch was not as great as supply of material. The decomposition smells were deemed a health hazard by the state government. Maryland Department of Environment initiated procedures to force the Town to close the site permanently. The landscaper that the Town worked a deal with could not haul the ground material as quickly as the Town needed it hauled following a grinding.
• Since the Town could not control the grinder scheduling done by the county, nor the landscaper's schedule for hauling, nor the odors, the site was doomed.
• An extensive search for an alternate site, both inside and outside the corporate limits of Town, in cooperation with both Frederick and Carroll counties, yielded no options. The options that were offered were met with 'nimby' (not-in-my-back-yard) protests. The Sanitation department felt strongly that no government should force someone to live next to an odoriferous nuisance, despite numerous letters from the community stating strongly that it should.
• In lieu of a local site, a proposal was drafted for vendor pick ups for a fee, but initially faced a mayoral veto with the argument that all taxpayers should not have to pay for a minority's need for yard waste hauling.
• In the interim the compromise became the mayor's effort to build a list of vendors who would haul yard waste for a fee billed directly to the requestor. Only one vendor responded to the request. Meanwhile with fall approaching, there was a public outcry to maintain the leaf pick up as an essential function covered by Town taxes.
• The mayor & staff decided to buy a grinder. The council decided to pick up leaves within Town and hold on Town land for grinding to satisfy complaints about dropping the service. No drop-offs would be allowed and only leaves would be accepted thus limiting waste to Town generated leaves only, and traffic to site by Town government vehicles only.
• Residents near the Town site complained based on possible future problems, considering past experience with yard waste sites. They were told by the council that this was a one-time interim solution until a curb side program could be bid and executed.
• The council voted to allow the Department lead to bid out curb side yard waste pick up based on the Town having picked up this waste prior to the 1992 state mandate to institute a recycling program.
• The resulting bid was such that it could be adequately covered in the Department budget, utilizing former yard waste site operating funds, without risking tax increases. The council voted to accept bid and fund the May and June 2001 pick ups to get the program started prior to the new fiscal year, and the vendor indicated this could be accommodated. Since a satisfactory compromise was reached, there was no mayoral challenge. While most residents seem very pleased with this outcome, there are some (mostly living outside of Town) who want the site to continue operations. For out-of-towners, they must find alternatives for yard waste including hauling it to Walkersville, Frederick or backyard composting.

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