CONSENT AGENDA City Yards landfill needs its gases capped LANDFILL NEEDS ATTENTION
By AMY KAUFMAN Special to the Daily Press
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas. Consent items are routinely passed by the council, having been part of public discussion in the past.
CITY HALL — Santa Monica garbage may soon be whisked away in style, that is if the City Council approves the purchase of four new refuse trucks as part of a $1.4 million spending plan tonight.
The new haulers — used for collecting trash, recyclables and landscape waste — would quickly become the most heavily used vehicles in the city’s fleet, according to a city staff report.
The costs associated with the trucks purchase is $884,497.
Efforts to reduce the impact of homelessness in Santa Monica should continue, city staff recommends, with the council being advised to continue engaging services that help stimulate regional action on the issue.
During the past year, the homelessness initiative has been largely fueled by Edmund D. Edelman, who helped select the new Executive Director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, as well as to create the Santa Monica Homeless Community Court with $500,000 in new LA County funding.
Edelman’s contract, which began in 2005, consisted of a budget of $200,000. The second year modification will pay him the same amount.
Efforts to keep the Santa Monica Pier shipshape will be made tonight if City Hall approves an increase on the agenda for uninterrupted janitorial services.
L.A. Cha has been providing the cleaning services for several years. However, because the company could not provide the services under the contract at the stated prices and comply with Living Wage requirements in July 2006, their contract was not renewed. However, L.A. Cha has agreed to provide the janitorial services on an interim basis, until a new provider can be secured, a city staff report noted.
Since July, L.A. Cha has been paid $82,400, and an additional $125,600 is being requested by city staff to maintain the upkeep.
Portions of the City Yard and Stewart Street Park lie over an inactive landfill. In order to eliminate potential hazards posed by gases generated by the decomposition of the landfill, the city has installed and is operating a landfill gas extraction and treatment system. The system, which has been in existence since July 1998, collects and treats landfill gases generated from the former landfill.
The extraction system requires periodic monitoring and adjustment to maintain maximum gas extraction, treatment effectiveness and regulatory compliance, according to a city staff report.A consultant experienced in landfill gas projects is essential to this system. ICF Consulting Services, LLC, specializes in the issue and has been working on the area for many years. Staff is asking that ICF receive $60,000 until a formal bid is submitted.
It is expected that the system will need to be in operation at the site for an additional 10 to 12 years.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 5, 2006. Read the original PDF.