The big issue recently has been the proposed Mandatory Refuse Collection ordinance.
About 17% of Juneau residents take care of their own trash rather than having Arrow Refuse pick it up. This ordinance would have required everyone to have commercial pickup and that drew down the wrath of many citizens who responsibly take care of their own and want to keep it that way. In our 2/22 Assembly Meeting and again in the 3/1 COW meeting we discussed the ordinance and have backed off imposing it. My issue was that it was not clearly articulated why we had to do this. Some said to discourage illegal dumping. The testifying citizens responded that we should enforce the laws against illegal dumping rather than passing new laws that punish responsible citizens. Another argument that was not made clearly was that we needed total participation to make curbside recycling work. Yet, we are still far from having such a program. And if we go to an incinerator everything changes. So the Assembly basically said we (the Assembly) need to clearly articulate our direction on the whole issue of solid waste management. We know citizens want this resolved one way or another.
The Planning Commission has been discussing revising the Table of Permissible Uses
This table identifies just what is allowed and not allowed in each zoning district. This is an important issue and worth keeping our eye on. The Planning Commission is also working on a Wireless Communications Ordinance which would regulate towers (among other things)
Docks and Harbors is struggling with what to do in Douglas Harbor. In my 12/21 post I noted that the Harbor floor is rising and unless it is dredged it will slowly become unusable. The problem is that dredging stirs up the bottom and that results in mercury levels mixed into the water that are considered unsafe. The EPA says they oppose the open dump and recommend a more technologically sophisticated (and expensive) containment of the dredged material. One solution is to dig a hole in the channel bottom and put clean fill on top of the dredged material to slow leakage to acceptable levels. Complicated stuff.
I mentioned in my 2/11 post that the proposed use of Juneau cruise ship head tax dollars was out for comment. This is the final list that will be presented to the Assembly
There is a fascinating little effort going on to bring super high speed broadband to Juneau. Google has recently announced a competition for a limited number of communities across the United States to participate. Applications are due by March 26.
Google’s announcement gives us until March 26th. JEDC is coordinating Juneau’s application. We would love to have lots of people weigh in.
Finally, Parks and Rec is having a contest to create a graphic logo for the Diamond Park Pool currently being constructed. Applications due by the end of May.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
“We must recognize the full human equality of all of our people – before God, before the law, and in the councils of government. We must do this, not because it is economically advantageous – although it is; not because the laws of God command it – although they do; not because people in other lands wish it so. We must do it for the single and fundamental reason that it is the right thing to do.” – Robert Kennedy, June 6, 1966
4 comments:
Sediment management in Douglas Harbor is always going to be a problem as long as it remains. It appears to me that it was essentially dredged out of Sandy beach in the first place and that the harbor is acting as a sediment trap. Being adjacent to Sandy Beach which consists of contaminated tailings from the old Treadwell mine confounds the problem dramatically.
My question are: what are the sediment transport system in Douglas Harbor? is there a long term engineering fix that could prevent or reduce sediment being transported into and becoming trapped in the harbor? What are the costs to dredge and properly dispose of the contaminated sediment. Does that cost in the long term outweigh cost of designing a new marina elsewhere or redesigning the existing marina?
It doesn't seem like there will be an easy solution to this issue. Good luck
Interesting thought that sediment is moving in. That is not the story we have been told -- we have been told this is all about isostatic rebound. They have dredged the Harbor twice before-- the last time in 2002, I think. The mercury levels were low enough then so they dumped it in the channel where they want to do it again. It is hard to say why the mercury is higher this time. But as I said, there have been no suggestions that sediment is moving in from outside the harbor.
Isostatic rebound is I am sure an issue, but I would guess that there is also a healthy drift cell of sediment heading north and entering the harbor; fed by sandy beach.
The rate of isostatic rebound in Juneau, is about half a foot a decade; If it was dredged in 2002, you shouldn't need to do it again so soon if isostatic rebound alone was causing it.
Post a Comment