FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]
By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]
Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska, [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]
Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m. [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
City Handing Recycling to Private Firm
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city has turned the operation of all of its recycling operations to a private firm in a deal that officials say will save the city money, reduce liability and create incentives for improving efficiency.
Chris “Cricket” Jackson, with the city’s recycling program, points to the metal baler at the city scrap yard this morning. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
Public Works Director Michael Harmon said this is a prime opportunity to create a private-public partnership, and there may be others in the future.
“There’s a general goal by the administrator to look throughout the city – we’re looking for possibilities for private-public partnerships to reduce costs and produce efficiencies,” he said.
City Administrator Mark Gorman said he’s looking forward to seeing savings and improved efficiency with this new contract.
“I think the opportunity to become more efficient with tax dollars is increased, the more we look at partnerships with the private sector,” he said.
Alaska Pacific Environmental Services is the company that presently collects curbside garbage and runs the Jarvis Street transfer station. Under the new contract, APES will also run the recycling center on the old incinerator property, and the scrapyard at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park.
At the recycling center, residents drop off recyclables sorted into separate bins for plastic, newspaper, cardboard, mixed paper, aluminum, glass and tin cans. The items, other than glass, are shipped south for recycling, with the proceeds going toward shipping costs. At the scrapyard, fees are charged for disposing of old cars, refrigerators and other “white goods,” tires, scrap metal and car batteries. Those items are also shipped south for recycling.
Under the new contract, the city will receive credit for the commodities that are sold, as it has in the past. The contractor will then receive a check from the city for half of the cash equivalent of the credit. APES will keep 100 percent of any sales derived from high-grade sorting, above and beyond what the city typically does, Harmon said.
“What will APES bring to the table?” Harmon asked. “We’re predicting at current (recyclables) prices, we’ll save $6,500 a month – that’s about $78,000 a year, depending on commodity prices. Plus they’re really motivated to do improved sorting, and they have ideas of how to run it better. The better they do it, the more money they’re going to make.”
This is different from a city-run recycling center and scrapyard, where bonuses weren’t offered for improved sorting.
Harmon said the timing was right, with the departure of the scrapyard supervisor. As staff turnover continues at city hall, the city will review whether it makes sense to create a public-private partnership, he said.
He said not every city department is right for a private-public relationship.
“It’s a puzzle – it’s challenging,” Harmon said. “Certain things fit well with a private public partnership, in particular things that generate their own revenue, things that can be run as their own business.”
That includes enterprise funds, such as solid waste, the electric department and water department. City services such as police, fire and the library do not.
“This is a good one – we’re looking at the low-hanging fruit,” Harmon said.
He said in a memo to Gorman that the customer base will not see much change, but APES will be doing some “efficiency and high grade sorting changes to increase revenue.”
The CBS will lease the property and will retain ownership of all the equipment, although this may change when the APES contract expires in April 2015.
The city will continue to own the equipment, but APES will operate and take on all the liability of operating the equipment. The contractor will hire the present city employees (one full-time and one part-time), with pay and benefits commensurate with the city’s, Harmon said in his note to Gorman.
Harmon gave credit in his email to Gary Baugher, city maintenance and operations superintendent, for “pulling all the challenging pieces together.”
“I think Gary delivered on this point very well and I am pleased that we are projected to see a reduction in expenses as well. Great work!”
Harmon said he’s pleased with the prospects for the new partnership, which he hopes will save the city money, eliminate the city labor within the solid waste fund, and increase recycling and revenues in the city.
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20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....