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) 

New RFP Sought For Managing PAC
27 Mar 2024 14:48

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]

Seiners Get Second Day with 2 Areas to Fish
27 Mar 2024 14:46

By Sentinel Staff
    The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]

Braves Take Second in Last Minute Upset
27 Mar 2024 12:41

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]

Tuesday City League Volleyball
27 Mar 2024 12:39

By Sentinel Staff
    The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]

Kodiak Alutiiq Museum Getting New Attention
27 Mar 2024 12:37

By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
    A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]

House Hearing on Inmate Deaths Halted
27 Mar 2024 12:35

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in  [ ... ]

Nominee to Bering Sea Council: Not a Trawler
27 Mar 2024 12:34

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Police Blotter
27 Mar 2024 12:26

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Community Happenings
27 Mar 2024 12:25

Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]

Reassessments Raise Tax Bills for Sitkans
26 Mar 2024 15:22

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]

Two Areas Opened in Herring Fishery Today
26 Mar 2024 15:21

By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]

Lady Wolves Rally to Take Fourth at State
26 Mar 2024 15:16

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]

Edgecumbe Girls Close Out Season Up North
26 Mar 2024 14:58

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
    Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]

City League Monday
26 Mar 2024 14:55

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]

House Votes to Broaden Rules For Review Panel Memb...
26 Mar 2024 14:52

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday  [ ... ]

Alaskan Grilled in D.C. Over Climate Science
26 Mar 2024 14:51

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]

Faster Internet Speeds In Rural Schools OK'd
26 Mar 2024 13:53

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]

Native Words Gathered In Environment Studies
26 Mar 2024 13:52

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska,  [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Police Blotter
26 Mar 2024 13:49

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Community Happenings
26 Mar 2024 13:48

Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m.  [ ... ]

Sac Roe Herring Fishery Opens in Hayward
25 Mar 2024 15:30

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]

Projects on the Table For Cruise Tax Funds
25 Mar 2024 15:28

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]

Braves Take Second at State after Close Loss
25 Mar 2024 15:23

By Sentinel Staff
    Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]

City League Games Continue
25 Mar 2024 15:11

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]

Other Articles

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 .....

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