US Ecology, VBT Board discuss permit renewal for Michigan Disposal

Representatives of US Ecology and the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees discussed for an hour the newest permit renewal requested from the EPA for the Michigan Disposal Facility on the North I-94 Service Drive.
Then, members of the audience were invited to join in with questions and comments and that lasted just half an hour.
This was at the VBT regular board meeting on Feb. 6. The US Ecology report was at the end of the meeting.
Alex Hurley, director of government and community relations for US Ecology, and Kerry Durnan, vice president of US Ecology, Belleville, gave the background of the toxic landfill and treatment facility that is reported to be the largest such facility in the nation, as to volume.
The landfill has been in that place for 60 years, but the permit being requested has nothing to do with the landfill, but with Michigan Disposal Treatment Facility, which is permitted separate from the landfill.
Hurley said every 10 years they need to renew their permit. He said the physical footprint of the treatment facility is not changing, but the “expansion” referred to in the application is the addition of treatment capabilities in the same facility.
“What we are permitted to hold is less than we have capabilities for,” Hurley said.
“We are not seeking to expand the physical footprint of the treatment facility or the landfill,” Hurley said.
He said they are requesting several additional waste codes, including waste from manufacturing with very low concentrations of dioxin.
Hurley said dioxin is not new at the site and it has been coming there for years, usually in the soil from manufacturing sites. He said they had an additional request. He said they are asking that the daily maximum limit of gallons per day of dioxin that they can safely handle, be uncapped as to daily quantity. The total annual quantity allowed would not go up.
Also, the treatment outside of the tanks is a safe and common procedure — macro-encapsulation in a sealed container.
Hurley said it makes no sense to treat a small test sample inside of a 50,000-gallon tank. They need an option to create certain treatment outside of the tanks, he said.
The detailed questions and answers went on until six members of the audience came forward with their additional questions and comments.
Durnan offered tours of the US Ecology facilities and Trustee Paul White offered to accompany any residents interested in a tour.
In other business at the Feb. 6 meeting, the board:
• Held a public hearing and then approved the use of the 2018 federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, of which $76,581 will be used for improvements to Van Buren Park, $30,000 for demolition of condemned buildings, $21,315 to offset the salary of the Senior Center Director and Deputy Director, $14,210 for Administration, and $5,000 as an estimate of funds that may be received in 2018 from the Housing Rehabilitation loan and Demolition program, for an estimated total of $147,106;
• Approved the second and final reading of Ordinance 1-9-18 (1) that revises the General Code of Ordinances Chapter 82 on Traffic and Vehicles to include the Motor Carrier Safety Act. This will allow the township to have a weighmaster ticket trucks and in certain cases the fines will come to the township split with the local district court instead of to circuit court. “This is a notice that our weighmaster will be back on the streets this spring,” said Supervisor Kevin McNamara;
• Approved the Donation Agreement to Schoolcraft College and Schoolcraft Institutional Scholarship to provide for the township’s 1986 Pierce Arrow ladder truck, that has been decertified for use by the state, to be given to Schoolcraft to use for fire training. In return, the township will receive two, fully paid scholarships for schooling of police officers or fire fighters, worth $10,000 each. Supervisor McNamara said the township was offered $3,000 to $5,000 on auction for the truck and when they put it on eBay, nobody wanted it;
• Approved a six-month personal leave of absence for fire fighter Christopher Roy who has accepted a full-time position with another department. He has worked for the township for three years, but he needs benefits, said Fire Chief Amy Brow. He will be unable to fulfill the requirements for duty crew for six months;
• Approved a revision to the Endowment Committee bylaws to change the time of the regular meetings from 1 p.m. to 11 a.m.;
• Approved the 2017 Planning Commission annual report, as required by Michigan statute. It was prepared by Ron Akers, director of planning and economic development;
• Approved the re-appointment of Harlan Davenport to the Construction Code Appeals Board with a term to expire Feb. 28, 2020;
• Approved the appointment of Aaron Sellers to the Board of Zoning Appeals with a term to expire Dec. 1, 2018. Sellers had been serving as an alternate;
• Approved the split/combination of lots 83-110-01-0137-301 and 83-110-01-0137-302 on West Huron River Drive, necessary to correct a 20′ encroachment of parcel 302 on parcel 301;
• Approved a resolution authorizing submission of the Michigan Township Association application for the Township of Excellence Certificate of Achievement in Election Administration, as requested by Clerk Leon Wright, whose office has met all the requirements for the certificate;
• Pulled from the 16 items on the Consent Agenda the Prepaid List of Jan. 25, 2018, as requested by Trustee Paul White, who wanted it to be discussed. He said he had trouble approving payment for things under “Board Other” where the receipts were missing. He pointed to such items worth $232.82, $124.93, and $243.32 and others. Treasurer Sharry Budd said the receipts that were missing were from the Senior Department, Museum, and Police Department and they have all been found. She said “Board Other” was used as a holding spot. She said the Visa bill had to be paid and the receipts turned up later and will be put into the right departments. White said allowing payment without receipts makes more work for the clerk’s office. Trustee Sherry Frazier called the procedure “sloppy bookkeeping” and asked why the different departments didn’t use their own budgets as holding spots. White said the bills should not be paid until the receipts are turned in. Trustee Frazier said she questioned a payment in January that was $332 for food during a three-day conference. She got an explanation that made total sense, but suggested the employee should split the bill with one party paying and the employee using the township credit card. She said she has concerns when experienced elected officials buy meals for someone else on the township credit card. After the question was called on a 5-2 vote the same 5-2 approved paying the Jan. 25 prepaid list, with White and Frazier voting no;
• Heard a report from museum director Katie Dallos that there has been an increase in museum visits from 3,859 in 2016 to 5,641 in 2017. The popular quilt show is coming next month. Trustee Sherry Frazier said she would like to expand help for Dallos since the museum was closed from Christmas until Feb. 6 and maybe she needs someone to help her. Supervisor McNamara said he will be meeting with Dallos soon to go over her programs;
• Heard a letter from Canton Township Police Department thanking Police Chief Jason Wright and the SWAT team for helping during the hostage situation at the bank. Supervisor McNamara said his wife works next door at Rose’s and they were locked down during the incident;
• Heard a welcome letter from the Michigan Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. McNamara said the township will go through policies, procedures, records, training and have a police department like residents expect them to; and
• In response to Frazier’s queries, Ron Akers said they expect to start the road upgrade on McBride in April or May, but he has been talking to James Williams from the school district and they might want the township to wait until school is out.