VBT approves Waste Management for paid solid waste pick up

Waste Management will continue to pick up trash and recycling on a weekly basis the way it does now and yard waste two weeks longer into mid-December, but from sometime this year on out, residents of Van Buren Township will be paying for the services.
The price was estimated at under $14 per household per month. The pickup had been free until a new host community agreement was signed by the township with WM agreeing to have customers pay.
In 2016, WM approached the township regarding the need to expand the landfill as the approved areas were filling up. The expansion would increase the life of the landfill by an additional 30 to 40 years. In order to do this the agreement would need to be amended.
During the 2016 discussions, the township made efforts to ensure that all existing provisions in the current agreement were maintained including free collections, but WM expressed concerns with maintaining this. The reasons identified were the unexpected growth of the township where the number of households nearly doubled. They said it would be difficult to project growth 30 to 40 years into the future and this uncertainty was a concern.
Other concerns were the variable costs associated with fuel, labor, and equipment in providing this service. This became a focal point in the discussions and ultimately WM agreed to extend the free collection and disposal for an additional five years.
After that, WM would still allow free disposal of the curbside trash and yard waste at the landfill, but would no longer provide free collection. There would be no change to the landfill pass program.
At the April 4 regular meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees, the board voted unanimously to choose Waste Management for the service, out of four bidders. Township staff was directed to negotiate the contract for the service, which will be brought back to the board for consideration.
“We’re negotiating,” said Supervisor Kevin McNamara, “but we’re not quite there yet. There are a few things.”
Ron Akers, municipal services director, explained the project to the board at the April 4 meeting. He said the four bids were opened on March 6 from: Waste Management, Titan National, Priority Waste, and GFL. The bids were evaluated by a committee, based on comments from the community survey and comments on the service over the years.
Under the contract, the yard waste pickup was extended from ending Nov. 30 to the second full week in December. A consideration to reduce recycling pickup to every other week was not popular with residents so that idea was dropped, Akers said.
Besides the citizen survey, 25 to 30 residents attended an in-person meeting on March 13 to discuss the service. Others came in to talk during evening hours set up to discuss the issue. The most common concern was having to pay for collection, Akers said.
He said the committee recommended awarding the bid to Waste Management. Akers said the township has to change an ordinance to have a single hauler and a draft ordinance is under review by legal counsel. He said information has been posted on the township website.
When Trustee Kevin Martin asked about pickups of bulk items, Akers said residents can call the township, as they do now, or they will be able to request it on line.
Clerk Leon Wright said he was satisfied with the lengthy process the township followed to get information from the residents on what they want. He said the township has a history with Waste Management and, “We know what we’re getting.” Clerk Wright said it was great to see the price was compatible.
He referred to the chart that showed costs per year for a home valued at $250,000. Sumpter Township is $108 on the water bill (does not include recycling or yard waste collection). The city of Belleville is $248 on the water bill. Van Buren Township is expected to be under $180 and this would be placed on the property taxes.
In other business at the April 4 meeting, the board:
• Approved an agreement with American Fireworks Company for not to exceed $25,000 for the fireworks on June 24 (rain day June 25) at Beck Field. Jennifer Zaenglein, director of recreation, said this year they budgeted $25,000 and asked bidders to come up with more bang for the buck for that amount. There were four bidders – Great Lakes, American, Pyrotechnico, and Zambelli – and after evaluation they agreed American of Hudson, Ohio, was the best;
• Approved the selection of PPM Tree Service and Arbor Care LLC for the Riggs Park Tree Removal Project at a total of $28,000. Jason Locke, parks director, said PPM had the lowest price of 11 bidders. He said all the trees between East Huron River Drive and the Iron Belle Trail at Riggs Park will be cut down. He said they are dead, dying, have hazardous limbs or are invasive tree species. He said they are a hazard to the road traffic and now to the pedestrian traffic on the trail. “It’s a pretty high priority,” Locke said. “It’s bad.” Supervisor McNamara said, “I’m tired of our parks being hidden … brush trees, garbage trees, an impenetrable block to the parks”;
• Heard John Herman say that the Greenbriar road project is getting started and areas of construction are being marked. He said on April 5 they would be sawcutting and on April 6 they will clear all the spaces and begin pouring concrete on April 10. He said the cement work needed has been doubled since the first estimate. People will not be able to get out of their drives for several days during the work, he said. Those with questions may contact him at [email protected] . He said the total project is expected to take six weeks and be done in the middle of May;
• Heard Mike Monroe, president of the Greenbriar homeowners association say the company doing the work will communicate with the homeowners before the work begins in their area. He said he would like to speak about the Woodland Meadows landfill that is expanding to the south. He said the main entrance should be changed from Van Born Road at the north end to the Ecorse Road entry where the golfcourse used to be. He said this would give trucks direct access to I-275. The trucks now are going everywhere in the community and dirt is blowing everywhere. He said if the Waste Management landfill is going to be there another 30 years, the time to change the entry is now;
• Heard Clerk Wright ask for the township to put together a program to clean the streets and sideways and byways of the trash. He said WM trucks are moving while picking up which causes dumping on the road at the same time. He said a lot of the trash comes from residents and the township should teach residents how to keep the township clean. Director of Public Service Larry Luckett said the 34th District Court has committed to revamp its community work crew, that was shut down by COVID. He said the township has asked for a four-man crew for eight hours on Belleville Road between Tyler and Ecorse. He said they will bag up the trash and the township’s Building & Grounds crew will scoop up the bags;
• Heard Supervisor McNamara say the township board allowed the township to use some of its money to clean up and the Downtown Development Authority is allowing streetscape money to clean up. Director Luckett said since the shoulders of the roads have been cut, the trash is more pronounced;
• Heard Treasurer Sharry Budd report the March 30 passing of Terry Schoenbach. She recalled that Terry and his wife Diane, who survives him, had trained German Shepherds and were part of the Van Buren Township Police Department in the 1990s;
• Heard Supervisor McNamara announce to the public that the township has the Tri-Community Museum and, “We need your help.” He said the township is looking for volunteers who are willing to help with the museum; and
• Heard State Rep. Reggie Miller, D-Van Buren Township, report on her first weeks in office. She said Jackson Pahle finished his master’s degree and started in her office on Jan. 11. [Pahle now has also been appointed to the Van Buren Township Planning Commission.] She said she has been appointed to House committees and appointed chairperson of the Agriculture Committee. She said she knows nothing about agriculture, but many of the communities in her district are rural, and she will learn. She said the House is in session three days a week – Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday – and she is in the district on Monday and Friday. She said she and State Senator Darrin Camilleri have been able to have use of the office in Harris Park on Fridays for meetings with individuals, courtesy of the VBT DDA. She listed the 168 meetings and 13 events she has attended, along with several coffee hours. She said she went to a coffee hour in Dundee and the next day that location was hit with a tornado and now is closed. She spoke of the now $11.8 million available for the Denton Road Bridge and Iron Belle Trail. She said she requested a letter of commitment from House Speaker Joe Tate in case no one remembers this promise for the funds when it is time to pay.