Taylor Tidbits: Compost facility abuse, 9-1-1 upgrades
Compost facility still being abused
“If it’s abused too much, for too long, we’ll shut it down,” said Acting Mayor Betty Ponto.
That’s what its come to for Taylor’s public compost facility.
“It’s so disheartening.”
Abuse of Taylor’s compost facility has been an ongoing problem since it was established. Initiatives in 2009 to educate the public on the proper use of the facility, including workshops, information posted in the Taylor Times and signage at the facility proved to be in vain, when the golf course manager brought up the issue in 2015.
Now, ten years later, the chronic abuse of the compost facility has prompted district staff to consider new ways of dealing with the problem.
Chief Administration Officer Ryan Galay delivered the Operations Department update to Taylor Council’s Committee of the Whole on July 21, relaying Director of Operations Ryan Nelson’s concerns that the compost facility is being abused by users.
Acceptable materials are Green and Brown, materials which include grass clippings, plant material, hedge clippings; leaves, branches, hay, straw and sawdust. But the materials that are turning up in the compost facility range from garbage, appliances and other waste.
“There’s a lot of abuse of the site,” Galay said.
Councillors agreed with the assessment, with Councillor Michelle Turnbull noting that she’s driven past and seen a lot of pallets dumped at the site.
Councillor Desirae Graziano pointed out that Fort St. John residents have to wait for their periodic yard waste drop-offs, but not so for Taylor residents.
“We have this facility open right here, and people are totally abusing it,” Graziano said.
Galay said that there is a contractor which is willing to take the compostable materials, for free, with the aim of grinding it up, treating it by heating it for approximately 12 days, and turning it into something the company can sell.
This process only applies to green and brown category materials, not metal or garbage.
Galay said that he and Nelson feel that if they can get the facility cleaned up and have the contractor come annually to dispose of the compostable materials, it will be easier for staff to monitor the site.
“Right now, it’s just a huge pile,” Galay said. “You could throw a washing machine in there, move some branches around [and no one would see it].”
The site needs to be cleaned up, new signage added and then the district will try to deal with it, he said.
Next Generation 9-1-1 upgrades
All the hardware for the 9-1-1 upgrades has arrived and most of the equipment has been installed in the Taylor Fire Rescue vehicles and fire hall, Fire Chief and Director of Protective Services Steve Byford reported to Taylor council on Monday afternoon’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
The upgrades are to expand the fire department’s computer-aided dispatch system, Byford explained.
“Up to previously we only had it in two of three of our vehicles. Now that we have it in all our vehicles, when we dispatch individual vehicles, when we’re working with our neighbouring communities through mutual aid agreements, we can see where they are, they can get the latest information, and we can communicate where we don’t have radio communications,” Byford said.
The upgrades include improved communication with 9-1-1 dispatch and dispatch communications with other provincial entities, Byford said, so that when someone calls 9-1-1, they get to the right dispatch area in a timely manner.
Other advancements in technology that are coming online with this upgrade include being able to text 9-1-1, and to be able to provide photos and videos to dispatchers for further information on situations.
All this to make sure that dispatch systems can communicate better and faster, to provide better service, Byford said.