Ramsey Resident - 1987 - January

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RAMSEY IDENT RE VOLUME 2, NUMBER 1 CITY NEWSLETTER JANUARY 1987 UPDATES ON LANDFILL REQUEST FOR VERTICAL EXPANSION On January 14, 1987 a hearing was held at the Ramsey Elementary School to hear comments regarding the environmental assessment worksheet and the proposed scope of the environmental impact statement (study) which would evaluate the impact of the proposed continuation of the existing landfill facility. Comments were generated from the public and the City of Ramsey which identified additional negative impacts which would result from the con- tinued operation of the existing landfill facility. Waste Management of Minnesota, Inc. presented briefly at that hearing, a description of the propos- ed activities involved in the continued operation of the landfill. Waste Management of Minnesota desires to expand the existing Anoka Sanitary land- fill by vertically adding 1,021,100 cubic yards of mix- ed municipal waste. In combination with the plans for capping, slope cover, methane gas collection and diversion of surface runoff to sedimentation basins, the expansion is expected to reduce leachate for- mation from the landfill. On the average, approximately 86,000 gate yards of refuse per month were received at the site from 1980 through 1984 and 76,000 yards per month bet- ween May, 1985 and March, 1986. Based on the pro- jection that the average loading over the remaining life of the site will be 76,000 gate yards per month, the current permitted capacity will be filled by January, 1988 and the expansion will provide ap- proximately 2.4 years of additional landfill operations at the site. Combined with the remaining approved capacity, clo~ure is anticipated to occur in 1990. The total area of the existing landfill operation con- sists of approximately 65 acres of fill area. The eleva- tion of the highest portion of the completed landfill will be approximately 1,030 feet above sea level. The current permitted maximum elevation is approx- imately 1,026 feet. The expansion will be divided into six filling se- quences, each of which has approximately the same refuse fill capacity. It is anticipated that cover soils will be obtained from borrow areas south and north of the landfill owned by Waste Management of Min- nesota, Inc. and the City of Anoka and leased to Waste Management of Minnesota, Inc. Closure of the site will include placement of fill cover, comple- tion of gas venting system and provisions for drainage and sediment control. Post-closure site care plans include continued groundwater monitor- ing, gas monitoring and erosion control and repair. Among the many concerns of the City of Ramsey which were expressed at the hearing was the con- cern over the impact of excavating lands north and south of the existing landfill for borrow purposes (bor- row refers to the removal of soil for landfill cover). Once the scope is properly set for the environmen- tal impact statement (study), this study must be com- pleted and made available to the City of Ramsey and other governing bodies before any decision can be made final regarding a permit to allow Waste Management of Minnesota to continue operating the landfill beyond current permitted capacities. Ramsey Resident Ramsey Municipal Center 15153 Nowthen Blvd. NW Ramsey, MN 55303 REIMANN, DELUCA AND PEARSON TAKE OATH OF OFFICE -~ ,j~ , ~~.. ~.. \ I ~ , L - L to R Gary Reimann, Steve DeLuca, AI Pearson, City Attorney Bill Goodrich (Photo courtesy of ABC Newspapers). On January 6, 1987, City Attorney Bill Goodrich led Mayor Gary Reimann and Councilmembers Steve Deluca and AI Pearson through the oath of office. Steve Deluca was appointed last fall to replace Gary Reimann as council member when Gary took over the mayor's position following Gary Heitman's resignation. Both Gary Reimann and Steve Deluca were elected as incumbents in last fall's election. This will be AI Pearson's first term on the Ramsey City Council. Following the oath of of- fice, council voted to have Arnie Cox serve as ac- ting mayor to fill in for Gary Reimann when needed. CITY RECEIVES PETITION OPPOSING SEWER & WATER PROJECT For the past year the City of Ramsey has attemp- ted to respond to the need for utilities in the Industrial area of Ramsey. Recently, petitions were circulated for and against the project which would extend utilities to the Industrial area of Ramsey. A majority of the property owners signed a petition opposing the project and therefore, suspending any action on that project for one year according to the City Charter. Some property owners within the Industrial area continue to express a desire to have utilities extend- ed to their properties and the City Council will con- sider yet a different project (which is permitted under the City's Charter) to address these needs. To start this new project on the right foot, the City Council is asking the property owners from an area which may be affected to meet with thim and share their suggestions on how to proceed with a project which would meet the need of utilities in the Industrial area. POSTAL CUSTOMER WHAT IS COMPARABLE WORTH? Since it's adoption in 1984, the unnamed law refer- red to by most persons as "The Comparable Worth law" has received much debate and a shroud of confusion. The efforts of jurisdictions affected by these statutes reflects such confusion. Recently, the City of Ramsey has completed a report which at- tempts to identify the apparent intent, scope and ap- propriate method for implementation of the com- parable worth statutes. What is comparable worth? The idea of com- parable worth is that if an individual's job is worth the same as another individual's job, then the two individuals should be paid the same. Similarly, if the job's worth are different, then the pay should reflect just how different those jobs are. This concept, when applied to jobs across the country, reveals that fre- quently female dominated jobs which are worth the same amount of value as male dominated jobs, are paid less, presumably due to discrimination. The major task before cities and other jurisdictions in Minnesota is to calculate the worth of each job and to determine how wages must be applied to the corresponding worth for each job. The report on comparable worth in Ramsey, Minnesota has at- tempted to do just that while responding explicitly to the laws of Minnesota which requires that an equitable compensation relationship must exist bet- ween all employees and that that relationship exists when those with comparable jobs receive a com- parable wage and those with different jobs receive a proportionate wage. A copy of 1his report is available for public review at Ramsey Municipal Center and the Anoka branch of the Anoka County Library. LOAN FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT If you are a small business interested in locating or expanding your operations in Ramsey, the Ramsey Economic Development Company wants you! Based on recommendations from the Ramsey Economic Development Commission, the City Coun- cil authorized the Ramsey Economic Development Company to administer a revolving loan fund for economic development activities in the City. This revolving loan fund is established through the Anoka County Community Development Block Grant program. The purpose of the revolving loan fund is to assist in the development and expansion of new and existing businesses in Ramsey. Small businesses interested in locating or expanding in Ramsey may be eligible for these funds. Eligibility will be based on environmental impact, jobs created, location, type of business, and type of improvements. loans are available for up to 20% of the total costs of construction and fixed assets of the project, not to exceed $40,000. The interest rate for the loans will be based on market conditions and the terms will be based on collateral. If you are interested in more information on the revolving loan fund program for economic develop- ment, please call Anne Norris at 427-1410. CAR-RT -SRT BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 131 ANOKA, MN 55303