Fairhope, Alabama
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| Commissoner Underwood greeting committee. |
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING HELD
County commissioner Underwood welcomed members of the county's newest committee during its organizational meeting today in Roberstsdale this afternoon.
The county commission formed the new Environmental Advisory Committee by adopting resolution #2021-068 during its May 3rd 2021 meeting, to replace the old Environmental Advisory Board which disbanded almost ten years ago. (Formed in 1993, the old board was never dissolved but ceased functioning in 2013 due to lack of support from the county commission at the time.)
Citizens appointed to the new committee for three year terms: Perry Lamb, Jason Padgett, Kim Burmeister, Dick Sute, Robert Davis, Michael Johnson, Tommy Cleverdon, Paige Felts, Tim Mullek, Brett Gaar, Leslie Gahagan, Philip Hinesley, and Thomas Schmitz.
(Burmeister and Sute are district two representatives from Fairhope.)
Natural Resource Planner Ashley Campbell is the county's planning staff liaison for the committee.
OFFICERS ELECTED
First order of businesss was to elect officers: Brett Gaar was elected chairman; Thomas Schmitz vice chairman; and Paige Felts secretary. (Schmitz was chairman of the former committee).
Next, it was decided to meet monthly in the conference room at the central annex on Palmer Street in Robertsdale, on the first Tuesday of each month at 4 PM.
PRIORITIES ESTABLISHED
With the help of county administrator Wayne Dyess and Campbell, implementing environmental goals of the county's strategic plan and participating in the upcoming comprehensive planning update were established as priorities.
Establishing a water quality monitoring plan for the county, coordinating with other organizations currently doing sampling, will be on the agenda for the next meeting, Campbell said.
Continuing a dirt road paving program started by the previous committee in 2013, helping implement land use zoning throughout the county to limit sprawl were other problems highlighted by members.
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| New Baldwin Environmental Committee. |
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| Resolution forming committee. |
Comments
Fairhope does have curbside recycling for paper, cardboard, scrap metals (including appliances), and glass and plastic bottles. Most other items can be taken to the city's recycling center.
That's a robust program, and it's what I was calling for in unincorporated Baldwin County in my original post.
Fairhope's the model; the county is behind.
Now that is really a robust model of a program.
If true, it's a scandal, and I withdraw my statement about Fairhope being the model.
Does the Times have any investigative reportage on this matter of great public interest? Does the city have any comment?
Current market conditions determine a lot of what happens then (to the recyclables).
The reason Fairhope citizens are still being asked to separate them at the curb, is to insure cleanliness of the materials ... or the MRF in Fl. may not accept them ... we were told.