City council members officially rang in the 150th anniversary of the founding of Longmont during a study session Tuesday night, donning party hats and enjoying a hearty rendition of “Happy Birthday” sung by Councilman Aren Rodriguez.
The council then later dove into the issue of dealing with all of the city’s trash.
The last comprehensive discussion about the city's waste services was in November 2010, according to a staff report. Since then, there has been a substantial decline in recycling markets, and the city's growth has presented challenges for delivering some waste services while focus on sustainability programs has increased, according to the report.
Single‐stream curbside recycling was launched in 2010, with voluntary curbside composting and pay-as-you-throw trash rates implemented in 2017, according to a white paper included in council's agenda packet. A component of the pay-as-you-throw rate structure "is an every‐other‐week trash option for residents who desire to pursue more aggressive waste diversion for their household and reduce solid waste subscription costs," according to the white paper. "Today, Longmont’s waste diversion rate of 35% is one of the highest in Colorado."
"Longmont’s relatively high diversion rate is still not anywhere near the levels that are possible with changes in attitudes and behavior," the paper states. "Much of the solid waste generated in Longmont today and dumped to landfills can be reused via recycling and composting."
Bob Allen, director of Public Works and Natural Resources, on Tuesday outlined four efforts the city could take on to reduce the amount of trash going into local landfills — an ordinance putting into place universal recycling, a zero-waste resolution, a program to deal with hard to recycle items, and expanded outreach and education.
Universal recycling would be the most ambitious and take longer to implement, Allen told council. There would be more opportunities for recycling and composting and getting different segments of the community involved would be the goal of the program, he said.
“There could become equity issues,” Allen said. “We need to look at alternatives and engage the community in that discussion.”
After research, the ordinance could be ready for council to consider in two years, he said.
A new zero-waste resolution would expand on one passed in 2008. It likely would call for all city events to endorse zero waste and for plastic items to be taken out of city vending machines. Allen said. A resolution could make it to the council in a year, he said.
The other efforts — including finding an interim location for hard to recycle items -— could produce results in about a year, he said.
Funding, Allen said, will be a huge factor to consider. A long-term option for a hard to recycle facility “could cost more than the city could afford,” he said.
“It could take multiple years for a long-term solution,” Allen added.
City rates for waste disposal also will be studied but residents should not expect to see any changes on the immediate horizon, city officials told council. An update on all four proposals will come later this year, Allen said.
Tuesday declared 'Longmont Day'
Earlier in the study session, Mayor Brian Bagley read a proclamation recognizing Tuesday as “Longmont Day.”
The proclamation states that on Feb. 2, 1871, the incorporation papers for the Chicago-Colorado Colony were filed in Denver, and that colony founded the town of Longmont in the spring of 1871.
The proclamation states Longmont is part of a millennia-long history of people living in the region, with Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes “all having strong and enduring ties to the place we now call Longmont.”
It also states Longmont established early industries including flour milling, vegetable canning and sugar manufacturing and then attracted high-technology employers as well as developing its “trailblazing NextLight gigabit broadband network.”
The birthday celebration continues Thursday with a virtual event at which Erik Mason, Longmont Museum curator of history, and a panel of people from diverse backgrounds sharing stories of Longmont’s past and their hopes for the future. Special segments of the evening will include a video message from Astronaut Vance D. Brand and the great, great grandson of Longmont co-founder Seth Terry.
The program will end with the opening of a 25-year-old time capsule that has been stored at the museum.
The celebration starts at 7:30 p.m. can be seen on Facebook Live, Comcast channel 8/880 and Longmont Public Media’s website
