The Kaua’i County Council Thursday didn’t greet their new recycling coordinator Allison Fraley with a lot of aloha. And they weren’t happy with Economic Developer Gini Kapali’s plans to buy recycling equipment for the county’s recycling center before there is
The Kaua’i County Council Thursday didn’t greet their new recycling coordinator Allison Fraley with a lot of aloha.
And they weren’t happy with Economic Developer Gini Kapali’s plans to buy recycling equipment for the county’s recycling center before there is an operator on board to run it, either.
Kapali said the county had $400,000 left on federal grants that had to be spent before the end of the year.
The $2.2 million recycling center was also built with federal monies.
“We have finally accepted the building,” Kapali said. “And (we) will now be in full compliance with our grant (if) we go ahead on purchases.”
Kapali then added a plug for Fraley.
“I am impressed with the work of the new recycling coordinator,” she said.
Fraley then presented her plans for the recycling center, which included an education area on the grounds, reducing waste, re-using waste, recycling and creating products out of recycled materials.
Fraley also talked about plans to do home composting.
The recycling center — formerly the Kaua’i Resource Exchange and Buy Back Center — sat empty for almost two years, but Fraley was brought in late last year to find some contract operators to get things up and running and create and oversee some educational programs too.
Talks are underway, but no operators are on-board at this time.
After Fraley relayed the new plans for the $2.2 million building — on the grounds of the transfer station, past the Lihu’e Airport — her labors were not greeted with undue enthusiasm.
“Seven years ago, (all) this was adopted in the solid waste plan. It’s a nice presentation … but most of it you could have excerpted from the 1994 plan,” veteran Council watcher Ray Chuan noted.
Council Member Gary Hooser and Council Chair Ron Kouchi wanted to talk about the equipment Kapali said the county is buying (including a baler).
“We built a building that stood empty a long time. I’m concerned we will (now) buy equipment that won’t be used,” Hooser said.
Hooser also noted that the county still hasn’t found an private operator to do recycling.
“We haven’t been successful finding someone so far,” Hooser said.
“I became aware that we were advertising to purchase equipment. If we don’t get a successful vendor, we’ve got all this equipment and (then) we’ll have to get someone to run it,” Kouchi added.
Kouchi said he didn’t see the point of being pressured into spending government monies.
“We seem to be treating the federal monies … if we don’t use it, we lose it. I’m not so cavalier about spending it,” Kouchi said.
“I don’t want to throw good money after bad,” Hooser chimed in.
After the meeting, Hooser noted that the federal grant monies come with a payback clause.
“It is my understanding that if we don’t use it for (the recycling center and equipment) we would have to pay the money back,” Hooser said.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net
