The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutNewsletter City_June 2015Mayor’s Message M AR K YO U R C AL E N D AR J U N E 2 0 1 5 City Council Meeting June 3rd & 17th @ 7pm in the council chambers Farmers Market start- ed May 8, 2015 Arts and Recreation Sign ups started April 20th The Carousel and Splash Park opened Memorial Day Week- end Teton Dam Marathon June 13th Main Street Mile July 4th Have we had rain or what? As of this writing many farmers have not used their wells for irrigation. What a bonus for this area! Grain, alfalfa, and pas- tures are doing really well. Rexburg parks are benefiting with a reduction in consumption of pumped water. I don’t know if they have ever looked better! The water level has risen in the Nature Park. I saw people fishing there today. Eagle Park also looks well. It is a great place for scout groups. Surprisingly not everyone is aware of Eagle Park and the nice campsites and places to picnic there. I would have to say that everything is going well in Rexburg. We made it through the budget reviews and made the adjust- ments that were needed so that we have a balanced budget and a healthy reserve. The Waste Water Treatment Facility improvement is on the way to becoming a reality. This has been a long process of careful study and education. When I was a City Council member, our treatment plant was one of my concerns. Increasing federal restrictions and the phenomenal increase in city growth indicated that increased capacity and innovative processes would be required if we were going to be able stay ahead of needs. To that end, John Millar and I went to California and looked at some new and very efficient drying systems. They worked very well in that climate however that system does not work well in Northern Utah, at another plant we visited. With Rexburg being much higher in elevation and further north, we feared that the same system would not work without having to be heated, dried, and sterilized with natural gas. This would be incredibly expen- sive and would be a never ending cost that would only increase as our population grows. We instituted some changes and the addition of the Bio-Tower bought us time and lowered operational costs somewhat, but we were desperate to find a system or process that would take care of our future needs and the changing federal regu- lations. We had been hearing of a process, a pyrolytic process, which would be “green” and energy efficient. We traveled to Europe to see for ourselves. We toured a great deal looking at the most advanced techniques available. We discovered none of them were actually functioning. They were all “bench test” operations which means they haven’t been put into actual production. It was a valuable trip for us. We learned that we would have squandered millions on an operation that might not work in spite of the manufacturer’s enthusiasm. We studied more and nearly two years ago we heard of a process that converted biological waste into a totally inert prod- uct that could then be used directly on farm soil, even root crops. It could be bagged and sold. It could be used as a pottin g soil or used on our parks or our golf courses. It is totally inert, which means it has no bacteria or pathogens. The process starts the way our current process starts. The eftfuent is then processed anaerobically. The byproducts are carbon dioxide and natural gas, or methane. This methane is then used to heat, dry and sterilize the bio -solids which can be sold or given away. This eliminates the cost of transportation and disposal. Land-fill costs alone are roughly $65.00 per ton plus the cost of transportation. In time, this system may be able to power a generator producing electricity for sale or for plant opera- tions. It all sounded too good! We insisted on visiting sites where this process was being used. Monsal, a company owned by General Electric, had several plants operating in England. Leary from our past experience but encouraged by GE’s involve- ment, we felt that we would be remiss if we did not evaluate the process in person. Monsal and others paid for part of the trip. The trip was rugged. It is a very long flight and I was suffering from complications of a replaced hip. John Millar and I ar- rived in London and were immediately hauled away in a van, afler 24 hours of travel to begin visiting every significant “poop plant” that Monsal operates. One plant produces enough electricity for 650,000 homes; one plant treats table scraps, which are gathered from each home. John and I were very impressed with all of the plants we visited. They all were functioning efficiently and every one of them lived up to their advertisement. Did we get to see England? No! We did eat fish and chips and a few other delicacies. We were within fifleen miles of Stonehenge but our schedule wouldn’t allow us to visit there. We had about two and a half hours in London late at night, then up early and another excruciating flight home. Was it worth it? Yes! Rexburg will be the forerunner for those cities struggling with increased regulations and diminishing land for disposal plus aging equipment and inadequate processes. Rexburg will be “state of the art”. We will be “green” and prepared for the growth that is sure to come. Rexburg will also be paying less per user for waste water treatment. I am proud of our crew at the waste water facility. Our public Works Director, John Millar, has been on the forefront of innovation for many years. The Waste Water Supervisor, Donna Archibald, does a terrific job. It is to her credit that the only violation at our plant was a late filing of data. The Teton River has never been threatened. The water from our plant is cleaner than the river. My hat is off to Donna and her crew! -Richard S. Woodland The City of Rexburg would like to announce the 12th annual Teton Dam Mara- thon races sponsored by Idaho Central Credit Union to be held June 13th at Smith Park. Registration is currently ongoing for the marathon, half, 10K, 5K, Kid’s Run, and team relay races at dammarathon.com . 35 N 1st E Rexburg, Idaho 83440 208.359.3020 / fax 208.359.3022 customerservices@rexburg.org Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Check out our new City Calendar rexburg.org/pages/clerks-city-calendar Main Street Mile The City of Rexburg and Stone’s Toyota would like to announce the 2nd annual Main Street Mile Run to be held on July 4th. It’s the perfect way to kick start your 4th of July celebrations with the entire family. Come run the one mile parade route just before the start of the parade. The Fun Run starts at 9:30. Pre-register at Stone’s Toyota Bike Rodeo on June 6th located at 615 S Hwy 191, or go to rexburg.org/main-street-mile and sign up online. For ques- tions call Tom Anderson at 208-372-2309 You can now reserve Park Shelters on our website: by going to this link: http://rexburgrecreation.sportsites.com/Player/ HomePlayer.aspx Or go to Rexburg.org, scroll down to the link: Parks, click on Parks, Park reservation, scroll down to park shel- ter reservations, choose the park and day you want to re- serve and then enter your payment information. Are you looking to develop public speaking and leadership skills? Maybe you simply want to sound more intelligent as you give your next presentation. Rexburg Toastmasters can help! Please join us every other Wednesday at 7am at Frontier Pies here in town. We have a very posi- tive and friendly environment where you will be coached to give better speeches and presentations. Our next 3 meeting dates are: May 13th, May 27th, and June 10th. Our website is: rexburgtoastmasters.weebly.com BYU-Idaho and the City of Rexburg are conducting re- search about consumer spending in Madison County. Please take some time to complete a survey about Madi- son County's economy by going to the address below: https://byui.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ SV_74IvpP5wirrUdBr