HomeMy WebLinkAboutBend Community Center - DEQ GrantDepartment of Administrative Services
Dave Kanner, County Administrator
August 24, 2009
TO: Board of Commissioners
FROM: Dave Kanner
RE: Addition to 8/26 work session agenda
1300 NW Wall St, Suite 200, Bend, OR 97701-1960
(541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 385-3202
www.co.deschutes.or.us
Bruce Abernethy called on behalf of the Bend Community Center to request that the
County act as applicant for an application to the DEQ Solid Waste Grant Program. The
Center's project involves purchasing a van which would allow them to operate a clothes -
baling operation associated with their thrift store.
This is the same grant program that the Bethlehem Inn is applying for as approved by the
Board last Wednesday, and Bruce is going to check to be sure that the County can
actually submit more than one application. The application deadline is August 28, which
makes August 26 the only date on which the Board can review this request.
Bruce will write (or has already written) the grant application, and as with the Bethlehem
Inn, the County is only acting as a pass-through agency. We would have no
responsibility for grant monitoring and reporting.
Enhancing the Lives of Citizens by Delivering Quality Services in a Cost -Effective Man ter
Bend's Community Center (BCC)
Proposed Grant Application to DEQ
Bend's Community Center (BCC) would like to apply to the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality Solid Waste Program ("DEQ") for a Solid Waste Grant to help
augment our recycling efforts around the BCC thriftstore. Specifically, we would like to
request $15,000 to purchase a used forklift and a used moving van. These two vehicles
will serve complementary roles in our recycling and waste reduction efforts.
BCC is starting a used clothes baling operation in September. This will be the only one
operating in the City of Bend and we estimate it will keep up to 400,000 pounds of
clothing out of the landfill annually. The County has already shown its direct support for
this project by providing BCC with a generous $10,000 economic development grant.
The forklift is necessary to lift and move the many bales of clothes that will be generated
(roughly 1,000 pounds/bale). The moving van is necessary to transport the clothing and
other items between the thriftstore (where donations are dropped off) and the new
clothes baling operation (roughly 4-5 blocks away). The moving van will also be used to
transport used bicycles from the landfill and other drop-off points as part of Bend's
Cornrnuriity BikeShed. We estimate this program will keep hundreds of old bicycles out
of the landfill.
The parameters of the DEQ grant are that applicants must be a local municipality and
that is why we are requesting that Deschutes County be the formal applicant.
There is minimal time commitment on the County's part associated with the grant as it
will be drafted by BCC staff. There is no cost to the County associated with the grant as
it is to acquire two used vehicles.
The deadline to apply is this Friday (28th).