CFE agenda 021317 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Planning and Inspections: SolSmart: Planning and Inspections staff provided critical technical guidance in the completion of Orange County's application to the SolSmart program, in collaboration with the Sustainability Program. SolSmart is a national recognition and technical support program to help governments lower the costs for businesses and residents to build solar energy systems. The Sustainability Program joined sustainability staff from Chapel Hill and Carrboro in a successful application for 6 months of additional no -cost, full -time, "SolSmart" technical assistance in 2017. Beyond working with the Advisor to review our solar - relevant codes and practices, we also plan respond to the BOCC petition on solar -ready construction and to help identify the best Orange County facility rooftops for future solar power investments. Each community is working with their Planning and Inspections staff to achieve high -level designation in the 2017 SolSmart Communities program. Bike Share Program: Orange County Transportation Planning staff is currently exploring the possibility of funding a small bike share system within the Town of Hillsborough. Working in conjunction with Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and UNC- Chapel Hill, the proposed pilot implementation for a bike share program would include all of the communities in question. In Hillsborough, the system would consist of three or four stations with a total of 15 bikes. Preliminary analysis indicates that a station in West Hillsborough near destinations on Nash Street, a station at the Gateway Center, a station on Churton Street, and a station near the County Courthouse and Eno Farmer's Market could form the basis for a system in Hillsborough. Solid Waste Management: • Waste Reduction Performance: For FY 15 -16 Orange Co. achieved an overall 62% waste reduction rate, meaning that the waste landfilled per capita was 0.52 tons per person last year compared to 1.36 tons /capita per person in base year 1991. This surpassed for the third year in a row, our goal set in 1997 of 61% reduction. Orange County's performance on this metric this year was the best in NC though it was 2% less than the prior two year highs of 64% waste reduction. • Providing universal residential curbside recycling service: All 41,500 homes throughout urban and rural Orange County are now eligible for curbside recycling. In the past year, the remaining homes in the rural area were added to the curbside program. Use of roll carts has improved collection efficiency such that the County has had to add only one truck and driver to the existing fleet to offer universal recycling service to all 22,000 rural residences. Recycling Services: The Orange County Solid Waste Management Department continues to provide recycling collection to all County government buildings and facilities as well as those of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough. The 'government buildings program' is in reality a broad and expanding effort that encompasses many elements of 'away from home' recycling including building, parks, park and ride lots, downtown pedestrian containers now in all three Towns and convenience store gas islands at about half the convenience stores throughout the County. A total of 209 tons was collected last fiscal year at these locations. Waste Audits: Staff is conducting waste audits of major local government buildings in all jurisdictions that will evaluate the amount of recyclable material that is still being thrown away and will assess options for improving the governments' internal waste reduction performance. Follow -up audits will occur in Spring 2017.