Council encourages KKB to be more financially independent, tables Keno grant

The Kimball City Council tabled a request for a Keno funds grant from Keep Kimball Beautiful at last Tuesday’s meeting.

KKB sought a grant in the amount of $4,000 at the meeting.

“We are here tonight to go over a Keno grant application for the electronics that we have collected throughout the last year,” said KKB representative Earl “Spud” Rowley. “Before this project basically we used to take sponsorships. So we thought we would take a break on some of the businesses for the sponsorship.”

Rowley said the organization has collected nearly 16,000 pounds of electronics this year. Since they are trying to clean up the facility and grounds, they need to get the electronic waste or e-waste recycled.

“We talked before about our project in the back that we are going to be starting this spring for laying some of the millings that we got ahold of through the county,” Rowley said.

The e-waste includes microwaves, televisions, computer components, printers, stereos and other electronic items to be recycled, including the hazardous waste from items containing cathode ray tubes, or CRTs.

Though the recycling program benefits many residents of the county, city council members encouraged KKB to become more financially independent.

The city has allotted $2 from each household’s landfill fees to Keep Kimball Beautiful, according to council member James Schnell.

Support for the organization has increased from approximately $9,000 annually to $30,476 in the last 15 months, Schnell said.

“We are not the bottomless pit,” Schnell said. “We do the insurance on that building, and that is $398 a year. We pay all the utilities in that building and since May 2012 to December 2014 that is $5,350. So we are putting in a lot of money there. We just did $2,500 for the bailer too besides the $2 fee.”

While speaking about costs, Rowley touched on a per use fee for recycling some items.

“We haven’t come down to individual pay,” Rowley said. “As you know if you go down to individual pay people are just going to throw it in the city dumpsters.”

Council member John Morrison suggested that adding signage to the dumpsters may aid that situation and he further said that he would not balk at paying for some personal recycling.

“I would gladly pay, especially knowing that the city has to pay to get rid of it,” Morrison said.

Rowley acknowledged the contributions already being made for the program from citizens as well as the City of Kimball.

“With your (City of Kimball’s) contributions, we have done very well,” Rowley said. “I told Keith (Mayor Prunty) when we were coming in that we recycled about 60,000 pounds in about one month with contributions from the community and the city’s contributions.”

Rowley reported that IT Refresh of Fort Collins, Colo., quoted a price of 25 cents per pound to accept the used electronics and the total cost for the project is $4,800.

The organization received a second bid through Horizons E recycling in Ogallala, but the cost was higher.

The total cost includes transportation as well as payments to the recycling company, though the organization received assistance in crating the e-waste from the local Spanish and eco-kids clubs.

“We have to haul it away and still pay somebody?” Morrison asked. “I appreciate that we are recycling. It just seems strange that we have to pay somebody to take it.”

Schnell advised that he called local companies to check the cost for a truck and a driver all day, and found that the cost of hauling the material is approximately $1,000 for an eight-hour day.

Additionally, Schnell said that though the e-waste is tough to get rid of, he was able to find other, more cost-effective options, such as Action Recycling of Wheatridge, Colo., which will take nearly all of the e-waste for free.

The CRT items would be taken as well, according to Action Recycling’s website, at a fee.

“I think we can do it cheaper,” Schnell said. “It’s tight on the Keno budget this year.”

Keno funds are down because there are currently just two businesses in Kimball that provide Keno.

KKB has received more than $10,000 through the Keno funds since 1999, according to the accounting for that program.

Rowley said that he had not heard of Action Recycling and that he will look into the company as Schnell gave Rowley the contact information.

“If we can save us some money and keep the Keno fund because otherwise when we come around to having the fireworks we won’t even have any left,” Schnell said.

Warner moved to table the item and Schnell seconded it to allow Rowley time to look into cheaper and more viable options for disposal of the e-waste.