Fitchburg Conservation Commission Approves Five Resolutions Including Recycling Outreach Amendment

FITCHBURG -- February 8, 2021, Fitchburg Conservation Commission approves five resolutions and sets April 10 waterway cleanup date. The commission voted unanimously on all five resolutions at its February 8 meeting, including Resolution R-9-21, a solid waste budget amendment directing forfeited construction and demolition deposit funds into recycling outreach accounts, a measure the Board of Public Works had declined to advance, citing doubts about mailing a printed recycling guide to all residents. Commissioners pushed back, noting that no guide has been mailed in approximately six years and that roughly 18 to 19 percent of material placed in recycling carts ends up at the landfill. The commission also unanimously approved change orders to the city's solid waste contract with Pelletary for two permanent cardboard dumpsters, renewed Dane County's stormwater inspection agreement, and approved both a memorandum of understanding with the town of Dunn and a joint funding agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey to install a Swan Creek monitoring station. Sustainability staff reported the city sourced 21.2 percent of its municipal electricity from renewables in 2020 and projected reaching roughly 39 percent by year's end with the O'Brien solar farm online. Chair Nate announced he would not seek reappointment; the commission will elect a new chair at its May meeting.