Title
Presentation, Update, and Possible Action on the Bear Resistant Roll Cart and Dumpster Programs
Recommended Motion
I move that Council approve continuation of the bear resistant roll cart program by request only and request staff revisit the program in 12 months.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve the motion as presented.
Body
During the Fiscal Year 2022 Los Alamos County budget cycle, County Council authorized a one-time transfer of $2.4M from General Fund to Environmental Services for the purpose of deploying bear resistant roll carts and dumpsters county-wide. The budget is comprised of $1.75M for automated bear resistant roll carts for all 7,250 residential households and $650K for 260 bear resistant dumpsters for businesses.
The following summarizes the purchase and deployment of bear resistant refuse collection containers to date:
December 2021: The County Manager authorized the first purchase of 680 automated bear resistant roll carts from Rehrig Pacific Company in the amount of $162,188.80.
February 1, 2022: Council approved the purchase of 260 bear resistant dumpsters from the State of Colorado Correctional Industries in the amount of $881,555.00.
July-August 2022: Operation Save the Bears - With the arrival of both bear resistant roll carts and dumpsters, 480 bear resistant roll carts were exchanged in the North Community 3 (NC3) residential area while 260 bear resistant dumpsters were deployed to commercial customers.
February 28, 2023: Results of a bear cart survey from the NC3 area was presented to Council to help understand the effectiveness of the new carts and overall customer satisfaction. Per the direction of County Council, residential bear resistant carts will be distributed by request only and revisit the issue in December.
April 4, 2023: Council authorized a second purchase of 360 bear resistant roll carts in an amount not to exceed $84,286.00. The order included 180, 96-gallon and 180, 65-gallon size roll carts-for those who generate less waste or require a smaller size container for ease of use. Council approval was required as the total of the first and second bear cart purchase exceeded the County Manager’s purchase authority threshold of $200,000.
August 8, 2023: With approximately 220 residents on the waiting list, Council approved $300,000 in purchasing authority for additional of bear resistant roll carts to address the current waiting list while also maintaining carts in inventory for future bear cart requests or to replace any broken or damaged carts.
Given the operational issues that were occurring with servicing the existing bear carts, staff paused the purchase of additional carts and conducted field assessments with the vendor to review the servicing operation and the locking mechanism of the cart itself. While some adjustments to the refuse vehicle equipment were made to improve performance, debris from loose material (dirt/sand, kitty litter, sawdust, etc.) in the locking mechanism was also problematic to its proper function. Staff was informed by the vendor that a third-generation lock was in development and would be undergoing testing. Staff also purchased a small sample of ten carts from another vendor containing a different locking mechanism. These carts have been deployed and are currently under field testing and evaluation.
As the purchase of additional bear carts is a significant financial investment, staff is working on a solicitation for the performance evaluation and purchase of other type of bear carts in an effort to evaluate a broad spectrum of products on the market that are not only bear resistant but are sustainable and stands up to the rigors of use, provides the best long-term value for the county, and can maintain efficiency of servicing the community without delay or disruption.
Attachments
A - Presentation