www.azlenews.net
Volume 62, Number 8
Azle News
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
THE
Annual youth football camp a hit Page 11A
Local Army officer keeping Afghan streets safe Page 1B
Composter ‘owns’ onerous odor Operation turned ‘on its head’ to solve smelly situation CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN No doubt about it, the air around Mayer Materials, LLC, located at 1212 Silver Creek Azle Road just outside the Azle city limits, is sometimes smelly. In fact, owner/operator David Mayer says he’s the first to admit his company made some mistakes when it began composting a proprietary blend with other components including fresh produce and tree branches in an open-air format. “As far as the odor, we own it – we made a mistake,” Mayer said in a candid interview Tuesday afternoon. Several complaints about the odor had been made to the Azle News Monday and Tuesday, prompting the phone call to Mayer. Providing scientific information faster than a reporter’s fingers can type, Mayer eventually got down to the crux of the problem. Volatile fatty acids, or VFAs, simply were not breaking down as quickly as they needed to in the open air batching area. “As soon as we realized we had a problem, we began working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
to find a solution,” Mayer said. “With their help as well as help from a microbiologist whose services we retained, we’ve turned our operation on its head to resolve this issue.” Mayer says his company has completely shut down its open-air composting process and switched to a system that uses 10,000 gallon tanks or vessels fitted with state-of-the-art scrubbing filters where they now store all aqueous materials. “These vessels release zero emissions – that’s zero,” Mayer says emphatically. Mayer said he requested that the TCEQ monitor the odor situation, but the agency declined after visiting the site several times because they felt the level of odor didn’t warrant monitoring. So Mayer is considering contracting an independent company to monitor the smell. All materials used in the composting process at the facility are pre-consumer products, Mayer said, and his organic products have been used in a number of projects within the city of Azle. “Your fire station, Walgreen’s, and an athletic field are all sit-
Council eyes 1 cent tax hike
ting on our dirt,” he stated proudly. “We are contributors to this community. We’re good, honest people. We’ve worked with several of your churches. “As for the odor – we own it, we’re on it, and we’re throwing very significant resources at it,” Mayer stated flatly. “We believe we’ve alleviated it, resolved the problem.” He did, however, admit that, as with any similar composting operation, there will occasionally be minor, temporary nuisances. At the invitation of Parker County Precinct One Commissioner George Conley, Mayer will be available during a meeting slated for 7 p.m. Aug. 13 at the Springtown Senior Center. The meeting is being held to address concerns over odors from the use of biosolids as fertilizer at a location near Springtown. “I’m an open book,” Mayer said. “We’ve gone the extra mile to address this situation and I’ll be happy to answer any questions and provide any information I can to help people understand what we’re doing at this meeting.”
Football Camp
Increase will fund first employee step raise in four years BY CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN Azle City Manager Craig Lemin makes no bones about it. “The 2013-2014 budget has been the most difficult I’ve been faced with since I started working with the budget here in 2001,” he told Azle council members during a workshop held Saturday, Aug. 3, in council chambers. Between the rising costs of employee benefits and added expenses of operating newer facilities, Lemin explained there was very little left to cover even normal cost increases, let alone departmental budget requests. The majority of those requests had to be denied, and even then, inflationary costs left Lemin with only about $2,000 revenue over expenditures in the general fund for the upcoming fiscal year. While that’s not great news, it’s tempered by the fact that the city currently has more than $4 million in unallocated general fund cash reserves – enough to operate the general fund departments, including police and fire departments, for more than seven months. According to Renita Bishop, city finance director, the bond rating companies expect the city to keep a minimum of 90 days – three months – of operating expenses in the reserve fund to remain in their good graces. The city has adopted financial policies mandating a minimum of 120 days of reserves. Employee salaries Lemin reminded council members that almost five years’ of work and a $50,000 payment to Waters Consulting firm in 1999 went into developing a detailed “step plan” for employee salaries . That plan was intended to get Azle into the mid-range of salaries of other
A Mohawked ball carrier is headed toward Azle coach Anthony Barron during morning drills at the annual youth football camp. Two sessions were held – for the first time – on the new turf at Hornet Field. MORE PHOTOS ON PAGES 10-11A. Photo by Mark K. Campbell
PLEASE SEE COUNCIL, PAGE 3A.
Whooping cough a concern, not an outbreak Tarrant County reports 302 cases in 2013 BY CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN It starts with deceptively mild symptoms much like a cold or even allergies – a cough, sneezing, and a runny nose. But for some reason, pertussis, more commonly called whooping cough, is having a record year in Tarrant County. Public health officials do not consider the rise in cases to be epidemic, but admit there’s a large increase compared with the past several years. Vanassa Joseph, senior public information officer for the Tarrant County Public Health Department said in an email that despite reports of several cases of whooping cough in several Azle area day care centers, there is “no concentration in Azle.” “As of July 23, 2013, Tarrant County Public Health has record-
ed 302 cases of pertussis. This is a large increase compared to 95 and 162 cases reported in 2011 and 2012 respectively,” Joseph said. “Pertussis is endemic (common) in Tarrant County with peaks in disease occurring on a three- to five-year cycle. “Peak years for incidence have been 2008 (312 cases), 2010 (283) and now 2013 (302 as of 7/23/13).” “When comparing each of the peak years for January through July, this year is noteworthy with 302 cases being reported versus 181 and 156 cases for 2008 and 2010 respectively,” Joseph said. She also said that while the vaccine is not perfect, it remains the single best control measure. “In the investigation of the 2010 California outbreak, non-im-
munized children were eight times more likely to get pertussis as compared to those who had been immunized,” Joseph related. “The Texas schedule for childhood immunization calls for five doses of DTaP before entering school. People who are 11 through 18 years of age are required to receive Tdap. “Under immunized children can receive a Tdap as early as 7 years of age.” Joseph said treatment within 21 days of coughing onset is effective in shortening the time of coughing and can prevent the further spread of the disease. With school about to start, it’s more important than ever to see a doctor right away if you or your child develops symptoms.
Marching Green Pride The Marching Green Pride was out on the blacktop of Azle High School Aug. 6 practicing for the upcoming school year. Photo by Mark K. Campbell
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