Appropriations Requests for

• Cosponsoring legislators' names (if applicable):
• Physical address of legislatively directed spending item recipient and the intended location of the project or activity:
  Current location: 1301 Lamont Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49048 (Project site: TBD, preferred within 20-minute radius of core population center in Kalamazoo County.)
• The recipient's employer identification number:
  386004860
• Requested amount of the legislatively directed spending item:
  $7,000,000.00
• What is the purpose and how does the legislatively directed spending item provide a public benefit that is an appropriate use of taxpayer money?
  Kalamazoo County is requesting funding to support the construction of a new Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility, replacing the County’s current 1997-built center, which has far exceeded its intended service capacity. The new facility will: 1) Protect public health and the environment by ensuring safe collection and processing of hazardous household materials. 2) Prevent illegal dumping and reduce environmental contamination, as supported by overwhelming community feedback. 3) Support the County’s landfill diversion goals under Michigan’s updated Part 115 of Public Act 451 of 1994. 4) Expand access to underserved materials including electronics, latex paint, EPS foam, plastic film, appliances, and more. 5) Address significant safety, accessibility, and compliance issues at the current site, which lacks proper fire suppression, stormwater control, and operational flow. And lastly, 7) create collaborative opportunities with the Region 5 Bomb Squad as well as secondary and higher education learning. Community demand, regulatory compliance, and regional sustainability goals all underscore this project's urgent need and strong public value. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Kalamazoo County is prepared to make a substantial local investment to ensure the successful development and long-term operation of a new Household Hazardous Waste Facility. The County will acquire approximately 12 acres of land and complete all pre-development work required to make the site build-ready. The County will also assume full responsibility for staffing, utilities, and ongoing operational costs once the facility is constructed. State funding is being requested solely for facility construction and specialized equipment, leveraging a significant and sustained County commitment. COUNTY FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL COMMITMENT: Kalamazoo County will purchase the land necessary for the facility and undertake all actions required to prepare the site for construction. This includes environmental due diligence, site assessments, and any required remediation planning, as well as coordination of water, sewer, stormwater, utilities, and access infrastructure. By handling these steps in advance, the County ensures the site is fully prepared for immediate development once construction funding is secured. Following construction, Kalamazoo County will retain full responsibility for operating the Household Hazardous Waste Facility. This includes staffing, training, utilities, routine maintenance, and ongoing compliance with environmental and safety regulations. The County is not seeking state assistance for operational expenses and has planned for these costs within its existing and future budgets. The State of Michigan’s investment would be limited to the capital costs associated with constructing the facility and purchasing necessary equipment. This structure ensures that state appropriations are used efficiently and predictably, while long-term operational responsibility remains entirely with the County. By clearly separating capital investment from ongoing operations, this project represents a strong partnership model that maximizes the impact of state funding and demonstrates Kalamazoo County’s commitment to sustaining the facility over time. FEASIBILITY STUDY: Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) completed a study of the current Kalamazoo County Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Center and evaluated design needs of a new facility. Funding to complete this study was provided through the U.S. Economic Development Agency, with the Centreopolis Accelerator program at Lawerence Technological University. The following reports were generated between October 2024 and March 2025: 1.) Project Scope/Site Visit Summary 2.) Community Engagement Summary 3.) Conceptual Facility Design Needs (Existing Facility Summary) 4.) Funding Mechanisms for HHW Programs Staff from the County HHW Center, Environmental Health, and Planning & Development are providing this memorandum as a summary of the highlights of the RRS Reports and to provide recommendations and considerations needing further investigation. The four (4) RRS Memos/Summaries are included as Attachments to this cover memo. The primary results from this study indicate that the current facility size and layout is not adequate for existing services and collections, nor does it support the needs of current employees. Community engagement and stakeholder surveys indicate that the community is supportive of having household hazardous waste collections available in the community to prevent illegal dumping and landfilling of these materials. However, many expressed that the hours of operation are not convenient. There is also interest in adding hard to recycle materials to the collection such as EPS foam, latex paint, appliances, and plastic bags/plastic films. It is recommended in the rebuilding of the HHW Center, that a phased approach be taken to prioritize current services of hazardous waste collections during Phase 1 and consider the addition of hard to recycle materials in Phase 2, with space reserved for future collection needs in the community. Kalamazoo County Materials Management Planning, per Michigan Part 115 of Public Act 451 of 1994 as amended, will provide guidance, with municipal and community input, for potential additional materials that may need to be collected to meet County Materials Management Plan landfill diversion goals and objectives. Memo Highlights: 1. Project Scope/Site Visit Summary: The RRS team visited the HHW Center on October 23, 2024, for a kickoff meeting and to discuss current operations. County staff discussed expectations of the study to include community and stakeholder engagement, options for funding mechanisms, and conceptual facility design for current service delivery and possible phased expansion of services that could include hard to recycle materials (EPS foam, mattresses, tires, plastic bags, etc.). 2. Community Engagement Summary: RRS prepared a survey for community residents to gauge the usage and interest in HHW Center services. Additionally, RRS interviewed key stakeholders in the community. Stakeholders included municipal representatives and members of the Materials Management Planning Committee. Survey respondents who do not utilize the HHW Center indicated that they were not sure how to use the facility, that they were not sure if it cost money, and the hours of operation are not convenient. Of those that have used the HHW Center, almost 50% indicated that they have used it in the previous 12 months. Stakeholders were mostly supportive of the HHW Center as a service for their community and indicated interest in adding some hard to recycle materials such as EPS foam, latex paint, and mattresses. Stakeholders should be part of further discussions regarding sustainable funding mechanisms for any expansions or changes to the HHW Center program. 3. Conceptual Facility Design Needs (Existing Facility Summary): The existing Kalamazoo County HHW Center has reached capacity. When the HHW Center was designed in 1997, it was not designed with electronic collections in mind nor with the potential need for increased staff. From 2007 to 2013, the HHW Center averaged just over 8,500 customers and 520,000 pounds of waste. The last addition to the HHW Center occurred in 2014 to help with storage of electronic waste. Since 2014, the HHW Center has averaged over 12,000 customers and 640,000 pounds of waste annually. By 2050 (assuming status quo services), households served is expected to increase to 13,600 households and 730,000 pounds collected. If hours of operation are expanded, additional communities served, additional materials added, and strong advertising campaigns enacted, these projected numbers could be higher. Despite an increase in customers and total material collected, there has not been an increase in staffing since April of 2015. Existing Facility safety and efficiency concerns: a. Restricted site lines for staff receiving and staging materials is not an ideal layout for efficient and safe operation of an HHW facility. b. Fire suppression systems not installed in the main warehouse or offices of existing facility. c. Multiple sections of the buildings create bottlenecks for moving and staging materials and for the efficient and safe movement of materials by staff. d. Outer buildings are in poor condition and thresholds to uncovered areas between buildings are heaving, causing trip hazards and making it challenging to move materials. e. Outdoor storage areas, some of which are not covered from weather elements, are used for staging materials in preparation for shipping, making movement of materials difficult in winter months. f. Exterior concrete surfaces are in poor repair. Groundwater ponding is creating slip and fall issues during rain events inside building entries and areas of freezing outside in winter. Severe rusting of buildings where water cannot drain away from surfaces. g. Break areas are not sufficient for current staffing (currently in mechanical closet). Restrooms (one restroom for 7 people), safety personal protective gear storage, changing areas, and computer stations are inadequate for all staff. h. Parking space is limited for staff and customers. Parking lot asphalt is in disrepair. Future Facility considerations: a. Acreage Size: A minimum of 2-4 acres for providing current services – this size does NOT include adding hard to recycle materials and is dependent on property ingress and egress particularly for larger trucks and equipment, site grade/elevations, or potential location of loading dock(s), to name just a few considerations. More than 4 acres would be preferred, to allow for buffer zone for neighboring properties and with additional acres to allow for future potential collection needs. b. Location: Ideal siting of the facility would be within a 20-minute drive of residents in the community for convenience. However, as noted in the report, careful consideration of neighboring land uses will need to occur. The report also notes that residential areas could be an option with transparent communication and careful considerations in facility design. c. HHW Design Considerations: Starting on Page 8 of the Conceptual Design memo, RRS provides a detailed description of layout and equipment recommendations for future efficient collection, bulking, movement, and storage of household hazardous materials (including electronics) that provide maximum safety to employees and the public. Additional materials collection and processing options: a. EPS Foam: This material is not accepted in the typical curbside or drop-off recycling programs. EPS foam is recyclable but pre-processing compacting would need to occur to make transportation convenient. A densifier would be needed to process the foam for shipment. EPS foam can provide a revenue stream, but considerations would need to be given to storage and equipment space. b. Latex Paint: second most requested item in the survey. It is expensive to recycle but there are companies in the industry that make old paint into new paint and contracts can be negotiated. It takes a lot of room to store latex paint, and it cannot be allowed to freeze. c. Appliances: third most requested item. Refrigerators and dehumidifiers have freon which are expensive and hard to recycle items. d. Plastic bags and shrink wrap: a potential commodity/revenue source. This resource is used in the growing composite decking industry. e. Tires: State grants are often available; however, the collection of used tires is labor intensive and requires a lot of storage. f. Used mattresses: labor intensive and require dry storage. 4. Funding Mechanism Options/Considerations: This memo highlights many options for funding waste and recycling programs. A stable funding mechanism for HHW collection would allow for management of unpredictable material disposal costs and stronger operational planning. Several options for funding county waste management options are listed, however, three specific options are highlighted as compatible with size and scope for Kalamazoo County: a. Public Act 138 of 1989 – allows for up to $25 per household (utilized by Allegan County) – Does not require an active landfill in the county and can be used for any waste management needs. b. County Ordinance(s): examples from other counties in Michigan: i. per ton surcharge of waste generated (Kent County) ii. waste haulers charge a county waste fee added on to commercial and residential customers (Eaton County). c. Voter approved millage (Tuscola County, Charlevoix County). Some municipalities within Kalamazoo County currently charge a millage or special assessment for residential waste operations and this would need to be taken into consideration for this option. In conclusion, this information supports the need for a new HHW Center building to continue with current operations. Optimal site conditions are noted above and further outlined in the attached summary. This would allow for a greater service to our community by providing the ability to have increased staffing hours and staffing levels, expanded open public hours and the potential for accepting additional hard to recycle waste streams as supported by the community assessment.
• Has the legislatively directed spending item previously received or been awarded any of the following types of funding in the past 5 years?
• If so, how?
• Estimated time frame for completion of the legislatively directed spending item project:
  December 31, 2027
• Has the nonprofit corporation continuously operated in this state for the preceding 36 months?
  No
• Has the nonprofit corporation had a physical office in this state for not less than the preceding 12 consecutive months?
  No
• Does the nonprofit corporation have a board of directors?
  No
• List all of the officers and active members on the board of directors:

Certification By Sponsoring Legislator