01-2009 Newsletter - Laserfiche WebLink

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sou JANUARY 2009 Bu,,� BEND Letter from the Mayor From a White Christmas to a Green New Year Dear Friends and Neighbors, Last Earth Day, I signed the Cool Cities commitment. South Bend joined other U.S. cities striving to reach Kyoto Protocol targets on climate change. It wasn't the first step the City had taken toward becoming a greener community. As we start a new year with a greater national interest in preserving the environment, I want to remind you of South Bend's commitment to be good stewards of the planet. Conservation: We plant native grasses and wildflowers on City lots and retention basins to reduce mowing. With an anti -idling policy and route optimization with GPS and vehicle - location systems, City drivers work to keep fuel costs down. Two all- electric vehicles will join the City's fleet this year. Our recent conversion of 227 traffic signals to LEDs from incandescent bulbs will save nearly $2 million in energy costs in a decade. The 85 percent reduction in nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide is equal to what 5,600 trees would consume in a year. In warmer seasons, our Police and Code inspectors patrol by bicycle. Recycling: Biweekly curbside recycling began in 1999, while a household hazardous waste collection center has operated since the mid- 1980s. City crews collect yard waste and leaves, creating compost and mulch, which is free to city residents at the Organic Resources facility. The City reuses biosolids generated at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, applying as fertilizer on area farmland. Reclamation: Landfills were transformed into the Erskine Commons shopping center and Fredrickson Park, an environmental - learning area with a regional Boy Scout facility. With Indiana's most aggressive brownfield reclamation effort, South Bend is preparing the former Studebaker corridor as a research park for nanoelectronics commercialization facilities. Equipment at the Wastewater Treatment Plant is fueled in part by the methane gas that's a byproduct of the treatment process, saving electricity. High -tech innovation: The University of Notre Dame's high -speed research computers are helping to heat the City's greenhouse and conservatories while linked by Internet to campus. This reduces Notre Dame's cooling costs and greenhouse gas emissions. A second phase will heat Potawatomi Pool. A third phase will bring together several companies' high - powered computer servers to augment the wastewater plant's anaerobic process, reducing cooling demand gas costs, saving $500,000 for public and private sectors. It will produce a higher grade of biosolids for use in landscaping. South Bend is becoming the world's first city to monitor and control combined sewer overflows (CSOs) with computerized sensors and motorized controls. Based on research from Notre Dame and Purdue University, local company EmNet has deployed 105 wireless sensors and smart valves as part of CSOnet. A $4 million investment, could save the City a projected $150 million in avoided capital costs. Continue. THIS MONTH... Mayor's Letter 23rd Annual Tree Sale Free Tax Preparation Monthly Green Tips Property Tax Information t • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 23rd Annual °� • s° • Conservation • • .G • • Tree Sale �' • • The St. Joseph County Soil and • Water Conservation District is • 0 excited to begin the 23 d Annual Tree • • Sale Program. The money from • • previous sales has allowed the • district to provide an excellent • • service to the community and • improve the quality of the • • • environment in St. Joseph County. • • Order forms are available online at • • www.st ose h.iaswcd.or and at their • • J p g • office located at 5605 US 31 South, • • Suite 4, South Bend, IN 46614. • • Please take some time to read • • carefully through the Species • • Information Sheet, so that you are • • • well aware of the characteristics of • • • species the s eci be interested in • you may • purchasing. Some species are very • • particular about soil type, sunlight, • • • pH, and drainage and the SWCD • • • wants the trees that you plant to have • • the best chance for success, to be • • • enjoyed for years to come. • • The order deadline is March 1, 2009, • • but you are encouraged to return your • • • order (with payment) as soon as • • possible. The SWCD is also 0 • sponsoring a Tree Selection and • • • Planting seminar on February 3, • • 2009, at 6:30 p.m. in the Farm • • • Bureau Building Meeting Room. • • Please call the SWCD office at (574) • • • • 291 -7444 ext. 3 or email • richard.glassman(i�IN.nacdnet.net • • • with questions about the tree sale • and /or to reserve your spot. • 1 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Vsit Our Website at www SoutliBendIN.gov!