Finance Committee - 09/02/2020 Page 8
Jeffrey LaFleur, Superintendent of Solid Waste
Yes Mayor, thank you. With the changes in the operation due to COVID and the social distancing guidelines,
we are having to assign our employees outside, under tents, trying to keep everyone safe and social
distanced. We took this opportunity with the GOFERR Grant to look into office trailers to be able to do this.
This will give the employees a warm place in the winter and a cooler place in the summer for us to go and
assign them and get them out to do their work.
Mayor Donchess
Questions? Alderman Lu.
Alderwoman Lu
I’m sorry | have a question. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, | had a question about some of the messages that we have
received on the Board describing the GOFERR Funds as being maxed out. | just wanted to ask the question,
this isn’t —- was there miscalculation. We haven’t expended our GOFERR Fund allocation, have we?
Mayor Donchess
We haven’t expended it but we can, we haven’t expended more, | mean | think we’ve gone over $1 million
dollars but we can project that the safety-related improvements that we are seeking, when you add them all
together may exceed the total amount of the GOFERR Funds. But still, the projects are all COVID-related and
if we go over, it will be $100,000.00 to $200,000.00 probably,$2 million dollars for the project.
Alderwoman Lu
| just wondered then since this may be going above the allocation that we are receiving from the GOFERR
Funds, have other options been considered, are there other empty facilities in the area of these workers, were
other options considered?
Mayor Donchess
Well Mr. LaFleur can answer this but this at the landfill for the people working at the landfill. But Mr. LaFleur,
please go ahead.
Mr. LaFleur
Yes Mayor, right now we have tents out there, we have two 10 x 20 tents that employees are under. We are
anticipating through the winter and spring with the continuance of COVID that we are going to need areas
where they can be at least warm for eating their lunches and if it continues into the summer next year, they will
be cool for their lunches.
Alderwoman Lu
Where did they used to go?
Mr. LaFleur
We have a small break room; before COVID and the guidelines of social distancing we made it work, but it is a
very small break room where they would be elbow to elbow waiting for their assignments to get going.
