Changes at the ISDRA for the 08/09 Season

[Jerry Seaver]

At the ISDRA for the 08/09 season there will be some changes, there will be less dumpsters available for the duners than last year. The BLM is doing it’s best to have as many dumpsters as possible for the 08/09 season. They will start a education program encouraging the visitors to take their trash home if there are no dumpsters available to them or if the dumpsters in their area are full. Putting trash around a dumpster when it is full, will still be considered littering. In some areas they may be reduced and some areas they may be removed all together. It all depends on the best deal the BLM can work out with the money available for dumpsters. The duration is going to be reduced also to only having dumpsters available from the weekend before Halloween to right after the Martin Luther King cleanup weekend. Things are tough everywhere and with the increase in costs and less money available, this is what is happening.

The latest on the fee collection contract is there is no information. The BLM assured me that they are doing everything possible to get it done and expect to be able to tell us the direction fee collection is going, soon.

[Sandcock]

I am assuming that the dumpster contract is a firm fixed price contract, correct me if I'm wrong. If it is, why is BLM allowing the contractor to provide less dumpsters? Unles BLM has allowed the current contractor to file for an equitable adjustment that would modify the contract to offset costs, i.e. provide less dumpsters?

[Jerry Seaver]

I am assuming that the dumpster contract is a firm fixed price contract, correct me if I'm wrong. If it is, why is BLM allowing the contractor to provide less dumpsters? Unles BLM has allowed the current contractor to file for an equitable adjustment that would modify the contract to offset costs, i.e. provide less dumpsters?

There is no contract for dumpsters for this coming season right now. The contract is renewed every year. For the same amount of dumpsters it was going to cost a third more than last year. The BLM has less money available to them because the fee collection was less than last year and other funding sources that they were hoping to get money from to cover for the decrease, aren't available either.

[Sandcock]

roger that

[Rekd]

So as we continue to pay more to use the land, we continue to get less and less services for our money? Where's the money going?

[Jerry Seaver]

So as we continue to pay more to use the land, we continue to get less and less services for our money? Where's the money going?

The TRT and the BLM has been trying to hold the line on raising the fees at the ISDRA. The fees went up when the program went from Demo Fee program to the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) but have stayed the same since. Under FLREA the fees pay for all services at the ISDRA including the wages for people that do any work on items that are for the ISDRA. When a new Recreation Area Management Plan (RAMP) is implemented, the fees will have to pay for that too. I always cringe when I hear people asking for more services at the ISDRA, the money for any services has to come from somewhere and it normally doesn't come from appropriated funds (your taxes). To answer your question about getting less services for our money, as the cost for the services go up or the amount of money available for the services is less, we will be getting less services. As for your question about, "Where is the money going," you can go to http://www.ISDRATRT.ORG and go to the document link to see where the money is being spent.

[crash]

So were being "taxed" under FLREA, which is a debatable program as to legality, for managment costs implemented under a RAMP that, at this point doesn't exist, and no one really can say what elements of the old RAMP can or can not be implemented at this time. Oh, AND our fees appear to keep going up?

Have I got the situation pretty straight?

[Jerry Seaver]

So were being "taxed" under FLREA, which is a debatable program as to legality, for managment costs implemented under a RAMP that, at this point doesn't exist, and no one really can say what elements of the old RAMP can or can not be implemented at this time.

Have I got the situation pretty straight?

What we have been told is that only the elements of the RAMP that the judge said was unacceptable couldn't be implemented. Until Congress or a judge says something else, FLREA is the legal program.

[Sandcock]

Jerry,

I looked at the FY 05-06 fee collection and it looks as though $3.2 + was collected. Is that pretty mcuh the scenario of 06-07 and 07-08? With that amount, additional green sticker $$ and what BLM recieves via the government I would think that there is $$$ to manage what services we currently have. What is your perspective?

[Sandcock]

and, what is the situation with the when the contractor starts collecting fees, i.e. do we know how the budget to services will be affected?

[Doc]

We are having a little problem in getting updates on the TRT web site so I have uploaded the 2007 and 2008 ISDRA budget data to the ASA document library.

Here is the link to that directory.

TRT data in the ASA document library

[Sandcock]

The trash contract looks to be a little excessive at $401 +. Curious, how does one find out what the contract requirements are, i.e. schedule of pick ups, from what month to what month are they dumped, how many dumpsters, location of dumpsters, and what landfill is being used?

Is the contract solicited or sole sourced?

Are there more waste management companies in the area where it would be beneficial to solicit?

How is the green/red sticker money used?

Will ISCO continue to recieve a percentage of the fees once the new contract is in place?

Let me know if or when I become a pain in the rear end

Just trying to understand things a little bit better.

[Doc]

These are all good questions. These are the reason we have open meetings and invite a representive from the BLM, State and other people associated with the ISDRA.

The meeting on 8/9 will have the dunes manager Neil Hamada. He is the one that is responsible for the spread sheet and all aspects of the ISDRA. He will be able to answer your questions better than anyone. Put those questions in an email to the ASA BOD and we will make sure Neil gets them and will have the answers for you.

These are also the type of questions that can be asked at a TRT meeting. If you can’t attend the TRT meeting you can send your questions or concerns via the feedback form on the TRT site. These are compiled and discussed at each TRT meeting.

TRT Feed back Form

[Sandcock]

will do