COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, May 2, 2007 1:20 p.m. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY, CHAIR COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN RESOLUTION 070206 - Resolution authorizing the Committee on the Environment to hold public hearings investigating the long-term benefits of replacing cement sidewalks with rubber sidewalks in select areas. - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services Eleven Penn Center 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2
Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman. I apologize for the delay. I was attending the Police and Fire Memorial Ceremony, which is our annual ceremony in Center City, and it went a little later than I thought. This is the first hearing of the Committee on the Environment, and we intend as a Committee to use this opportunity to be a sounding board for ideas and innovation and issues relative to the environment on how the City of Philadelphia affects the environment, both positively and negatively, and what we can employ in the way of innovation to lessen the detrimental effects of the City's output on the negative part of our environment. So with that, this is a hearing on Resolution No. 070206, which is authorizing the Committee on the Environment to hold public hearings investigating the long-term benefits of 3 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 replacing cement sidewalks with rubber sidewalks in select areas. Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming to discuss the benefits of rubber sidewalks compared to traditional cement. After first hearing of this technology from Chicago's Department of the Environment, I've become very impressed with the environmental and practical benefits of this material. While it is not economically feasible or practical to start replacing all cement sidewalks with rubber panels, rubber is a great alternative for walkways that are troubled with tree root problems or need complete replacement. As an environmental benefit and cost saver, rubber sidewalks afford trees the proper air and water necessary for their roots to grow properly, unlike concrete, which often leads to tree roots growing upward in search of water and air that they are denied. In addition to eliminating breaks and rises caused by 4 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 tree roots, which are responsible for many pedestrian falls, rubber sidewalks provide a softer surface than concrete, ensuring that in the event of an unexpected fall, the person will sustain minimal injury and, as you will learn today, instead of needing a jackhammer and other devices to break concrete when it needs to be replaced or removed, the rubber panels can be removed with relative ease. Furthermore, the life of each rubber panel can be extended by flipping the panel over after its lifespan of approximately 15 years, which can nearly double its total lifespan. I believe it is important for our city to continue to take steps toward improving our environment. Rubber sidewalks would certainly promote tire recycling and protect our trees that clean our air and beautify our neighborhoods. For these reasons, I decided to hold this hearing to promote this technology and urge the City to 5 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 consider using rubber panel alternatives in continual problem areas when replacing cement sidewalks. I want to thank you again for your attendance. And because of scheduling concerns, we're going to ask Brian Goldthorpe, Public Policy Director for the Pennsylvania National Multiple Sclerosis Society, to be the first witness, and then we'll get back on our regular track kind of explaining what this is all about and why we think this is important. So please identify yourself for the record and proceed.
Thank you very much. My name is Brian Goldthorpe and I'm the Public Policy Director for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Pennsylvania, and today I'm speaking on behalf of the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter, which currently serves over 11,000 people with MS in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, 6 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 including more than 2,000 in Philadelphia County alone. I'm far from an expert on the signs of rubber sidewalks and I think that you'll get that perspective here in a minute, but even a cursory review of the available research indicates that they're more durable and environmentally friendly than those made of concrete. More broadly, though, the National MS Society offers our support and enthusiasm for an innovative proposal that really has the potential to make Philadelphia's sidewalks safer and more accessible. Multiple sclerosis is a very devastating disease and it is the most prevalent and disabling nervous system disease amongst young adults. The vast majority of people with MS are 20 to 50 years old and the average age of diagnosis is 28. Twenty percent of those diagnosed will suffer the most progressive form of MS and become significantly disabled within two to 7 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 three years. Fifty percent of those diagnosed will need some form of adaptive equipment within ten years of their diagnosis, and 50 to 60 percent experience cognitive impairment. Due to all of this kind of range of symptoms in the early age of diagnosis, it's really critical for people with MS to have the necessary supports and resources to maintain the highest quality of life possible. This includes not only medical and rehabilitative resources, but also the tools to engage and participate in society. For this reason, the National MS Society has long been an advocate for adequately funded paratransit services, accessible and affordable housing and also safe streets and sidewalks. As an alternative to concrete, rubber sidewalks will help reduce devastating and costly slip-and-fall accidents. Their durability, specifically resistance to cracks and 8 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 shifts, create smoother surfaces over longer periods of time. This will ease mobility for people with chronic diseases and disabilities, as well as elderly citizens who use adaptive equipment. Additionally, the depth of rubber sidewalks should make it easier to install curb cuts, which are vital for Philadelphians who require assistive mobility technology. I want to applaud Councilman Kenney and his staff for taking a critical look at the safety and accessibility of Philadelphia's sidewalks, as well as allowing a range of participants to contribute to the dialogue. The National MS Society is encouraged by this conversation and we look forward to other innovations that will help Philadelphians remain active and vibrant participants in their communities.
Thank you very much for your testimony. I just 9 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 want to read you a couple numbers. It doesn't necessarily relate directly to your testimony, but it is illustrative of some of the issues that we deal with in the City. In Fiscal Year '04, the City settled 105 cases for $2.6 million in slip-and-fall cases. In Fiscal Year '05, 125 cases settled for 2.8 million. And in FY06, 124 cases settled for 2.9 million. We do anticipate that in highly traffic public areas we will experience a decrease in these types of slip-and-fall accidents and, therefore, decrease the amount of money the City pays out in these kinds of cases. So from your client's perspectives and from just the public in general, we do think it's important to pursue the possibility of these sidewalks installed in general common areas that are well traversed. So thank you for your testimony. 10 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 Councilwoman?
Indeed, let us thank you for your testimony. Have you had a chance or can you provide any insight to the cost-benefit analysis of transitioning to this alternative method?
The cost piece of it, I think, is coming up shortly, but from our perspective, anything that improves the quality of life of people who suffer from diseases and disabilities is a good investment to make.
I've been informed by the Chair that all that information is coming. Do you know of any other municipalities that have already started this practice?
I believe there's -- I've heard anywhere 40 to 60 different cities, but I think that that will also be part of the testimony.
Very well. 11 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 Well, thank you for your testimony.
Thank you very much for coming in. The next witness from Rubbersidewalks is named Vaughn Fisher, and he's going to walk through a PowerPoint on the technology and its use currently and some of the benefits that were alluded to by Councilwoman Brown. So please identify yourself for the record and proceed.
Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for seeing me. My name is Michael von Fisher of Rubbersidewalks --
-- and I also have a concrete company, Fitzpatrick Concrete. A little bit about me and why I'm involved in this. I saw an article 24 in USA Today, after being an installer in the cities and all over New Jersey for 12 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 years, I read about this product, rubber sidewalks. And it was pretty much I field the demand, and it's an outstanding product, because there is a lot of situations where people need sidewalks replaced and what would happen was, traditionally in the old days, you would rip out the tree roots affecting the tree. Now with this product, there's several different methods that can take place. But I'm going to start my presentation and then I'll have questions and go over everything. What you are looking at, it's not what you think. Those pictures are rubber sidewalks. What they are is two-foot-by-two-foot rubber panels. They weigh about 40 pounds a piece, and there are displays around, solid piece of rubber. Also, we manufacture what's called a truncated dome, which is a handicap warning system along metro subways, things like that.
If I had to 13 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 describe it, it would be like a little bit of a softer hockey puck.
That's what the consistency of it would remind you of.
Exactly. And I'll go over everything. Rubber sidewalks, it's the alternative to concrete. It's an interlocking modular recycled rubber sidewalk paving system. In Washington, DC, there have been several installs where old concrete was taken out and rubber sidewalks were put in. They're a solution-based company. They're dedicated to the environment, an industry leader in green technology, national and globally. It's a woman-owned company. Lindsay Smith, who you see pictured to the left, she owned a house in California. The township was replacing her sidewalks. She had 14 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 beautiful trees out front where the roots, unfortunately, lifted up the sidewalk. So she actually pleaded with them to give her more time to come up with an alternate solution. Her and another gentleman have developed rubber sidewalks. So she ended up saving her trees, is the good news, and came across a fantastic product. Tree roots break concrete. Trees were once planted too close to sidewalks. Now it is an urban epidemic. Year after year every year concrete expands and contracts and breaks due to freeze-thaw conditions. In cold climates near trees concrete looks like that in three to seven years. In my own personal experience, I've seen it as soon as a year. Cities are unable to keep up. Of 74 miles of sidewalks in the city, 29 percent or 21 miles are in dangerous condition. The sidewalks are unusable, 15 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 growing tree roots to blame. This gentleman of Portland's Public Works Department is showing an example. There's been several articles in newspapers pretty much nationwide. Settlements, as you heard Councilman Kenney mention, the number in the City of Philadelphia is pretty astronomical. San Francisco, Washington, DC, all over the place, have paid out very big numbers in slip and falls due to concrete. Also, one thing I would like to point out, in several states, including Pennsylvania, homeowners insurance companies will also come out to residential homes and failed sidewalks where they need to be replaced. Twice the cost of maintenance. Dollar for maintenance versus $2.26 legal.
Yes. Rubber sidewalks is a solution. 16 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 They're unbreakable. They're maintainable, eliminates trip and fall and ends chronic breakout. Rubber sidewalks, you can drop a bottle -- it's been tested -- at ten feet and it will not break. Bones do not break on it. It's a maintainable system. What they are is two-by-two-and-a-half pavers interlocked with recycled fiberglass dowels enclosed in a landscape railing chassis. With concrete it's guaranteed to break. It's a chronic problem. It's costly, creates waste. It's loud and it's polluting.
Just vibration, people walking on concrete. When you have to repair concrete, demolition of the jackhammer, the backhoe and construction crews. Studies show that tree roots grow less aggressively under rubber 17 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 sidewalks, and I will get into more about that in a moment. On the left side, you see rubber sidewalks versus the right side, concrete. It allows access to utility lines and tree roots. In a lot of city buildings, what you would see happen, they would have new concrete put in and then your local utility company would need to break up that concrete to service fiberoptic lines, electrical lines, et cetera. These provide access all the time. It also provides temporary pathways. If there's any construction going on in any location, rubber sidewalks can be put down as a temporary walkway, and it's reusable. You can pick it up and move it to your next location. It also prevents storm water runoff. It accommodates freeze-thaw conditions. It does expand and contract with the environment and does not break.
Could you 18 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 go back a slide?
On the edge of a full-size paver, which is two by two, it has a five percent void on the end of it around it and it allows water runoff to run in between the slight gaps in between the modular paving system. Tree roots do not starve for water because there is some water fed. It reduces water runoff going into your storm sewers because it does have that five percent void on the edges.
There's the five percent void, as you see, where the joints connect. Healthy tree roots are saved instead of being cut down. No damaging tree root trimming. One thing I want to say is that my company also is a certified installer 19 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 of putting this down. In no way, shape or form do we trim or touch tree roots. What the cities are currently doing, most of them have a certified arborist that they use and consult with. Usually the steps are, the arborist will evaluate the tree roots and the site and see what needs to be done. The arborist can do what he feels necessary, if anything. And when the installation takes place, what we will do is grade up to the level of what the arborist wants us to do.
Will ultimately, though, the tree roots settle? If they're exposed and there's a lump of tree root, you will go up to that root?
Yes. What we do is, we grade with the material going kind of over the roots. The roots have been known to subside.
Because when 20 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 concrete is there, roots travel up for water access. This allows the roots to be more settled in and it's healthier for the tree.
Yes. They can, yes, depending on the tree, of course. Freezing ground expands and contracts, causing concrete breakage. Rubber sidewalks expands and contracts as the ground changes. That's after two winters in New Rochelle, New York, an install that we did. Firm, yet shock absorbing. Safe transition on and off of adjacent concrete. Nothing breaks on rubber sidewalks, not bottles, not bones. It's a non-skid surface and it's ADA compliant. Low vibration, safe transition and it's a four-foot width minimum. Temporary sidewalk needs: As I 21 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 mentioned earlier, construction sites, temporary developments and utilities maintenance, which would be a key for PECO or any other company. Diverts waste tires from landfills. These panels are 100 percent recycled tire rubber fabricated into dense, durable modules. One tire equals one square foot of recycled rubber sidewalk. So as you see, the tire is being in. They're stripped of the steel threads, heated up, get rid of a lot of the impurities, put into molds and then you have the end result.
Is the other material that's removed from the tires that's not usable for the sidewalk, is that also recycled?
Yes, sir. Everything is 100 percent recycled. LEED credits. If I had Internet access, I could click on here and go into further detail. If you look on the handouts that I have provided, 22 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 they're up at the table that everybody can certainly grab. LEED is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system, which was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council providing standards for environmentally sustainable construction. What happens now, we're doing a lot of business in Washington, DC, because all new buildings in construction sites need to have so many LEED credits per job. This is a LEED credit four. Also, in a lot of state applications, you can get grant money which can be subsidized by the federal government. There's a lot of good things there also. It fulfills the EPA's five guiding principles. Environment: price plus perform, pollution preventative, life cycle perspective, comparison of environmental impacts, and environmental performance information. It meets all of those requirements if you go on the EPA's website. 23 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 Installation: It's modular and interlocking. If you look to the right-hand side, you can see the fiberglass recycled dowels that hold the panels together.
Let me ask you a question. You may laugh when I ask this question, but I'm going to ask it anyway because it always occurs to me. Are these easily stolen?
Easily stolen? We have never had a case of any of them being stolen, not even off the job sites.
We've had a situation where a guy actually stole a street, Belgian-block street, in South Philly.
He stole a whole street. Over a period of time, he carted off all the Belgian blocks. And they caught him and, of course, got them all back, but I was wondering whether or not that's in the dead of night easy to 24 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 remove.
Well, it's not that easy to remove because it's all interlocked and locked in at the sides, but, I mean, somebody could steal a block of concrete if they really wanted to.
But you haven't had experience with them being stolen?
None at all. Step one, we break out the existing surface. Step two is, we prepare the bed. Step three, we set the modules and lock them into place. Step four, it is ready to walk on. No curing time. Immediately ready. It can be snowplowed over, shoveled. You pretty much name it and it's durable. Driven on. There has been no problems.
That is not a problem. The only thing that is known to 25 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 hurt this is sulfuric acid, which will pretty much hurt anything in its path.
Are those block sizes standard or can they be done in different sizes?
What that is, they're two-by-two blocks with three of them. It's a total of a six-foot-wide walkway.
Because a lot of the sidewalks in Philadelphia are, I think -- are they four by four?
Yeah, usually four by four, but walking up to here, it's probably -- could be as wide as ten feet. That doesn't pose a problem for anything. It's a little hard to see, but here is the competitive points. Benefits versus rubber sidewalks, concrete and 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 asphalt. Life cycle near tree roots: Rubber sidewalks is years, concrete is 4 five years, asphalt is two. Installed 5 material costs under a thousand square 6 feet: $15 a square foot is rubber 7 sidewalks, concrete is $8 a square foot 8 basically in a residential type of 9 application, asphalt is $6 to $8 a square 10 foot. 11 Labor involved -- 12
But it's 13 actually, I guess -- not to interrupt 14 you, but it's actually, on concrete, if 15 you do an actual comparison, it's $40 a 16 square foot. 17
Labor, three-man crew versus four-man crews: Recycled materials, 100 percent in rubber sidewalks. Some may be present in concrete, as well as asphalt. ADA compliance: Rubber 27 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 sidewalks, low vibration; concrete, high; asphalt, high. Porosity, which is the water seepage through the joints on it, rubber sidewalks is the best; concrete has nothing; asphalt is a little better. Rubber sidewalks is 0.54 inches per hour. Co-efficient of friction and mass changes: Concrete lifts and breaks. Rubber sidewalks, there's possible settling where you just kind of have the certified installer lift it, regrade it, put it down, it is usable again. There's nothing breaking out and repouring. Also, what is nice, it's maintainable. The life expectancy on it, they say 15 years, but that's soon to go to years, 19 because we have further testing done on 20 it. And as Councilman Kenney said, it can be reversed. Savings over 20 years, this is the key element: Rubber sidewalks stays at $15 per square foot. As you see, the comparison against concrete, after five 28 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 years, goes up. Ten years goes up to $24, goes up to $32. That is pretty much with maintenance, rebreaking out the same spots, not even counting the amount of lawsuits that cities are faced with. That's a whole different separate issue. Current installations: Washington state, Texas. We're doing all the Wal-Marts in the southern states, the entrance to Wal-Marts, to eliminate their slip-and-fall issues. Chicago; Vermont; New York; Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, DC. Baltimore, if anyone happens to go down there to visit, you will see right across from the Aquarium we installed -- I forget how many square feet, but it looks good till this day. I was there last weekend. Over 140,000 square feet in 60 cities, 13 states, 135 installations specced by city engineers, public works and green architects. Currently, we are going to have an install in Bucks County at Pennswood 29 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 Retirement Community, which is going to be 27,000 feet, and a few of the hospitals in the City, roof-top decks, entranceways and things of that nature. This photo was taken on March 15, 2006. It was a project completed in New Rochelle, New York in September 15th, '04. The sidewalks have stood up to the second winter with no discoloration from de-icers or gouging from shovels or equipment. I noted some minor movement in a few individual pieces, which may be due to frost still being in the ground. All in all, the project looks good. That was from Jim Maxwell, the Commissioner of the City of New Rochelle. This is in Idaho after three winter cycles. Holds up, no issues. This is Hoboken, New Jersey in '04.
Yes, sir. This is Washington, DC in August of 2006. This is Aurora, Colorado used as an entranceway to the Public Works building. This is the Los Angeles School District, which has implemented the policy to put rubber sidewalks in all school locations. Also, we have a future meeting set with the School District of Philadelphia. This is San Fernando, California; Long Beach, California in '04; Santa Monica, California. As I said, the sidewalks originated in California. This is the pilot program. It was a partial order of 2,000 square feet. It can do up to 20 tree well sites, would be -- there's the cost and what the breakdown of materials is per square foot. 31 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 Provides modular, maintainable sidewalk paving that preserves the urban forest, reduces costs of sidewalk maintenance, eliminates trip-and-fall hazards, keeps waste tires out of landfills and achieves LEED rating points. And that's a picture of a beach access.
Is there a facility which manufactures them in the East Coast?
Yes, which New York state is one of the -- I think it's still the number one recycling state in the country.
How large is that factory and how much do they produce in a year? 32 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206
They can produce up to 30,000 square feet of material per day. They have four humongous presses that keep pressing it out.
Thank you very much. You don't mind hanging around so we can --
Not at all. Any questions, hopefully I'll have the answers to.
We now ask Sarah Corlett from New Kensington CDC. Actually, is Christine here? Why don't you both come up together. Please identify yourself for the record.
Good afternoon. I'm Sarah Corlett and I am the Economic Development Director at New Kensington Community Development Corporation. 33 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206
New Kensington CDC services the Fishtown, Kensington and Port Richmond neighborhoods through housing counseling, real estate projects, land use management and economic development. New Kensington CDC is present today to demonstrate support for a resolution authorizing the Committee on the Environment to hold public hearings investigating the long-term benefits of replacing cement sidewalks with rubber sidewalks in select areas of the City. NKCDC would support the use of rubber sidewalks in parts of the City for several reasons. This organization has a history of sustainable practices and environmental preservation efforts, and several years ago, a land use management department was formed to clear, stabilize and maintain abandoned vacant land that was an eyesore for the residents. And since the program has started, NKCDC has 34 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 kept over 1,100 lots green and lush. And this open and cared for space is highly valued in the community and has been responsible for revitalizing the Frankford Avenue commercial corridor. Particularly relevant to the usage of rubber sidewalks are the regular tree plantings New Kensington CDC conducts throughout the neighborhood. In partnership with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resource's TreeVitalize program, NKCDC is able to plant trees for residents and business owners at no cost. Two neighborhood tree plantings are held during the year, and most recently this past April, over 90 neighborhood volunteers turned out to support the cause. And during the fiscal year of 2006 and 2007, nearly 150 trees will have been planted throughout the neighborhood. It is clear that trees are a valuable resource in our neighborhood, because not only do they provide shade 35 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 and a sense of intimacy, they also represent a community renaissance to individuals who have witnessed neighborhood economic decline for decades. NKCDC has also been able to leverage nearly $2 million of federal highway funding to implement capital improvements along Frankford Avenue commercials corridor, and as we plan for concrete pavement and new trees, the project team considers sustainability. Streetscape improvements are intended to encourage development, in hopes of revitalizing the neighborhood economy and ensuring that these developments are sustainable. And even when trees are planted properly in appropriate-sized tree pits, invasive roots over the years can damage the pavement as trees seek the water and nutrients they need to survive. This can ruin the pedestrian-friendly walkways that make commercial corridors throughout the City attractive and 36 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 viable. Recycled tire rubber sidewalks pose benefits to the City and its neighborhoods for a number of reasons. First, this mechanism reuses materials that exist in surplus rather than employing valuable energy and materials to create concrete. And, secondly, research has demonstrated that tree roots develop differently under the rubber sidewalks and they are less invasive, smaller and develop at a slower rate, while also receiving sufficient water and oxygen due to the porous surface. Should tree roots need special attention or trimming, rubber sidewalks can easily be lifted and trees can be replaced without damaging. Once concrete begins to crack and deteriorate, the surface cannot be mended, but must be completely replaced. Rubber sidewalks can be repaired and also have a longer lifespan due to the durability of the material. And while 37 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 the initial cost of installing the rubber sidewalks exceed concrete paving, the longevity of this product proves to be more cost effective. The cost of concrete is continuously on the rise, and it makes financial and environmental sense to invest in a product that poses greater sustainability and produces less waste. S. are taking advantage of this new technology.
Philadelphia has the opportunity to strengthen its presence as an economically and environmentally competitive city, and such practice would immediately impact our neighborhood as one that is increasing efforts to become sustainable and as a neighborhood that values its trees. NKCDC services a community that's rebuilding, and this is a chance to invest in practices that will ensure neighbors have safe and viable places to 38 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 live and work. Thank you.
Thank you very much for your testimony. Could you please identify yourself for the record and proceed.
My name is Christine Knapp. I'm the Eastern Pennsylvania Outreach Coordinator for Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, also known as Penn Future. I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today in support of rubber sidewalks. Penn Future is a statewide environmental advocacy organization working to create a more just future where the environment, the economy and communities thrive. I'm also the local coordinator for the Next Great City Initiative, which is backed by a coalition of 85 organizations working to create a greener, healthier and safer city in Philadelphia. 39 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 The Next Great City Coalition released a report in January outlining ten commonsense and cost-effective strategies to enhance environmental quality and strengthen our neighborhoods. While installing rubber sidewalks was not one of the recommendations, it does tie into two of the recommendations that were put forward. First, the Coalition recommended that the City replace the 23,000 trees that have been cut down in the last few years. Trees are vital for our neighborhoods, as they reduce air pollution, absorb storm water and reduce energy costs for neighboring homes. They also add much-needed greenery to urban settings. While most residents enjoy having trees in their neighborhood, many complain that trees often break their sidewalks, creating an unsafe and unsightly problem. In fact, in talking to hundreds of residents around the City this year about the need for additional 40 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 trees, the number one concern I heard from residents was overbroken sidewalks. However, rubber sidewalks are more elastic, so instead of cracking, they stretch, alleviating the problem for residents. In addition, rubber sidewalks greatly reduce or even eliminate the need to reprove trees due to root growth. Because rubber sidewalks are flexible, they allow tree roots to grow and be trimmed in a way that doesn't harm the health of the tree. And putting forth the effort to plant much trees, the City would be protecting its own investment by installing rubber sidewalks near trees. Another Next Great City recommendation is to increase the City's poor recycling rate. Installing rubber sidewalks helps close that recycling loop by providing a reuse for rubber tires. Tires can be found short-dumped all over Philadelphia in our vacant lots, on the sides of our roads, in our parks and our playgrounds, and those that aren't 41 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 short-dumped end up in our landfills. Rubber sidewalks create a new life for trees. In fact, every square foot of rubber sidewalks saves one tire from being in a landfill. Lastly, rubber sidewalks also help save the City money. Their ability to stretch also means they have to be replaced less often, and they're cheaper to fix. At $8.70 a square root, which I think we've heard this earlier, the rubber plates cost about $2 more a square foot to install than regular concrete, but labor costs of replacing them runs about a $1.50 square foot instead of the $8 to $12 it costs to break up and replace concrete. Rubber sidewalks, therefore, represent a win-win for both the environment and the economy. Therefore, I urge this body to support the placing of rubber sidewalks in select areas around the City. Thank you. 42 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206
Thank you very much for your testimony. Councilwoman Brown.
Yes. Thank you for your testimony, ladies. Regarding the Philadelphia Public School District, what is the status of those discussions or negotiations?
Right now there's still a meeting date to be set. The gentleman that we were going to meet with had something he had to take care of with his health, but I was going to try to coordinate that today, but hopefully within the next two weeks.
And, ladies, what was the trigger for you to consider this environmental opportunity?
Well, in our neighborhood we have -- I mentioned we have a streetscape improvements plan --
And we have $2 million in federal highway money to redo our sidewalks, and we also plant a number of trees in our neighborhood twice a year. And so to me, this product prevents future repair on all of this concrete. And if we're going to invest all of this money in these improvements, wouldn't it be great if it was sustainable.
I'm sorry. Go ahead. 44 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206
Okay. Question relative to the relationship between a particular municipality, the disposal of used tires and the company that does the manufacturing. I mean, is there any way that you're aware of where the tires from the actual community were the tires that were used in the manufacture?
How they rate it now is, they go by the state. They keep track of all the tires that are recycled from Pennsylvania. So the recycler and Rubbersidewalks does have that information exactly.
We're probably not doing it at all. I would suspect that whatever short-dump we're picking up is taken to a normal sanitary facility and then taken to a landfill as opposed to -- what I'm trying to figure out is the method or the possibility of actually creating a stream of raw 45 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 material; i.e., tires, to the company itself.
That would not be a problem, because what will happen is, the manufacturing plant in New York, once Philadelphia does sign on board, they need to document the amount of tires coming from Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in order to report it to the government for LEED credits and future dollars.
Now, the other cities that have this relationship either in California or in New York, how do they transport the tires there?
Usually what they do is, there's several people that pick up the tires and the end user, a garage or a tire store, pays to dispose of them. So usually they get free transportation to a recycling facility.
But there's no requirement to recycle the tires, right?
In New York 46 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 state and with --
So a municipality has to sign on in order to take advantage of this technology? Can the School District operate independent of the City?
We'll have to get some additional -- come on up. This is Ed McBride, who is a representative of PECO. I'm glad he's here and listened to some of the utility possibilities, and a Montgomery County Commissioner, I believe. MR. McBRIDE: Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 47 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 I had a question about --
Ed, just identify yourself for the record. MR. McBRIDE: I'm sorry. Ed McBride, PECO Energy. I had a question about compacting the earth underneath. Because it's porous and we have sometimes a lot of junk under the sidewalks, would it wash away more the dirt and then cause an uneven situation?
No. That hasn't happened in any install that we have done. What it is, it's pretty much like a crushed concrete just as you would do normal concrete, and it's tamped. And then what we do is, we put the micro-fi fabric over top of it, which prevents anything from being washed away. MR. McBRIDE: Oh, okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you very much. 48 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 Any other questions or anything anyone wants to add? (No response.)
Let me tell you, we like to have these as quick and not drawn-out hearings. They provide a lot of information and get our business done. We're going to continue to pursue this, along with some other environmental issues that we're kicking around, but I think this is something that's relatively doable, at least requiring it on all City projects or at least requiring the examination of the possibility of it on all City projects, whether that's playground renovations, whether it's firehouse, police station, concrete replacement in those locations. I think maybe potentially requiring the City to examine this potential first, it can become sort of a showcase for other private commercial ventures that this stuff works and that it does all the 49 5/2/07 - ENVIRONMENT - RES. 070206 environmental things that we've heard about in the presentation. So if no one has anything else to offer, we will conclude the hearing and we'll continue pursuing these goals and this one in particular. Thank you very much for your attendance. (Committee on the Environment adjourned at 2:05 p.m.) - - - 50 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on May 2, 2007, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)