Recycling center brings 30 new jobs to Chester

Ace Recycling plans to construct and operate an indoor materials recovery facility at the Sustainability Park on North Enon Church Road in Chester. The project is expected to create approximately 30 new jobs and represents an investment in Chesterfield County of more than $6 million. It should be fully operational by summer.

"We are delighted that Ace Recycling has chosen Chesterfield County as the site for this important recovery facility," said Art Warren, chairman of the county's board of supervisors. "They will be providing an important service to the contractors and citizens in our region."

Ken Mogul, president of Ace Recycling, said the company will modify an existing manufacturing building to achieve a gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. "To our knowledge," he said, "it will be the first building of its type used for recycling in the commonwealth."

Ace Recycling is a processor specializing in construction and demolition debris recycling, which commonly includes cardboard and paper, carpet, concrete, dirt, metal, plastics, wallboard and wood.

The facility, located in two existing buildings at the Sustainability Park, will receive mixed construction and demolition debris and then process the material. All of the activities will be conducted indoors, including the receipt of material, sorting and separating debris, secondary processing, and loading outbound trucks. Mogul said the facility will, when completed, process 525 tons of construction and demolition debris per day.

County receives terrorism grant

The county was recently awarded a $2,341 state grant to address terrorism.

"Our men and women in law enforcement are vigilant in combating terrorist activities, and these dollars will continue to support their efforts," said Gov. Tim Kaine upon announcing $260,000 in grants for 53 localities throughout the state last month.

The grants are drawn from federal funds allocated to Virginia from the Department of Homeland Security's Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program. Localities applied for the grants, and selection was based on the project description and need. Funds were capped at $5,000 per locality, and no match is required.

The county will use its money to purchase body armor, including special gloves and leg guards.

Comments wanted on VDOT plan

The Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) proposed secondary street acceptance requirements are available for public comment. The requirements ensure that streets accepted into the state system for maintenance provide long-term public benefit.

The proposed regulation is a result of legislation proposed by the governor and unanimously approved during the 2007 General Assembly session. The legislation directs the Commonwealth Transportation Board to include the following concepts in regulation:

• Requirements to ensure the connectivity of road and pedestrian networks with the existing and future transportation network

• Provisions to minimize storm water runoff and impervious surface areas

• Quality assurance provisions for new secondary streets and associated cost recovery fees if the new roads do not perform to acceptable standards

The proposed regulations were developed by VDOT staff with input from technical and implementation advisory committees comprised of representatives from local governments, developers, environmental advocates and other stakeholder groups. This regulation will replace existing subdivision street requirements.

The regulations and additional information can be found at www.VirginiaDOT.org/proj ects/ssar. Public comments will be accepted through June 30. There will be a public meeting to collect feedback in Richmond at the VDOT Central Office Auditorium, 1221 East Broad St., on May 21 at 4 p.m.