By SUSAN VOYLES, RGJ.com
October 10, 2008
Wind turbines, digital billboards, a water initiative and building green were among the issues that drew more than 100 people Thursday night to hear from local and state candidates at an environmental forum in Reno. Sponsored by the Sierra Club, Nevada EcoNet and Scenic Nevada, candidates were talking green in the California Building at Idlewild Park.
Democrat Gary Schmidt, a candidate for Washoe County Commission in District 4, called for dumping Waste Management as the garbage company because of the high cost of taking things to its landfill and collection stations. He said local officials should find a way to cut those costs or provide for free dumping, cheaper than enforcing laws against dumping in the desert and organizing crews to haul away the cars. He also said recycling should be promoted more, saying businesses on East Fourth Street pay for old appliances, but "people still haul old refrigerators out to the desert."
Republican Neal Cobb, a candidate for county commission in District 3, said he has led clean-up campaigns for 20 years and agreed more needs to be done. "They will lock us out of recreational areas if we can't take care of them," he said.
Asked about legalizing digital billboards, Reno Councilman Dave Aiazzi said he wants to allow a digital billboard if the company agrees to tear down three or four other billboards. He's seeking a fourth term in Ward 5 in the northwest.
His opponent, Wayne Melton, said Reno should become the "biggest green city in the world," and people would come here to see what the city has done.
Aiazzi also wants a sculpture garden near the University of Nevada, Reno's new greenhouses near Wells Avenue, where people could check out the new alternative energy technology and get answers. "Some people want to know if a wind turbine makes a lot of noise," he said.
Reno Councilman Dan Gustin, running for a second term against Tom Herndon in Ward 1, said the greenest building is already built, applauding the conversion of the old Sahara building downtown into the Montage condominiums that opened Thursday night.
David Ward, running at-large against Councilman Pierre Hascheff, said the city should design buildings that "are green to begin with." He said the city has had to spend $50,000 to retrofit the new downtown events center to handle solar panels on the roof.
Hascheff touted work the city is doing, such as testing new storm drain systems to make sure they don't send polluted water into the river.
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