Enviormental Studies – �鶹��Ƶ

Brewerville Addresses Waste Management Crisis Through Collective Bargaining Agreement Facilitated by an �鶹��Ƶ Partnership

Ada Inman — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 22:30:32 +0000

Brewerville City, situated in Montserrado County, Africa, is a municipality that is presently confronted with a severe waste management predicament. As a result of insufficient policy interventions, the general populace is confronted with an inadequate waste management system that clogs public spaces, waterways, and thoroughfares with refuse hazardous waste, nonrecyclable, and recyclable materials. The average Brewerville resident generates one kilogram of refuse per day, which is higher than the national average for Liberia, so this absence of a municipal waste disposal system significantly impedes daily life. Additionally, Brewerville is undergoing a substantial population growth spurt, with the city’s total populace having increased by approximately 4,000 individuals over the last decade. This increased population is substantially exacerbating the waste crisis, as the municipality is ill-equipped to manage the substantial volume of refuse that has resulted from the influx.

Departing refuse in public spaces gives rise to significant environmental ramifications, including the contamination of soil, ground, and surface water sources, as well as an increased susceptibility of citizens to climate-induced natural disasters. A significant proportion of the immigrants to Brewerville are members of vulnerable groups with low incomes who are actively seeking employment in the city. This population is disproportionately impacted by the degraded ecosystem brought about by waste disposal, as they are more likely to reside in or near regions with high waste concentrations. In addition to causing harm, disease, and societal issues, the waste near these residences impairs the health of the inhabitants and hurts the wages earned by local businesses.

To educate the public about the health effects of solid waste management, the Brewerville government has collaborated with the University of Liberia’s Department of Environmental Studies and Climate Change to develop a course in which students and faculty conduct research on waste management issues in the city using the �鶹��Ƶ model framework. Together with the mayor’s office of Brewerville, the students will formulate a communal solid refuse management strategy. This study aims to strengthen the connections between the University of Liberia and the city of Brewerville, as well as enhance waste management. Subsequently, the students will also examine how collective bargaining can enhance community-based refuse management in Brewerville as this plan will educate community members, municipal administrators, and environmental studies students on waste prevention and management.

The team intends to convene a town hall meeting with government officials and residents to deliberate on the environmental ramifications, health benefits, and research objectives associated with refuse waste cleanup. The team will conduct a community-wide waste management survey following the conclusion of the town hall to collect data on waste management, garbage production, and town demographics. Based on the responses to this survey, a face-to-face questionnaire will be designed to ascertain the waste management practices of the public. The responses to the survey will be utilized to develop a community refuse management program in which participants will acquire optimal waste control techniques.

Additionally, the data obtained from the survey and questionnaire will be utilized to determine a potential location for refuse development. The project and community members will collaborate to designate and clear a city-approved refuse waste site as part of the community engagement initiative. This will provide individuals with a designated location for waste disposal, resulting in community-wide garbage management and control. Contributing to the creation of a safer living environment for humans, this endeavor will reduce potential public health risks and ensure that citizens have access to pure air and water. Additionally, the proposed research will improve the safety and sustainability of Brewerville’s waste disposal, management, and control by promoting natural drainage and reducing the likelihood of inundation. An increase in waste management will additionally foster a cleaner and more resilient municipality, thereby reducing the likelihood that its inhabitants will be impacted by climate-induced natural catastrophes.

Additionally, the undertaking will yield numerous favorable environmental consequences, including increased habitat availability for species and reduced pollution in the vicinity of natural habitats. This will aid in mitigating the effects of climate change and provide disadvantaged individuals with a secure living environment.

This project is ongoing.

Pearl Island Recreational Corridor Conservation Plan

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:37:48 +0000

The Pearl Island Recreational Corridor is an 80-acre recreational property located in
Brodhead, WI, just 10 miles north of the Wisconsin/Illinois border. This community project
began in November 2012 when the property received a matching grant in order to fund
recreational activity enhancement. There are three main ecosystems that were chosen for
conservation biodiversity targets (see Glossary). The site contains a portion of Decatur Lake, the
first biodiversity target, where the project team choose to focus on increasing the water quality of
the lake in order to enhance recreational opportunities such fishing, boating, and kayaking. A
second target of this project site is the Mill Race: a hand dug waterway created in the mid 1800’s
to furnish power for factories and a flour mill in the City of Brodhead. The project team chose to
focus on increasing the riparian buffer zone of the Mill Race in an effort to increase native
vegetation in order to mitigate runoff from nearby residential and agricultural areas, as well as
lessen the severity of flooding. The third and final target of this project is the surrounding
lowland forest area along the Mill Race, which contains several recreational trails with cultural
6
significance to the city. This area was once predominately Ash trees, however, the forest area
was recently devastated by the Emerald Ash Borer. This caused a large reduction in tree cover.
The area is also highly susceptible to flooding from the Mill Race due to increased precipitation
caused by climate change. The focus on this target is to create more “water-resilient” trails by
planting trees that can persist in wetter environments as well as replace the Ash trees lost to the
Emerald Ash Borer. With the generation of an Open Standards plan for this project site, the Pearl
Island Recreational Corridor project aims to increase the engagement, restoration, and
management of the composed area in an effort to improve the site as a community recreational
attraction.

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.

UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141

University Faculty Contact
Arlyne Johnson
Environmental Studies

ajohns10@wisc.edu

Local Government / Community Contact

Cost-Benefit Anaylsis of 911 Call Center Consolidation

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:35:06 +0000

As the link between residents and first responders, the 9-1-1 call centers in Green County,
the City of Monroe, and the City of Brodhead serve a vital public safety function: the dispatchers
in these centers serve as the first line of communication for emergencies, and work closely with
law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS) to ensure callers’ safety 24 hours
per day.1 The three call centers have varying capacities, staffing structures, and levels of service,
but they share a history and culture of cooperation.
The population of Green County, including the City of Monroe and City of Brodhead, is
marginally growing with an increasing number of elderly individuals living within the
community.2 See Appendix 2 for details. This trend suggests that call volume in the county and
cities could increase in coming years. Consequently, maintaining capacity to support growing
call volume is a potential challenge for the call centers. One option to increase capacity while
controlling costs is to consolidate the call centers.3
Our clients’ primary motivation for this project is to determine whether 9-1-1 dispatch
consolidation is fiscally feasible. The clients are also interested in understanding how to best
improve the efficiency of operating 9-1-1 services. However, each of the call centers have their
reservations regarding the potential for consolidation and its implementation. Green County is
concerned that full consolidation would result in increased costs for the Sheriff’s Office after
absorbing the smaller city call centers. In addition, there are concerns in Monroe and Brodhead
about integrating into a larger operation and still successfully serving their smaller, tight-knit
1
“Green County Sheriff’s Office 2017 Annual Report” (Monroe, 2018).
2 United States Census Bureau, “Census.Gov,” accessed December 2, 2018, https://www.census.gov/.
3 Andrew Sancton, “Reducing Costs by Consolidating Municipalities: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario,”
Canadian Public Administration 39, no. 3 (1996): 267–89.
2
communities. Despite these concerns, the clients are interested in a cost-benefit analysis of policy
alternatives that assess the fiscal and social net benefits of consolidation.
This report seeks to produce a cost-benefit analysis of a possible 9-1-1 dispatch
consolidation between Green County, Monroe, and Brodhead. We provide the rationale for the
study, four consolidation alternatives, and the anticipated costs and benefits of consolidation. We
review the methodology for forecasting the net social benefits of the policy alternatives and
explain the technique utilized for the sensitivity analysis. To conclude, we provide a
recommendation to our clients based on the analysis.

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.

UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141

University Faculty Contact
Dave Weimer
Public Affairs

weimer@lafollette.wisc.edu

Local Government / Community Contact
Sam Liebert

Assistant City Administor
sliebert@cityofmonroe.org

Lake Montesian Conservation Plan

Victor Manzanilla — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 23:27:15 +0000

The Village of Monticello wants Lake Montesian to be a beautiful landmark of the town
that can also provide a healthy population of fish to support fishing activities. In addition
to the lake’s aesthetic and practical functions, residents also enjoy using the island in
the middle as a location for special events such as weddings and high school dances.
Each January, the town holds a fishing tournament at Lake Montesian, and each July
fireworks are set off on the island. The lake has been facing a number of environmental
threats that have led to murky, eutrophic water and an uncertain and unhealthy
population of fish. As a result, Kevin Komprood, the public works director of Monticello,
reached out to The Nelson Institute at the University of Wisconsin, Madison to draft a
conservation plan for Lake Montesian.
In order to work toward a lake that has healthy water quality, our project team identified
four main biodiversity targets for the lake: littoral zones, fish communities, submerged
plant communities, and water column (see Section 4). Four direct threats to these
targets have also been identified: mowing, overfishing, introduction of invasive species,
and nutrient loading (Section 5).

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.

UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141

University Faculty Contact
Arlyne Johnson
Environmental Studies

ajohns10@wisc.edu

Local Government / Community Contact

Lake Montesian Conservation Plan

Ada Inman — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 18:04:30 +0000

The Village of Monticello wants Lake Montesian to be a beautiful landmark of the town that can also provide a healthy population of fish to support fishing activities. In addition
to the lake’s aesthetic and practical functions, residents also enjoy using the island in
the middle as a location for special events such as weddings and high school dances.
Each January, the town holds a fishing tournament at Lake Montesian, and each July
fireworks are set off on the island. The lake has been facing a number of environmental
threats that have led to murky, eutrophic water and an uncertain and unhealthy
population of fish. As a result, Kevin Komprood, the public works director of Monticello,
reached out to The Nelson Institute at the University of Wisconsin, Madison to draft a
conservation plan for Lake Montesian.
In order to work toward a lake that has healthy water quality, our project team identified
four main biodiversity targets for the lake: littoral zones, fish communities, submerged
plant communities, and water column (see Section 4). Four direct threats to these
targets have also been identified: mowing, overfishing, introduction of invasive species,
and nutrient loading (Section 5).

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.

UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141

University Faculty Contact
Arlyne Johnson
Environmental Studies

ajohns10@wisc.edu

Local Government / Community Contact

Pearl Island Recreational Corridor Conservation Plan

Ada Inman — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 18:04:09 +0000

The Pearl Island Recreational Corridor is an 80-acre recreational property located in Brodhead, WI, just 10 miles north of the Wisconsin/Illinois border. This community project
began in November 2012 when the property received a matching grant in order to fund
recreational activity enhancement. There are three main ecosystems that were chosen for
conservation biodiversity targets (see Glossary). The site contains a portion of Decatur Lake, the
first biodiversity target, where the project team choose to focus on increasing the water quality of
the lake in order to enhance recreational opportunities such fishing, boating, and kayaking. A
second target of this project site is the Mill Race: a hand dug waterway created in the mid 1800’s
to furnish power for factories and a flour mill in the City of Brodhead. The project team chose to
focus on increasing the riparian buffer zone of the Mill Race in an effort to increase native
vegetation in order to mitigate runoff from nearby residential and agricultural areas, as well as
lessen the severity of flooding. The third and final target of this project is the surrounding
lowland forest area along the Mill Race, which contains several recreational trails with cultural
6
significance to the city. This area was once predominately Ash trees, however, the forest area
was recently devastated by the Emerald Ash Borer. This caused a large reduction in tree cover.
The area is also highly susceptible to flooding from the Mill Race due to increased precipitation
caused by climate change. The focus on this target is to create more “water-resilient” trails by
planting trees that can persist in wetter environments as well as replace the Ash trees lost to the
Emerald Ash Borer. With the generation of an Open Standards plan for this project site, the Pearl
Island Recreational Corridor project aims to increase the engagement, restoration, and
management of the composed area in an effort to improve the site as a community recreational
attraction.

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.

UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141

University Faculty Contact
Arlyne Johnson
Environmental Studies

ajohns10@wisc.edu

Local Government / Community Contact

Cost-Benefit Anaylsis of 911 Call Center Consolidation

Ada Inman — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 17:58:34 +0000

As the link between residents and first responders, the 9-1-1 call centers in Green County, the City of Monroe, and the City of Brodhead serve a vital public safety function: the dispatchers
in these centers serve as the first line of communication for emergencies, and work closely with
law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS) to ensure callers’ safety 24 hours
per day.1 The three call centers have varying capacities, staffing structures, and levels of service,
but they share a history and culture of cooperation.
The population of Green County, including the City of Monroe and City of Brodhead, is
marginally growing with an increasing number of elderly individuals living within the
community.2 See Appendix 2 for details. This trend suggests that call volume in the county and
cities could increase in coming years. Consequently, maintaining capacity to support growing
call volume is a potential challenge for the call centers. One option to increase capacity while
controlling costs is to consolidate the call centers.3
Our clients’ primary motivation for this project is to determine whether 9-1-1 dispatch
consolidation is fiscally feasible. The clients are also interested in understanding how to best
improve the efficiency of operating 9-1-1 services. However, each of the call centers have their
reservations regarding the potential for consolidation and its implementation. Green County is
concerned that full consolidation would result in increased costs for the Sheriff’s Office after
absorbing the smaller city call centers. In addition, there are concerns in Monroe and Brodhead
about integrating into a larger operation and still successfully serving their smaller, tight-knit
1
“Green County Sheriff’s Office 2017 Annual Report” (Monroe, 2018).
2 United States Census Bureau, “Census.Gov,” accessed December 2, 2018, https://www.census.gov/.
3 Andrew Sancton, “Reducing Costs by Consolidating Municipalities: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario,”
Canadian Public Administration 39, no. 3 (1996): 267–89.
2
communities. Despite these concerns, the clients are interested in a cost-benefit analysis of policy
alternatives that assess the fiscal and social net benefits of consolidation.
This report seeks to produce a cost-benefit analysis of a possible 9-1-1 dispatch
consolidation between Green County, Monroe, and Brodhead. We provide the rationale for the
study, four consolidation alternatives, and the anticipated costs and benefits of consolidation. We
review the methodology for forecasting the net social benefits of the policy alternatives and
explain the technique utilized for the sensitivity analysis. To conclude, we provide a
recommendation to our clients based on the analysis.

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.

UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141

University Faculty Contact
Dave Weimer
Public Affairs

weimer@lafollette.wisc.edu

Local Government / Community Contact
Sam Liebert

Assistant City Administor
sliebert@cityofmonroe.org