Shiner Council hears presentation from Spoetzl Brewery

The Shiner City Council members heard a presentation from Spoetzl Brewery at the June 3 meeting.
Director of Brewery and Distillery Operations Tom Fiorenzi spoke about ways the brewery has been making an effort to conserve energy over the years.
“We’re doing everything we possibly can to have as much of a neutral impact on the environment,” Fiorenzi said. “When you have a brewery that’s a half million barrels strong in a community of 2,127 people, you have to be smart about it because we could overwhelm the resources around here.”
Some of the ways the brewery sustains a conservative environment includes their heavy use of recycling and renewing their resources. 98% of the brewery’s waste is recycled, according to Fiorenzi. This includes over 200 tons of paper and over 300 tons of glass. 
Furthermore, over 200 tons of spent yeast from the brewery goes to local animal food producers per year as well as over 13,000 tons of spent grain per year going towards local farmers for animal feed. Wastewater is also recycled from the brewery to irrigate nearby fields.
“This is all about being smart about the resources we have and trying not to waste money,” Fiorenzi said.
Also, 30% of the brewery’s power is from solar panels. 
Other items on the agenda included:
• A business application for a residential lot on 423 N. Avenue I was approved. The business will be for a new BBQ place.
• A land lease agreement for the use of a gun range for the Shiner Police Department was approved.
• Shiner council members appointed Lavaca County Tax Assessor-Collector Deborah Sevcik to perform calculations for the City of Shiner’s 2024 tax roll.
• A budget workshop was scheduled for Wednesday, July 24 at 6 p.m. at the Shiner Public Library.
• The Public Work’s report showed that fire hydrants in the City of Shiner have been painted. There will also be a fence installed at the Pickleball Court in Green-Dickson Municipal Park prior to Half Moon Holidays. There was also a new hire made recently for the utilities department.
• The City of Shiner is still advertising for a new Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator.  
• It was also reported that the Shiner Museum recently was awarded close to a $10,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority. This will be going towards new air conditioning.
• Work is currently being done on the drainage system at Green-Dickson Municipal Park
• Republican Congressman Michael Cloud’s Representative Christian Palacios gave citizen comment on the resources his office has. Some of the resources includes things such as assistance towards veterans. 
• Another citizen comment was made regarding his concerns on children’s increased use of phone activities. This citizen aims to make a program that will mitigate the usage of phones from younger children.