Sustainable BC Committee

City of Battle Creek Environmental Policy Study Committee 10 N. Division St. Conference Room 302A Battle Creek, MI Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:00 p.m. Members Present: Kathy Antaya, Susan Anderson, Randall Champlin, Tiffany Eichorst, Christine Kosmowski, Mary Lindow, Michael Myszka, Commissioner Ryan Hersha, Vice Mayor Christopher Simmons, Commissioner Bill Morris, and Ken Kohs Absent: Taichi Ochi Others: Dee Laser, Jim Brode Call to Order: Vice Mayor Simmons called the meeting to order at 4:02 P.M. Approval of Minutes: Vice Mayor Simmons asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of August 19, 2009. There being none, a motion was made by Comm. Hersha, supported by Randall Champlin to approve the minutes of the August 19, 2009, Environmental Committee meeting. All yes. Motion carried. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda: Vice Mayor Simmons presented an agenda and asked if there were any additions or deletions to the agenda. Chris Kosmowski asked that the Groundwater /Sewer Ordinance be placed first on the agenda and that Sustainability Covenant activities added to Old Business. Clerk Laser noted that reappointments needed to be made since most members’ terms expired April 1, 2010. Ms. Laser stated she will inform the City Manager’s Office for the need to reappoint members. New Business: 1. Groundwater Ordinance Christine Kosmowski introduced Jim Brode and provided a history of the Verona and Columbia well fields. She noted that the City has implemented multiple programs to protect its water supply and have been recognized for its efforts by the state and national organizations. Ms. Kosmowski stated that the City is in the process of developing a groundwater protection ordinance. Since most of the Verona well field lies mostly outside the City (7% Battle Creek, 72% Pennfield, 21% Emmett), an ordinance would have little value if Pennfield and Emmett Townships did not have a similar ordinance. Ms. Kosmowski reported that both Pennfield and 1 Emmett Township have demonstrated a strong commitment to the goal of protecting the valuable water supplies and asked for feedback from the committee regarding the ordinance. Jim Brode presented a PowerPoint presentation to the committee outlining the components of a groundwater ordinance. Mr. Brode stated that an ordinance is a common tool used in the implementation of a well head protection program. One of the primary objectives of the ordinance is to prevent the creation or establishment of non-compatible land uses that have the potential to contaminate ground water resources within the well head protection areas. The ordinance would protect drinking water supplies from potential contaminants by limiting and regulating land use within the specified well head protection areas, resulting in the prevention or minimization of funding costly pollution remediation projects. The ordinance as drafted would allow the prohibition of certain amounts of regulated substances to be stored or used within the specified time frames in well head protected areas. It further establishes procedures for existing nonconforming uses to continue operations, creates reporting procedures for the release of regulated substances and, if necessary, authorizes the community to take remedial or abatement actions, including a cost recovery process. The ordinance also includes an appeals process and establishes penalties for violations. Some common concerns with additional regulations include the potential of discouraging future investors, the creation of an ordinance will require staff time to regulate and it could be argued that a local ordinance is redundant with state and federal regulations already in place. Mr. Brode offered to discuss any of these or any additional concerns in more detail if necessary. While the ordinance is still in draft form, both Pennfield and Emmett Townships are working independently and in parallel on the implementation. Mr. Brode encouraged feedback from the committee. Vice Mayor Simmons asked what the timeline in adopting the proposed ordinance is. Ms. Kosmowski anticipated finalizing a draft ordinance by this summer and she offered to email the drafted language to the committee. Committee members discussed some of the issues and the benefits of adopting this type of ordinance and asked to be kept informed. 2. MDNRE Pollution Prevention Grant Christine Kosmowski announced there are opportunities for the cities of Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Portage to apply for a grant to develop a regional long-term climate action/energy use reduction strategy. 2 Ms. Kosmowski presented an outline to the committee and spoke about the following six points of developing a plan: 1. The primary focus of the work conducted under this grant proposal would be to develop an organizational and communications structure for the Covenant planning and implementation team. And to develop a regional sustainability vision and long range sustainability plans that include the Climate Action Plan. 2. An additional focus is to create a strategy or blue print document for the development of a regional/local Sustainability Covenant Climate Action Plan. A key part of the strategy will be to develop a process for regional collaboration and input, as well as developing a local plan that will include policy and program development options, steps to developing a GHG inventory and energy use baseline of operations in the cities of Kalamazoo, Portage, and Battle Creek. 3. Another focus is energy improvement and emission reduction opportunities based on goals, priorities and regional needs for these cities. Methods for evaluating policy and program options will also be developed. 4. The fourth focus in the plan is to develop a comprehensive long term climate action/energy use reduction strategy. A consensus will be sought to identify and focus the strategy on meaningful and attainable goals, along with the means of tracking and verifying progress. 5. The plan also includes the development of funding and financing options for establishing new programs and implementing new projects to reduce the carbon footprint of these cities. A sub-group of the Covenant leaders has already been established and has been actively seeking funding from governmental grants, local community foundations, as well as private foundations. 6. In addition, under preparation of the grant, the Climate Action Plan and GHG inventory will be documented in a “How To” manual to serve as a blueprint for other communities and local governments to use in creating a plan. Ms. Kosmowski is looking for permission from the committee to move forward in applying for the grant. A motion was made by Comm. Morris, supported by Comm. Hersha, to approve city staff moving forward with a grant application. All yes. Motion carried. 3. Sewer Ordinance Ken Kohs noted the recent adoption of Ordinance 03-2010 to amend Chapter 1040 regarding the permissible levels of nickel and dissolved inorganic solids that may be discharged into a public sewer. He also provided an update on the need to address and change ordinance verbiage 3 regarding three other elements where businesses exceed limits with: 1) biological oxygen demand, 2) suspended solids, and 3) phosphorous. Mr. Kohs indicated that he will propose ordinance changes to accommodate the three elements. Comm. Hersha expressed that any recommendations coming from the Environmental Committee should be health and environment related. 4. Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Ken Kohs reported that the city has moved forward with an American Recovery and Reinvestment grant which will be awarded at $541,500. The City has identified the following four tasks to upgrade/improve municipal buildings to ensure that they will operate in a more energy efficient manner and will reduce both energy usage, costs, and greenhouse emissions: 1) Fire station lighting retrofits and HVAC upgrades in an estimated amount of $88,000, 2) Transit buildings lighting retrofits and HVAC upgrades in the amount of $286,000, 3) Well pump motor upgrades in an estimated amount of $38,500, and 4) Verona water treatment plant lighting retrofits and HVAC upgrades in an estimated amount of $123,600. Old Business: 1. Sustainability Covenant Christine Kosmowski reported that she attended some presentations in Kalamazoo regarding the Sustainability Covenant. She asked if there was interest in attending any future meetings. Public Comment: None. Member Comments/Announcements: Vice Mayor Simmons asked if anyone had an interest in being Chairperson for the committee. Comm. Hersha offered to be Co-Chair unless others expressed an interest. It was decided to place nominations for Vice Chairman on the next agenda. Ken Kohs asked for input from the committee for direction in implementing existing policies. Mike Myszka suggested during the last meeting prior to the start of a new fiscal year for the committee to develop a blueprint or strategies for the committee. Next meeting: June 15, 2010, at 4 p.m. The committee agreed to meet on the third Tuesday every other month at 4 p.m. Adjournment: 4 The meeting was adjourned at 5:45 p.m. DAL/dmhb 5