Sustainable BC Committee

City of Battle Creek Environmental Policy Study Committee 10 N. Division St. Conference Room 302B Battle Creek, MI Wednesday, June 6, 2012 4:00 p.m. Members Present: Randall Champlin, Michael Myszka, Kathy Antaya, Susan Anderson, and Ken Kohs Members Absent: Tiffany Eichorst, Chris Simmons, Christine Kosmowski, and Comm. Jeff Domenico Others: Vicki Houser Call to Order: Kathy Antaya called the meeting to order at 4:05 PM. Kathy Antaya noted that a quorum was present. Public Comment: No public comment. Approval of Minutes: Kathy Antaya asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes. No additions or corrections were noted. A motion was made by Randall Champlin, supported by Michael Myszka, to approve the minutes of the April 4, 2012 meeting. All yes. Motion carried. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda: There were none New Business: 1. Review of City Codes for Environmental Implications Ms. Anderson stated the committee had decided to focus on three goals and had considered standing subcommittees to follow the goals. Ms. Anderson further stated the committee was to focus on energy use, a review of City codes and policies, including agriculture, building standards, future technology, green standards, encouraging use of energy efficient technologies, measuring how the city operations support environmental friendliness, and lastly, community sustainability, to provide a process for outreach and reporting. Ms. Antaya inquired as to resources for researching City ordinances and codes. Ms. Houser directed Ms. Antaya to the City website to look up the information. Mr. Kohs noted there may be policies and rules that are supplemental to the ordinances. Mr. Kohs noted that 15 x 15 is a resolution, not an ordinance. Mr. Kohs provided an example, such as the water department rules which discuss both customer service and the elements of providing water service. Ms. Anderson stated the committee’s charge was to provide service to the community, and to review additional initiatives that would continue to improve environmental policy. Mr. Myszka cautioned the committee as some measures may reduce energy use, but they may not be suitable for a neighborhood, such as wind turbines, which may be too noisy and may be an eye sore. 1 Mr. Myszka also stated wood burners could conserve energy, but may be an issue in a residential neighborhood. Mr. Kohs noted that a resident who wants GEO thermal energy may conflict with the City’s water rules. Ms. Antaya questioned whether it would it be easier to discuss specific concerns regarding environmental issues with each department manager. Mr. Kohs stated most issues he deals with are State requirements. Mr. Myszka stated the committee should look at their goals and determine what applies to this committee. Mr. Myszka stated the committee needed to clarify the end goals of the committee and address how the goals affect the citizens of Battle Creek. Ms. Anderson asked if the committee should decide on topics and end results. Mr. Myszka stated City staff evaluates how the rules affect the City. Ms. Anderson noted a concern regarding agriculture, such as urban gardening and livestock. Mr. Myszka asked if the committee was trying to understand current city standards regarding codes, i.e. farm animals. Ms. Anderson inquired as to building standards required by City codes, such as insulation. Mr. Kohs stated builders are required to follow BOCA codes, noting the City has never done anything to push beyond the current national building code standards. Mr. Kohs inquired as to what the committee is trying to determine. Mr. Kohs recommended the committee research what the city is currently doing, what more can be done, and if the commissioners want to review more. Mr. Kohs asked the committee what they wanted the City to strive toward environmentally. Ms. Anderson stated both the Sustainability Covenant and the 15 x 15 resolution referred to City operations, but asked if the committee should look at ways everyone in the City could use less energy. Ms. Anderson asked if there could be additional standards that could be required for new buildings, above the BOCA requirements. Mr. Kohs stated the increased energy standards would be left to the private sector to encourage. Ms. Anderson asked if the building codes could be changed to address more sustainable energy usage. Ms. Antaya stated the committee identified several goals that were important to the city, such as climate protection, renewable energy, and the Mayors Covenant. Ms. Antaya stated there had been discussions to look at how others in the city are doing energy-wise, but the committee decided to first look at the City’s usage. Ms. Antaya stated the second item was to look at the City’s codes and policies. Mr. Myszka recommended the committee look at environmental alternatives in a broad sense. Mr. Myszka recommended the committee members speak with professionals while researching alternatives. One example, Mr. Myszka stated, would be to talk with electricians and alternative energy providers to see what their experience has been with solar panels. Mr. Myszka stated professionals could inform the members as to any problems or barriers to alternative energy resources. Mr. Champlin recommended discussing geothermal heating with a heating expert. Mr. Myszka stated the City building codes would not address barriers to alternative energy sources. Ms. Anderson inquired as to the City’s green purchasing practices. Mr. Myszka stated this could be as simple as buying recycled paper, or more complicated, such as using biodiesel or buying green credits from the electric company. Mr. Kohs stated the City tried biodiesel in the past, but found it was not beneficial. Mr. Myszka stated a committee member could check with the purchasing 2 department to determine current practices. Ms. Antaya stated she would be willing to talk with experts to gain more information. Mr. Kohs asked the committee members what they were trying to achieve. Ms. Antaya stated she would like the committee to do some preemptive planning for sustainability or environmentally positive improvements. Ms. Antaya stated it would be beneficial to talk with residents to determine any barriers they may have experienced while trying to improve their environmental footprint. Ms. Anderson recommended the committee members choose a few topics to start with, and see what they learn and go from there. Mr. Myszka recommended they chose three topics to research so that the task does not become overwhelming. Mr. Kohs felt most barriers would come from State or Federal requirements. Mr. Kohs noted Battle Creek does not have environmental restrictions that extend beyond those requirements. Ms. Antaya stated wind turbines are a good example, noting the technology and costs are getting very reasonable, but most neighborhoods do not want them. Ms. Anderson stated the new technologies may not have state or county policies as yet. Mr. Kohs noted two alternative resources that may violate City ordinances. Mr. Kohs stated wood burners would be an issue as burning permits were only allowed for brush, noting residents are not allowed to burn leaves or rubbish within the City limits. Mr. Kohs also noted potential issues with wind turbines in residential areas due to noise ordinances and height restrictions near the airport. Ms. Anderson stated she and Ms. Antaya would research two or three topics to discuss at the next meeting. Ms. Antaya stated she would speak with some of the City Commissioners to determine their interests and concerns. Monitoring the City Commission Agenda Ms. Antaya inquired as to the availability of the City Commission agenda. Ms. Houser stated the agenda is available on the City website the Friday prior to a Commission meeting. Ms. Antaya noted the committee members should be reviewing the agenda to determine if they could be of assistance to the commissioners on specific topics. Ms. Anderson noted the committee has one Commissioner assigned to the committee. New Ground water ordinance Ms. Antaya asked about the prior evening’s City Commission meeting agenda item regarding ground water. Mr. Kohs discussed the Well Field Protection Ordinance. Ms. Antaya stated she believed there would be some business owners who will have difficulty with the ordinance. Mr. Kohs stated the guidelines apply to new businesses, noting existing businesses may not have all the restrictions, but need to evaluate the environmental issue on their sites. Ms. Anderson stated initially some people wanted to annex some property that was in the one year time of travel area, and there was a delay because of some legal issues that needed to be reviewed. Ms. Antaya stated existing businesses were concerned about the restrictions. Ms. Anderson stated she thought the issues were resolved. Mr. Kohs recommended the committee check with the Planning Commission. Old Business: Measuring Energy Usage 3 Mr. Myszka presented a report regarding the natural gas usage for the City of Battle Creek buildings. Mr. Myszka noted the first page is a summary of the information. Mr. Myszka then stated the second page list the EPA emission factors used in calculating CO2 emissions. Mr. Myszka noted the last two pages are examples of how the calculations work. The calculations were based on January usage. Mr. Myszka referred to the Capital Avenue property, noting the usage was 1.009 therms, which then equates to .006 tons of CO2. Mr. Myszka noted this amount is a trivial amount. Mr. Myszka noted the report was calculated for every bill provided, then referring to page one which showed the summary of CO2 emissions for city buildings. Ms. Antaya noted the report covered 40 buildings. Mr. Myszka stated that if the committee wanted to track emissions monthly, it would take 1-2 hours of labor per month. Mr. Myszka also noted it would take 20-30 hours to input data back to 2007, but this would give the committee the information needed to evaluate the progress toward meeting their goals. Mr. Myszka stated this would give the committee a better understanding of which buildings were the largest users of natural gas, helping the City determine measures that may be needed to reduce natural gas usage. Ms. Antaya asked if the report would be as effective if the committee chose one property to initially research. Mr. Myszka felt the review of only one property would not provide sufficient data to determine if the goals were being met. Mr. Myszka stated the 2008 bills referenced the 2007 usage. Mr. Myszka commented that now that the spread sheets have been created, it would be easy to input the new monthly data, noting the calculation part is done. Mr. Myszka stated the spread sheet could be used as a tool to look at usage trends and determine if buildings have gotten better or worse. Mr. Myszka noted there will be annual variables, such as milder weather. Ms. Antaya asked if the committee thought natural gas is a better measurement of CO2 emissions than electricity. Mr. Myszka stated there are three phases of direct emissions. Mr. Myszka noted phase one is from natural gas, as is wood. He further noted electricity is phase 2. Mr. Myszka noted the 15x15 resolution did not designate which utility to reduce, but he felt it was easiest to start with natural gas bills. Ms. Antaya noted there would be a skewing of results if the committee only researched one month per year. Mr. Myszka noted the worksheets would require approximately one hour per month to maintain, but to go back to 2007 it may take 20 hours, which may become burdensome. Ms. Anderson noted everyone is busy, and inquired if the committee could use an intern or student to input the data. Mr. Myszka stated this would be a good idea, and he would work to get permission from the Finance Department to obtain the information from Semco Energy. Mr. Myszka ask Ms. Houser to talk with Finance to obtain the information or permission. Mr. Myszka also noted the committee was unaware of any buildings that have been added or deleted in the last 5 years. Ms. Antaya stated the list of 40 buildings should be adequate. Mr. Myszka stated the report should include all buildings the City owns. Mr. Champlin stated he felt a statistical sample of the buildings would be sufficient. Ms. Antaya stated the committee should have all of the information, then sort out the top 5 largest users. Ms. Antaya stated this could provide the City with the information needed to determine where the majority of improvements need to be made. Ms. Antaya asked Mr. Myszka if he could provide a similar report of electrical data. Mr. Myszka stated the report contained the raw data, and the emissions factors, noting that the reports looked at phase one emissions, such as natural gas. Ms. Antaya asked if the worksheet could be used to measure CO2 emissions for all utility use, and asked if CO2 emissions were the best measurements to determine if the City was meeting its goals. Mr. Myszka stated a review of electrical usage may be a better tool to determine how the City could save costs. Mr. Champlin stated he was ambivalent about reducing carbon emissions, stating he was not sure if this is a worthwhile goal. Mr. Champlin stated he would encourage the Commission to make Battle Creek a good place to live and a good place for business to invest, asking the City to look at ways to reduce usage and costs instead. 4 Mr. Kohs stated the largest user of energy was at the incinerators at the Waste Water Treatment Plant, at one time the highest natural gas user in Calhoun County. Mr. Kohs asked if the committee should instead be looking at the quality of life in Battle Creek. Mr. Myszka stated the committee needed to determine what the Commission set as the goals. Mr. Kohs stated the City of Grand Rapids met their goal by purchasing green energy from Consumers Energy. Mr. Myszka noted the committee does not know what the original numbers were, which made it difficult to show the progress to goals. Mr. Myszka stated the City may have already met their goals with several of the initiatives already made, such as the green roof, and changes at the waste water treatment plant. Mr. Champlin stated the goal would be to say to the Commission “You made this commitment; this is where you are as you progress to the goals.” Ms. Antaya stated she cares about the goals because the commitment was made and she is a resident, and she expects the City to uphold the commitment. Ms. Antaya stated she was hopeful the initiative saved money for the City budget, which may assist the City to establish their priorities. Mr. Champlin stated he felt the committee’s time may be better spent on other environmental initiatives that involved residents, such as river clean up. Mr. Champlin further stated other environmental efforts would bring residents together to improve environmental quality. Ms. Anderson noted some environmental goals are for the better of the City as a business. Mr. Champlin stated he felt the committee should focus on environmental improvement, and that the City already focused on costs. Mr. Kohs recommended the committee request the committee’s Commission representative recommend to the City Commission to have staff report on the status of the 15 x 15 goals. Ms. Anderson stated one of the goals of the committee was to save staff additional work. Mr. Kohs stated the committee could look at all of the city data and research the sources and amount of energy use starting in 2007. Mr. Myszka stated this committee needs to know what information the City Commission wants regarding their goals. Mr. Kohs stated the only renewable usage is the wood chip furnace at City Hall. Mr. Kohs stated renewable energy is what the commission was looking for, but wood causes CO2 emissions. Mr. Myszka stated the spreadsheet was a tool that could be used to provide the information to the Commission. Mr. Kohs recommended the committee make a recommendation to the Commission to have staff research the energy usage from the last 5 years to determine if the City is progressing toward the goals set in the 15 x15 resolution. Mr. Kohs further stated the research needs to be done to determine if the City is fulfilling the policy. Ms. Antaya questioned whether this policy was important to the new city commissioners. Mr. Kohs stated the committee should remind the Commission of the commitment made in 2007 and let them know the Environmental Policy Committee feels the commitment is important and more information is needed to determine the current progress. Ms. Antaya stated this information could assist the committee members in making additional recommendations. Mr. Myszka stated the goals may have already been met, but data is needed to determine this. Mr. Kohs stated the committee needs to let the Commission know the renewable energy policy is important, and they feel this is a valuable way to protect the environment. Mr. Kohs also stated the prior Commission made the commitment and requesting the report makes them either move forward or not. Mr. Kohs stated he felt a request to the Commission for a current status report was reasonable, as it is almost year 2015. Mr. Myszka motioned, Ms. Anderson supported, requesting the City Commission generate a report on the status of the 2007 Renewable Energy Policy, also known as the 15 x 15 Policy. All yes, none opposed. Motion approved. 5  Promoting BC green efforts: Ms. Antaya stated the committee needed to address directly the impact that green activities has on the quality of life in the City. Ms. Antaya stated she would like a brochure created that promotes the environmentally positive efforts in the City, such as recycling and water quality reports. Ms. Antaya stated the purpose of the brochure would be to promote Battle Creek as a green city to live in, to attract and keep business. Mr. Kohs recommended a motion to the City Commission to prepare a brochure regarding Battle Creek’s green activities. Ms. Antaya expressed a concern that the committee not adds more work and costs to the City budget. Mr. Kohs stated the committee can make recommendations to the City Commission. Mr. Kohs stated that if the Commission likes the idea, they will determine a way to get it done. Mr. Champlin inquired who the target market would be for the information. Mr. Champlin suggested realtors and the Chamber of Commerce may use the information. Ms. Antaya thought the brochure would have a positive benefit in bringing people to the city. Mr. Kohs reminded the committee members the Environmental Policy Review Committee was assigned by the City Commission. Mr. Kohs further stated the Commission made a commitment in the past and to determine the progress of the goals, research would need to be done. Mr. Kohs also stated the City Commission could direct the City Manager to complete the report, and the City Manager would then assign the task to staff or would hire a consultant to research. Next meeting: The next meeting is scheduled for August 1, 2012, at 4:00 PM. Adjournment Ms. Anaya adjourned the meeting at 5:45PM. VLH 6