Sustainable BC Committee

City of Battle Creek Environmental Policy Study Committee 10 N. Division St. Conference Room 302A Battle Creek, MI Wednesday, February 6, 2013 4:00 p.m. Members Present: Susan Anderson, Chris Simmons, Tiffany Eichorst, Randall Champlin, Comm. Andy Helmboldt (4:09), and Michael Myszka (4:03) Members Absent: Ken Kohs and Kathy Antaya Others: Vicki Houser, City Clerk Guests: Christine Kosmowski, Calhoun County Water Resources Commissioner, Devon Gibson and Becky Spicer, Sprout Urban Farms Call to Order: Sue Anderson called the meeting to order at 4:02 PM. Ms. Anderson noted that a quorum was present. Public Comment: There were no public comments. Approval of Minutes: Sue Anderson asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes. Hearing none, a motion was made by Randall Champlin, supported by Chris Simmons, to approve the minutes of the December 5, 2012 meeting. All yes. Motion approved. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda: There were none. New member recommendations Ms. Anderson introduced Devon Gibson and Becky Spicer, both of Sprout Urban Farms, noting they have both submitted applications to the City Manager’s Office to be members of the Environmental Policy Study Committee. Waste Water Treatment Plant Proposals: Richard Beardslee, Superintendent, Waste Water Treatment Plant, discussed the Pulverdryer process being considered at the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Mr. Beardslee noted the solids handling portion of the water treatment process is very costly and sometimes problematic, but currently produces a beneficial nutrient rich product that can be used for land application 8 months of the year, while the material is incinerated the remaining 4 months of the year. Mr. Beardslee stated the new process is expected to costs 2/3 less than current costs. Mr. Bearslee noted the City is looking at a 20 year contract with the Springfield, MI company, stating the City is looking at processing all waste, along with Waste Management, to produce enough energy for a 100 Megawatt facility. Lastly, Mr. Beardslee stated the City is looking at starting construction this summer, but still needed a letter of 1 intent from the company, to include City staff as the City does not want the project to cause any employees to be laid off. Tracking the 15 x 15 Resolution Mr. Beardsley stated the Biomass Boiler that heats City Hall and the Police Department accounts for more than 15% of the City’s building square footage, therefore helps to meet the goal of 15% renewable energy resources. Mr. Beardslee stated this along with the new waste water treatment plant may exceed the 15% goal. Ms. Anderson stated she would like the committee to have more definitive figures regarding progress on the 15 x 15 goals. Mr. Myzska stated Ken Kohs believes that steps taken thus far have met the goals, but the specific data collection is very time consuming. Ms. Anderson requested Ms. Houser obtain the data regarding utility usage for years 2011 and 2012 for natural gas, electric, propane and biomass wood chips. Mr. Myzska requested the contact information for the wood supplier, noting different types of wood have different BTUs. MML Green Communities Challenge Ms. Anderson stated the Michigan Municipal League’s Green Communities Challenge will help the committee track their goals, noting the website is easy to follow, providing an action list with links for each item, and referencing other cities’ plans and experience. Ms. Anderson noted the challenge allows cities to add up points for awards. Municipalities Contacts – report on feedback Ms. Anderson stated committee members contacted several other communities to discuss their experience with the MML Green Communities Challenge. Most committee members reported the other community representatives were easy to talk with and gave the MML Green Communities Challenge good recommendations. Next Steps Comm. Helmboldt agreed the committee should participate in the MML challenge, as this would help the committee both set and achieve environmental goals. Comm. Helmboldt recommended the committee determine what points the City may currently be eligible for, and look at opportunities to get more points. Mr. Simmons recommended a joint workshop with the Environmental Policy Study Committee and the City Commission, with a presentation from a representative of another city who has participated in the MML Challenge. Ms. Anderson noted the MML Challenge required a staff member from the City to be on the agreement, suggesting Ken Kohs or possibly the new environmental staff person. Ms. Anderson stated she would get information for Comm. Helmboldt to discuss with Mayor Baldwin. Ms. Anderson stated she would like to present a strong proposal highlighting the energy savings, grant potential and networking possibilities with other communities. Ms. Anderson noted the checklist needed to be submitted by October. 2 Comm. Helmboldt agreed to talk with Ken Kohs to co-present a resolution to participate in the MML Green Challenge to the City Commission, focusing on the energy savings and the grant potential. Possible Committee Name Change and addition to purpose Tiffany Eichorst suggested a change to the committee’s name to Sustainable BC to better reflect all of their goals. Chris Simmons noted the change would need to be approved by the City Commission. Randall Champlin agreed to draft a new purpose statement, adding the wording “cost-effective,” so that the purpose modification and name change proposal could be discussed at the April meeting, for recommendation to the City Commission. NEW BUSINESS: Recycle Stations Downtown The committee discussed the possibility of adding city maintained recycling bins downtown alongside trash bins. Comm. Helmboldt stated Mr. Tsuchiyama indicated that the placement of recycle bins in the downtown area would be problematic as people may place non-recyclables in the bins, which would then require City staff to sort. Comm. Helmboldt stated Mr. Tsuchiyama did not feel the City had staff to maintain this project at this time. Ms. Eichorst offered to call Waste Management to determine how “pure” the recycled materials needed to be. Mr. Helmboldt and Mr. Simmons volunteered to speak with the City Manager to request one recycling bin downtown to see if it might be too time consuming for City staff to pick up while they were emptying the trash bins. Ms. Anderson stated she would explore grant opportunities for purchasing bins if all of the preceding looked positive. MEMBER COMMENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. Anderson reminded the Committee members of the Fifth Annual Sustainability Conference at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute on March 16, 2013. Ms. Anderson also informed the Committee of the Green Community Network, accessible at www.mml.org/green, where the newsletters were available. Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Environmental Policy Study Committee will be held on Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at 4:00 PM. The next Work Group will meet on March 6, 2013 at Arcadia. Adjournment Ms. Anderson adjourned the meeting at 5:50 PM. 3