Sustainable BC Committee

City of Battle Creek Sustainable BC Committee 150 N. Kendall St Room 204 Battle Creek, MI Wednesday, June 3, 2015 4:00 p.m. Members Present : Susan Anderson, Comm. Andy Helmboldt, Michael Myszka, Randall Champlin, Christine Kosmowski, Tiffany Welsh, Kurt Tribbett Members Absent : Kathy Antaya, Devon Gibson Others : Vicki Houser, City Clerk Call to Order : Sue Anderson called the meeting to order at 4:06 PM, noting a quorum was present. Public Comment : There were no public comments. Approval of Minutes : A motion was made by Mike Myszka, supported by Andy Helmboldt, to approve the April 1, 2015 meeting minutes. All yes, none opposed. Motion approved. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda : Ms. Anderson moved the Commission update to the beginning of the agenda. Member Update : Comm. Helmboldt provided an update to the Committee on recent discussions of the Commission and City Manager, noting they continued to discuss goals and objectives regarding environmental sustainability. Comm. Helmboldt also discussed the discontinuation of the PulverDryer Project, noting they were not able to dry the product sufficiently to make the project work. Mr. Tribbett stated the City would continue to look at other alternatives. New Business: A. 15 x 15 Policy: Ms. Anderson noted the City did not meet 15x15 Policy goals, suggesting the Committee draft a letter to the Commission, making recommendations for future projects to consider, suggesting a presentation at the August meeting. B. Food Policy: Ms. Anderson noted the City is currently reviewing its Master Plan, stating the Committee could recommend they consider urban farming opportunities, such as front yard gardening, and raising chickens or rabbits. Ms. Welsh noted complaints drive some of the policies, such as composters in the City. Comm. Helmboldt expressed hope the review of the Master Plan will allow more flexibility regarding food policy. C. Letter of Recommendation: Mr. Champlin discussed BC Vision’s 3 pillars, specifically to increase jobs, increase job readiness to fill jobs and a culture of vitality, stating they will start announcing workshops for each of the goals. Ms. Anderson presented to the Committee a draft letter to be sent to the BC Vision Steering Committee. Comm. Helmboldt recommended adding a reference of “culture of vitality” to the letter. Mr. Myszka asked if BC Vision was a think tank group or a foundation group to create programs. Comm. Helmboldt stated the group was developed by the Kellogg Foundation, to increase involvement in economic development. Ms. Kosmowski expressed her opinion the Commission and other groups would be better working together. Comm. Helmboldt stated the Commission has had a lot of participation in the BC Vision process, stating an additional goal was to work with small business entrepreneurs, creating a one stop shop for information and assistance. 1 Mr. Champlin noted both the Mayor and City Manager were on the Steering Committee. Mr. Myszka recommended Ms. Anderson include some information about the Green Communities Challenge and their rating criterion for consideration in BC Vision’s planning activities. Ms. Kosmowski discussed a Blue Economy document, recommending it be reviewed when discussing the culture of vitality or jobs. Old Business 1. City Commission Update: Comm. Helmboldt informed the Committee of a joint workshop with the Commission and senior staff to set priority budget goals, stating the environmental language will be tweaked, but kept. Comm. Helmboldt stated City staff would elicit goals or targets from community stakeholders also. 2. Report to City Commission: Mr. Champlin and Mr. Myszka agreed to review and update the report to the City Commission. Ms. Anderson agreed to resend the document to everyone. 3. Energy Efficiency Studies : Mr. Tribbett stated they were still looking at ways to process solid waste, including drying the product and landfill after incineration. Mr. Tribbett noted issues with the incinerator, stating the cost of the scrubbers is high and EPA regulations were changing soon. Mr. Tribbett also discussed studies in progress, including aerators at the WWTP, chemical feeds in the end product, iron removal, the water tower on Beckley Road and solar panels at the Verona Wellfield to produce energy credits from Consumers Energy. Ms. Anderson asked if the consultants on the projects were able to gather information about total energy use, including heating, electrical and water usage. Mr. Tribbett stated he would inquire as to how they were analyzing the data. Mr. Myszka recommended determining the City’s environmental footprint, noting it would be a lot of data to collect. Mr. Champlin asked what the purpose of that information would be. Ms. Welsh stated the City would be able to measure what could be saved with the projects Mr. Tribbett discussed, stating this would provide a baseline. Mr. Myszka stated it would be nice to have the data to consider other opportunities/priorities. Ms. Anderson noted the City of Kalamazoo used interns for their study. Comm. Helmboldt stated there would need to be a high level of data collected, stating the City was not prepared to do this at this time, stating they would need a system for managing the data. Ms. Kosmowski asked how other municipalities dispose of their solid waste, recommending Mr. Tribbett research Grandville’s process. Mr. Tribbett stated consultants Jones & Henry were assisting the City with alternatives, stating he will keep everyone up to date on the next steps. 4. Discussion on Denso fieldtrip: Mr. Myszka thanked everyone for coming to the Denso tour, stating they enjoyed sharing their ideas. Mr. Champlin complimented the facility, stating it was very impressive and the Battle Creek community was lucky to have them as an employer. 5. Solar Recycle Bin: Ms. Welsh stated there has not been much use in its current location, stating it will be moved to Festival Market Square, stating they were hoping to get a better gauge of its benefits. Committee Comment /Announcements Mr. Myszka discussed the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail organization’s efforts to develop the linear link between Calhoun County and South Haven, noting the trail currently ends in Galesburg, 9.5 miles to Battle Creek. Comm. Helmboldt discussed a recent agreement with the Calhoun Conservation District to manage the Metcalf Lake property that was donated by Mr. & Mrs. Binder. Ms. Kosmowski informed everyone that the Calhoun County Commission unanimously approved the Pace Program. Ms. Anderson recommended everyone experience Kimball Pines and the Ott Preserve, talking about the Calhoun County Trail. 2 Next Meeting : The next meeting of the Sustainable BC Committee is scheduled for August 5, 2015 at 4:00 pm. at the Department of Public Works in Room 204. The work group gathering will be in July, with a date to be determined. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 5:31 PM. 3