Sustainable BC Committee

City of Battle Creek Sustainable BC Committee 150 N. Kendall St Room 204 Battle Creek, MI Wednesday, December 2 , 2015 4:00 p.m. Members Present : Susan Anderson, Comm. Andy Helmboldt, Tiffany Welsh, Michael Myszka, Randall Champlin, Kurt Tribbett Members Absent : Kathy Antaya, Christine Kosmowski Others : Alicia Sackett, Deputy City Clerk Call to Order : Susan Anderson called the meeting to order at 4:07 PM, noting a quorum was present. Public Comment : None Approval of Minutes : A motion was made by Comm. Andy Helmboldt, supported by Michael Myszka, to approve the October 7, 2015 meeting minutes. All yes, none opposed. Motion approved. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda : None New Business: A. Ms. Anderson introduced City Manager Rebecca Fleury to speak on SBC and City Goals: Ms. Fleury spoke on the goals set by the City Commission for the manager for the next year relating to Environmental Stewardship within the City. Ms. Fleury stated Environmental Stewardship is one of the 8 results for the City’s goals and objectives, defined by the Commission, Community and Staff, noting a Results Definition Map will soon be available showing what Environmental Stewardship means. Ms. Fleury stated this information is also available on the City web site:  Participate in the Sustainable BC Committee to ensure coordination of efforts. Ms. Fleury will attend some future meetings. Ms. Welsh and Mr. Tribbett are also available as staff representative’s to assist with answering any questions.  Complete or build upon energy audits of all City facilities. Ms. Fleury stated the previous Asst. City Manager of Operations was in the process of looking at what audits have been done and coordinating all of the facilities. Audits have been done for City Hall, Full Blast and Kellogg Arena, however different vendors were utilized and it has taken some time to review the results and determine what we are responsible for moving forward.  Ms. Fleury stated that we are working to determine if we need an individual employed by the City to oversee all of our facilities. Energy is a large component to the future plans.  Ms. Fleury stated they have had an ongoing conversation with the community and staff with regards to the Police and Fire facilities, they are aged and in need of immediate attention.  Ms. Fleury stated the City is looking to implement a Green Purchasing Process and looking at possibly doing some shared purchasing with the County for cost savings. Comm. Helmboldt shared with the Committee that they had done a bit of research on Green Purchasing and would be able to share what they have.  Explore a sustainable and/or environmental strategy with measurable goals for the City. The Committee discussed how to ensure these goals are measurable.  Explore Low Impact Development (LID) and where it can be used.  Participation in the County Solid Waste Oversite Committee. The Committee discussed how many of them may be able to fill some of these roles. B. Guest, Sara Kelley of the Calhoun County Solid Waste Committee gave an update;  Ms. Kelley shared that Cheryl Vosburg from the City of Marshall has replaced Ken Kohs, serving in a municipal role on this committee. Many roles are still available: a City staff member would be an asset that they are now lacking. Applications are available on the County’s website.  Ms. Kelley spoke about the future endeavors of the Committee including working on the land fill agreement for the County, looking at expansion. 1 C. Ms. Fleury shared that the Waste Hauler bid approval process will be addressed at the December 15, 2015 City Commission meeting.  Ms. Welsh informed the Committee that the current contract will expire in April 2016; larger 96 galloon rolling recycling carts for residents and price increases are minimal and solid waste handling will be simplified. Ms. Welsh stated residents will still have unlimited curbside pickup and we are also looking at the possibility of allowing residents to keep the bins if they choose. Approval of 2016 Sustainable BC Committee Schedule : A motion was made by Comm. Helmboldt, supported by Mr. Champlin, to approve the 2016 Sustainable BC Committee schedule. All yes, none opposed. Motion approved. Nomination of a Committee Chairperson and Vice Chairperson: Ms. Anderson nominated Comm. Helmboldt as Chairperson, supported by Mr. Myszka. All yes, none opposed. Motion approved. Comm. Helmbolt nominated Ms. Anderson as Vice Chairperson, supported by Mr. Champlin. All yes, none opposed. Motion approved. Member Updates/ Report s: A. City Energy Efficiency Activities Mr. Tribbett informed the committee that the City’s DPW facility has now done a propane conversion with a new tank in the ground, stating this helps with the cost per gallon. The cost savings is estimated at ½ the price per gallon of gas with a loss of only 20% of the power. Mr. Tribbett further stated Transit has reported the same amount of power as the buses currently in use. Mr. Tribbett stated the City is looking to convert other City vehicles down the road, noting this project is funded by a grant from the State of Michigan. Mr. Tribbett also stated the City would not be affected by a propane shortage, due to our pre-purchasing of the fuel. B. City Commission Updates Comm. Helmboldt stated there are no additional updates beyond Ms. Fleury’s report. Comm. Helmboldt addressed potential impact this committee could have on the environmental design of any new facilities for the City. Ms. Anderson encouraged the committee to look at other LEEDS certified communities for information and ideas the City may find valuable, stating they could discuss this further at the Work Session on January 6, 2016. Ms. Welsh stated she would like to move the Green Roof currently on the Police station. C. Environmental Programs Update Ms. Welsh promoted the new 2016 Clean Water Partners Calendar. Ms. Welsh also informed every one of the Children’s Water Festival on Friday, May 13, 2016 at KCC. Ms. Welsh stated the City is looking into new storm water updates to our Ordinance and to our Technical Reference Manual in the near future. Ms. Welsh also stated that the City is looking at the possibility of including a storm water utility feasibility study in our current SAW grant. Old Business Ms. Anderson informed the Committee that she called around to see how many cities had a Utility Czar or Facilities Director, noting only three Cities in Michigan: Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Dearborn. D. Review/Reset Committee Goals Ms. Anderson recommended committee goals be addressed at the next meeting also looking at potential Green Purchasing and comprehensive environmental sustainability strategy ideas. Comm. Helmbolt stated he would get information on what goes into being LEEDS certified. 2 Committee Comment /Announcements : There were none. Next Meeting : The next meeting of the Sustainable BC Committee is scheduled for February 3, 2016 at 4:00 p .m. at the Department of Public Works in Room 204. The work group gathering will be January 6, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. at the Cricket Club. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 5:40 PM. 3