Sustainable BC Committee

City of Battle Creek Sustainable BC Committee 150 N. Kendall St Room 204 Battle Creek, MI Wednesday, November 2 , 2016 4:00 p.m. Members Present : Comm. Flores, Tiffany Welsh, Kurt Tribbett, Susan Anderson, Kathy Antaya, Sarah Kelly, Comm. Helmboldt Members Absent : Christine Kosmowski, Comm. Faris, Michael Myszka Others : Alicia Sackett, Deputy City Clerk Call to Order : Comm. Flores called the meeting to order at 4:13pm, noting a quorum was present. Public Comment : There were none. Approval of Minutes : A motion was made by Susan Anderson and supported by Kathy Antaya to approve the minutes from October 5, 2016. All yes, none opposed. Minutes approved. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda : There were none. Member Updates/Reports: City Energy Efficiency : Kurt Tribbett shared that the Secondary WWTP project is moving along. A study was done on the high service water pumps showing a possible estimated 37% energy saving with some adjustments and upgrades. Environmental Programs Update : Tiffany Welsh stated the new Calhoun County Community Calendar is in the works and will go through a new designer this year. The photo contest has now begun for next year’s calendar. Ms. Welsh is currently working on the May 12, 2017 Children’s Water Festival. Ms. Welsh also noted that the City has received a Wellhead Grant from the State of Michigan which will be around $40,000. City Commission updates : Comm. Helmboldt stated that the new police station will be built at the downtown location, adding that the fate of the green roof is still undecided. There are ongoing discussions around the design for the old space all the way to the river. Ms. Welsh will be contacting the green roof guy in the spring. Kathy Antaya would like to be involved with landscape of the new grounds, if community input is allowed. Comm. Helmboldt is confident that environmental impact is being considered. The Committee discussed the responsibility and maintenance of the plantings downtown area and the existing rain gardens. Comm. Flores asked if this Committee would like to be kept up on the discussions around urban agriculture and farm animals, noting that the Planning Department have been doing a lot of work in this area. Sarah Kelly stated that manure disposal is a concern. The Committee discussed some of the manure disposal issues. Comm. Flores will gather more information and bring it back to the Committee. Ms. Welsh will contact Waste Management to get guidance on how to properly disposed of manure. Old Business : Comm. Flores introduced Ms. Welsh to go over the Sustainability Plan. 1 Ms. Welsh stated the changes made were minimal since the Plan was shared with the Committee last meeting. Comm. Flores handed over Ernesto Reyes’ research to Ms. Welsh, as she has been assigned to the Sustainability Plan. The Committee discussed Values Vs. Guiding principles to be addressed at the beginning of the Sustainability Plan. Ms. Welsh suggested the title be changes to the “Environmental Sustainability Plan” due to the focus of the Plan. Comm. Flores shared some Guiding principle examples, which the Committee discussed. Comm. Flores mentioned the National Guard Plan had a presentation about threats in the community and how they would be handled. Ms. Welsh stated Chris Dopp has offered to come to a future meeting to review the discussion that took place at the at the National Guard meeting. Comm. Flores shared there is a lot of movement around environmental justice with a set of principles and the impact on different groups. The Committee discussed environmental justice and equity. Ms. Welsh will take these ideas and revamp the Plan:  Quality of life  Changing climate  Social environmental justice  Inter-dependence The Committee discussed community engagement. Comm. Flores would like to address the following at the next meeting:  Draft of values  Areas of focus and goals New Business: New member application discussed by the Committee for Olivia Jayacar. A motion was made by Ms. Antaya to accept the application and supported by Ms. Anderson. All yes motion passed. Comm. Flores will take it before the City Commission. The Committee discussed the environmental impact on all levels of planning within the City. Member Comment/Announcements : If anyone has questions for Chris Dopp please contact Ms. Welsh. Next Meeting : The next meeting of the Sustainable BC Committee is scheduled December 7, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. at the Department of Public Works in Room 204. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 5:36 PM by Comm. Flores. 2