Stormwater Committee

Stormwater Committee Meeting June 26, 2023 Human Resources Training Room 1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:04 PM. 2. Roll Call: Roll was called by Barbara Brumbaugh. Committee Members in Attendance: Roger Baxter (Committee Chair) Traycie West-Pinkoski Markiella Moore (Committee Vice Chair) Michael Poyner Vic Nicholls – arrived 6:22PM Michael Battle Crystal Bloom (Engineering Manager) Cory Wolfe (Assistance City Attorney) Barbara Brumbaugh (PW Environmental Program Manager) Absent Committee Members Mario Aponte Kevin Walker Others in Attendance: Jannelle Logan – (PW Stormwater Engineer IV) Citizens in Attendance: None 3. Meeting Minutes Minutes from the April 2023 meeting were approved. 4. PW Operations Report – Barbara Brumbaugh o Keith Braziel, Facilities Project Manager, is in a temporary role as the Acting Operations Administrator. Markiella asked who he reports to – it is the Public Works Director. o Barbara presented the Operations Report that covered the last 2 months. -1- 5. Engineering Update – Crystal Bloom, Janelle Logan o Crystal provided a budget update. Public Works presented the proposed Capital Improvement Program to City Council last month (in May). The program and budget were approved. o The only new project is the Rural Roads Crossings project. o Markiella asked what the project is and Crystal explained that it is intended to help the farming community by improving some of the crossings in the southern section of the City and prevent farm lands from flooding. o Janelle said that on June 7, 2023 the State Air Pollution Control Board voted to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is the source of funding for the Community Flood Preparedness Fund (CFPF) grant program. The future of the program is uncertain. o There is still funding available for another round of grants, and the state is supposed to release an updated grant manual. There is no expected date for the grant manual. o Janelle gave an update on the HRPDC Flood Sensor project. o 20 flood sensors have been installed throughout Hampton Roads. Chesapeake has them on Dock Landing Rd and Battlefield Blvd. o Water is measured by a pressure transducer. The sensors alert at 2 inches below the road surface and 2 inches above the road which is considered a flood condition. o Roger asked how the sensors are tested. Janelle explained that there are 2 interfaces. o Crystal said they want to ensure that the reporting is accurate. There is a lot of non-public information for the localities and it can be very useful for grant applications. o Mike P. asked what happens when water is 6 inches or 1 foot above the road surface. The sensors record the water height. o Janelle can set up notifications through Hydrosphere/Xylem. o Roger asked if there is a public interface. Janelle said there is. Barbara will distribute this to the Committee. o Crystal said that the HRPDC got a grant that covers 75% of the cost, and eventually there will be about 200 of the sensors in the Region. o Barbara asked which notifications can be set up. Waze is already set up. 6. Revised Bylaws – Cory Wolfe, Barbara Brumbaugh o There was a motion and second to rearrange the meeting agenda and vote on the updated bylaws. o Markiella asked about the quorum requirement which states “a majority of regular members”. Does that mean 50% plus 1? She asked why vacant positions are included. Cory explained the quorum and why the Committee is allowed to continue business if positions are not filled within a certain amount of time. o The Committee voted to approve the revised Bylaws. Roger will need to sign the official copy. -2- 7. MS4 Update – Barbara Brumbaugh o Barbara sent the link to the most recent MS4 Annual Report last month and asked if there were any questions. o Markiella noted that many of the links within the report did not work. The City’s web page was updated after the report was drafted which is likely the cause. Barbara will see if there is a way to repair the links without revising the report. o Staff from the Elizabeth River Project have been invited and will attend the September meeting to present on the partnership contract with the City of Chesapeake. o Barbara reported that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is starting to work on reissuance of the Phase I MS4 Permits in Virginia. 10 of 11 Phase I Permits in Virginia are expired. The Phase I and Phase II programs are distinguished by population. 8. Old Business/New Business o Markiella noted that the Committee can use alternates in order to achieve a quorum. Barbara mentioned that there currently are no alternates on the Committee. o Markiella asked if Barbara can send out a meeting reminder earlier in the week (Monday) in the week prior to the meeting, with the Committee asked to RSVP on their attendance no later than Thursday prior to the meeting. On the Friday before the meeting the alternate(s) can be contacted to attend if needed. o Markiella also requested that the meeting minutes reflect whether an absence was excused or unexcused by noting “excused” next to the absent Committee members’ names. o Markiella requested that staff provide an update on the City’s Preliminary Resilience Plan at next month’s meeting. o Barbara noted that next month’s meeting will be held in the Public Works 3rd Floor Conference Room as there will be renovations underway in the 4th Floor Training Room. Committee members will still need to meet in the City Hall lobby at 5:50PM to be escorted. The meeting was adjourned at 7:04 pm. Minutes approved by the Committee _____________________________ Date _____________________________ -3-