Environmental Sustainability Council

Falls Church Environmental Services Council Thursday, February 16, 2012 7:30 - 9:30 pm Dogwood Room (Level G), City Hall MEETING AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Public Comments 3. Approval of Minutes (January 2012) 4. New Business • Earth hour proclamation • LEED standards for the TJ addition • Starting time for the ESC meetings 5. Old Business, Discussion items • Storm Water Management Plan • Amendment to the By-Laws (draft attached) 6. Informational Items 7. Other Business 8. Set Next Meeting 9. Adjournment  Environmental Services Council Meeting Minutes February 16, 2012 ESC Council members: Bill Schellstede (Chairman), Peter Adriance, Juanita Bowman, Tim Stevens, Raymond Arnaudo, Peter Oppenheimer City staff liaisons: Allison Lohrenz, Kathy Allan Meeting called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Bill Schellstede. Public Comment: Matthew Able and Claire Constance, George Mason High School seniors, made a presentation on “Transition Falls Church,” a community‐led movement which aims to build a self‐reliant, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure in the Falls Church area powered by local food, energy, economy, and ingenuity. The aim of “Transition Falls Church” is to unleash the collective genius of Falls Church citizens to respond to the issues posed by climate change and peak oil while simultaneously building a closer, tighter‐knit community. Able announced a community film screening on February 18 at 4:00 p.m. of In Transition 1.0 at the Falls Church Community Center. He also indicated that a web site was being developed and members of the initiative could best be contacted at TransitionFC@gmail.com. ESC members expressed support for the initiative. The January 19, 2012, meeting minutes were approved as corrected. New Business LEED Standards for the Thomas Jefferson Elementary School Addition – Members engaged in an extensive discussion of the pros and cons of encouraging City Council to build the TJ Elementary School addition to LEED silver certification standards. It was agreed that the timing and impediments to certifying only part of a building made it impracticable to push for LEED certification. In lieu thereof, it was proposed that City Council be asked to adopt a citywide LEED Silver Certification standard for all new construction. A motion was proposed, seconded and unanimously approved authorizing ESC to approach the City Planning Commission and the City Economic Development Authority to request that they support the ESC’s call for the City Council to adopt a LEED Silver certification standard for all new construction. If they agree, ESC will propose a joint letter to that effect. If neither is supportive, ESC will send its own letter to the City Council. Meeting Start Time: It was decided that the ESC meeting start time would remain at 7:30 p.m., in large part because the city staff liaison remains after normal work hours to participate in the meeting. It was stressed that best efforts should be made for the meetings to start promptly at 7:30 p.m. Old Business Watershed Management Plan: City Council has requested input from the ESC by February 27 (or at least March 6) at which time the City Council will be voting on whether to adopt the proposed watershed management plan. (Approving the plan does not commit the city to spending money on it.) It was generally agreed that the City’s adoption of an appropriate watershed management plan is essential to helping improve the health of the watershed, in particular the Chesapeake Bay. The ESC nevertheless has a number of questions and concerns regarding the proposed watershed management plan that need to be addressed before it can unreservedly indicate its support for the plan. A motion was made, seconded, and approved to indicate support in principle for the watershed management plan while expressing some concerns about implementation, cost, and the importance of crafting incentives to influence homeowner behavior in a positive manner (e.g., increasing permeable surface areas and reducing stormwater run‐off). Tim offered to prepare a draft letter for ESC to send to City Council. Amendment of the ESC By‐Laws: It was moved, seconded, and unanimously approved to adopt the proposed amendments to the ESC’s by‐laws (attached). Allison Grant will verify with the City Clerk that this is sufficient to amend the by‐ laws or whether City Council must approve the amendment. Informational Items Tour of Alexandria Wastewater Treatment Plant: Tim proposed some general time frames for a tour of this Plant. It was agreed to target a weekday during the second half of April. Other Business End of Kathy Allan’s Tenure as City staff liaison: Kathy announced that this would be the last ESC meeting she would attend as city staff liaison. ESC members recognized Kathy Allan’s exceptional service over the last several years and expressed its their gratitude for all of her work in support of the ESC. Allan has been promoted to Public Works Superintendent for the City. Allison Lohrenz will replace her as city staff liaison to the ESC. NEXT MEETING: March 15, 2012 Meeting adjourned at 9:22 p.m. Minutes submitted by: Peter Oppenheimer