Environmental Sustainability Council

Environmental Services Council Agenda Thursday, June 20, 2013 7:30 - 9:30 pm Dogwood Room, G Corridor 1. Call to Order 2. Public Comments 3. Approval of Minutes (May 2013) 4. New Business 5. Old Business  Stormwater  Promoting bicycle transportation 6. Discussion items  State legislation topic: Community Net Metering 7. Informational Items  Power Purchase Agreement- Mount Vernon Unitarian Church Workshop 8. Other Business 9. Set Next Meeting 10. Adjournment The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability call (703) 248-5456, (TTY 711).  Falls Church Environmental Services Council Thursday June 20, 2013 - 7:30 - 9:00 pm Dogwood Room, G Corridor DRAFT Minutes - Prepared by Ray Arnaudo 1. Call to Order - Members present: Peter Adriance, Ray Arnaudo , Sarah Bayldon , Peter Oppenheimer, Bill Schellstede and Tim Stevens (Chair) - -Staff present: Allison Lohrenz - -Council attendee: Phil Duncan 2. Public Comments - none 3. Approval of Minutes (May 2013) -- approved. 4. New Business - The Chair announced that Public Works Director Bill Hicks was leaving for a new position in Fairfax County. Cindy Mester, the Assistant City Manager, was named the Interim Director of Public Works, until a replacement can be hired. - The Chair alerted the ESC that the City Council will soon be asking Boards and Commissions to comment on the South Washington Street small area plan. We will have 45 days to comment, after the time it is referred to Council, and it was agreed we would make our usual recommendations on the need for consideration of bike transport, electric vehicle charging stations, and renewable energy power sources. 5. Old business - Storm water. Councilman Phil Duncan joined in the discussion of the City’s storm water initiative. It was agreed that the city government needs to step up its public outreach and explanation of what steps are being taken and what the costs will be to individuals. The success of the new  rain garden in Lincoln Park to retain storm water on site was noted, and Allison Lohrenz explained that the City is preparing better signage to explain how the drainage is improved by the development of rain gardens. - Promoting Bicycle Riding in Falls Church. The Chair brought up the paucity of bike racks around commercial establishments and offered to draft a letter to one firm he had recently discussed this problem with. The management had suggested that it would encourage his commercial supporters to consider funding the more parking facilities for bicycles. It was agreed to explore the City’s position on construction requirements for bike racks, noting the need for need buildings to provide these simple amenities. 6. Discussion Items - Community net monitoring- The Chair asked the ESC to think about Community Net Metering as an issue for our annual letter to City Council recommending legislation for the 2014 State General Assembly. Community Net Metering is a method of sharing credits from a renewable energy net metering arrangement with investors, congregants, etc, many of whom cannot install such systems on their own property. The ESC will take this issue up at its July 18 meeting. 7. Informational Items - Power Purchase Agreement Next Steps – It was announced that there will be a public workshop on power purchase agreement at the Mt Vernon Unitarian Church on June 23, and members were encouraged to attend. The state of Virginia adopted legislation to allow the sharing of the benefits of alternative energy source, which still needs to be implemented by State Corporation Commission. The ESC will continue to explore likely engagement of this program by Falls Church citizens and organizations. 8. Next meeting: July 18 (Minutes: Updike) 9. Adjournment - at 9:00