Stormwater Oversight Commission Regular Meeting

Stormwater Oversight Commission Ottotorium Agenda Packet 1300 Market Ave. SW Grand Rapids, MI 49503 July 24, 2023 @ 2:00 PM Ottotorium Members: Julie Wildschut, Member Carlos Calderon, Member Katie Doyen, Member Brandon Simon, Member Kristine Bersche, Chair Ken Yonker, Member Jack Barr, Vice Chair Randal Meyering, Member Staff Members: Carrie Rivette Michael Staal Kolene Allen Daniel Taber Chad Reul Legal Counsel: Copies To: Tammy Helminski Wendy Ogilvie Cara Decker Scott Saindon Joe Sulak 1. Meeting Called to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes Approval of Minutes from April 24, 2023 5. Correspondence 6. Reports i. Asset Management ii. Public Education A. Whitecaps Game B. Commission Night Out C. LGROW Spring Forum iii. Project of Focus - Seymour Square 7. Old Business Generated 7/18/2023 08:53 AM  i. Annual Report Presentation 8. New Business i. Vital Street Goal Updates 9. Agenda Items for Next Meeting i. Grant Opportunities 10. Date and Time of Next Meeting 11. Public Comment 12. Adjournment Generated 7/18/2023 08:53 AM  1.4.1 Stormwater Oversight Commission Water Resource Recovery Facility - Ottotorium 1300 Market Ave SW Monday, April 24, 2023 – 2:00 PM MINUTES Members Present: Brandon Simon, Katie Doyen, Jack Barr, Ken Yonker, Kristine Bersche, Randal Meyering Others Present: Carrie Rivette, Chad Reul, Dan Taber, Michael Staal, Brian Bradley, Jen Smerecki, Shanyn Minutes Acceptance: Minutes of Apr 24, 2023 2:00 PM (Approval of Minutes) Viars, Brent Geurink, Nate Williams, Jared Grabinski, Tiffany Berry, Cara Decker, Michelle Storey Approval of Agenda Motion by Katie Doyen, supported by Jack Barr, to approve agenda for April 24, 2023. MOTION CARRIED Approval of Minutes Motion by Jack Barr, supported by Katie Doyen, to approve the minutes from January 23, 2024. MOTION CARRIED Correspondence Only correspondence was from members Julie Wildschut and Carlos Calderon indicating they were unable to attend. Reports i. Asset Management Chad Reul presented. Jen Smerecki got us on EGLE reporting year. Changed goals per discussion from last meeting. Just getting started with stormwater cleaning. Televising is showing more aggressive goals, and are no longer contracting out. Doing televising and repairs in-house before road construction. Excited about savings and wins. Added a lot of televising equipment, with new truck last year. 176,625 new goal (same as new goal for main cleaning). Catch basin cleaning updating to new goal of 3670. New goals allow for cleaning out once every 5 years. Jen Smerecki – After going through whole system once, can tell things are much better. Biggest issue this spring has been silt sacks and debris caught in grates – the catch basins are not full. Have had far fewer emergency calls. Packet Pg. 3  1.4.1 ii. Public Education – Home Show Carrie Rivette – Home show in March. Distributed 200-300 coloring books and information. Teamed up with the Water Department. 2nd year back from COVID hiatus. Dan Taber – Show overall is still struggling to get up to speed. Lots of businesses aren’t going because they already have too much work. Questions and discussions with residents is higher level and well engaged for the environmental services booth. Also had Water Pool-ooza the week after, with attendees very engaged with learning about the water cycle. Minutes Acceptance: Minutes of Apr 24, 2023 2:00 PM (Approval of Minutes) iii. Project of Focus – The Highlands Carrie Rivette presented. The project is fully constructed and plants are growing. Transformed 1,500 feet of buried pipe into 2,000 feet of stream, flood storage, and native habitat. Trees and shrubs have been installed. Old Business i. Capital Budget Change Carrie Rivette Presented 2024 catch basin/manhole lining is being covered by budgets substation of the 2018 transfer pad and sanitary pump station ($199,848). This will be new capital again in the out years. ii. Capital Improvement and Asset Management Plan Addendum Carrie Rivette – City gave EGLE revisions for asset management plan that we have been talking about with new annual goals, etc. New Business i. Value of Partnership Report Shanyn Viars and Cara Decker Presented Decker - National municipal stormwater alliance meeting presentation (giving this presentation Thursday to national group). Difficulties for stormwater managers – aging infrastructure, more regulations, and increasing rainfall events. Michigan doesn’t have stormwater utility, so that is an issue for funding. Michigan collaborative spirit between groups, this report puts a dollar value on that collaboration – in reducing MS4 compliance cost. Packet Pg. 4  1.4.1 Grand River watershed background given. Lower Grand Watershed – 23 permitted ms4 communities/townships/school districts GR area and lakeshore. Shared strategy, common goals, resource exchange. Been able to go above permit requirements – shared data, ordinance requirements, etc. LGROW formed – beyond stormwater permit compliance – lots of grants as well Viars - Looking at dollar value – other reports (CA and NH for phase II). Adjusted for inflation, compared to Grand Rapids budget expenditures. Differences based variations (percentage of cost expenditure) cost categories for each MCM – reduce variations Minimum Compliance Measures. Grand Rapids spending significantly less is in some areas associated with LGROW activities - Public education and participation. IDEP, Post construction stormwater management etc. Minutes Acceptance: Minutes of Apr 24, 2023 2:00 PM (Approval of Minutes) Forecasted - $2.5 million over 10 years is saved due to LGROW. Savings $130k-$300k /yr with LGROW. Improves staff efficiency and fiscal capacity. Taber - This covers approximately 1 year’s worth linings etc. Rivette – Savings between interjurisdictional changes. Only sample outfalls to water with agreement that upstream communities will sample if something is found. Viars – Administrative time saved and split across all partners. Yonker – County probably save $200k, plus Lansing is dealing with 1 organization not every individual. LGROW probably saves 2 staff people because of the work they do. Viars – didn’t cover $15 per person of 300K reached. Didn’t add all the costs from each activity. (residential stormwater projects, etc). Barr – how is LGROW funded? Rivette – we pay $35k per year, all communities pay in. City staff cost category is 2-5% of time for Public Education, would be far higher without LGROW. LGROW conceived in late 90s, back then only 2 communities with permits, and all of the rest were on one. Thought to get it done together and develop watershed management plan – enables us to be eligible for grants. Dan – LGROW annual meeting and celebration – boat trip on Grand River (Spring Forum). ii. Annual Report Carrie Rivette Presented. Commissioner comments were helpful for catching typos and formatting issues. Page 48 (report page 12) note 99.7% storm main cleaned instead of 100%. Partially due to getting record keeping in order in changing to EGLE reporting year. Need to revise table on Page 6 of report to reflect this. Ball Ave, College Ave, Caesar Chavez etc projects will be removed and volume/acreage will be revised accordingly, as will cost. Packet Pg. 5  1.4.1 Barr – Are these projects started? Bradley – 2 have started, 2 have not yet gotten under way. Rivette – These are supposed to be calendar year, not fiscal year. We have never had that issue getting the reporting between departments. Motion by Jack Barr, supported by Katie Doyen, to approve amendments. MOTION CARRIED. Minutes Acceptance: Minutes of Apr 24, 2023 2:00 PM (Approval of Minutes) Agenda Items for Next Meeting • Glen Echo and/or • Seymour Square Date and Time of Next Meeting The next meeting will be held July 24, 2023 at 2:00 PM at Water Resource Recovery Facility – Ottotorium at 1300 Market Ave SW. Public Comment Taber – Community Master Plan engagement kicked off in January and February. Evening May 18th will focus on climate and social/environmental justice. Lots of people and engagement so far and looking to continue that progress. Last week vital street had their quarterly meeting – people enjoy seeing their progress. Looking to update some of the metrics after a few years under their belt. Some questions of maintenance etc. Bersche – neighborhood summit will be heavily geared toward master planning process and what community wants. MTEC location, all day on May 20, 8-4. MTEC. Adjournment Motion by Jack Barr, supported by Katie Doyen, to adjourn at 2:47 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. 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