Green Team

Morgantown Municipal Green Team January 8, 2018 Meeting 5:30–7:00pm Minutes I. Attendees: Holly Purpura (chair), Abby Cayton and Ken Means (WVU Mechanical Engineering), Pam Cubberly (by Skype), Joe Kanosky, Chris Haddox, Jim Kotcon, Jenny Selin, Judith Wilkerson, and Jing Zhang. Visitors included Joel Brown and City Council Member Barry Wendell. II. Old Business and Project Updates ● LED Streetlights Study presentation of results (Abby Cayton, Ken Means, and Joe Kanosky) Abby Cayton discussed results from her summer internship study aided by a PowerPoint (available on request from Pam Cubberly). Among other merits, LED lamps use 40%–80% less electricity than the high-powered sulphur lights currently in use in Morgantown. LED lights last as much as 22 years (100,000 hours). Numerous cities have installed LED streetlights resulting in substantial savings in electricity and maintenance costs, despite the higher installation cost. With some 2,000 streetlights in the city’s downtown alone, switching to LEDs could be a major contributor to the City of Morgantown reaching the goals of its climate action plan, now under development. LEDs can also improve lighting conditions for drivers as well as help prevent crime. Discussion: City Council and the City Manager will probably want to know more about (1) the impact of cold weather on LEDs, (2) which type of LED will become favored by markets in the long term, (3) how LEDs could help reduce crime, and (4) who would install and service the lights. The team then spent time discussing the challenges and logistics the City faces in replacing current streetlights with LEDs. Jim Kotcon saw three options for moving forward: (1) copy the model used by Potomac Edison if it has a tariff in Maryland, (2) the City buys all streetlights in the city and installs LEDs itself, or (3) the team helps the City work to find some better option. It is important to quantify color data on streetlights and look for studies on impacts on crime (including talking with the Morgantown police department). The City could choose LEDs not only to save energy but simply because they will reduce the City’s carbon footprint. Is the City willing to switch for larger goals the City will set in its climate action plan? Asked what the City Council would need from the team to consider LED streetlights, Barry Wendell answered the same as provided by the IAC study: recommendations based on data. Jim suggested that City Engineering and Paul Brake would know what would work and could work with the Green Team on a proposal. Abby mentioned that the complete LED study report includes specific options listing both pros and cons for each, mostly on cheaper options with good performance. Jim also suggested the team compare the High Street LED installations with what the team is studying. Clarksburg’s experience may also be useful to look at. Joel Brown asked if the team and City could also look at reducing light pollution of streetlights as well. Actions: Abby Cayton agreed to (1) spend time this semester to follow up on her LED study based on suggestions made by team members, (2) send team members her complete reports on LEDs and energy audits, (3) send Jim Kotcon the Hagerstown report on its experience with LEDs, and (4) on Feb. 5, present results from the Health Department energy audit. Actions: Barry Wendell agreed to (1) ask Paul Brake to put Abby on agenda for January COW to present study results to Council so it can consider moving the effort forward and (2) get back to the team on a team presentation/proposal to the Council on LED street lighting. 1  Action: Jim Kotcon, Joe Kanosky, and Chris Haddox agreed to continue staying involved in follow- up to Abby’s study. Action: Jim will contact Lisa Sauborn at WVU’s sustainability office on how the university handled installation of decorative LED lights on campus. Action: Jing Zhang will try to obtain a copy of the tariff negotiated by Hagerstown, MD, through a friendly contact. ● Status City Implementation of IAC recommendations and budget request in City budget (Team) Holly asked Barry Wendell what progress the City had made implementing IAC recommendations from its 2016 energy audits of City buildings. He said he didn’t know but would look into it.  Action: Holly, Jim, and Joey will meet Jan. 10 to discuss a team proposal to Council on implementation of IAC recommendations (including proposing a budget amount to request for this work for 2018), as well as the draft climate action plan.  Action: Holly will keep Alex Davis (and therefore Dr. Gopala) informed on discussion of City implementation of IAC recommendations.  Action: Barry Wendell agreed to ask the City where implementation of IAC recommendations stood and if the City was asking for budget for it in 2018. [Note: Barry Wendell later emailed the team that Paul Brake intended to include money in the 2018 City budget for implementation of various IAC recommendations, probably “low-hanging fruit” first.] ● Status of draft Climate Action Plan for City Council (Jim Kotcon) Jim Kotcon reported that work on the draft climate action plan had been slowed by the need for current data, especially on energy expenditures. He hoped to have a draft CAP later in January for the team to look at, which will also include data from BOPARC on the impact of green space. He noted that City carbon emissions are about 2% (including MUB, BOPARC, and streetlights) of those emitted by Morgantown as a whole. He noted that concerted effort by the City on energy efficiency, fuel-efficient vehicles, streetlights, solar panels, and renewable energy might achieve CAP goals in 5– 6 years. He noted that the City’s ice rink makes up 70% of BOPARC’s energy budget so renovation focused on energy efficiency could be very important. Jim also noted that Assistant City Manager Alex Stockdale was researching green roofs for some City buildings. These roofs can be cost-effective if carefully designed. Retrofitting existing roofs can be expensive as weight is an issue. Action: Jim will (1) continue working on the first draft of the draft climate action plan and (2) get more information to the team on Assistant City Manager Alex Stockdale’s efforts on green roofs for one or more City buildings. Action: Holly will also ask Joey James if he can represent the team when BOPARC discusses energy efficiency during the ice rink renovation. ● MMGT Long-Term Planning Process (Jing Zhang) After Jing provided background on the team’s long-term strategic planning process, he handed out copies of one key appendix, the team’s proposed 2018 Project List, for team comment. Holly and Jim both thought it was a great list. Jenny Selin liked its breadth and inclusivity and called it valuable. Jing pointed out that the list would be reviewed annually in January and adjusted based on progress and team priorities. Ultimately, this 5-year strategy will lay the basis for City review of environmental goals in its next comprehensive plan, so is a work in progress. 2  Pam Cubberly, who had worked on the strategy at earlier stages, said that the list serves to clarify the team’s own annual project work, which generally focuses on energy efficiency, renewables, and recycling, and does not duplicate work on other goals already undertaken by other individuals, groups, or agencies in the Morgantown area, which the team also tries to support. The aim is for various citizens/groups to respond to all general environmental goals of the current Comprehensive Plan (if not specific projects mentioned in the original plan). The list also indicates to existing or new team members team-approved projects that new members or other groups might take on, encouraging cooperation within the city on the City’s comprehensive plan. It was agreed that team members could look for others in the community who might be interested in becoming a team “partner” in further shaping and implementing some of the list’s ideas that the team is not addressing, for instance, green space and a green building code. Action: Jing will plan to present the Green Team Strategic Plan with 2018 projects to the City Manager and Council after team review of the draft strategy at the February monthly meeting, which he will send to team members before the meeting to give them a chance to review carefully. Action: Jim Kotcon and Holly Purpura both volunteered to identify possible new partners on some of the projects proposed for 2018 in the strategic plan. ● Development of LEED-based public education materials (Jing Zhang) Jing Zhang said he had begun to develop informational flyers on living green, based on LEED-based information. He hoped to adapt the information to Morgantown needs and create flyers with graphics that could be distributed in the city. The purpose is to present the LEED-related information sheets with graphics to simplify education on green building topics for city residents. Action: Jing will prepare a sample informational sheet for the team’s review before the February meeting. ● 2018 WVU recycling grant application (City grant writer or GT intern?) The team discussed how to move forward on obtaining a WV state grant for recycling public information and other goals, which it had not yet succeeded in completing for several years. The City had recently hired a grant writer, so contacting her seemed a first step. Jim Kotcon noted that Amanda Stoner, the team’s recycling intern in 2015 is now back and in grad school and would be happy to pass on files of her previous work on the application. Action: Holly will ask City grant writer Robyn Hess if she is available to write a 2018 proposal for WV recycling funds. Action: Jim Kotcon said he would send Amanda’s files to Holly Purpura. III. New Business and News None. IV. The meeting ended at 7:00pm. The next regular monthly meeting will be Monday, February 5, 5:30– 7:00pm in Morgantown Public Library’s Conference Room #2. 3