Green Team

Morgantown Municipal Green Team February 5, 2018 Meeting 5:30–7:00pm Minutes I. Attendees: Jim Kotcon (chairing meeting, Energy Chair), Abby Cayton (WVU Mechanical Engineering), Pam Cubberly (Secretary), Penny Dacks (see below), Karen Kalafat (small business owner), Joe Kanosky (NETL), and Jing Zhang (transportation planner) II. Introductions Welcome to visitor Penny Dacks, representing the Climate Committee of Mountaineers for Progress. Penny and other MFP members organized a recent climate change awareness event cosponsored by a number of local nonprofits and raised money for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico, drawing attention to climate-related concerns of extreme weather events and impacts on both ecosystems and people. The events included speakers, booths, and hands-on activities and could serve as a model for other climate change–related events. III. Project Updates ● City recycling under the new contract (Karen Kalafat) Karen had emailed both City Manager Paul Brake and Republic Services to obtain a copy of the first quarterly report on recycling metrics (amounts and kinds). The team would like to review these data when the City receives them. Downstream Strategies had been contracted by Mon County to obtain similar information for the County, which was to include Morgantown-specific data too. Karen also noted that in 2012 the City’s vendor for recycling was contracted to support the “Clean City Concept.” That document still appears on the City’s recycling webpage. She is not sure if the current contract is still based on this concept or if the document on the site is up to date. Holly has twice talked with Paul Brake on progress on recycling with Republic Services since its acceptance as the likely City contractor on trash and recycling. Paul said would send the team an update for the March 5 meeting. He also hoped to have the team provide input on the final contract, in terms of wording for current sections rather new content. Jim is drafting a list of initial questions on recycling for Paul but had waited until this meeting to finalize his questions. ● City application for 2018 WVU recycling grant (Pam Cubberly for Holly Purpura). Holly, who could not attend that day’s meeting, had told Pam that Friends of Deckers Creek was applying for funding for a recycling intern to work with the City on a 2018 application for state funding of recycling information and other items. She would supervise this intern under FODC auspices. Amanda Stoner has offered to transfer her files and information to a new intern when hired. Action: Holly and Jim will continue to interface with the City Manager on recycling and encourage team review and input on City recycling progress. ● Funding request for team (Pam for Holly). Holly had been putting together a request for funds from the City for various reasons, mostly to develop and produce educational and outreach materials, and perhaps more. She had emailed team members to submit ideas for that request before February 2, the 1  deadline for budget requests. She heard from a few members and has submitted the budget request to the City, so it is too late to get anything more in the budget. ● Final team approval needed now on draft long-range plan and project list (Jing Zhang). Regular members of the team had been sent the latest draft of the 2018 Green Team Long-Range Strategy/Plan. As attendance was low at this meeting, Jing suggested that the discussion and team approval take place at the March 5 meeting. We will need a quorum for this meeting, if possible. After its formal adoption by the team, Jing will integrate all feedback and arrange to present the team- approved plan to the City Council at its March 27 (7:00pm) Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting. Attendance by other members will emphasize the importance of this plan to the team. These documents will apply to the next 4–5 years until the City develops another Comprehensive Plan when, ideally, the Green Team revise its own plan and contribute to the environment section in the citywide plan. Each January, the plan will be reviewed in terms of the coming year’s teamwork. Action: Jing will complete the document with member input to present for member approval on March 5. He will present the final version at the March 27 COW meeting. Action: All members are encouraged to attend the March 5 meeting after reviewing the documents; please send Jing any comments before the March 5 meeting. Members are also encouraged to show their support by attending the March 27 COW meeting if possible. ● Joint presentation: Public education on green homes and living green in general (Jing Zhang, MMGT, and Penny Dacks, MFP) Jing updated the team on his progress developing locally based public education flyers on green homes, based on LEED information. Each flyer would provide accessible and essential information with graphics, concrete steps, and contacts for more information. He has been working on flyers on water and energy efficiency, including lighting. Discussion: Several team members suggested ideas or related ideas, including involving partners, such as Lowes, Walmart, and the Sierra Club, in distributing such information, possibly through special promotions, although it would be important to check with the City on partnering with specific businesses. Penny then discussed related ideas under consideration by the Climate Committee of Mountaineers for Progress: The Committee recently decided to organize a March for Science on Earth Day involving a number of local, nonprofit partners and [now to take place at the Farmer’s Market shelter on Saturday, April 21]. Organizers, who welcome the Green Team’s involvement, hope to provide space for booths for a variety of purposes, speakers, hands-on activities, and possibly involving downtown or other businesses in some way. Karen suggested that the team could have a booth on Morgantown’s development of the climate action plan, City progress on climate change goals, and of course, publicity of the Green Team itself. Action: Jing will continue to expand his public education materials and present a finished example at the next meeting. Action: Penny will work with team members to further develop a multi-sponsored effort for Earth Day, including the Green Team. Pam, Holly, and Jing all expressed interest in supporting the effort as they have time. 2  Action: Pam will call the president of Mainstreet Morgantown (Charlie McEuen) to see if that organization might partner on a downtown Earth Day event this year or in the future. She will send out any information on the event to the wider Green Team and the team’s list of citizens interested in the environment. ● Update: Draft Climate Action Plan for City Council (Jim Kotcon). Jim noted that little progress had been made on the draft plan. Later discussion raised the idea of asking for funding to develop this plan ideally by a consultant with the right expertise as part of a general funding request that Holly Purpura will propose to the city. This work builds on past City and team efforts, such as the three-year baseline emissions study completed under contract with Downstream Strategies several years ago. ● Presentation: Energy audit of the Monongalia County Public Health Center (Main Building) (Abby Cayton, Ken Means, and Joe Kanosky). Main points:  The study was undertaken by a team of students from WVU’s Mechanical Engineering Department, advised by Dr. Ken Means  Abby first described basic information gathered or measured on the building, such as size, window area, energy use, number of lights, and type of HVAC system.  She then described Equest, a DOE program that models energy use in buildings, as well as the Energy Star Program, which compares the energy efficiency of buildings using utility bills, building type, and building occupancy to assign a score from 1 to 100; buildings with scores of 75 or higher are considered Energy Star buildings.  Among other data from the analysis, the building scored 61 under the Energy Star Program and emitted 203.7 metric tons of CO2e in 2017.  The study team concluded there are many easy and relatively inexpensive ways to save energy and money in the building, as well as specific, more expensive options that have a much larger payback. Main recommendations included (1) updating to LED lights and adding motion sensors; (2) installing a direct digital control system to the HVAC system; (3) weather stripping doors; and (4) monitoring energy data every year using Portfolio Manager. No specific action was decided on at this point by the team. ● Update: City implementation of IAC recommendations and line item in City budget to fund. City Manager Paul Brake had agreed previously that, in 2018, City engineers would take on “low- hanging fruit” in the IAC recommendations and would make funds available for this work. Holly, who could not attend the team meeting, later reported that she had met with Paul Brake earlier this year and then spoke again with him by phone on progress since then. Paul will try to attend the March 5 meeting but may be delayed by travel from Michigan that day. He did state that he had budgeted $12,500 in the 2018 budget for implementation. The City has already implemented many of the IAC recommendations, such as installing motion sensors and LED lighting. IV. New Business and News ● Proposal: Project to develop City employee energy efficiency handbook (Karen Kalafat). Karen is exploring this idea as a possible graduate project with Chris Haddox at WVU. She asked for team feedback. It seems like a good time to revive the idea along with addressing recommendations of team-initiated City energy audits. Such guidance would be to project and other City managers on eliciting employee support. It would focus on behavior and purchasing practices. 3  She said that the team had explored or produced a draft document on this idea years ago but she could not find it. Pam said the idea had also been mentioned at past meetings in later years but no one had taken it up. She may have that earlier file in past Green Team files received from former chair, Chris Haddox. She had also downloaded information several years ago of models for this type of effort made by other cities. She mentioned that the City of Aarhus in Denmark (which she visited last fall) had organized City staff “champions” who played a role in modeling or encouraging employees in various departments on conserving energy. Action: Pam will look for any earlier file on the topics to send to Karen. Action: Per the team’s feedback, Karen will continue to pursue the idea. [She later found the earlier document and will pursue the project idea. ● Energy efficiency and City Hall renovations. Joe Kanosky also reported that the National Energy Technology Lab (NETL), whom he represents on the team, had hosted a site visit by City engineers, which they requested due to their interest in NETL’s green roof. Joe had provided a presentation, design drawings, and a tour of the roof. NETL staff also discussed with City staff other energy-saving initiatives incorporated into their new buildings and renovations of existing buildings. In discussion, City staff (engineers?) raised the issue of historic preservation; the City had obtained a grant from the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office (WVSHPO) and had to provide various renovation designs to WVSHPO for approval, which included several alternative window designs to change out the old single-pane windows in City Hall to new more energy-efficient ones. However, all of these window designs have been turned down by WVSHPO to date. V. Next meeting The next regular monthly meeting will be Monday, March 5, 5:30–7:00pm in the Morgantown Public Library’s Conference Room #2. For more information, email Holly Purpura, chair, at holly@deckerscreek.org. 4