Sustainability Advisory Commission Meeting

APPROVED June 5, 2018 CITY OF URBANA, ILLINOIS SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY COMMISSION Council Chambers, Urbana City Building Tuesday, May 1, 2018 Commissioners Present: Chairperson Stacy Gloss, Dustin Allred, Andrew Stumpf, Morgan White Commissioners Absent: Claire Johnson, Todd Rusk, Tesfaye Wolde-Medhin Staff Present: Scott Tess, Barb Stiehl, Marcus Ricci Call to Order, Roll Call, and Declaration of Quorum Chairperson Stacy Gloss called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Barb Stiehl called the roll and a quorum was present. Changes to the Agenda There were no changes to the agenda Approval of Minutes Motion was made by Ms. White, second by Mr. Stumpf, to approve the minutes from the March 6, 2018 meeting. Motion carried. Motion was made by Mr. Allred, second by Mr. Stumpf, to approve the minutes from the April 10, 2018 special meeting. Motion carried. Communications Staff Report Scott Tess provided an update on the Climate Action Plan. He reported that Solar Urbana- Champaign 3.0 would be launched within a week or so; the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) would be issuing a press release announcing the details of the program. The first Solar Power Hour for Champaign County would be scheduled for Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. in the Independent Media Center. Mr. Tess reminded the Commission that the solar energy program had been expanded to include Piatt County. The Solar Power Hour for Piatt County would be held on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. in the Monticello Municipal Building. He added that future dates would be posted on SolarUrbanaChampaign.com. Mr. Tess told of the City of Urbana Arbor Division Arbor Day Celebration. He explained that the Urbana Rotary Club collaborated with Dr. Holly Rosencrantz and Warren Lavey to provide $10,000 to purchase 85 additional trees for planting in the City right-of-way. He added that of the 209 trees purchased, no single species made up more than 5% of the total trees purchased, which was a goal identified in the Climate Action Plan to reduce the possibility of tree disease devastating the City’s forest. In addition, he said that Climate Action Plan had a goal of no single genus of more than 15% and no single family of trees of more than 30%. He mentioned that a ceremony recognizing the participants and the beginning of the tree planting season was held at an Arbor Day Celebration held on April 27, 2018. 1  APPROVED June 5, 2018 Mr. Tess informed the Commission of a public engagement discussion at University High School in which staff had participated on the topic of a low-carbon diet. Staff participated in the Urbana Realtors’ Tour and discussed the City of Urbana’s sustainability efforts. Staff met with the League of Women Voters meeting to present information about energy and climate topics. Staff attended an Urban Planning class at the University of Illinois to discuss sustainable planning. Scott Tess said that Urbana Park District staff will present a program about food scrap composting as a park program on May 5, 2018. Registration will be required. Mr. Tess mentioned that the scheduling of the program would be timely since it will occur on the same day as the composting bin sale. Mr. Tess informed the Commission that the Electronics Recycling Event scheduled for May 19, 2018, was fully booked. He said that the pre-registration for the electronic recycling drop-off had been very helpful in reducing the wait time for participants. He added that since a need for these types of events seemed necessary, more electronic recycling events might be scheduled, so he encouraged residents to check the City’s website frequently to learn more about upcoming events. The next meeting of the Urbana Sustainability Advisory Commission will be held on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. Morgan White asked if there would be any changes to the Solar Urbana Champaign program. Mr. Tess said that any changes would be outlined in a press release that would be distributed within the next week. Stormwater Presentation Justin Swinford from the City of Urbana Engineering Division discussed the Stormwater Utility Fee, its purpose and history. Mr. Swinford stated that the maintenance of the current 142 miles of stormwater infrastructure within the City of Urbana was underfunded. He mentioned that some of the system was over 100 years old. He explained that the Stormwater Utility Fee (SUF) was established to repair broken pipes, reduce street flooding and avoid water pollution. He explained that the SUF was a service charge for the repair and improvement of the City’s drainage infrastructure, which related impervious surfaces to stormwater runoff. Residential properties paid approximately $5.35 per month based on an average of 3,100 square feet of impervious area. Commercial properties were billed based upon the total amount of defined impervious area on their property. To measure the impervious area, Mr. Swinford said that aerial photography and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology were used to determine the fees for commercial properties. Mr. Swinford reviewed the history of the SUF from 2009 to its implementation in 2013. He said that the program currently had a budget of $1.5M. He explained that the funds were used to repair, replace, televise and clean the storm sewers. Stacy Gloss asked what televising sewers entailed. Mr. Swinford explained that a robotic camera would go through the sewer line to look for cracks or holes or joint disrepair in the sewer pipe. He continued his presentation saying that the City was preparing a request for proposal to develop a stormwater master plan, which had not been done 2  APPROVED June 5, 2018 since the 1980s. The goal of the plan would be to develop best practices for stormwater management. Mr. Swinford explained that property owners could receive rebates on their SUF by minimizing water run-off on their property. Mr. Swinford described improvements, such as a pervious driveway or bioswale that would be evaluated to determine if it reduced the amount of run- off or improved the quality of the water that entered the waterways. He added that residents would receive a discounted rate if they purchased a rain barrel during the City’s event. He mentioned that the installation of a rain garden would result in a reduced SUF. He said that given the cost of a rain garden, staff would be looking at ways to provide more incentives for those who install rain gardens. Ms. White asked if the plan was in the budget. She asked if incentives and rebates were one-time payouts or if they were allowed over time. Mr. Swinford indicated that the plan would be included in the FY18/19 budget. He indicated that the type of method used to reduce the amount of run-off or to improve the quality of the water would determine the benefit to the property owner. He discussed how property owners might approach a reduction in SUFs. Mr. Allred asked if green infrastructure and best practices would be used to improve water quality. Mr. Swinford discussed the storm screens that were installed at the Boneyard Creek as one way to improve water quality. Ms. White asked if there would be any public input. She felt that the plan should include the impact of global warming, the incorporation of green infrastructure and included in the request for proposals for the stormwater master plan. She also suggested the inclusion of education about the types of plants that support a healthy environment. Mr. Swinford stated that not only infrastructure would be in the plan, but also water quality and aesthetics. He mentioned that it was important to include education and the promotion of practices that protect the groundwater sources. Ms. White hoped that the master plan would include information that linked flooding and climate change. Mr. Swinford said that staff included education as part of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. Dustin Allred asked how the plan would be incorporated into new subdivision planning to capture opportunities to address stormwater in new developments. Mr. Swinford said that the City could analyze how what practices were currently used and how to improve. He said that the City could consider different aspects to evaluate priorities and focus on them to provide better education, green infrastructure and water quality. Marcus Ricci asked that Planning be involved in the review of subdivision planning as part of the stormwater master plan. He felt that adding the components of education and green infrastructure into the request for proposals would draw different companies to submit proposals. 3  APPROVED June 5, 2018 Andrew Stumpf asked if the plan would take into account pending State guidelines as part of the plan. Mr. Swinford said that State guidelines would be referenced and changed within the City’s plan as needed. Ms. White asked if a percentage of the money could be set aside for stormwater projects and designated for green infrastructure projects. Mr. Swinford stated that most of the funds would be used for repair and maintenance of existing infrastructure. He said that the repair and maintenance could incorporate green methods if available. He said that staff had incorporated new methods as appropriate. Mr. Tess asked about the new modeling software purchased by the Engineering Division. Mr. Swinford explained that new sewer modeling software was purchased in 2017 to use GIS to develop a living model of the sewer infrastructure in Urbana. He said that the software had been extremely useful for developing infrastructure for the sanitary sewer. He said it would be used as stormwater master plan was implemented. Chair Gloss asked if there was other information to let the public know about preserving water quality or providing cost savings related to stormwater. Ms. White suggested directing water from downspouts into grassy areas and not on concrete driveways and sidewalks. Mr. Swinford said that people should disconnect footings from going directly into the storm sewers. He urged people not to pour anything into the drains since it goes into the streams without being filtered. Ms. White suggested not washing vehicles in driveways. Mr. Swinford said that washing vehicles at car washes was better than washing them in driveways since the water was processed through the sanitary sewer system. Ms. White suggested planting a tree as a way to improve water quality. Continuing Business Carbon Reduction Activities and Costs Scott Tess reported that Stacy Gloss, Bill Gray (Public Works Director), Eric Jakobsson (Council Member), Diana Marlin (Mayor) and he met to discuss how best to move toward upgrading the City’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2040. Mr. Tess discussed recommendations presented by Council Member Jakobsson at an earlier SAC meeting. Mr. Tess reported that the suggestions would not be possible to implement, but there were other suggestions presented at their recent meeting. Mr. Tess said that the group decided to review literature to determine what activities or strategies were being used in other communities. He said that this review would be helpful as the 4  APPROVED June 5, 2018 commission prepared for the update to the Climate Action Plan. He added that if any members had resources they wanted to share, they were encouraged to do so. Mr. Stumpf recommended review of the U.S. Department of Energy programs as helpful. Ms. White suggested looking for the whole community activities that promote carbon reduction. Mr. Tess stated that their highest goal was for carbon neutrality by 2040 for the entire community, not just City facilities, so suggestions for all community-wide strategies would be useful. Chair Gloss asked that commissioners look for strategies to reduce carbon. She said that they might find simple strategies that would provide great benefit. Mr. Tess said that the commission should avoid a long list of possible solutions, but should look for effective strategies that would result in significant reductions. Chair Gloss asked if public input would be sought. Mr. Tess was requesting literature review of common sources within the scientific community. Ms. White asked if there were communities that had been successful in greenhouse reduction. Mr. Tess said that there had been communities with successful programs, but he did not recall specific ones at the time. Mr. Stumpf asked if there were any parameters to consider. Mr. Tess recommended looking at strategies that could be modeled within the existing software currently available. He said that measurements were frequently in kilowatt hours and therms. He suggested that the achievements be measurable as opposed to speculative. He asked that the strategies be established by the end of the calendar year. Ms. White suggested measuring social cost of carbon and contacting communities that have had success in reducing greenhouse gases. Chair Gloss suggested continuing the discussion of strategies during future SAC meetings to help with the development of measurable goals in the revised Climate Action Plan. New Business There was no new business. 5  APPROVED June 5, 2018 Announcements Backyard Composting Workshop Anita Purves Nature Center May 5, 2018 10:00 a.m. Build Rain Barrel and Compost Bin Sale Parking Lot North of the City Building (400 S. Vine Street) May 5, 2018 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Bike Month Activities Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8:12 p.m. This meeting was recorded. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Stiehl Recording Secretary 6