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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 07/03/19910 . • MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD 281 N. COLLEGE AVE. - CONFERENCE ROOM JULY 3j 1991 Board Members Presen Deni LaRue Harold Swope Bill Miller Chuck Davis Phil Friedman Steve Erthal Tim Johnson Board Members Absent (excused Christine Ferguson Will Smith Staff Present Tom Shoemaker Edith Felchle Julie Bothwell Bob Poncelow Jaime Mares Minutes It was moved, seconded, and unanimously approved that the Minutes of June 5, 1991 NRAB meeting be accepted with typographical corrections on page two in paragraph three ("fowl" instead of "foul"), and on page six in paragraph four ("than" instead of "that"). Introduction of New Members Johnson welcomed Phil Friedman and Steve Erthal to the NRAB, and members introduced themselves. Development Services Director Selection Process Jaime Mares, City of Fort Collins Employee Development Director, was present to describe the process of selecting a Development Services Director. Dave Donaldson, of Ralph Anderson and Associates, has been hired to help search for candidates to fill the position. They are looking for someone with background in all the divisions/departments under Development Services. A four-year degree in a related discipline is required; an advanced degree is desirable. The primary criteria the candidate must meet relate to management and interpersonal skills. Candidates should know what key questions to ask and how to interpret or evaluate the analyses and recommendations they receive from their staff. The position closed June 28. The search firm will now look over the applications and narrow them down to 15 to 30 individuals and will follow up with reference checks, and interviews. The City Manager will then receive the list to review. He will narrow it down to five to seven candidates. Mares said it will take approximately three weeks before the top five to seven applicants are chosen. At the end of August, the top candidates will be invited to Fort Collins where three panels will meet with them and provide feedback to the City Manager on whom they think is the best person for the position. The panels will consist of two types of employee panels, and a community panel. Mares said if a NRAB member (or members) would like to serve on the community panel, their names should be submitted to the City Manager. A public reception will also be held for the community to meet the candidates and give feedback to the City Manager. Mares said they hoped to have someone hired in September. Swope and Friedman would like to apply to be on the community panel. Committee Reports (Scheduled) Hazardous Materials Committee Poncelow, of Poudre Fire Authority, attended the NRAB meeting to field questions about the Hazardous Materials Risk Reduction Program. Davis handed out a draft letter regarding endorsement of the Hazardous Materials Risk Reduction Program. The program integrates information that will be required for this program with that of SARA Title III, and the funding process is straight forward. The generators of waste are paying the bulk of the money that funds the program. The program also specifies the responsibilities of various City and County agencies with respect to hazardous materials. Johnson asked if there were other communities that were trying this. Poncelow replied that Fort Collins was actually behind because they have taken their time to make sure it was done right. He said other communities have similar programs. The larger industries and CSU have been supportive with the exception of their concern about double reporting requirements. Poncelow feels they have solved that problem. Poncelow said PFA is working at the State level with other fire departments and the Health Department to make one reporting form. The form has not been formally approved by the State Health Departments, but it does sound positive. -The local Emergency Planning Committee has adopted it, and the State needs to approve it. Shoemaker said that the P&Z Board endorsed the program, and endorsed the specific code changes that regulate the land use and development aspects of it. PA Poncelow stated that some changes are being made to the Land Development Guidance System (LDGS) to require new business to provide information up front about the kinds of hazardous materials that will be used, and to require impact studies, and mitigation plans to ensure that accidental releases will not affect surrounding neighborhoods. Swope asked if this deals at all with transport of hazardous materials when it just passes through Fort Collins. Poncelow answered that this only deals with on -site hazardous materials. Poncelow said that this will be presented to Council in August, and PFA hopes to have the program implemented by January. It will take three to five years to have the program fully running and all businesses inspected. It was moved, seconded, and passed unanimously that the letter to Council be accepted and the program be endorsed. Shoemaker noted that this program is one of the high priority items identified in the Environmental Management Plan. Land Use Committee NATURAL AREAS FUNDING SITES Miller handed out a letter that Ferguson drafted regarding the items in the Natural Areas Policy Plan (NAPP). The letter emphasizes the importance of natural areas, the establishment of a fund, and criteria under which the areas would be considered for acquisition. LaRue suggested prioritizing the sites that the NRAB considers to be the most important areas. Johnson felt that if the areas are not prioritized, it would be easier for staff to negotiate with the landowners. Shoemaker said the Natural Resources Division has not completed prioritizing the sites because there is a lot to do in the implementation plan, and it is a complicated process in that there are a lot of areas that appeal to be of equal value. The two highest priority areas are Poudre River and Fossil Creek, Poudre River for a variety of reasons and Fossil Creek because of the resource value and the development pressure. Shoemaker asked the board what they want to accomplish with this letter at this time. Johnson replied that they want to make sure that they did not get behind in the budget process. Shoemaker said at the present time the City Manager is putting together his recommended budget. He is being notified of these discussions. Shoemaker clarified that the City has many 3 different funds, and asked if it really is a concern to the board which fund the money comes from. He said that the General Fund may, in fact, not be the best place for the money to come from. It was agreed that, on the first page of the letter, paragraph three, "funding from the General Fund" should be changed to "long term funding." It was agreed to add a concluding statement to the letter relative to a sense of urgency of establishing this fund because some of these areas are now available, but may not be for long. It was moved, seconded, and passed unanimously to submit this letter to Council. Miller agreed to complete the letter for Johnson's signature. CRITERIA FOR MITIGATION FUND EXPENDITURES In response to a question from the June meeting Shoemaker handed out the criteria used for mitigation fund expenditures. He said the Mitigation Fund was established when the Arbor Plaza went in. The four criteria that were on the guidelines for application were established by ordinance as the criteria on which to judge the expenditures of the fund. Shoemaker reminded the board they had established some additional eligibility requirements: projects should be in the limits of the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area, but not necessarily in the city limits; preference would be given to projects from the Mail Creek and Fossil Creek Basins. Johnson asked Shoemaker to combine the lists so it would be easier to review in the future. Solar Orientation Committee Representation Johnson reported for Smith since he could not attend the meeting. Johnson said the questions that the Committee is trying to address are: Where does Solar Orientation fall within the priorities of design criteria. The committee is going to try and come up with what they think it should be. They also want to come up with performance criteria, i.e. some percentage of areas that are oriented east/west as opposed to north/south; they want to come up with a number that is acceptable. They also are looking at where this fits in the planning cycle. Staff Reports Natural Areas Policy Plan Update Shoemaker said that work on the plan continues. He said that Rob Wilkinson recently took a group of people from Fort Collins Inc, Chamber of Commerce, and representatives from the 4 E development community on a tour, and it went well. Erthal commented that people were open to the plan. He also stated that in the Board of Realtors newsletter there was a statement saying to "watch this policy." Felchle said that the Chamber of Commerce was positive, but cautious. Shoemaker said that Mayor Kirkpatrick has taken a real interest in this, and she really wants to help with the public presentations. Council is happy with the direction that it is going, but directed staff to go slow and get everyone's input. A variety of meetings have been scheduled with local clubs. The Mayor and Councilmembers will actually be giving the presentations. A community town meeting is being scheduled toward the end of July to discuss natural areas and open space. Council will also be attending this to listen to people's comments. Shoemaker stated that in September, or possibly October, they will come back to the boards and commissions with a revised plan based on public comment. They also will present an implementation plan and ask for final recommendations. It will be submitted to Council hopefully in October or November. LaRue suggested that staff give the board a list of all the presentations that are going to be made so a few NRAB members can be present to show added support. At Johnson's request, the recent Water Board Minutes were handed out. Johnson noted that Shoemaker had met with the Water Board, and that Tom Moore of that board had some questions. Johnson asked what Tom Moore was concerned about. Shoemaker said that he has not met with Tom Moore yet, but his sense is that it is a fear that this would be a major "land grab" of private property by the City. Shoemaker said this may relate to some history relative to irrigation ditches and reservoirs. He said this is not at all the intent of the plan. Shoemaker said that at least one member of Council took note of the Water Board Minutes, and commented that the real issue is how the City can work to -provide water supply and other uses as well. Johnson noted other comments in the Water Board Minutes, particularly those of Linda Burger, and commented that it would be an absolute necessity for the City to meet the same requirements as would be placed on other businesses and land owners. Johnson said he wants to make it clear that the cooperation of other City departments is expected in this area 5 because if the City doesn't comply, we have to ask ourselves why we are doing this plan. Shoemaker agreed and said staff will work to clarify the plan's expectations for everyone. Johnson said that maybe the comments in the Water Board Minutes should not be read negatively, but just seen as a concern about what these changes will mean to them in the future. Shoemaker said that the approach of much of the Utilities management personnel is positive. He noted, for example, that the Streets Department is budgeting for their people to do some clean up along the river. LaRue said she could understand that the Water Board and staff are cautious when they may be asked to change the way they do business. Johnson said he wants to track the Water Board's thoughts over time. He requested that future Water Board Minutes involving discussions of the NAPP be supplied to him. Johnson praised Shoemaker and the Natural Resources staff on doing a good job of getting the information out to the community. Update on Recycling Program Shoemaker said as of June 1, 1991, the curbside recycling program is in effect. it is a little early to say how things are going, but there are some indications that things are going well, and some interesting results, that relate back to the discussions that were held as the program was being considered. Shoemaker handed out a sheet showing the specifics of trash haulers recycling programs at this point. Trash haulers programs vary. Pick up ranges from weekly, to biweekly to monthly; they charge different rates ranging from free service to $3.00/month. All haulers are required to pick up aluminum, glass, and newspaper. Several of them are also picking up plastic, and steel cans. The Natural Resources Division holds a monthly meeting with the haulers to talk about progress. Some haulers are still wishing they did not have to do this, while others are wanting to get more involved. Council did adopt a resolution supporting the County's volume based trash rate proposal and directing staff to help implement it if the County approves'it. The Commissioners will hear it Monday July 8, at 1:30. This will be the final reading. Shoemaker said there was a meeting involving Water and Wastewater, City of Loveland, Larimer County, and City of Fort Collins to talk about composting and woodwaste programs. Some small scale testing is going to be done at the Resource Recovery Farm this summer and fall. Grass clippings, woodwaste chips, and leaves will be tested. Staff's intent is to use the tests to evaluate a citywide program, with recommendations to be made by February 1992. Shoemaker announced that the only place that is accepting waste oil in Fort Collins at the present time is the landfill. There were some other places, but contaminated oil was being mixed. He said there will be a meeting of City, County, and some of the larger oil distributor representatives to see what kinds of options can be offered to provide additional services. Johnson stated that there was an article in the newspaper about procurement, talking about the markets for recycled materials. He asked Shoemaker to provide an update on the results of the City's procurement program. Other Staff Reports Shoemaker distributed the work program that Council adopted for itself, saying that the NRAB and staff will be quite busy due to a lot of environmental issues. Shoemaker reminded the board that Staff should be notified of NRAB committee meetings. He said that staff may be able to provide information at these meetings and they need to know what is going on. Shoemaker said that Councilmember Maxey raised a concern about the announcement that Ferguson made at the June 5 meeting regarding her new product. Maxey asked if it was appropriate for Ferguson to do that, and asked the City Attorney to have the Ethics Committee look at it. The City Attorney could not see anything that was improper in terms of City Code. Shoemaker recommended that the board be more careful to separate private business from board business in order to avoid concerns about conflict of interest. Holnam Work Plan Shoemaker said that when Council adopted a resolution in opposition to Holnam, they directed staff to develop a work plan to outline the actions the City will take to insure that hazardous waste does not get burned in the plant. Shoemaker will prepare an outline of suggested activities. It will be a staff workplan that would be submitted to'Council for their approval. Shoemaker said they plan to have some discussions with the NRAB, Air Quality Task Force, and other groups on their ideas, thoughts, and what actions should be taken as a City on this issue. These ideas will be put together and brought back to the NRAB for their endorsement and then taken to Council in mid - August for their approval. He asked board members to briefly brainstorm some ideas. These ideas were discussed: o Be armed with the facts on how hazardous waste burning could affect the citizens of Fort Collins. t] o Explore a procurement policy to buy only cement from plants that do not burn hazardous wastes o Boycott the products made by burning hazardous waste. o Investigate how an incinerator that is designed to burn hazardous waste differs from a cement kiln. o Learn about the product derived from hazardous waste burning, what is the expected composition, where it can be used; and where it cannot be used. o Be careful not to inadvertently open the door for other hazardous waste burners to come in. o Refute the issue that cement kilns would eliminate our local hazardous waste. o Emphasize reduce, reuse, and recycle. Work toward source reduction. Work to reduce the hazardous waste and solvents generated in the future. o Be prepared with different attack mechanisms depending on what Holnam decides to do. o Work with businesses, especially the ones that are near Holnam, i.e. Graves and Anheuser Busch. o Get records from other sources that have monitored the air, and the products. o Investigate ongoing student monitoring projects. o Clarify the positions of Allard, Schaffer, and other politicians. o Push for strong State and Federal Legislation o Erthal has contacts with Environmental lawyers who may be helpful. o Work on the Board of Realtors, Chamber of Commerce, and the developers to oppose hazardous waste burning. o Burning is the last resort. Felchle stated that the Chamber of Commerce is working on a statement relative to this issue. Johnson closed the discussion by asking members to call Shoemaker or Felchle if they have other comments. 8 Committee Reports (Unscheduled) None Announcements Felchle said that next month NRAB will be electing officers so members should be thinking about nominations and committee assignments. Felchle announced that there will be an Environmental Fair at Library Park in September. LaRue said that she visited the Eco Expo in Denver and saw some interesting things made from recycled and non toxic products. Shoemaker thanked the Board for their positive consideration of funding for the Gustav Swanson Nature Area. The water tap is already installed, the irrigation system is designed and the bids will close Friday July 5. The system should be in by the end of the week of July 8. Johnson said that he attended the Poudre Festival and one of the things he visited was the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The State Park Department has not received any money from the legislature so nothing is going to happen. He said the project should be considered as a high priority project under the National Water Heritage Area Plan. Adiournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. VI