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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 08/02/1989r Hoard Members Present: Joyce Berry Charles Davis Dave DuBois Tim Johnson Board Members Absent: (excused) Suzanne Bassinger Denise LaRue Ward luthi Ari Michelsen Will Smith Susan Whitmer (arrived at 8:20, late arrival excused) Staff Present: Brian Woodruff Edith Felchle Bob Wilkinson Minutes Minutes of the July 5, 1989 Natural Resources Advisory Board meeting were unanimously approved as submitted. Notes from the July 27, 1989 Natural Resources Advisory Hoard work session were distributed for board members' information. Committee Reports Hazardous Materials Committee — Davis reported on the enabling legislation for state management of underground storage tanks. He said it is a disappointing law, particularly the preemption clause prohibiting local laws from being more stringent than State law. He said the EPA's minimal underground storage tank law is now the standard for Colorado. He said there is a possibility that EPA may find Colorado in violation because adequate financing to take care of the problem has not been provided. He also said that anti -tax groups may challenge the law because they say the surcharge called for in the legislation is a tax. Davis also reported on Title III of SARA, the emergency right to know legislation. He said that the preliminary plan puts the main reporting responsibility with the sheriff's office, with some responsibility with health and fire agencies. He said that a major problem is that no money has been provided to process the information that is required to be supplied to the sheriff's office. He said he had thought there was a possibility of pesticide application being folded into this law, but that turns out not to be possible. Michelsen asked Davis to draft a brief paper on this matter. He said that submitting reports to Council may be one way of helping Council monitor the board's progress toward its goals. Land Use Committee — Luthi said the committee had not met, but he personally met with Woodruff and Wilkinson to discuss the Environmental Management Plan (EMP). He said NRAB should get heavily involved in EMP planning so that NRAB's strong ideas of what it wants in the plan can be 1 0 • addressed. There was considerable discussion about what the plan should be and how it should be presented to Council. When asked about a timeline for the plan, Woodruff said there is no timeline. He said Council goals simply state that a framework for an EMP should be established and then components of the plan should be developed. Staff goes to Council 8/22 with responses to Council goals for all Development Services areas; this will include the EMP. Staff will propose bringing the EMP to Council in October for consideration. Woodruff said the EMP will be part of the City's Comprehensive Plan. Board members said the EMP presentation should have achievable goals and that various groups should be involved in developing it so that affected groups feel ownership of the final product. It was asked, "What is the guiding principle against which policies of the EMP will be evaluated?" Michelsen cautioned against an EMP that is too encompassing. He said the EMP should answer the question, "Why should we write an environmental management plan?" It was stated that the EMP should address conflicting policies and that a definition of what an EMP is would be imperative for Council's understanding. Wilkinson said the aim is for the EMP to have a dynamic view instead of a static view. Woodruff listed some of the projects of the EMP. Wilkinson said the goal of the EMP is to accomplish implementation of existing goals, objectives, and lard use policies and provide an information base for use in analysis of impacts of proposed developments, projects, and actions, evaluating site suitability and vulnerability for proposed activities. It should also provide standards and guidelines for application of the information based project, review, and decision making and look at conflicting goals and policies relating to development and environmental protection and find an appropriate balance between those policies. It was stated that the EMP should state objectives and identify policies and goals. This was sunned up as a hierarchy of information. Michelsen felt that overemphasis on projects will confuse Council about what an EMP is. Water Committee — DuBois handed out a Water Quality Monitoring paper. He said the City has a comprehensive water quality data program on the Poudre River but that is the extent of the City's comprehensive water quality monitoring. He said that minimal data is available on Spring Creek and there has been spot sampling of Sheldon lake (e.g. during the gasoline tainted fish incident). He said there is less information available on ground water. He said no one in the City has responsibility for growl water. Michelsen asked DuBois to revise his Water Quality Monitoring paper so that it can be presented to Council showing NRAB's work toward its goal in this matter. Recycling Committee — In Bassinger's absence, Woodruff briefed the board on the work session at which Council considered a city wide recycling program. He said that Bassinger attended the work session and that Frank Lancaster from the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources and two people from the Chamber of Commerce also attended. Woodruff said that some of Council's questions were about accrual of recycling benefits globally. He said that Council has asked for an attack plan. He said that Council does feel that we should have a city wide recycling program and that it is appropriate to use public money for such a program. City wide recycling is to be included in the 1990 budget. Staff is to respond to Council with details by November. In response to a question about the NRAB resolution, Woodruff said that the resolution was not brought up, but that several points of the resolution were brought up by Council members as goals. Woodruff said that the subject of 1 cuing did come up at the work session. At least one Council member recognized the importance of casting, but was concerned about cost. Wilkinson handed out and coimnented on the division's new lawn clipping brochure and said that a similar brochure on composting is being developed. It was asked if the brochure was printed on recycled paper. Since it was, it was rued that a notation reflecting this fact be added to the brochure. There was discussion about recycling, banning, or restricting plastics. Woodruff informed the board that there is a state law prohibiting local governments from banning plastics or from requiring specific plastics. Luthi requested official information on this law. The Recycling Committee will pursue this. Air Quality Task Force Woodruff reported that the Air Quality Task Force was created by Council on 8/1. The task force consists of nine members and has been given a broad charge. Its task is to advise on the State Implementation Plan and on Fort Collins' air quality plan. People serving on current boards and commissions will be allowed to also serve on the task force. They will need to apply for membership just as they applied for membership on their current board. Woodruff said that it is clear that Council wants to hear from only one board on air quality issues. National Recreation Area Michelsen reported that the letter in support of the National Recreation Area is not completed, but that Bari VanMeter said the letter does not have to go to Council immediately. He handed out copies of information VanMeter had provided relative to recommended wording of such letters. He said the letter will be drafted in a duple of weeks. i It was reported that it will not be possible for the board to use Water Treatment Plant No. 1 for its picnic. It was decided to have the picnic at 5:00 P.M. on September 6 (the date of the next NRAB meeting). Smith will reserve a park site, probably Martinez, Rolland Dore, or City Park. Berry will bring charcoal. It will be a pot luck picnic. The board will then hold its regular meeting in CIC at 7:00. Luthi requested that no plastic or styrofoam be brought to the picnic and that it be held near enough to City Hall that members would walk, not drive, from the picnic to the meeting. Election of Officers Johnson was nominated and unanimously elected Chair. Luthi was nominated and unanimously elected Vice (hair. Michelsen stated that he had enjoyed serving as chair. Announcements Michelsen asked board members to think about committee assignments before the September meeting. Michelsen announced that Bob Sanz has resigned from the board. Copies of his letter of resignation were handed out. Michelsen recognized Sanz' contributions to the board and said that he will be missed. He suggested a letter of appreciation be sent to Sanz. The meeting adjourned at 9:25.