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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAir Quality Advisory Board - Minutes - 11/27/2007MINUTES AIR QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING DATE: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 LOCATION: 200 West Mountain — Suite A — Conference room. TIME: 5:30 -8:00 P.M. For Reference: Eric Levine Levine, Chair - 493-6341 David Roy, Council Liaison - 407-7393 Brian Woodruff, Staff Liaison - 221-6604 Board Members Present: Eric Levine, Jeff Engell, Dale Adamy, Kip Carrico, Dennis Georg, Greg McMaster, and Dave Dietrich, Katrina Winborn Board Members Absent: Nancy York Staff Present: Brian Woodruff, Alexis Hmielak Eric Levine called the meeting to order at 5:35 pm PUBLIC COMMENTS None APPROVE MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 23, 2007, MEETING Greg McMaster moved and Dale Adamy seconded a motion to approve the October 23, 2007, minutes. Minutes were unanimously approved with one change — move Katrina Windbom's name from "Guest" to "Board Members Absent". AQAB WORK PLAN The Board discussed what should be in the 2008 work plan and the priorities. • Climate and Sustainability. o Eric Levine announced that Lucinda Smith would be making a presentation to the AQAB on behalf of the Climate Task Force at the Dec 18 meeting. Her presentation will give a detailed overview on their process and where they are going. o Greg McMaster suggested the AQAB review input from the public forum they hosted in 2007 to see if any feedback from the forum could be used in the 2008 AQAB Work Plan. o Eric Levine informed the group that the City Council would be having an open house to take comments from the public in January. He wondered if the AQAB wanted to suggest the Council ask for public input regarding climate change and, if so, the AQAB could address those issues. 200 West Mountain Avenue • P.O. Box 5§0 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (970) 221-6600 o Eric Levine pointed out the Climate Task Force has most of the documentation of their meetings and measures on the web. The number of measures they are working on is substantial. Some are not doable, but those that are, are called Tier 1. Eric suggested the AQAB pick up some of the workload from the Climate Task Force. • Ozone Compliance Plan o The group discussed the possibility of tracking development by the Regional Air Quality Council [RAQC] of the Ozone Compliance Plan, so they can review it and make recommendations with regard to local actions and plans. Eric is trying to secure an outreach presentation in Fort Collins. o The group also discussed the fact that this area went into ozone noncompliance by a small percentage, the deadlines for the new ozone compliance measures, and the importance of automobiles in the ozone plan, and California's clean car standards. o Dennis Georg expressed his concern that oil & gas emissions in Wyoming are substantially lower because Wyoming has a "green" exploration standard and Colorado doesn't. Oil well and gas well growth has had a huge impact on ozone non-compliance. Eric Levine wondered if Colorado's new ozone compliance plan would be any better than the last one that failed. o The board discussed the fact that, since this area is already in non-compliance and because Fort Collins is a home -rule city, the AQAB could recommend Fort Collins adopt measures to reduce ozone with things not addressed by the SIP. • Communication and Outreach —The board discussed possible 2008 educational outreach efforts to citizens regarding air quality. o When to host another public forum — perhaps alternate years o Produce an information packet for the public including information such as the safest air quality routes for biking or exercising. o Work with city staff to publish daily or monthly ozone levels and other informative air quality data. • West Nile Virus. o Regarding the recommendation the AQAB made to City Council before the 2007 mosquito season, Eric Levine met with City Manager Darin Atteberry in September 2007. Darin assigned Wendy Williams to follow up on the AQAB recommendations. However, to date, Eric has not heard back from her. Now that the 2008-9 budget process is complete and the City Manager's staff should have more time, Eric will send an email to both Wendy Williams and Darin Atteberry to follow up. The AQAB did not understand why the city is not communicating with them on this issue. o The Board discussed how to act on this issue without bogging down city government, the confrontational nature of the West Nile issue, how City Council is split on this issue, and that the West Nile Virus policy has no clear long term budgeting for implementation. o Brian related that city staff would assemble a document describing the various City activities that respond to WNV, so that the Air Quality Board and the public can better understand and evaluate the overall WNV program. He also mentioned the plan would follow the outline of Boulder's mosquito management plan. o Brian explained Boulder, Loveland and Fort Collins have the same mosquito issues at the same time and each city has very different response to the problem. • Boulder — not spraying nuisance mosquitoes; minimal spraying on mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus. • Loveland — has a mosquito control district where citizens can call them to do spot spraying for nuisance mosquitoes. • Fort Collins — in the middle — some want spraying, other don't. We have the controversy the other 2 cities don't have. o Eric Levine reported he has met with three City Council members who are interested in this issue and who prefer that they, not the city staff, determine the West Nile policy for the city o The group discussed that AQAB should review the Integrated Pest Management Program and have substantial input to the West Nile Task Force before the plan is finalized, to invite Wendy Williams to an AQAB meeting to present what that Task Force is planning and the Task Force should confer with a range of experts. Uranium — as a possible addition to the 2008 AQAB Work Plan, the group discussed that there is not an air quality permit required to mine uranium and whether the AQAB wanted to give input on the issue regarding air quality. Brian pointed out the permitting process will take place 2008 - 2010 and will be open to public input at that time. He will keep the Board apprised of the issue. Air Quality Plan — Brian pointed out the AQAB's review of the Air Quality Plan would need to be in conjunction with updates of the Transportation Master Plan and City Plan which are reviewed every 5 years. Mobility Management o Eric Levine expressed his disappointment this issue is not farther along than it should be. o The Board discussed that, on an ongoing basis, the AQAB should keep monitoring the bike plan through the Bike Coordinator. o Brian Woodruff reported there is an update of the Transportation Master Plan in the works for 2009-10. Eric Levine will put it on the AQAB timeline. Brian will look into the timing and report back. o The board discussed whether public input committees formed to update "master plans," such as Transportation Master Plan, need to have each board represented. • The board felt it should participate as appropriate and review the plans prior to their completion because the Transportation Board has not placed Mobility Management on their agenda. • It was agreed there should be better communication between the AQAB and Transportation Board since there is some overlap in focus and suggested the Transportation Board make a presentation to the AQAB on their projects or vice versa. • Eric Levine reported the Climate Task Force is very interested in transportation issues because they are a large part of ozone non-compliance and would like to make recommendations to the Transportation Board that would extend beyond 2010. Brian Woodruff will take the above discussion and draft the 2008 AQAB Work Plan for review by the Chair. SPECIAL MEETING WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS The AQAB had previously not been able to meet with liaison David Roy because of scheduling conflicts. Eric Levine will again try to coordinate a meeting with David Roy and possibly also a meeting with Ben Manvel who is very interested in air quality issues. Eric will investigate possible meeting dates in January and February and communicate back to the AQAB. BICYCLE PLAN UPDATE Eric Levine suggested the AQAB might want to review the bike system, intersection by intersection, and come up with priority recommendations to City Council to encourage the city to look at connectivity and safety issues. Greg McMaster voiced his concern that the bicycle group didn't have a broad enough picture on how to implement it, but is encouraged that Rick Price is working on that. He suggests there be a bike advisory committee made up of a cross section of the community whose job would be to make recommendations for a community bike plan. Brian reminded the Board that Rick Price had asked the AQAB to endorse the bicycle plan. Eric Levine suggested the AQAB convene an ad hoc task force to review the bicycle plan. The group discussed this possibility and the most effective way to do it, along with how it could interface with other boards and what influence would that task force actually have. Dennis Georg recommended the AQAB needs to say what it expects the output of this task force would be and why it would be valuable to the city and the council for them to even consider this. The Board discussed a logo for the Bike Plan, the necessity of bike safety, a culture of bicycling as accepted transportation within the city, and whether the Council would see the bike advisory committee as another advisory board. The group discussed that if Council rejects the committee there are ways to find other funding. On a motion by Kip Carrico, seconded by Greg McMaster, the Board unanimously adopted the following statement: The Air Quality Advisory Board recommends that the City of Fort Collins fully endorse the revised Fort Collins Bicycle Plan and work to develop a comprehensive community bicycle plan in 2008. Bicycling has become an integral part of Fort Collins culture, and the city should do all it can to recognize and promote its vast importance to transportation, recreation, and the local economy and community. Among these many benefits, cycling has a tremendous benefit to air quality by reducing emissions of many pollutants, including greenhouse gases, by providing alternate modes to motorized transport. To this end, the Air Quality Advisory Board supports the formation of a bicycle advisory subcommittee as outlined on the last page of the revised Bike Plan, and pledges its participation in the subcommittee for this purpose. OZONE. The board discussed possible actions such as recommending that the Regional Air Quality Council [RAQC] hold a stakeholder meeting in Fort Collins. • Meetings are already scheduled through Jan, with one scheduled in Windsor • As Fort Collins' population is approximately 140,000, much larger than Windsor or Greeley, and as Fort Collins is one of the cities in ozone non-compliance, the group discussed how to encourage the RAQC to see the importance in having a stakeholder meeting here. • Eric Levine stated he explained to the RAQC Fort Collins' great interest in the air quality issue and how it would make sense to have meetings here. • Eric explained the RAQC had designated the MPO to be the outreach agency in northern Colorado. The board discussed asking the RAQC to step in if the MPO isn't doing the job. • As Ben Manvel is a delegate to the MPO to attend ozone advisory boards, the AQAB will pursue having Ben Manvel bring this issue up at City Council and contact the RAQC to have a stakeholder meeting in Fort Collins. Eric Levine will call Ben Manvel to pursue this issue. ANNOUNCEMENTS& UPDATES The Board discussed fleet emissions studies. Dennis Georg discovered Austin, Texas, has a multi -year plan to adjust their fleet to reduce ozone, so they can gauge and limit their growth according to the impact their infrastructure has on their environment. He suggested the AQAB should press the city to have a similar program. Brian Woodruff reported progress on the City's fleet emission inventory —a staff person of the state health department has volunteered to prepare the inventory, based on fleet data such as engine horsepower & operating hours, to be provided by the Fleet Manager. He anticipates the results may be finalized the end of January. ADJOURN Dennis Georg moved and Dave Dietrich seconded a motion to adjourn Meeting adjourned at 8:02 Submitted by Alexis Hmielak Administrative Secretary I Approved by the Board on ���Q� , 2007 Signed b- Date Administrative Secretary I Extension: 6600