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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 02/20/2008MINUTES NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD Regular Meeting DATE: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 LOCATION: 200 West Mountain Ave. Suite A TIME: 6:00pm For Reference: Ryan Staychock, NRAB Chair 481-1801 Ben Manvel, Council Liaison 217-1932 John Armstrong, Staff Liaison 416-2230 Board Members Present Ryan Staychock, Joe Piesman, Clint Skutchan, Liz Pruessner, Alan Apt Board Members Absent: Linda Knowlton, Amy Dean, Rosemarie Russo, Glen Colton Staff Present Natural Resources Dent: John Armstrong, Alexis Hmielak Guests Brian Anderson, URS Consulting firm in Denver Ann Hutchinson, Chamber of Commerce Ryan Staychock called the meeting to order at 6:05 Agenda Review None Public Comments None Review and Approval of December 19, 2007 Minutes: Clint Skutchan asked that his name be deleted from the top of page 2 and Ryan Staychock's name be substituted, as Clint's recollection was that Ryan made the statement, not Clint. Joe Piesman moved and Liz Pruessner seconded a motion to approve the December 19, 2007, minutes as amended by Clint Skutchan. Minutes approved unanimously. Review and Approval of January 16, 2008 Minutes: Liz Pruessner moved and Joe Piesman seconded a motion to approve the January 16, 2008, minutes. Minutes approved unanimously Ryan Staychock stated it has been a pleasure and honor to serve the citizens of Fort Collins and that he has enjoyed being the Chair of the Natural Resources Board for the past year, but cannot commit to another year as chair. He is willing, however, to chair a sustainability sub -committee if the NRAB so chooses to establish one and would also consider being vice chair of the NRAB. The group thanked Ryan for a great job. Ryan Staychock nominated Alan Apt as new Chair of the Natural Resources Advisory Board. Joe Piesman seconded. Vote was unanimous. Alan Apt is the new Chair of NRAB Joe Piesman nominated Ryan Staychock as Vice Chair of the Natural Resources Advisory Board. Alan Apt seconded. Vote was unanimous. Ryan Staychock is new Vice Chair of NRAB The group discussed the possibility of convening a sub -committee regarding sustainability: • Ryan Staychock explained the NRAB's bylaws state the Chair and Vice Chair of the Board, at their discretion, could choose to appoint sub -committees. He reminded the group they had previously discussed having a solid waste committee, but suggested rolling that and other issues into a "Sustainability Committee." • Ryan also stated CSU has had a sustainability class that has produced models summarizing how communities can approach sustainability, including environmental, economic and social aspects of the community. He suggested this could be a decent framework from which the NRAB could work. Plus, there are also several models available on the internet. • The group discussed the possible mission and operation of the Sustainability Committee: o Examine all aspects of sustainability, including, solid waste and environmental economics and to encourage sustainability city-wide, including the private, public and governmental sectors. o Look at what we bring into the community and what we export. o Ryan Staychock agreed to forward the CSU model to any of the Board members who wanted to see it. o Ryan suggested the committee meet once a month at 4:00 pm before the 6:00 pm regular NRAB meeting and keep the framework of the meeting organized so the group's work and discussions stay on track. • Clint Skutchan cautioned that if the committee members were not all able to attend these meetings it would be embarrassing if presenters came and presented to only a few people. • Alan Apt asked to see the CSU model and wanted to talk about it at the next NRAB meeting. • Ryan stated he would like to engage the students in the CSU sustainability class and open the committee up to the general public. • Joe Piesman suggested having a "pre -meeting" next month at 5 pm before the regular NRAB meeting to organize the committee. • Alan apt suggested leaving the other sub committees in place and see how it comes in. • Liz Pruessner suggested if the committee's discussion topics varied, there could be different people from the Board in attendance at each meeting and agreed staffing a meeting every month could be a problem. • Ryan stated that he sees that the content of the meetings would be mostly dialogue, rather than having presenters. Because sustainability is such a nebulous subject, the committee's charge would be to get a handle on what it is so it could help the community understand and participate. • Alan Apt felt that the Climate Task Force's upcoming report will help people understand that aspect of sustainability. • Liz Pruessner announced the Climate Task Force's report will be presented to the City Council's work session February 26, with a public open house February 27, and then present to Council a second time in May to give the Council time to understand it all. • Clint Skutchan and Liz Pruessner agreed it would be easier to stay late than come early to the meeting. However, Alan Apt pointed out it is important for the NRAB to stay within its time frame. • In summary, Ryan Staychock will send a memo to the NRAB about the CSU sustainability syllabus. • Since three of the NRAB members were absent this meeting, Alan Apt suggested the Board discuss this at next month's meeting when more members are present o John Armstrong pointed out that typically one Natural Resources staff member attends any subcommittee meeting and therefore suggested the NRAB lean towards having a monthly schedule. He also suggested that exploring the general issue of sustainability would be useful to the NRAB's work plan and may be a new way of organizing how the Board does its work. The challenge is to stay on track and keep focused. o Guest, Brian Anderson of URS Consulting firm in Denver stated that, in his experience, he has seen mayors across the United States establish sustainability plans in other cities. In addition, recent regulations from the EPA and state and local governments are forcing industry buy -in such as having oil and gas companies change way they do business because carbon emissions are being looked at very seriously. In his opinion, the time is right for sustainability plans. Parks and Recreation Policy Plan Update Craig Foreman, Fort Collins Park and Management Development Manager, had sent the NRAB a draft of the Guidelines of the Parks and Recreation Policy Plan for their review. It is a working document for development of the City's parks, trail systems and recreational facilities and outlines what they are going to build and do for the next ten years. He also sent the NRAB a copy of a PowerPoint presentation of the Park and Recreation Policy Plan Update he made to City Council in September, 2007. He was attending this NRAB meeting to ask the Board to comment and give input on these reports. The old plan has been working well, but it is time to update it. Regarding sustainability and future park planning, Craig Foreman pointed out his department has been following the new outdoor LEED certification guidelines. Specifically, they incorporated many LEED features into the Spring Canyon Park such as low water/low maintenance grasses along the concrete walks. Ryan Staychock noted that the report stated the people surveyed thought the city was spending too much on park maintenance. Craig responded that it was his opinion that people are not interested in new taxes to fund park maintenance. Ryan also asked what is the largest part of the park budget: maintenance of parks or buildings. o Craig explained that funding building structures is very different from park maintenance. There is a one time fee on new homes that go to development of parks and structures. Once built, the General Fund picks it up as an ongoing cost. Craig Foreman expanded on the costs of maintaining the parks and trails. o Conservation Trust money (lottery) is steady money (got $1.3 million in last few years) and funds the trail system. o Lotto money has 4 quadrants: state parks, state wildlife, natural resources and grants. The city obtained grant money from this to build the North Side Fitness Center, skate park and playground and handball court. o It costs approximately $10,000/mile to maintain a trail o Neighborhood parks cost about $40,000-$50,000/year to maintain. o Community Parks cost about $300,000 - $400,000/year to maintain. Plans for new parks o Spring Canyon — recently completed o Location of community parks to come — • South of Fossil Ridge High School • East end of Horsetooth Rd. • North east Fort Collins near Anheuser Busch plant. o Each of the larger proposed parks will set aside land for a recreation center. Ryan Staychock explained that the NRAB was curious about the environmental sustainability of the park system such as turf maintenance, use of fertilizers, water usage, etc. and stated he is pleased to hear the Fort Collins community parks are getting LEED certification. Craig Foreman pointed out the parks staff is very excited to be putting creativity and sustainability into the creation and maintenance of the parks and suggested the parks maintenance department also present to the NRAB. • Sprinklers are being monitored with sophisticated systems to avoid excessive watering. • They are thinking of using artificial (not very green) turf on thin medians instead of concrete. o Clint Skutchan asked what is the reality of turf being incorporated more and also suggested maybe companies could partner with the city to sponsor a median with private, rather than public dollars. o Craig stated the city is already thinking about corporate sponsoring where a company that manufactures turf could provide it and be acknowledged as a sponsor. o Joe Piesman asked about xeriscaping vs. turf to use less water. o Craig pointed out they are continually experimenting with native grasses and plants and that people are more accepting of less green and manicured parks. • Spring Canyon is a great example of integration of native grasses and plants alongside turf ball fields. Craig asked the NRAB to carefully read the language of the vision and guidelines he submitted to them, especially regarding the wording of sustainability and green practices and, if they had any 0 changes to improve it, to send their thoughts to John Armstrong. He also pointed out they have an open house March 13, to present this to the public and will be going to the City Council April 8, with the plan. The board discussed sustainability as it relates to parks and trails. • Clint Skutchin suggested that parks take advantage of using natural, sustainable landscaping wherever possible, even using a simple dirt pile for children's recreational opportunities. Craig responded the City might be ready for that, but they can't replace a playground. • Clint also asked Craig if the city has evaluated alternative funding mechanisms. Craig Foreman explained these options: o Continue with current funding system until depleted. o Reduce level of service option - developing a park every other year or combining smaller parks. o Austere option would take away more parks, but the city would have to give fees back to homes that funded them. o Another option would be to cut out restrooms and just have the ball fields with no big ticket items. o Other possibilities would be to raise the park maintenance fee, have a trail impact fee for the sections of trails that are not built out yet, or use money that had been designated for the library since the library system is now separate from the city. • Clint also asked if there are special uses that aren't currently incorporated in the parks that could have a user fee attached such as mountain biking. • Craig cautioned that raising pricing is a sensitive issue and could price someone out. However, the city is reviewing these policy decisions. • Alan Apt reminded the group to be cognizant that increased fees will most likely exclude low income families. Even though there are some programs for low income families, there are not well known. The city needs to inform the low income people that they aren't excluded. Keeping children involved in sports has huge benefits. o Joe Piesman asked if the city has anything planned in the south side of the city for a recreation center. Craig reported there is no public service south of Prospect and College, but are looking at Fossil Creek for a possible center. However, community centers are expensive to operate and staff. Also, pools are very expensive. Water parks might be a more efficient use of water. • Clint Skutchan asked how the aging population impacts parks and recreation. o Craig responded they are already addressing this by using the unused part of parks, especially at Spring Canyon, for passive recreation such as walking and looking. • Ryan pointed out the city needs to look at efficient energy use and would like to see materials used from local sources, durable products and no plastics. • Liz Pruessner asked if the outdoor LEED certification looks at carbon sequestration, especially fertilizer use, frequency of mowing, etc., which could be sources for carbon. Craig responded this policy will be put into a format and the timing is right to put sustainability in the parks maintenance manual as an action item. • Craig stated that Spring Canyon has 1000 new trees and will be really incredible in 30 years. Each tree has a drip system so that in drought the water can be turned off from the grass and sent to the trees. • Clint Skutchan suggested there be a "Friends of the Park" system like the Friends of the Library for people to financially support the parks. • Craig mentioned rental of the parks for private parties and activies also generates money for the city. City Green Building Program and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Overview John Phelan, Energy Services Engineer in the Utilities department, manages the city's energy efficiency and conservation program. He presented an overview of the City's Green Building Program and the City of Fort Collins Green Building roadmap Green Building Roadmap John Phelan explained that over a year ago the City realized there were three different departments that had various green building concepts and plans in their work plans and decided to stop and do an assessment of what the City wanted to do with green building, collectively. There were also a lot of positive things in community and in city around green building, but they were not coordinated. Tonight's presentation pulls pieces together where the City is and where it wants to go. John related that the project to consolidate the green building plan began with interviews with City staff and community stakeholders, surveys of peer cities and surveys of the programs and services the City now offers. The City Green Building Team consists of: Patty Bigner, Utilities; Dana Leavitt, Community Planning; John Phelan, Utilities and Brian Woodruff, Natural Resources Department. The City also hired the Brendle group to facilitate the interviews. • They interviewed about 70 people; '/2 from the City and '/a from the community, with the goal of coming up with a consensus definition of green building, where the City wanted to end up and recommendations of what to do next. • Organizations they contacted included US Green Building Council, New Belgium Brewery, CSU and Poudre School District. Among cities contacted were: Austin, Texas; Eugene, Oregon; Sacramento, California and Seattle, Washington. • The scope of the interviews was as broad as possible and not limited to any private sectors such as institutional, multi family, commercial, residential, etc. • Topic areas (as they define green building) were site, energy, water waste, indoor environmental quality and building materials. They also looked at the voluntary and regulatory approach. • They came up with a short and long definition of green building: o Green building: better buildings for people, prosperity and the planet. o Green buildings are designed, constructed, and operated to provide maximum benefit to people, prosperity and our planet. Green buildings demonstrate a reduced carbon footprint, energy efficiency, water conservation, waste minimization, resource -efficient materials, pollution prevention, and improved indoor air quality to conserve natural resources and improve environmental quality — both indoors and out. Green building practices extend these concepts to the entire built environment for the life cycle of new and existing buildings, their surrounding sites, and transit interconnections. • Ryan Staychock asked if green building addresses purchasing building materials locally. John Phelan pointed out their current focus is only on the buildings and the site they're on. Transit was not part of the consideration. However, the site could be friendly for transportation. • Clint Skutchan asked what components were looked at relative to indoor air quality. John pointed out the choice of building materials, including furniture and carpets that offgas as little as possible. rl The vision of the green building program is to foster and encourage what is already going on in our community, and to set minimum codes and standards, plus encourage improvement above those minimum codes. The City also wants to develop a skilled and knowledgeable staff to whom green building becomes second nature. Ryan Staychock wondered if the local codes are inhibiting people from building more green homes. John Phelan explained there are some barriers, but also some opportunities. Joe Piesman asked if the City could give rewards for super energy -efficient buildings and fast track them for approval. John explained they are trying to create green building tracks in the planning and permitting process, but haven't defined them. Green Building Roadmap Recommendations. • Mandate minimum performance and remove barriers o Update commercial energy code o Research City codes/standards to ID barriers and opportunities o Create green building code compliance application tools o Require green building as prerequisite for public financing o Regularly review/update residential/commercial energy codes • Encourage innovation and provide resources o Create web -based access to City green building resources o Promote Integrated Design Assistance Program for commercial buildings. o Create targeted green building info for typical citizens o Sponsor external events and support organizations o Research potential green building incentives o Provide existing building benchmarking tools o Provide new building design target tools • Will be web -based o Identify needs, provide external training/education Environmental Program series (for residential and business) o Establish a new project green building track o John Phelan pointed out they are creating a web -based access to city green building resources and, because most of our buildings are already completed, improving efficiency will be a high priority. ■ Joe Piesman asked how the new Police Services building rates for energy usage. John pointed out it did achieve a LEED "silver" rating but it is not remarkable on energy side. LEED now requires a higher energy performance. The same with the Northside Aztlan Center. It is very frustrating • Alan Apt stated about ten years ago a resolution was passed that all city buildings should be as energy efficient as possible. John Phelan pointed out it's the design and delivery processes that have to change. The Poudre School district and CSU are farther ahead on this. • Clint wondered if taxpayers' dollars are an impediment to green building. John pointed out green buildings aren't more expensive to build, but are more expensive to design. Sometimes low bid design costs more in the long run. • Ryan Staychock asked about residential green building. John stated there are some custom homebuilders who are building green, however, production homebuilders are generally not. • In response to a question by Alan Apt, John Phelan stated the next large city building will be the Discovery Center and promises to be a 7 showcase. After that there are only very long range plans. He will keep the board in the loop. Reward Success o Urban Design awards and Climate Wise programs reward energy efficiency. o Continue existing financial rebate programs. o Evaluate prescriptive and/or performance building rebates for residential customers. o Develop water efficiency/conservation value structure. o Evaluate/implement technology -specific rebates for energy and water conservation. o Provide public recognition for green building leaders/success stories. Build Internal City Capacity. o Create a Green Building Team to implement the roadmap. o Build consensus among city leaders and management for a green building vision for Fort Collins. o Raise awareness of LEED requirements for new City buildings. o Benchmark city buildings and improve existing building performance. o Convert this project's matrix of green building programs and services to a useful tool for green building professionals. o Develop a process for continuous improvement of city green building services. Develop internal city education program related to green building. Promote/coordinate State and regional partnerships/efforts. Research and document the local economic benefits of green building. Next Steps • Dana Leavitt is now the Green Building Program Manager. • Green building team has been convened. • Priority tasks o Inter -departmental coordination, both from performance perspective and regulatory perspective o Create website of existing programs and services, codes and other helpful information. o Promote Innovative Design Assistance Program (IDAP) o The City recently got a grant from the governor for the building of Energy Star for New Homes program. The city is also reaching out to neighboring areas and is working on a regional partnership with Larimer County, and Loveland. The money from the grant will go to training, outreach cooperative marketing, etc. This will also affect the real estate community, power companies and builders. o CSU graduate students are reviewing the building codes. • John Phelan also stated the City did a new home study in 1990's to see how homes were being built and will be revisiting it to see what has changed in the last 10 years. Even though there have been lots of improvements, there is still room for more. • Develop new energy code for residential building. • John Phelan pointed out that compared with peer cities, Fort Collins is in the middle of the pack, but there is still room for improvement. • In answer to Ryan Staychock's question if net metering would affect homes in Fort Collins, John Phelan pointed out there are about 1000 homes in Fort Collins already using a simple net metering program in a pilot program that gives retail credit for over production of electricity. However, right now there are no incentives for solar like Excel has. John also stated the Climate Task Force report will be presented to City Council next Tuesday which will, among many things, address smart grid applications. The Board discussed energy use/conservation in homes. o Ryan stated he is concerned about the abundance of small appliances that are on 24 hours a day and wondered how to get one switch to turn them off. He also hoped the LEED certification for residential building would address that. John pointed out 5% of energy use comes from phantoms and suggested Ryan contact Neighborhood and Building Services. o Clint Skutchan stressed that it's important to market this as common sense, rational and the conservation thing to do. o John stated there are some builders that have home performance with Energy Star. John Phelan then gave an overview of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification process: US Green Building Council (USGBC) is: • A national nonprofit organization • A diverse membership of organizations • Is consensus -driven membership organization • Committee -based product development • Developer and administrator of the LEED Green Building Rating System LEED is a rating system of the USGBC. It is voluntary, consensus -based standards to support and certify successful green building design, construction and operations. It sets quantifiable targets and goals for green/high performance buildings. It requires a rigorous commissioning process be done by a 3rd party that is a prerequisite for commercial buildings. LEED certifications: - Homes - Neighborhood development - Commercial interiors - Cores and shell - New construction - Schools, retail, healthcare - Existing buildings — 90% of buildings are already here. — Sets operational policies on cleaning — recycling — designed around building operators. John Phelan pointed out there are a lot of projects in Fort Collins that are either LEED certified or being certified, resulting in a lot of collective experience with LEED in the city. Points are awarded for the following different topics for new construction in order to qualify for a LEED certification level: o Sustainable sites, o Water efficiency, o Energy and atmosphere, o Materials and resources, o Indoor environmental quality, o Innovation in design. LEED certification levels: Certified (26- 32 points) Silver (33-38 points) Gold (39-51 points) Platinum (52 + points) Total Points = 69 Each credit identifies: Intent; Requirements; Submittals; Technologies and Strategies. Responsible parties sign Letter Templates declaring that they meet the requirements of the credit and provide supplemental information including calculations, drawings, narratives, etc.. The LEED process: • Step 1 - Project registration • Step 2 Design and construction - Identify target points, technical support • Step 3 — Building certification - Phased submittals and USGBC review Questions and comments: • John Phelan pointed out that some buildings use the LEED criteria, but never apply for the certifications so that they have a higher quality design. He also stated LEED certification for homes is based on energy performance. • In answer to a question from Clint Skutchan, John explained the LEED process is thinking about having a different point structure in different areas of the United States because different part of the country may have different water and environmental issues. • John explained anyone can become a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED-AP) by taking an accreditation exam. • In answer to a question from Joe Piesman, John Phelan stated their website will keep a running list of LEED buildings in the area. John Armstrong also pointed out you can go to www.USGBC.org website and find a listing of LEED certified buildings listed statewide, city and type of program, etc. • John Phelan will keep the board updated on the progress of the LEED process in Fort Collins. New Business • Reschedule March NRAB meeting due to couflict with Poudre School District Spring Break? o After discussion, the NRAB voted to keep the scheduled meeting date of March 19. John Armstrong will be out of town, but will have another Natural Resources staff member attend the meeting on his behalf. Administrative support procedures o John Armstrong related a request from city council regarding advisory board administrative procedure. They ask that any edits to the minutes of the NRAB that are sent out in the board packet be submitted within the intervening week and be sent directly to Judi Vos with a copy to John Armstrong. If there are sufficient edits, the minutes will be amended and sent out again the Tuesday before the meeting. Last minute edits are still OK • John Armstrong also related that City Council passed a requirement that board members attend a board member training once in every 4-year term and new members attend training within 6 months of their new term. This requirement will be on the City's website under the 2008 Board Manual. The record of compliance with 10 this regulation will be kept in the City Clerk's office. John Armstrong will follow up and provide the NRAB whatever information and tools are necessary to comply with this regulation. o The NRAB discussed evening training sessions would be preferable. John will send the members of the board the training schedule. Announcements Ryan Staychock announced there will be an open house for Parks on March 13. Liz Pruessner announced the Climate Task Force plan will go before City Council February 26, and the public open house will be February27 at the Senior Center. Clint Skutchan announced he had sent a memo to staff asking that the money not being spent to feed him at NRAB meetings be redirected to Natural Areas programs or schools and wanted to know if that was being done. o John Armstrong briefly described the budgeting process. The monies that support the NRAB come from the Environmental Services General Fund. If money is not used by the end of the fiscal year, those monies revert back to the General Fund at large. There is no budgeting process in place to redirect them. Clint expressed his disappointment the money cannot be redirected. Ryan Staychock announced that the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage area passed out of committee in Washington DC on behalf of Senators Allard and Salazar. Also, the uranium bill cleared State Agriculture and Natural Resources committee today and has been forwarded to the Appropriation Committee. Committee Meetings The board agreed to discuss this issue next month. Council Six Month Planning Calendar The Board reviewed issues coming before the City Council to see what issues the board might want to place on next month's NRAB agenda. Under consideration are: • Sustainability committee • Work Plan • Pesticides and herbicides • Water treatment plant • Climate Task Force report • Open lands update The meeting was adjourned at 9:07. Submitted by Alexis Hmielak Administrative Secretary I Approved by the Board on d,(i� / , 2008 Signed tive Secretary I 6600 3 / 1� 68' Date� 11