HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 08/19/2020
NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR
August 19, 2020 6:00 – 8:00 pm Via Zoom
1/27/20 – MINUTES Page 1
1. CALL TO ORDER
6:00 pm
2. ROLL CALL
List of Board Members Present - quorum not met
Danielle Buttke - chair
Bob Mann
Samantha Williams
Drew Derderian
Kevin Krause
List of Board Members Absent – Excused or Unexcused; if no contact with Chair
Elizabeth Hudetz
John Stogman
Hillary Mizia
Barry Noon
List of Staff Members Present
Michelle Finchum, Staff Liaison
List of Guests
none
3. AGENDA REVIEW
No changes
4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
N/A
5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
As there was no quorum, the minutes were not voted upon.
6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR
8/19/20 – MINUTES Page 2
7. NEW BUSINESS
a. Restructuring leadership
As chairperson Danielle Buttke is currently extremely busy working with local
COVID response, she would like to step down as chair and asked for someone
else to take on the position. Since several members were absent from this
meeting and there was no quorum, the group agreed to vote on a new chair at
the September meeting.
The Board agreed to set future agendas via email with input from all of the group
members.
b. Parks and Recreation Master Plan update - Robert and Samantha
The timeline of the project shows there are still upcoming open houses and a city
council work session which will provide opportunities for discussion of and input
to the plan before finalization.
Honore Depew has requested the NRAB to summarize this meeting's discussion
of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan in an email back to him and to take a
deeper dive into it at the September NRAB meeting.
The overall public space vision seems to be changing the perspective of how the
city is doing this type of planning by focusing on all of the public spaces and how
each plan fits into a more collective, holistic public space vision.
The goal of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan is to provide equitable access
to parks and recreational experiences.
Discussion
Would like to know what opportunities the NRAB has to give input on park
resources, such as using more drought-tolerant grasses and plants that
need less water and not having to use a car to get to the recreation areas.
Nature in the City is working to provide a natural area for citizens within a 10
minute walk of their homes. However, there are some gaps that have
neither park nor natural area that are being addressed to create a
"completed" system.
The city seems to have many "mature" recreational spaces that are going
into decline that need to be refreshed or have capital improvements.
Suggestion to the plan is to address natural "corridors" and reevaluate the
schedule of bringing on new parks and refresh of older parks and
incorporating more xeric native plants and more "soft" areas.
The board would like a more in-depth presentation in September. Michelle
NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR
8/19/20 – MINUTES Page 3
will check when that could happen. Also, there might be some opportunities
in the Our Climate Future program for the board to weigh in on also.
c. Our Climate Future Plan- Michelle Finchum
Our Climate Future seeks equitable solutions to achieve our energy, zero
waste, and climate goals. The guiding theme is equity: Equity in the process
of creating the plan; and equity in an outcome that benefits a carbon neutral
Fort Collins, using mitigation, and resilience techniques.
Because of recent budget changes, it is unknown what the final 3 plans will
look like. Outreach will be mostly virtual, and consultant input will be reduced.
Community input will help define barriers, priorities and strategies and will
also include community member plan ambassadors. The Urban
Sustainability Directors Network will also be giving input.
Plan development will have three phases: understanding community
priorities; strategic planning; and plan release and adoption. The final report
will be posted on line at https://ourcity.fcgov.com/ourclimatefuture/.
We are currently in phase two of the plan, which includes a 9-week period of
virtual engagements with the public for ideas, strategies, and tactics.
Outreach materials are in both Spanish and English. The NRAB is invited to
join in on these meetings and give input.
Next steps - October/November work sessions - January final review of plan
- February will be final adoption.
Discussion
Since virtual engagement is a new tactic, what has been the level of
public engagement? It has been good, but uneven. Plan
ambassadors have been helpful to contact businesses and their own
networks. There are also advisors weighing in. The NRAB is invited
to weigh in.
When is the best time for NRAB to weigh in? Michelle suggested the
board can get engaged right now and guided them to the city's
webpage https://ourcity.fcgov.com/ourclimatefuture/ where the various
workshops are and also access the virtual whiteboard to post your
comments. The board could also request more input on which
aspects of the plan they are interested in.
Board chair Danielle suggested board members report back if they do
attend these virtual workshops so the group can discuss.
NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR
8/19/20 – MINUTES Page 4
8. BOARD MEMBER AND STAFF REPORTS
a. The County Commissioners Hearing will be August 24 with an opportunity to provide
comments
b. Bicycle Advisory Committee report -
The bike share program has been affected by COVID and the e-scooter
program has ceased.
There has been more way finding being put on streets and trails.
Realignment on Trilby and Timberline
c. There is a residential battery storage pilot program is underway in the city. The
City's Utilities Department social media is best place to follow it.
9. OTHER BUSINESS
a. Budget Update https://www.fcgov.com/citymanager/budget.php
The recommended budget will be released to the public September 1 and
citizens are encouraged to give input.
b. Strategic Plan 2020: https://ourcity.fcgov.com/2020strategicplan
c. Our Climate Future Newsletter Sign Up https://www.fcgov.com/subscriptions/
d. Social Sustainability Gap Analysis Report - Informational site showing gaps
where work still needs to be done.
https://www.fcgov.com/socialsustainability/documents.php
10. ADJOURN
7:33 pm