HomeMy WebLinkAboutSustainability Commission - 04/09/2024APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2024 7:00 P.M., Water Treatment Plant 14100 Technology Drive COMMISSION MEMBERS: Aaron Poock (Chair), Laura Bishop, Tim Conners, Gretchen Enninga, Cindy Hoffman, Moussa Ousmane, Carolyn Wieland, Michelle Frost, Jim Nehl STUDENT MEMBERS: Rylee Brazil, Sophie Cain, Lucy Dowdal-Osborn, Alyssa Ehler, Lalitha Gunturi, Roshan Gurumurthy, Isaac Hepper, Sabreen Khanikar, Pranav Narayanan, Kate Ropchak, Lilli Timpe, Keerti Tumu CITY STAFF: Jennifer Fierce, Sustainability Coordinator, Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Poock called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Commission Members Enninga and Frost, and Student Commission Members Brazil, Gunturi, Hepper, Khanikar, and Tumu were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS MOTION: Nehl moved, seconded by Hoffman to approve the agenda. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM MARCH 8, 2022 MEETING MOTION: Bishop moved, seconded by Nehl to approve the minutes from the March 12, 2024 meeting. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. IV. REPORTS A. REPORTS FROM STAFF 1. WATER METER CHANGEOUT AND EYE ON WATER APP PROMOTION Sustainability Commission Minutes April 9, 2024 Page 2 Fierce suggested holding off on the renewable energy challenge until September or October 2024 as there was a full summer of recreational programming coming up. There were two events to promote this those months: the Citywide Open House and the EV Showcase. Fierce suggested a grand prize drawing and asked for feedback. She introduced Rick Wahlen, the utility operations manager for the city. Wahlen explained water treatment was an expanding career opportunity, available to one with an associates degree with a one-year specialized training program. He gave the educational background of the operators and spoke about their jobs. During 2008-2009 the City was studying options for replacement of water meters as they were nearing the end of their useful life. Eden Prairie had a fixed network system, i.e., towers throughout the town with repeaters on the towers, like a radio network for reading water meters, and this worked fairly well. The City was responsible for the overhead, equipment, and maintenance for water meters. Eden Prairie decided on a cellular option for the new meters. There were not smart water meters, as they only read water usage and communicated with the nearest tower and neither used Bluetooth or Wifi. Electromagnetic interference in homes was a concern for some homeowners too and this avoided that. The system broadcasted the data to Eden Prairie four times a day. This saved battery life yet the meter captured information on continual basis, but only broadcasted it at the allotted time. Each meter costs about $300.00 and lasts 20 years. They are brass-bodied (not plastic), repairable, and in the case of electricity loss or electromagnetic pulse, could still read the meter onsite. The meter did not require any energy but was connected to the electronics that did require electricity. Wahlen displayed the app interface and explained the analytics to determine habits to help residents understand their water usage and conservation options. The water mains were in great shape due to soft water (since 1977) and Eden Prairie being a relatively new community. Wahlen displayed and explained the phone app. There were 3,000 subscribers, 13,000 nonsubscribers for a 20 percent participation rate compared to 3 percent average nationally. There was no direct communication between any device and the water meter. The homeowner could get emails or texts (email-to-text). The system was accurate to a tenth of a gallon. Sustainability Commission Minutes April 9, 2024 Page 3 Discussion followed on using the app. Fierce stated users could set up the account on a desktop, then use the app for checking. B. REPORTS FROM CHAIR C. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION Wieland and Nehl announced their Earth Day presentation on recycling and reuse next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at St. Andrew Lutheran Church. Conners announced the Eden Prairie Eco Expo on April 20. D. REPORTS FROM STUDENTS V. OTHER BUSINESS VI. UPCOMING EVENTS Saturday, April 13th, Citywide Park Cleanup, 8 AM to 10 AM – (Crestwood Park at 9 AM for the commission members) Saturday, April 20th, Eco Expo, 10 AM to 6 PM – Eden Prairie Center Thursday, April 25th, Resilient Shorelines Workshop, 6 PM to 8 PM – Community Center Saturday, April 27th, Arbor Day Event, 10 AM to 1 PM – Round Lake Park Saturday, April 27th, Clothing Swap, 11 AM to 2 PM – Eden Prairie High School East Commons VII. NEXT MEETING The next Sustainability Commission meeting will be held Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road. VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Nehl moved, seconded by Bishop to adjourn the meeting. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.