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HomeMy WebLinkAboutConservation Commission - 05/12/2009 APPROVED MINUTES CONSERVATION COMMISSION TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2009 7:00 PM, CITY CENTER Heritage Room I & II 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: Laura Jester (Chair), Dan Trebil (Vice-Chair), Sue Brown, Ray Daniels, Ravi Jaiswal, Geneva MacMillan, Greg Olson STAFF: Leslie A. Stovring, Staff Liaison Regina Herron, Planning Department Jan Curielli, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Jester called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Jaiswal and Olson were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Jester added Item VI. A. Ideas for Demonstration Sites. Stovring added Item V.C. Liaison Shift. MacMillan added Item IX.A. Education. MOTION: Daniels moved, seconded by MacMillan, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried 5-0. III. SPEAKER A. Kevin Schmies!, Building Inspections Manager — "Green Building" Codes and Policies Stovring introduced Kevin Schmieg, Building Inspections Manager for the City of Eden Prairie. Mr. Schmieg said, while he is not an expert on green buildings, he does understand construction and building techniques and has attended seminars on green buildings. The key concepts involved in green buildings are durability, energy efficiency, water conservation, providing a healthy place to live and work, and how the site looks and interacts with the site and community. A new energy code is scheduled to become effective June 1, 2009 that increases durability through new energy requirements for items such as ventilation. Energy efficiency and durability is a balancing act because some green building techniques can adversely affect durability. Schmieg said there are three certification systems today that are used in Minnesota: LEED, Energy Star, and Minnesota Green Star. Conservation Commission May 12, 2009 Page 2 • Energy Star is a national certification program that provides standards for energy efficient equipment for lighting, appliances and air distribution in homes. It is managed by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Dept. of Energy. • Minnesota Green Star is a certification program for new and used homes that looks at items such as energy, durability, water conservation and indoor air quality. Schmieg said the Minnesota Green Star certification does require third- party verification but the approval process is not as extensive as LEED certification. • LEED certification is a broad system for how a building performs across a number of items or metrics. He noted full LEED certification can be a very expensive process because of all the requirements for supporting documentation. There are four different levels of LEED certification available. The three levels are platinum, gold and silver certification. The fourth would include building to LEED standards without obtaining certification. Jester asked if there are any certified LEED buildings in Eden Prairie. Schmieg said Liberty Properties has certified one of their new buildings. He noted the current Minnesota state energy codes are the strictest in the country at this time. The current issue is durability of materials, which would include items such as mold growth. Pressurized homes can allow pressure to build up on exterior cladding (such as stucco) and insulation, resulting in trapped moisture and mold. In an attempt to solve the issues of durability caused by the strict energy code requirements, the state has implemented a number of code revisions, such as requiring continuous ventilation in buildings to maintain air exchange. MacMillan said that would take more electricity. Schmieg said air exchanges use very low energy levels,but that is an example of the balancing act necessary. Schmieg said the construction industry now makes extensive use of engineered wood products instead of using lumber products made from old growth. Jester asked if that is the way the industry is going. Schmieg said that it is practical as it reduces building costs and it is from a renewable (young growth)product. MacMillan asked how the trend to young growth products began. Schmieg said it started with plywood in the late 1950's, and now most houses are built with trusses and engineered wood. Daniels asked why we are fighting over the old growth forests if young growth products are used so much. Schmieg said old growth is still used for materials such as trim and cabinetry. Right now approximately 70% of the materials used are from new growth and 30% are from old growth forests. So products made from old-growth are still out there but are declining. Schmieg said the Minnesota state building code applies state wide, and no city can enforce or create a code that is stricter than the state code. The state building code was developed by an organization called the International Code Council (ICC). Currently they are in the process of developing ICC-700 which is a residential green Conservation Commission May 12, 2009 Page 3 building code. They are also developing a commercial green building code. However, they are currently on hold due to state budget constraints. After these are developed the State would have to adopt them and put them into the code or create an option for municipalities to adopt them for them to come into effect. Until that happens there are no options for green building codes that the City could implement independently. MacMillan asked if all states have building codes. Schmieg replied some states do not have a code, so regulation in those states is done by cities. Jester asked if he foresaw Eden Prairie lobbying to adopt them. Schmieg said the Conservation Commission could be the group to do that for the City. He noted that for every group that wants green building codes there is a group that fights it due to issues such as the potential for increased costs. Jester asked if there is anything Eden Prairie can do the way our code is written to be more environmentally friendly. Schmieg said one good approach would be to look at projects to manage storm water runoff. For example, there is a dental clinic in town that now has a green roof. Stovring thought things like green roofs will be more popular because the requirements for infiltration of storm water will increase as the State and Watershed Districts begin tightening up storm water treatment requirements. Trebil asked why the owners of the dental clinic decided to add the green roof. Schmieg said it is in a step-down area where it can be seen by staff and visitors, so there is a return for the owners from enjoyment of the environment. Jester asked if the code regarding hard-surfaced driveways was changed. Herron said the meeting is tentatively scheduled for final reading with the City Council in June. Jester asked if there is anything else like that could be changed to allow more environmentally friendly practices. Schmieg said the City could look at encouraging items such as installation of solar panels or wind turbines. Herron said wind generators are currently considered accessory structures and have to meet height requirements. She said we will take a look at possible changes to the city zoning code this fall as part of the Planning Division work plan. Schmieg thought the use of wind energy will grow as the height of the unit decreases and the energy storage capacity increases. Jester said the Conservation Commission is planning a joint meeting with the Planning Commission sometime in the future, and we need to be thinking of different ways to promote environmentally friendly buildings for City projects. Conservation Commission May 12, 2009 Page 4 Schmieg noted construction now is more conscious of the environment than when he started with the City. City inspectors can red tag any building that is in violation of code, which means work on that building has to stop. Jester asked how often sites get inspected. Schmieg said it occurs more often now there are more infill projects because there is a lower threshold of tolerance and neighbors will call and complain. Jester said she hoped the staff liaison will keep us updated on what the code changes are. She offered the Commission's help anytime it is needed in an advisory capacity or for lobbying efforts. Stovring asked if there are any ideas on what we can do. Schmieg said the process is much smoother now because the builders are aware of the potential liability. Trebil asked if Eden Prairie does anything for residents or commercial buildings as far as rebates, grants or other incentives. Stovring noted that the proposed allocation for the energy efficiency grant program available with the federal ARRA money is $672,000. She said a lot of the projects we discussed for the 20-40-15 program will be considered under that grant money. Trebil asked if that program is for City buildings or private developers. Stovring said the first round is for City projects, but there are other grant funds out there that may be applied for at a later date. Daniels asked if the list of projects includes the wind turbine. Stovring said neither wind nor solar are on the list, primarily because of the long payback time for those two items. Jester said it seems like a perfect role for this commission to be involved in developing that list of programs because we are supposed to advise the Council and staff. She asked how we can help. Stovring said the key is to stay on top of the program and to maintain contact with Paul Sticha, Facilities Manager, to ensure he is aware of our concern about projects that are coming up. For example, the City Center is being re-roofed and the Commission was not aware of the opportunity for encouraging use of a green or light-colored roof. Jester thought we need a more permanent item on the agenda to jog our memory about checking on what is coming down the pike. Daniels asked if it would be good to send a letter expressing concern about lost opportunities. Jester thought that might not be a good idea unless we see that as a recurring situation. Stovring said these are such new ideas, and with the budgetary constraints it is difficult to add new project ideas that would cost more money. Schmeig said there are many things you can get a return on, and he encouraged the commission to keep looking for opportunities. He thought it was also important that things done by the City are visible and a green roof on a building like City Hall would not be visible. Brown said anything we can do that would be visible would be a very good indicator of moving in that direction. Conservation Commission May 12, 2009 Page 5 Jester said she would like to stay on top of what projects the City has coming up with regard to buildings and grounds so the City is able to be more environmentally friendly and have demonstration projects. Schmeig said the 20-40-15 project is a huge thing, and we now have LED lights in the parking lot, a new energy management system in the buildings, and hybrid vehicles being introduced into the fleet. He thought there are things that are going on, but many of them aren't visible to everyone. Jester said the Commission has received updates from McKinstry on the 20-40-15 program. Schmieg said we have done a lot with our traffic management program and we have the walkable community concept for Town Center. Herron noted St. Paul is using our traffic demand management program as a model for their ordinance. Stovring said the program promotes different schedules and minimizing numbers of trips. Schmeig said we are hoping to get light rail which will reduce both traffic and carbon monoxide. Jester asked if the City is officially in favor of light rail. Stovring said it is in favor of it. Herron said two routes are being considered and Eden Prairie is on record as supporting the alignment through the Golden Triangle and Town Center areas. Daniels asked about having sidewalks elsewhere in the City as part of the walkable community concept. Stovring said we are working to connect trails and sidewalks and add new ones as redevelopment allows. MacMillan asked about the TDM program St. Paul is modeling after ours. Herron said it is the TDM program we have implemented. It involves requiring office buildings or industrial complexes to implement a plan for carpooling and ride sharing. She said St. Paul looked to other cities for examples and is using ours as a model program. MacMillan noted she doesn't see the traffic management going on at the City Center. Herron said there are bike racks and showers available at City Hall for those who bike to work, and other buildings in the City also have added them. In addition, many businesses are required as part of their development agreement to implement a traffic management plan. Schmeig noted this came about in the Golden Triangle area when Best Buy was located there. We asked them to stagger their starting times and to encourage carpooling. There was a return for them in terms of decreased traffic volumes. We then went a step further and required it for other businesses. Brown asked how much we want to push Eden Prairie as a place to draw business, and if we want to develop more or just use what is existing. Schmieg said we have 964 acres yet to be developed, and there are 180 lots mapped as potential residential parcels. Stovring noted a lot of that is in the bluffs area and the true number may be less. Schmieg thought there are also areas in the northern part of the City that will be rebuilt in the future. Conservation Commission May 12, 2009 Page 6 IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Commission Meeting held April 14, 2009 MOTION: MacMillan moved, seconded by Daniels, to approve the minutes of the April 14, 2009 meeting as published. Motion carried 5-0. V. REPORTS FROM STAFF A. Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District—"Night with the Watershed" (May 5, 2009) Stovring said Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District had their biannual "Night with the Watershed" where they give an update on what has happened in the last six months and what their plans are. They went over the lake sampling and some of the pilot projects for water quality management in Mitchell Lake. She said it was a very interesting meeting and she wrote up an email summary for staff that she will send to the Commission members. She thought it would be good if the Commission members could support the District and possibly attend some of these biannual educational events as the RPBC Watershed District plays a big role in managing the quality of creeks and lakes in the City. She noted their educational events are usually very well attended and the next one will be in November or December. B. Public Data Desisnation & Consent Form Revision Stovring noted there is a new form for public data designation and reviewed the changes. She distributed the forms to those Commission members who needed to fill out a new form. C. Liaison Shift Stovring introduced Regina Herron who will take over as staff liaison for the Conservation Commission in June. Stovring said she plans on coming to the June meeting and will also attend the joint meeting with the Parks Commission in August to assist in the transition. She will continue to be involved in events such as the Chamber of Commerce Expo as it is part of the storm water permit program. Herron said she has worked in Planning and Community Development for 4-1/2 years and is aware of many of the planning issues that the commission will be working on. She will come to the Commission with any ordinance changes or discussion of energy issues. The Commission took a break at 8:30 PM,returning at 8:35 PM. VI. REPORTS FROM CHAIR Conservation Commission May 12, 2009 Page 7 A. Ideas for Demonstration Sites Jester said the idea to have demonstration sites in the City came from the discussion at the Council workshop session. She stated that she thought it would be a good idea to develop a reference guide for residences and businesses that have examples of environmentally-friendly items such as pavers or rain gardens. She thought others could benefit from speaking to someone who has implemented a successful project. Brown thought we could put something in the newspaper or the Eden Prairie magazine asking people to submit examples of what they have done and we might be able to work with the Star Tribune as well. Herron said we could use the City website to highlight businesses, such as MTS with their solar panels, and we could also use the Life in the Prairie insert. Jester thought there are a couple of angles to pursue, and it would be good to have a story about a particular company doing a particular thing. Brown suggested we could demonstrate different projects by featuring them on a regular basis in the paper or on the web site. Stovring suggested an annual tour of six or so spots to get people interested. She noted the City of Plymouth and others do that for environmental projects. Jester said she thought of developing an informational booklet or article that would have a description of the practice with contact information to contact someone about it would be good. Trebil thought we could highlight one or a series of projects and have bullet points about each one, perhaps incorporating them into a series and then do a tour for interaction with the projects. Daniels said we would need to locate these sites. MacMillan thought we need to get a list and suggested that would be a good job for our new staff liaison who is knowledgeable about projects that have been approved or are proposed that would fit into this category. Jester said she had jotted down a list of practices that might be good for this. Herron said she would work to come up with more ideas. VII. OLD BUSINESS A. Future Joint Meetings Jester said we have one meeting set up for August 3 with the Parks Commission. Stovring said we now have someone from the Planning Division as liaison so we can work on scheduling a joint meeting with the Planning Commission. Jester said we need to put that on a future agenda. Jester said Commission minutes will reflect some of the areas we want to talk about at the August 3 meeting, and we need to research what other cities are doing about recycling in the parks. Stovring said Wes Dunsmore is the one who has been looking into it for the Parks Department and he is very excited about implementation of this. Conservation Commission May 12, 2009 Page 8 Daniels said we also would want to know what the parks are doing in the conservation areas and if there are any areas where native prairie might be installed. B. "Waterosity" —Landscape Arboretum Stovring said she has a sign-up form for this event which will be held July 11 and 12. They supply one six-foot table and two chairs. The theme is water conservation and water quality. Daniels asked how we would be unique for this event. Stovring said they just hope to have cities come and talk about their programs and what they are doing. We could talk about what the Conservation Commission does and how we help promote conservation. She said they need to know if we will participate by May 15. Jester said she will be in town but she was not sure we will be dispensing enough information to make it worthwhile. MacMillan thought part of it is being visible. Jester said she could be there the morning of July 12. MacMillan said she would take a half day. Stovring suggested continuing discussion on what to have available at the booth at the next meeting. VIII. NEW BUSINESS IX. INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS /HANDOUTS/COMMUNICATIONS A. MacMillan—Education MacMillan said St. Andrews Lutheran Church had Will Steger and others speak on Global Warming. There were about 900 people that attended the event. Since that time she has pursued starting a group at the church for those who are interested in global warming. At this point the group has met three times and has received permission to put up displays for "Creation Care Month." Daniels noted they are using some items from the Eco Fair put on at his church. He noted this is part of the effort to move the ecology movement into the churches. Brown said she has been invited to give a presentation on Earth Day at Prairie View Elementary School. X. UPCOMING EVENTS A. Eden Prairie Clean Up—Saturday,June 21, 2009 Jester asked if they need volunteers for the event. Stovring said they do not. B. Rain Barrel Workshop—June 27, 2009 at Staring Lake Outdoor Center Stovring said she will check the signup sheet for this event. Conservation Commission May 12, 2009 Page 9 C. Go Green with a Splash Party Weekend (Waterosity) — Saturday & Sunday, July 11 & 12, 2009 from 11 am—3 pm at the Landscape Arboretum D. Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Joint Meeting—August 3, 2009 (This will be in place of our regular August meeting) Jester said she was interested to know what other cities do about commercial recycling. Stovring said we could talk about that and suggested it might be a requirement for redevelopment and new development. The recycling bins have to be enclosed and cannot be out in the parking lot, so many existing buildings do not have the space for it. Daniels asked if we will have a booth for July 4. Stovring said that event is coordinated by the Parks and Recreation Department so she will have to find out about it. XI. NEXT MEETING A. June 9, 2009 XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Brown moved, seconded by Trebil, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Chair Jester adjourned the meeting at 9:16 PM.