HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 09/16/2014 - Workshop APPROVE MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2014 CITY CENTER
5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOMS
6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER
CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Council Members Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher
Wickstrom, Kathy Nelson, and Ron Case
CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Police Chief Rob Reynolds, Fire Chief George
Esbensen, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah,
Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City
Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters
Council Member Butcher Wickstrom was absent.
I. 20-40-15 PROGRAM UPDATE
Fleet Services Supervisor Paul Schlueter and Facilities Manager Paul Sticha provided an
update on the 20-40-15 program. A newly completed four-minute video on the program
was also shown.
Facilities/Energy Savings
Sticha said the goal for facilities is to achieve 20 percent efficiency improvements in
City-owned buildings by 2015, with 2005 as the base year for comparison. Phase four of
this portion of the program was completed in 2013, and phase five is currently underway.
Phase Four projects included:
Ice Rink Improvements
• Conversion from Freon to ammonia refrigerant for Ice Rink 2
• Installation of Low E ceilings in all three ice rinks
• Heat recovery system for sub-floor heating and snow melt pit in Rink 2
• Installation of a waste heat recovery fan-coil unit for space heating in Rink 3
• Variable speed drives installed on exhaust fans and makeup air units in Rink 2
• Variable speed drives installed on cooling tower fans
Fire Station HVAC
• Furnaces replaced with 90-percent efficient units
• AC cooling units replaced with 15+ SEER efficient units
Sticha said the energy savings for Phase 4 projects is estimated to be $60,000. The cost of
the initiatives was approximately $500,000, for a payback of less than nine years. The
annual energy savings of the first four phases of the program total approximately
$250,000. In other words, compared to the base year of 2005, the City now saves
$1,000,000 every four years in reduced energy costs.
Phase Five projects underway for 2014 include:
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES
September 16,2014
Page 2
• High efficiency HVAC equipment for the aquatics expansion project, including waste
heat recovery exchangers
• High efficiency lights and HVAC improvements at park shelters and smaller
buildings
• High efficiency LED lighting to replace 46 high pressure sodium street lights
• Installation of a photo-voltaic solar panel system at the Community Center
Sticha said the City has achieved 18 percent improvement in energy savings, and staff
believes Phase 5 projects will allow the City to achieve the 20 percent goal by the end of
the year.
Sticha said staff plans to continue to find more ways to conserve energy, including
investigating the possibility of using a waste oil heating boiler at the maintenance facility
and geothermal heat recovery at the Water Plant.
Fleet Services/Fuel Economy
Paul Schlueter said the goal for this portion of the program is to achieve a 40 percent
increase in fuel economy by 2015.
Strategies used to achieve these goals include:
• Right sizing the fleet
• Vehicles scheduled for replacement are replaced with fuel efficient models (6 hybrid
vehicles are in use, and 26 vehicles have cylinder deactivation)
• Employee training
• Use of renewable fuels, B20 biodiesel, and electricity
• Initiation of a Fuel Miser Award program
Schlueter said the City has achieved a 36 percent increase in fuel economy since the
program was instituted in 2005. The additional four percent needed to reach the goal will
be achieved by continuing to right size the fleet, phasing in additional electric and hybrid
vehicles, and implementing guidelines to reduce fuel use.
Council Member Nelson asked if staff has engaged Xcel Energy in discussions about
converting the street lights they own in Eden Prairie to LED. Ellis said Xcel is currently
conducting a demonstration project in West St. Paul, and they will use the resulting data
to establish new rates through the Public Utilities Commission.
Mayor Tyra-Lukens said she thought the goals of the 20-40-15 program were aggressive
when they were established back in 2005, and she is impressed with the variety and
quality of improvements and how close the City is to achieving the goals.
Nelson said she would like to see a new set of goals established to ensure the City stays
on the path of constantly improving. Case said he agrees, and that a goal that carries
through over a number of years regardless of changes in staff and elected officials is a
good idea.
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES
September 16,2014
Page 3
II. OPEN PODIUM
Bob Adomaitis—Southwest Metro Lakes Coalition
Adomaitis said he lives on Lake Riley, and he is a member of the Southwest Metro Lakes
Association, which was formed in response to regulations proposed by the Riley
Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District. He said the watershed district has jurisdiction
over five lakes (Mitchell, Red Rock, Riley, Lucy, Lotus) and 1,000 households. He said
watershed districts are meant to preserve and protect lakes, and to conduct related
educational activities. He said the Southwest Metro Lakes Association is not anti-rules or
anti-watershed district. He said they do challenge the authority of the watershed district
to institute rules that supersede rules that are already in place. He said the Lake Riley
Improvement Association has partnered with the watershed district on projects in the
past. The Southwest Metro Lakes Association believes it is the watershed district's
responsibility to carry out water quality projects that benefit the most people.
III. ADJOURNMENT