Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014.05.28 Conservation Commission Agenda Packet ASHLAND CONSERVATION COMMISSION MeetingAgenda May 28, 2014 Community Development Building, Siskiyou Room 51 W i n b u rn Way 1. Call to Order 2. Consent Agenda / Reports (5 min) 2.1. Minutes April 23, 2014 Commission meeting 3. Announcements (5 min) 3.1.Next Regular Meeting: June 25, 2014 3.2.Upcoming Sub-committee meetings for March • Sustainability— June 4th, June 18th • Conservation Competition/Awards - TBA • BYO B - TBA • Fourth of July - TBA 3.3.Other Announcements from Commissioners 4. Public Forum (10 min to be evenly divided by public wishing to speak) 5. Reports / Presentations/Updates (90 min) 5.1. Council - Councilor Rosenthal (5 min) 5.2. City Operations — Hanks (5 min) 5.3. Quarterly Report— SOU (5 min) 5.4. Recycling Center Ad-Hoc — Beigel-Coryell/Beam (20 min) 5.5. BYOB — Buck (10 min) 5.6. Sustainability Sub-Committee (20 min) 5.7. Fourth of July Sub-Committee — Buck (5 min) 5.8. Conservation Awards Committee — Koopman (15 min) 5.9. Divestment Policy Request— Koopman (5 min) 6. Old Business 6.1 Commission Goal Setting — Discuss process/format (10 min) 8. Wrap Up 1.1. Items to be added to next agenda 1.2. Adjournment (8 PM) ASHLAND CONSERVATION COMMISSION Meeting Minutes April 23, 2014 Community Development Building, Siskiyou Room 51 W i n b u rn Way 1. Call to Order Meeting called to order by Chair Koopman. In attendance were Commissioners Buck, Koopman, McGinnis, Weir, Beigel-Coryell and Silverberg. Staff Hanks was also present. 2. Consent Agenda / Reports The minutes of the March 26, 2014 Commission meeting and the sustainability sub- committee from April 16, 2014 were motioned for approval by Weir, with a second from Buck and approved unanimously 3. Announcements Chair Koopman noted that the next regular Commission meeting is scheduled for May 28, 2014. Commissioner Weir noted that the BYOB (plastic bag ban) ordinance is scheduled for second reading on May 6, 2014 Upcoming Sub-committee meetings for May were noted, Sustainability— May 7t"/ 21 St . Others to be determined later in the meeting 4. Public Forum Barry Smith from Extreme Energy Solutions presented an inline fuel line fuel efficiency product to the Commission and provided a packet of product information. Vincent Smith, a professor from SOU who is leading the Green House Center for Sustainability provided the Commission with an overview of the Center and its progress towards its opening. Some of the goals and objectives of the Center are: • Business incubation • Food production with local student distribution • Community gathering space • Sustainability education and training 5. Reports / Presentations/Updates Council Update Rosenthal not in attendance City Operations Hanks noted that he recently did a media interview about the sud safe car wash kit Quarterly Report None Recycling Center Ad-Hoc Commissioner Beigel-Coryell updated the Commission on the work of the ad-hoc recycle center committee noting that on site data collection of the users of the center had taken place over the past few weeks and the committee is awaiting the final compilation of the data to assist in developing a draft recommendation document. The recommendation would be provided to the Commission for comment prior to it going to City Council, which is currently scheduled for June 17, 2014 Sustainability Sub-Committee Commissioner McGinnis described the efforts of the sub-committee over the past several meetings updating the Commission on the work towards approaching the Council to adopt the STAR framework for sustainability. McGinnis described the matrix work being done to provide Council with a working example of existing projects, activities and objectives that already fit within the matrix. McGinnis also outlined the potential process and phasing being discussed, which is to have Council use the framework for goal setting, devote dedicated staffing within two years and integrate the framework across departments and throughout the community. Commissioner Koopman added that through her work with the City of Fort Collins, she saw the impact of STAR that included the City changing the structure of their organization to better fit the STAR framework. Commissioner Beigel-Coryell noted that the framework is not all community or all city, but a combination of the two. Commissioner Buck suggested that the Commission could use the STAR framework in their own goal setting. Commissioner Weir noted that Fort Collins appeared to be the smallest city using STAR and it is 6-7 times larger than Ashland and wondered if the scale and capacity of STAR works with a city Ashland's size. McGinnis made a motion that the Commission agrees to move forward to present the STAR framework to City Council for their consideration and approval. Commissioner Silverberg provided the second. Weir noted for discussion that he feels there needs to be a clear plan of how the request comes to Council and what exactly is being asked. The motion was approved unanimously. Fourth of July Sub-Committee Commissioner Buck updated the Commission on the plans for the Fourth of July entry in the parade, which includes walking with the Rogue Valley Peace Choir signing. Recology has agreed to pull a 40 yard box behind one of their trucks that will have a sign stating "2013 4t" of July trash filled this truck, You can make it smaller" Buck motioned for approval of the parade concept, second from Silverberg and approved unanimously. Conservation Awards Committee Koopman noted that submissions will be due May 9t" and the two judging panels will convene the following week. Koopman mentioned several of the judges and asked the Commission for other names should they be needed. The Commission agreed that the panel had a good variety of representation of the public. Car Wash Education Buck noted that she was interested in ensuring that the sud safe kit was available for use since the car wash season is coming. Hanks noted again that he had just completed a TV media interview and that the scheduling and checking out of the kit was working well through the PW Dept staff and that he would make sure that the website information was current. Roque Valley Earth Day— Debrief The Commission had a general discussion about their individual experiences at this year's Earth Day and agreed to have the issue of the Commission's future participation be an agenda item for the January or February 2015 meeting. 6. Old Business BYOB(Plastic Bag Ban) Commissioner Weir updated the Commission on the results of the Council's first reading of the ordinance on April 15t". The only significant discussion was the proposed fee of 25 cents for the use of single use paper bags. The Council approved by 4-3 vote that the fee be reduced to 10 cents. Weir suggested that Commissioners speak to individual Councilors before the second reading to see if the 25 cent fee could be restored. The Commission discussed having Weir develop a memo with data/chart to help the Council understand the impacts of a 10 cent fee, a 15 cent fee and a 25 cent fee. Buck motioned for the Commission to approve Weir developing and distributing the memo. McGinnis seconded and offered that the memo also include a story perspective. The motion was unanimously approved. 7. New Business Chair Koopman suggested that the Commission allow two additional topics to new business in addition to the goal setting discussion; Commission vacancy and compost class assignments. Commission agreed. Compost Class Assignments Scheduled McGinnis for the 9/6/14 class, Koopman for the 7/5/14 class, Silverberg for the 8/2/14 class. The June class is still open. Commission Goal Setting The Commission discussed the preferred format and time, determining that rather than a weekend date or using an existing Commission meeting night that an additional evening meeting be scheduled dedicated solely to goal setting and agreed that a 5:00-8:00 schedule would work best. The Commission also agreed to have Koopman investigate the availability of Ken Kroker to facilitate and incorporate the STAR framework into the agenda process. Koopman will work with Beigel-Coryell for meeting space at SOU and will email the Commissioners a tentative proposed date for the meeting in late June. Commission Vacancy The Commission discussed the idea of individual Commissioners being more active in searching out specific potential citizens they feel would be good candidates for the Commission. Weir noted the importance he places on their credentials and background and McGinnis noted the benefits of personality fit. The Commission agreed to individually work on creating more applications for the position. 8. Wrap Up The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 by Chair Koopman CITY OF ASHLAND Memo DATE: May 23, 2014 TO: City Council FROM: Ad-Hoc Recycle Center Committee RE: Recommendation Regarding the Recycle Center, waste reduction and recycling Summary In response to a Council request to make recommendations regarding the future of the Recycle Center, city wide waste reduction and recycling efforts, the appointed Ad-Hoc Committee recommends the following: The Committee recommends that the Council direct staff to address and implement the following: • Removal of comingle recycle collections from the Recycle Center • Creation of a sticker program for recycling, mirroring the existing program for trash services • Expand materials available to reuse/recycle at the Recycle Center(metals, etc) • Develop and implement a waste reduction and recycling education and outreach program for the community( in coordination with existing efforts of Recology) • Explore a pilot program or system to offer pre and/or post consumer food waste diversion options Background The Ad-Hoc Recycle Center Committee was created and appointed at the request of the Mayor and Council following the October 2013 approval of an updated solid waste and recycling franchise agreement and corresponding rate increase that included a new Recycle Center Surcharge that created a separate fee to offset the costs associated with the annual operation of the Recycle Center. The scope of work of this committee is as follows: The ad hoc Recycling and Waste Reduction Committee is charged with making recommendations to the City Council regarding the future of the recycling center; its effectiveness,what form it should take, how it should be funded and whether if should continue to operate at all. The Committee will also examine City-wide waste reduction and recycling efforts; examine best practices and how they might be applied in Ashland to improve waste diversion and recycling; and examine how the recycling center fits or should fit into those efforts. The Committee shall,in the course of its work: • Provide ample opportunity for public input; Page 1 of 4 City of Ashland ADMINISTRATION DEPT Tel:541-552-2046 . 20 East Main St Fax:541-488-5311 ,r Ashland,Oregon 97520 TTY: 800-735-2900 www.ashland.or.us adamgashland.onus • Consult with Recology and City staff to determine what impact, if any, its recommendations would have on garbage rates; and • Present its recommendations in writing so they can easily shared with the public In its assessment and response to its charge noted above, the committee broke down the recommendation into two primary categories, each with several sub-components: Assess the future of the recycle center o Assessment of its effectiveness o What form it should take (services offered, materials accepted, etc) o How it should be funded o Whether it should continue to operate/exist Examine community-wide waste reduction and recycling efforts o Examine current best practices for application in Ashland o Examine and recommend actions to be implemented to improve waste diversion and recycling o Examine and recommend role of Recycle Center in waste diversion and recycling for the future Recommendation Details 1) Removal of comingle recycle collections from the Recycle Center The committee recommendation to discontinue the collection of comingle recycling at the Recycle Center has two primary objectives. The first is to maximize participation in the existing curbside comingle services already in place and available to all Recology subscription customers and transition the Center to be a recycling recourse primarily for materials that are not a part of the comingle collection service. The second is to reduce the operating costs of the Recycle Center. As noted in previous committee and Council meetings, the Recycle Center costs are primarily driven by hauling costs from the Center to the Valley View Transfer station. Cardboard has the highest hauling volume, with comingle second. While cardboard has a resale value in the market and provides revenues of between $20,000 and $30,000 annually, comingle recycling has no associated revenue. It is estimated that the removal of comingle recycling would save $25,000 to $30,000 in annual hauling costs. The removal of comingle recycling would also provide additional physical space at the Center to offer recycling services for additional materials that do not currently have a collection point available to the public. The Committee recommends that City staff consult with Recology to determine what additional materials may be able to be collected at the Center that are not currently collected. 2) Curbside Recycling Sticker Program As noted, an objective of the removal of comingle recycling at the Center is to drive additional participation in curbside recycling services currently offered by Recology. The implementation of a sticker program for Recycling would provide another opportunity for residents and businesses to participate in curbside recycling and create a financial incentive/reward for minimizing the volume of Page 2 of 4 City of Ashland ADMINISTRATION DEPT Tel:541-552-2046 . 20 East Main St Fax:541-488-5311 ,r Ashland,Oregon 97520 TTY: 800-735-2900 www.ashland.orms adam@ashland.onus recycled materials by using the pre-paid stickers only when the bin is completely full which could significantly reduce costs for those that are able to reduce recycle materials volumes. This provides higher participation in Recology curbside services with only a small incremental additional cost as the sticker customers already reside within an existing collection route. Sticker program revenue would offset the incremental additional costs incurred. 3) Expand materials available to reuse/recycle at the Recycle Center Over time, the Recycle Center has expanded its menu of materials accepted for recycle or re-use, the most recent being the soft plastic collections. The Committee would like City staff to work with Recology to develop a list of items currently in the waste stream that could be collected at the Recycle Center. The list would provide information and analysis on the current and potential volume expected, the costs associated with their collection and distribution, regulatory issues associated with the materials and other pertinent information needed to determine likely new materials to be accepted. 4) Develop and implement a waste reduction and recycling education and outreach program for the community The Committee felt that a critical component to the future success in reaching higher levels of waste reduction and recycling is expanded and targeted education and outreach. While the ongoing efforts by Recology have paid dividends and have played a large role in achieving our current levels of waste prevention and recycling, a more formal and expanded education and outreach program in addition and in coordination to that of Recology is critical in future success and achievement in the community. The Committee recommends that options and recommendations for dedicated funding for the implementation and ongoing activities of the program be included in the development of the plan. 5) Explore a pilot program or system to offer pre and/or post consumer food waste diversion options The committee recommends that City staff work with Recology to develop options for the implementation of one or more pilot programs for pre and/or post consumer food waste handling, which makes up between 15 to 30 percent of the waste stream. This could include free or reduced cost compost bins to customers for their own separation and compost use, centralized location for drop off of approved food waste materials, food waste collections service for commercial and/or residential customers or other pilot programs that would assist Recology, the City and the community in a long term sustainable solution to remove food waste from the local waste stream. Committee Background Information Recycle Center Data Collection To better understand the current users of the Recycle Center, Recology staff, SOU Recycle Center student/staff and City staff conducted a short one page, six question data sheet. Data collection took place on a variety of days and time slots between March 21 st and April 8th and resulted in 293 unique responses to the questionnaire. The data has been aggregated in a way that allows sorting results on multiple queries and is attached to this document for reference Page 3 of 4 City of Ashland ADMINISTRATION DEPT Tel:541-552-2046 . 20 East Main St Fax:541-488-5311 ,r Ashland,Oregon 97520 TTY: 800-735-2900 www.ashland.orms adam@ashland.onus Additionally, a traffic counter was installed in two different place inside of the fencing at the vehicle entry during the same timeframe to provide an overall count of customer visits to the Center. The results indicated trip counts of over 200 on several days within the timeframe. Summary The committee recommends that the Council approve the recommendations of the committee and direct staff to begin work on the five recommendations and work with the City Administrator to develop a schedule for their implementation that includes appropriate review and approval by Council as needed. Additionally, the committee would request that service changes that involve adjustments to rates be done in coordination with the newly adopted rate review procedure detailed in the Solid Waste Franchise Agreement. Page 4 of 4 City of Ashland ADMINISTRATION DEPT Tel:541-552-2046 . 20 East Main St Fax:541-488-5311 ,r Ashland,Oregon 97520 TTY: 800-735-2900 www.ashland.orms adamgashland.onus O o O O U U oc N Ci-i 'p O N-}..i '� o oG o cl,o V�C M M N N OC a� 4 a p y y CL �o z U N`z 3 .y N �y �Q oc 00 it o' o �m � v o U z Nkr) N U U 'O N Q 9� j N N ; cu v v � OC v o o o trjm O U N p U N N s. ,a? O iv v) In o F p rl p m y U can zs o M o o 00 O N r��i Q , .-r•O � Q V `O� U� M 4: oo\N N \ .V N N c�C 4,,, o\c o p C, N a p? o O � M N Y Q O �I �I i. „U cC N oo m ,,,, ... 01 al 0 C � 11111 P I n�n�i�n g I� I 1 1, .. �� ia� hill The Opportunity • The STAR Framework reporting system is in essence a more current and comprehensive way of assessing sustainability than the no longer active Valdez Principles, originally adopted by City Council in May of 1990. The 10th Valdez principle requires an annual report on implementation. The report consisted of listing programs, initiatives and City activities that support each of the principles. It served as an ongoing, growing list. • The STAR Framework has a rating system that covers approximately 44 objectives across 7 goals. This framework will give the City Council a method of assessing existing Council, City administration, community, business, and education sustainability outcomes and actions, and will serve to identify gaps where little or no outcomes or actions exist. • Reporting parties would identify community level outcomes (per STAR) and/or completion of local actions that are essential to reaching those outcomes. • The reporting can be accomplished by providing easy to use electronic forms. (See example in appendix 1). • Supplied with this information, the Council would then have an opportunity modify or augment existing Council and City administration goals as appropriate. Additionally, this information is cumulative and can be used to demonstrate progress over time toward community sustainability outcomes. • The Conservation Commission and the City Staff compiled an initial draft list of outcomes and local actions that are already underway in support of the STAR Goals and Objectives (appendix 2). The Ask • In lieu of the current Valdez Principles and reporting agreement of 1990, adopt the STAR Communities Sustainability Framework (see appendix 3). • Adopt the STAR Community sustainability principles (see appendix 4). • Agree (commit?) to reporting, and invite community, business and education representatives to contribute to a periodic report (e.g. 2-year, annual, or semi-annual) that would be compiled by City Staff and made available to the City Council for review. Anticipated Workload • Short-term: City Departments will provide content for reporting, and City Staff will coordinate the reporting process, which is foreseen to be manageable for internal City reporting. Community, business and education reporting will require City staff to coordinate and compile those reports. • Long-term: Dedicated staffing is anticipated as the matrix and framework become more thoroughly utilized in city and community sustainability assessment, prioritization, and decision making. Additionally, the City may choose to participate in the formal STAR reporting and certification process.