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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016.12.14 Conservation Commission Minutes Minutes for the Conservation Commission December 14,2016 Page 1 of 2 MINUTES FOR THE ASHLAND CONSERVATION COMMISSION Wednesday, December 14, 2016 Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way 1. Call to Order Chair Bryan Sohl called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Commissioners Mark Weir, James McGinnis, Cara Cruickshank, Jaime Rosenthal, Risa Buck, Roxane Beigel-Coryell, and Marni Koopman were present. Staff member Adam Hanks was present. Council liaison Rich Rosenthal was absent. 2. Consent Agenda Beigel-Coryell/McGinnis m/s to approve the minutes of October 26, 2016, with the replacement of the word, "actuate" with "accurate" in the SOU Quarterly Report. Discussion: None. Voice Vote: All Ayes. Motion Passes. 3. Announcements The next commission meeting will be January 25, 2017. The appointment of the Ashland School District representative to the commission is on the December 201h City Council agenda. SOU is starting their greenhouse gas update. The Governor's Regional Solutions Team will be coming to SOU in January to learn about SOU and some of their conservation projects. SOU students are looking at creating a solar power purchase project between students and the university. The university is looking at doing a retrofit of the stadium lights to LED with the help of City of Ashland reimbursement programs. 4. Public Forum Huelz— stated he will be sending an e-mail about understanding the double-bundle in order to help get more solar panels installed. Solar panels, windmills, LEDs and electric cars are all we need to make a big difference. He wonders how much water would be used for local food production within five miles of Ashland but can't get a good answer. Local food production is important for when climate change causes a rise in gas prices. We should have a composting program to help people doing local food production. He stated that Portland is now requiring energy audits to be shown on all real estate transactions and we should model this requirement. 5. Reports/Presentations/Updates City Conservation Programs and Operations—Hanks stated conservation staff participate in a ductless heat program and are hoping to expand the program, especially in the multi-family rental market. Larry Giardina is finishing a solar site assessment for all City-owned facilities. Hopefully this will identify some good options for increasing solar use. Downtown Recycling Pilot Program Update—Buck stated that it is going well, and they have a goal of getting at least half of the total garbage cans in the downtown core sponsored with recycling baskets in time for the April 2017 raise in the refund rate for recyclables. Hanks has been talking to the Parks Department to see if they are interested in posting identical signage to the downtown basket signage for consistency of messaging and ease of use. Minutes for the Conservation Commission December 14,2016 Page 2 of 2 Water Subcommittee—Cruickshank stated the subcommittee had a good meeting with Conservation Analyst, Julie Smitherman. Ms. Smitherman was able to give information on current programs and upcoming plans. They discussed the possibility of holding a grey-water and/or rainwater catchment class in 2017. Additionally there will be a student assisting Ms. Smitherman in researching rebate program opportunities. Group discussed some of the new storm water requirements coming into effect in the near future and how those may be good education opportunities. 6. Old Business Sneak Preview Column—Group discussed some of the upcoming deadlines and potential topics. Cruickshank/Weir m/s to allow GEOS to use the January edition for an article on their recent survey results, based on the flyer Koopman presented. Discussion: None. Voice Vote: All Ayes. Motion Passes. Climate &Energy Action Plan— Sohl stated that the third open house occurred on December 7th. Overall there was good attendance and positive feedback afterward. The second draft of the action plan is now out and the committee will continue to work on it, as well as the implementation plan at their next meeting on January 4. He gave an overview of the current timeline for presentation to Council. Earth Bowl—Weir stated he had met with Rogue Climate and SOCAN but there was no champion to step forward from either group so this event will not occur in the next year. If either group does want to continue with the event, Weir will let the commission know. 7. New Business Boardman Plant— Group discussed the articles they had read regarding the proposed biomass conversion. They discussed whether having a report to Council or a request that a letter be written for Council signature would be necessary but determined that this was not the most effective use of the group's time. Miscellaneous—Group discussed where this group could potentially help with the CEAP implementation and getting the community to make some necessary but difficult changes. This may require that the group take the opportunity to do a goal setting for the upcoming year(s). 8. Wrap Up Group requested that the following topics be on an upcoming agenda: • Goals and strategies for this commission Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Diana Shiplet Executive Assistant