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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017.05.24 Conservation Commission Minutes Minutes for the Conservation Commission May 24,2017 Page 1 of 3 MINUTES FOR THE ASHLAND CONSERVATION COMMISSION Wednesday, May 24, 2017 Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way 1. Call to Order Chair Marni Koopman called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Commissioners Mark Weir, Cara Cruickshank, Jaime Rosenthal, James McGinnis, Risa Buck, and Roxane Beigel-Coryell, were present. Staff member Adam Hanks and Council liaison Traci Darrow were present. Commissioner David Sommer was late. Commissioners Bryan Sohl was absent. 2. Announcements The next commission meeting will be June 28, 2017. McGinnis encouraged the commission members to attend the 3rd budget meeting, to show support for finding funding for the proposed LEAP staff position. Commissioner Sommer arrived 6:05 p.m. There is a climate action group which is regularly meeting on the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 5:30— 7:00 p.m. in Jim Hartman's classroom at Ashland High School. The group welcomed new Council liaison, Traci Darrow, and introduced themselves to her. 3. Public Forum Huelz Gutchen— stated he has been attending Conservation meetings since 2003 and that increases in climate issues are now starting to cause real-life freak outs. He described the four parts of energy and stated that each part deserves to be its own commission. He stated that the federal government is likely removing lots of energy efficiency funding but that it's okay because the only way to really improve anything is to build new houses with solar panels and wired for electric vehicles. He stated that the biggest bang for our buck is solar panels. Every Friday at 5:30 p.m. he is at the public library to teach people about any technical questions they may have. 4. Reports/Presentations/Updates SOU Quarterly Report—Beigel-Coryell stated that there are many projects going on including: • Commencement will be held on June 17 and they are working with EGOS to re-sell used caps and gowns. It's the 3rd year of the program and the use has increased. • They are also encouraging people to not use one-time-use plastic water bottles at commencement by doing a giveaway of reusable bottles and they will also collect the unused ones for prizes later. • Working with Goodwill again to recycle goods from students moving out of the dorms. • There is a new notification system for broken sprinkler heads. • On campus there is a new botanical tour, trees are labeled with QR codes so people can look up more information on their smart phones. Minutes for the Conservation Commission May 24,2017 Page 2 of 3 • The school is working on getting LEED certification on the currently in-progress construction and remodel projects. • They are working with the dining facilities to do a "meatless Monday"program. So far they have agreed to do so once a quarter. • The dining facilities agreed to change from single-use ketchup bottles to bulk dispensers. • The Student government is working on an agreement to help finance solar panels which are being installed this summer. • On June 5th there will be the first ever SOU Sustainability Awards in the Meese Room of the Hannon Library. • They are working with the Southwest Point transportation system to move the local stop closer to campus. Group discussed the challenges of receiving LEED certification and the future of solar installations on campus. Council Update—Darrow stated that they are in the middle of the budget process and that she has been encouraged by the community participation in the process. Group discussed the best ways to help the Budget Committee understand the importance of finding funding for the CEAP staff position. City Conservation Programs and Operations—Hanks gave an overview of the current budget process and some specifics of the Conservation Department budget request. He gave information on program changes with BPA funding. He gave an overview of some net metering changes he and the Electric Department will soon be proposing. Water Subcommittee—Buck stated that on June 3rd at North Mountain Park there will be a course related to laundry to landscape and rainwater catchment. It's both a tour and an information session. 5. Old Business Sneak Preview Column—McGinnis handed out his draft article and the group made some minor suggested edits. Buck/Weir m/s to approve the article with the understanding that small edits will be made between now and the due date. Discussion: McGinnis requested that any edits be sent to him by June 15th. Voice Vote: All Ayes. Motion Passes. Group discussion potential article topics and agreed to the following: • August— Car Wash Kits, written by Cruickshank with assistance from Buck • September- ?? • October—Keeping leaves out of storm drains Conservation Commission Powers and Duties—Koopman gave an overview of the draft recommendation that she wrote up based on last month's discussion. Group gave some edits in the wording. Minutes for the Conservation Commission May 24,2017 Page 3 of 3 Buck/Beigel-Coryell m/s to approve the draft recommendation report, including the edits made at this meeting and request that the recommendation be forwarded to the City Council. Discussion: Weir stated that he doesn't see the need to propose two separate commissions, that the Conservation Commission can handle all the duties of CEAP with a change in powers and duties. He is also concerned with the extra financial burden of two commissions. Koopman wondered if her report isn't written clearly enough if he still doesn't see the need for two commissions. Beigell-Coryell reminded the group that in the past two years, with a large percent of the Conservation Commission members on the CEAP ad hoc Committee how few projects were actually able to be done by the Commission. Buck stated that she thinks the report does a good job laying out all the things which will not occur without the Commission. Weir stated that he doesn't think it's a bad thing for some of those ancillary duties to stop while the group focuses on the LEAP. Cruickshank stated that she originally also started on Weir's side in thinking only one group made sense but at the last meeting she was moved by the discussion regarding the potential value of each commission's potential activities. Buck stated that for her, one of the great things of Ashland is the amount of public participation allowed and that this is democracy in action. Even though this participation does have a financial cost, she is uncomfortable with the alternative of less participation. Voice Vote: 7 ayes, I nay. Motion Passes. 6. New Business SO Land Conservancy Presentation—Group discussed the public forum input from last meeting and what some of the current discussions surrounding the opposing uses of the Imperatrice Property might mean. Additional North Mountain Park Class Opportunities—Buck stated the deadline to submit classes for the Fall class schedule is Wednesday, May 31St. She encouraged those who want to teach a class to submit the information to Parks by that date. Group discussed what classes they may want to include in the Low Impact Living series. Commissioner Cruickshank left the meeting 7:45 p.m. 7. Wrap Up Group requested that the following be on the next agenda: • Imperatrice Property (presentation by SO Land Conservancy if they are available) • Follow up discussion of June 3rd tour • Update on downtown recycling pilot pro*ect • CEAP Goals and Targets ordinance discussion Meeting adjourned at 7:54 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Diana Shiplet Executive Assistant