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06/18/2008 ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES CITY OF CLEARWATER June 18th, 2008 Present: D. Michael Flanery Chair Anna Fusari Vice Chair Richard Packman Board Member Joseph A. Calio Board Member Ron Gregory Board Member Also Present: Ed Chesney Environmental Manager Leslie Dougall Sides Assistant City Attorney Veronica Josef Senior Staff Assistant UNAPPROVED The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. in the Conference Room 221 of the MSB Building. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. ADMINISTRATION 1. Approval Of Minutes - May 21st, 2008 Member Joe Calio moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of May 21st, 2008, as submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly carried seconded by Member Richard Packman and unanimously. 2. Citizen Comments None ACTION ITEMS 3. Nomination of Chair & Vice Chair Board Member Mr. Ron Gregory moved to nominate Ms. Anna Fusari for Chair. Ms. Anna Fusari accepted the nomination. Board Member Joe Calio seconded the motion. ACTION: The motion to nominate Ms. Anna Fusari as Chair was approved unanimously. Board Member Mr. Joe Calio moved to nominate Mr. Ron Gregory for Vice Chair. Mr. Ron Gregory accepted the nomination. Board Member Mr. Richard Packman seconded the motion. ACTION: The motion to nominate Member Mr. Ron Gregory as Vice Chair was approved unanimously. DISCUSSION ITEMS Comprehensive Plan Amendments The EAB board suggested to draft a letter to Ms. Catherine Porter, Long Range Planning Manager, Planning Department, requesting additional items to be considered for inclusion in the plan update. Environmental Advisory 2008-06-18 1 Additional items such as: a. Construction – The City of Clearwater where possible shall encourage Green Building Construction Techniques. b. Transportation – The City of Clearwater shall continue to actively support and participate in PSTA, the direct primary transit service provider in the City of Clearwater. c. Utilities – To amend the last sentence under Solid Waste section of the Utility Needs Summary “The City should also promote the Mobil Household Chemical Collection Program” with efforts made to hold such collections on a more frequent basis. d. Capital Improvement Projects – Request City facilities projects be performed using green building guidelines. Require construction renovations/upgrades using LEED, FGBC or similar accredited protocols. A letter was also drafted by Chair Mike Flanery to Mayor Frank Hibbard outlining recent progress that has been made and recommendations the City should focus on: Accomplishments: The City has recognized the possibilities, opportunities, and benefits of being in the forefront as a sustainability-conscious City. Accomplishments within the past year include : ?? Signature of the United States Conference of Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement. By approving this document, Mayor Hibbard and the City Council confirmed their commitment to reducing greenhouse gas. ?? Council review of the EAB sponsored report “Going for the Green: Enhancing Environmental Sustainability in Clearwater” prepared by the USF Students of Dr. Robert Brinkmann, University of South Florida ?? Completion of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory of City Operations by USF Student and City Intern Sandra Kling, presented at the Council Work Session on May 17, 2008. This project, which was an extension of the class project at the University of South Florida, quantified setting reduction targets greenhouse gas generated by the City, and is a critical first step for and creating an action plan. ?? The development of the City’s environmentally focused website myclearwater.com/green, which launched May 1st, 2008 ?? Significant support and participation by the City in the Pinellas Living Green Expo held at the Harborview Conference Center May 2 – 4, 2008. Recommendations: The Environmental Advisory Board sponsored the USF study which provided a number of excellent ideas. The Environmental Advisory Board has reviewed their work and present the following list of projects which we believe merit immediate consideration: ?? Continue the Greenhouse Gas Inventory by completing the Citywide Inventory (in partnership with the Bushnell Center for Sustainability), and adopting emission Reduction Targets for the City. ?? Neighborhood Community Gardens ~ Board member Richard Packman stated that Nature’s Food Patch would like to sponsor a community garden on a plot around the Cleveland Street Gateway area, and a number of Nature’s Food Patch staff are eager to get involved. Additional partnerships with other organizations can also be pursued. ?? Municipal Buildings ~ Just as the City is encouraging local contractors to use either LEED or FGBC guidelines in their building/renovation projects Clearwater should do the same with municipal properties. As city properties require renovations or upgrades, implement Environmental Advisory 2008-06-18 2 the guidelines for lEED EB (existing building), lEED CS (core and shell), or lEED CI (commercial interiors) or similar programs developed by the FGBC (Florida Green Building Coalition.) . Hazardous Household Materials Recycling - A number of products, many of which are encouraged to improve sustainability such as batteries, compact florescent lamps, and electronic equipment, require special handling for disposal or recycling. Recycling opportunities are currently available in Clearwater at only several times a year, and at varying locations. The establishment of a permanent recycling location within the City for collections at least monthly should be established. . Sustainability Demonstration Site - Moccasin lake Park was initially established and constructed to demonstrate technologies for sustainablity. Reestablishment of this focus should be reviewed, along with the possibility of using it as a demonstration site for new technologies such as solar power generation and recycling efforts. . Sustainability Coordinator - Establish a position to independently review opportunities within the City for energy savings, utilize the Green House Gas Inventory to prepare "benchmark" measures to assist the City in attaining its goals, and provide feedback on efforts made to the community. Energy savings by even such simple goals as installing automatic shutoffs for empty rooms and confirming buildings are adjusted to not overcool, may by themselves significantly offset costs. The Environmental Advisory Board believes these projects are cost effective and excellent projects to demonstrate the City's commitment to sustainability. Recognizing the limitations on staffing, it is hoped resources can be allocated within existing budget constraints to implement these projects in the very near future. Our goal is to continue the momentum and we ask that the City Council continue the progress that has been made by authorizing necessary staff and budgetary changes, and refocusing staff priorities to the accomplishment of these projects. We believe the cost of these ample changes will be paid back ten fold by the cost savings in reduced energy. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 4. Establish Aqenda 5. Date of next meetinq The EAB will meet on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 4:00 pm. 6. Adiournment The meeting was adjourned at 6: 15 p.m. rJ~ ~- ,~. C air r-v Environmental Advisory Board Attest: ~>72eYJ0 1--'1- Senior Staff Assistant Environmental Advisory 2008-06-18 3