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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes CITY OF OSHKOSH SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD Minutes December 2,2019 PRESENT: Margy Davey, Michelle Bogden Muetzel, Pat Dwyer Hallquist, Lurton Blassingame, Eric DeGroot, Vic Oliver, Bradley Spanbauer,Adam Maslowski,Jake Krause EXCUSED: Robert Turner ABSENT: None STAFF AND OTHERS: Steven Wiley, Scott Williams (Oshkosh Media), Mark Rohloff(City Manager), Steve Herman (Deputy Mayor),UW-Oshkosh Professor Jim Feldman and his Environmental Studies Senior Seminar students,UW-Oshkosh Professor Misty McPhee,Wisconsin Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz I. Call to Order Chair Margy Davey called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm and a quorum was declared present. II. Public Comment Chair Davey asked if there were public comments. No public comments occurred. III. Approval of Minutes,November 41h,2019 No board members had any revisions for the minutes so the board approved the November 411,minutes 7-0 (Blassingame/Bogden Muetzel). IV. Representative Gordon Hintz—Guest Presentation—State level Sustainability Initiatives Representative Hintz arrived and spoke to the board. Mr. Hintz introduced himself as the Wisconsin Assembly Democratic Leader and stated that sustainability should be a priority for WI communities. Local government had moved faster on sustainability than the state government in recent years. The public was demanding more to be done with sustainability. He stated that there were approximately 6,700 state facilities in Wisconsin with 87 million square feet of floor area. He stated that Governor Evers' Executive Order #38 laid out a series of goals aimed at reducing Wisconsin's carbon footprint, making the state a sustainable energy user and complying with the Paris Climate Accord. EO 38 created the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy and the goal of making the state carbon neutral by 2050. Mr. Hintz laid out the major tenets of the Executive Order. He stated that the goals of EO 38 would be a priority for the Governor. He stated that during his time on the State Building Commission the Commission approved Sage Hall at UW-Oshkosh for a time the greenest building in Wisconsin. Additional goals the Governor included were clean drinking water and other environmental goals. He informed the SAB that Representative Neubauer was introducing a package of bills the next day aimed at state effort to address climate change. He stated that public consciousness on sustainability was catching up. He explained that UW-Oshkosh was a leader in the UW system on sustainability. Mr. Hintz concluded his presentation by explaining that local governments in Wisconsin had not waited for the state to take the lead on sustainable initiatives. Chair Davey asked about the status of AB-177—a bill to repeal Wisconsin's plastic bag ban. Mr. Hintz replied that Wisconsin had pre-empted municipal ordinances banning plastic bags by prohibiting them. Mr. Hintz stated that there was a proposal to repeal this ban and to restore some control back to the local level. He stated that Wisconsin was not unique in this regard and that Minnesota also has taken action to incorporate sustainable initiatives. He suggested that people look at sustainability long- term. Chair Davey asked if the EO could not happen legislatively. Mr. Hintz stated that the issue was complicated and that agencies would pursue it but that funding would be an issue especially if things were more costly up front. Chair Davey asked if savings from one initiative funding another could be tied to green jobs. Mr. Hintz stated that he thought there was a means to incentivize it in Representative Neubauer's bills. Green banks were an example. Mr. Hintz also wanted to look at best practices in other states and compare them with Wisconsin. Chair Davey asked Mr. Hintz to explain the rationale for the additional vehicle registration fee cost for hybrids and electric vehicles. Mr. Hintz stated that traditionally the gas tax was used as a means for funding the state's road infrastructure. Vehicles have become more efficient and electric vehicles did not pay gas taxes. Chair Davey stated that she saw the additional registration fee as punitive. He stated that the fee was because owners of hybrid and electric vehicles were getting out of the gas tax. He stated that it would be regressive to allow people to pay less for hybrid and electric vehicles when many low-income people were stuck with traditional vehicles. The state would have to continue adjusting its revenue. He stated that user fees could look at weight for user fees as some states have but Wisconsin also had many manufacturing operations. Chair Davey asked if anyone else had questions. No board members did so she invited Mr. Hintz to stay for the student presentations. Mr. Hintz stated that if any questions came up,his office could follow up. The board thanked Mr. Hintz for his discussion. V. UW-Oshkosh Senior Seminar—Student Presentations to SAB,Common Council,City Manager, City Staff and Interested Members of the Public -Discussion Professor Jim Feldman thanked Representative Hintz for his presentation and discussion and explained that many of the student presentations tied into the material Mr. Hintz presented. He thanked the Sustainability Advisory Board for making the presentations possible and turned the floor over to the students. The first student group presented on their proposal to incorporate solar technology on City buildings. The group stated that incorporation of solar technology on City buildings was a long-term goal. The students stated that it would need further collaboration amongst City departments. 85% of the U.S. relied on fossil fuels and the solar project was in line with the 2020 Sustainability Plan. The positive impacts of solar technology included reduction of carbon emissions and energy bills. The group mentioned a growing social acceptance of solar energy and presented data on development of alternative energy. They mentioned solar grant opportunities and stated that funding was often an obstacle. The Office of Solar Technologies awarded $130 million to over 80 projects. Eau Claire was an example of a case study that the group looked at. They stated that third party financing was a possibility and explained that Fayetteville,Arkansas used a solar array to increase renewable energy usage. Milwaukee attempted third party financing and with Eagle Point Solar and was challenged by WE Energies. The group mentioned that SunVest Solar had worked with the City Planning Department to conduct a study for incorporating solar on the Senior Center. The group presented the energy cost savings projected as part of this model. They had talked to SunVest and Eland Electric who assisted theirs in looking at potential City buildings on which to incorporate solar. The Police Department, City Hall and Wastewater Treatment Plant were the three buildings. The group mentioned the successful application of solar in Madison and that some Wisconsin communities wanted to be carbon-neutral by 2050. The second group presented on native plantings. They stated that the City of Oshkosh Municipal Code did not promote native landscaping. They wished to change the wording of the ordinance to something precise and encourage native landscaping more in the city. They presented on the benefits of native plants, one of which was less erosion where such plants were used. Biodiversity and increases in common native pollinators were additional benefits. The group reminded the attendees of Oshkosh's Bird City status. The native plantings could contribute to the city's bird species. The group presented alternatives to the City's ordinance. They stated that for benchmarking they used Whitewater's ordinance as a model ordinance. Neenah's ordinance was another model. The group stated that public opinion was a barrier and that many residents had appreciation for their lawns and aesthetic/property value concerns. The group emphasized the importance of education on such topics as the negatives of turfgrass, the positives of native species and undesirable wild species. They recommended the use of signs as an educational tool to explain native landscapes and the intentions of these landscapes. Misty McPhee's property was presented as an example of successful native plantings. The group mentioned their interview with City Forester Bill Sturm and recommended changing the City's municipal code to encourage native landscaping. They lastly recommended changing the public's view on native landscaping. The third group focused on a voluntary program for participating restaurants to reduce their use of single-use plastic products. The group mentioned the Wisconsin ban on municipalities banning plastic products and stated that a means of addressing plastic waste in Oshkosh was a recognition program for restaurants reducing their plastic use. They stated that the program would include decals for storefronts of participating restaurants. Over 20 plastic manufacturers existed in the Fox Valley alone. The group mentioned the Tri-County recycling partnership between Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago Counties. They explained the environmental problems with plastic,which included terrestrial and aquatic issues. The group's voluntary reduction program consisted of a Plastic Reduction Pledge. The pledge included three tiers of Green, Silver and Platinum. The process for participating would consist of submitting an application with a small fee for SAB review. Evaluation of a participant's progress would occur at the time of initial application, 6 months later and annually after. The group's benchmarks included the Green Tier program, the Travel Green Wisconsin program and the Protect Our Sand and Sea program. The group envisioned the Plastic Reduction Pledge growing through word of mouth and as competing restaurants saw their competitors participate. The group mentioned that they did a community survey and had 71 respondents that weighed in on whether they would support restaurants moving away from single-use plastics. Many respondents were supportive of waste reduction and use of alternative products. Stakeholders interviewed included businesses such as Planet Perk and Beckets. Owners Kenneth Osmond and Kris Larson weighed in on behalf of the two businesses. Additional businesses included the Hangar Bar and Grill and the Roxy Supper Club. The fourth and final group presented their proposal to create a Farm to School program in Oshkosh. They stated that their project aligned with the City's updated Sustainability Plan and defined "Farm to School." Food was generally sourced from local farmers/sources. They had several main stakeholders and these included farmers,food services administrative staff,food service distributors, children, teachers, principals and parents. They stated that limited funding for such a program was a key obstacle. La Crosse was their benchmark city and La Crosse had the Coulee Region Farm to School program. The group stated that the Coulee Region program was funded by a grant from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Barriers the group encountered were seasonality of some food products, costs, lack of kitchen resources, limited staff knowledge and resources and equipment. Funding sources consisted of grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and grants available on the grants.gov site. The group saw UW-Oshkosh as a potential collaborator with the Oshkosh Area School District (OASD) through the University's grant-writing course. Health benefits of a Farm to School program included physical and mental benefits. The program could encourage healthy eating habits. The group stated that it could start small at the OASD. They concluded their presentation and thanked the SAB. Chair Davey thanked the four student groups. She then called the groups for questions. The solar group responded to questions first. Mr. Spanbauer asked about third party financing and how to get around barriers associated with it. The group answered that grants and distributing costs over departments were also methods. Ms. Oliver asked the group how they started with the Senior Center. The group explained that Planning had already had contact with SunVest and SunVest had done the solar study for the Senior Center. She asked the group if they would recommend the other three buildings they mentioned in their report. The group answered that they were not saying to put solar on those three buildings but rather the City could consider starting there. Mr. Rohloff asked if the group looked at life cycle and capital costs for solar. The students answered that their report would include material on these. Chair Davey called the native landscaping group up. Ms. Oliver complimented the group on the graphics they presented. Chair Davey asked where the public opinion came. The group answered that a Millers Bay neighborhood leader provided some input. Ms. Bogden Muetzel noted the signs recommended as educational tools and asked if the group came across additional methods. The group answered that signs seemed to be the biggest tools and that some places taught in the schools. Mr. Spanbauer mentioned the current City policy of people applying to have native landscaping and the City reviewing applications. The group stated that they wanted to get away from residents having to apply. The Plastic Reduction Pledge group answered questions. Chair Davey complimented the logo and asked if it was trademarked. The group replied that the logo was not trademarked. Mr. Spanbauer asked what the fee amount was. The group answered that the application fee was$5. Chair Davey asked if a$5 fee was a reasonable amount. Mr. Rohloff stated that$5 seemed reasonable to him. Ms. Oliver asked if the Tri-County facility had a plastic composting facility. The group replied that the lack of one was a barrier here. Mr. Spanbauer explained that compostable plastics were expensive and did not break down. Mr. Rohloff noted that the group's proposal had the SAB administering the program and that the SAB was a group of volunteers. He asked the group how much of a burden the program was to administer. The group answered that a survey was an easier method than a site visit and that it was not labor intensive so a potential option. Mr. Rohloff was interested in the slide on percentage of waste that was plastic. He asked if the group saw a trend. The group answered that they did not have a trend. Mr. Rohloff said that plastics comprising 13.2% of current waste was heavy and he would think the trend would have increased. The group stated that in Outagamie County plastic waste had increased so they saluted non-profits giving out bags. Ms. Bogden Muetzel asked if there was a push to go to more paper-heavy materials and if the group looked at public perceptions. The group answered that stakeholders had gone form Styrofoam to cardboard. In the report was a section on public perception. Initially there was resistance but perception improved. Ms. Bogden Muetzel asked if the group was looking at grocery stores or just restaurants. The group answered that franchises were harder and that due to corporate standards had less control to be able to participate. The Farm to School group engaged in discussion. Mr. Maslowski asked if the group had information on costs and if they would source fruits and vegetables locally. The group stated that they did not initially get cost information and that the program would involve locally sourced fruits and vegetables. Ms. McPhee asked if the group talked to Dani Stolley with Growing Oshkosh. The group stated that they had but were not able to meet. Mr. Rohloff stated that the Farm to School program was right in the wheelhouse with initiatives like Live Well Fox Cities. Mr. Rohloff said that such programs aimed to reduce childhood obesity and thanked the group for bringing up the issue. Mr. DeGroot asked if the Farm to School program only involved fruits and vegetables. The group replied affirmatively. Discussion then concluded and Professor Feldman thanked the SAB. VI. Social Media—Discussion/Action Ms. Oliver stated that she was planning to focus on electric vehicles for December and that posts would be coming soon. VII. Agenda Items for Future Meeting Items for the January meeting included 2020 goals, an update on the student reports and an update on the Electric Vehicle project. Ms. Dwyer Hallquist asked when the board would discuss implementation of the student proposals. Chair Davey answered that discussion would be on the January agenda. Chair Davey explained that for February she was planning a guest speaker to talk about green jobs and the Green Housing Initiative. VIII. Next Meeting,Monday,January 6th1 2020-City Hall Room 404 Chair Davey reminded the board of the next meeting. The board voted 8-0 to adjourn at 7:48 pm (Bogden Muetzel/Maslowski). Recorded by: Steven Wiley,Assistant Planner