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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.01.2021 MinutesCITY OF OSHKOSH SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD Minutes November 1st, 2021 PRESENT: Eric DeGroot, Pat Dwyer Hallquist, Lisa Marone, Vic Oliver, Ken Osmond, Bob Poeschl, Bradley Spanbauer, Aaron Wojciehowski, Michelle Bogden-Muetzel, Margy Davey EXCUSED: Michael Beardsley ABSENT: STAFF AND OTHERS: Brandon Nielsen (Staff Liaison), Staff (Oshkosh Media), Peter Fiala (Legacy Solar Co-op), Jon Wallenkamp (Kueny Architects) I. Call to Order Chair Margy Davey called the meeting to order and a quorum was declared present. II. Public Comment III. Approval of Minutes, October 4th, 2021 No board members had any revisions for the minutes. The board approved the October 4th minutes 9-0 (Hallquist / Poeschl). Motion by Mrs. Hallquist to accept the minutes as written. Seconded by Mr. Poeschl. Motion carried 9-0. IV. Legacy Solar co-op Presentation Staff Liaison Brandon Nielsen introduced Peter Fiala from Legacy Solar Co-op and Mr. Fiala began his presentation. Mr. Fiala explained who Legacy Solar Co-op is, what their services are, their involvement with group buys, and a map showing the projects they have completed. He further discussed the benefits of participating in a solar group buy and said that the Fox Valley Solar Group Buy started in August 2021 and runs until October 2022. Ken Osmond asked Mr. Fiala if during the site assessments and other processes if specific strategies have been developed to address concerns with roof system maintenance and he explained that one of the questions asked is the age of the roof, and depending on that answer they will provide a variety of options, but in the end it is ultimately up to the property owner to decide which route they want to go. Brad Spanbauer asked Peter if Legacy Solar Co-op follows a typical co-op model and Mr. Fiala explained that 40% to 50% of the overall fee charged goes back to the co-op operating expenses and the rest is given to the consultant who is involved in the project. Mr. Spanbauer asked if a membership is needed to be a part of the co-op and Mr. Fiala said they do not require memberships. Pat Hallquist asked if the group buy was open to government buildings and Mr. Fiala responded that this particular group buy is not geared towards government building because those systems are usually much larger and therefore need to go through a different process. Peter Fiala - peter@legacysolarcoop.org V. New Parks admin/operation building Presentation Parks Director Ray Maurer introduced Jon Wallenkamp from Kueny Architects and said that Jon had previously worked with the City of Oshkosh on the streets field operations facility. Mr. Maurer explained that this park’s facility has been determined by City Council to be one of the city facilities that is in most dire need of replacement and therefore have approved funding for a new facility to be built. He further explained that this building will house administrative and field staff, along with all of their fleet vehicles and machines used to maintain the parks assets. Mr. Wallenkamp began his presentation showing a site plan of the new facility and going over all of the featured sustainability items. The items included, recycled concrete and steel, low heat gain roof, daylight harvesting, interior and exterior LED lighting, building positioning, low VOC’s admitting materials, high efficiency HVAC and Plumbing equipment, energy recovery unit, high R-value for roof (48) and walls (24), roof to be solar panel ready, low maintenance plantings, bio swales, focus on energy reviewed and building met middle level bundle, energy demand and consumption savings 29% - 32%, reviewing water harvesting. Margy Davey asked if the energy recover unit is the same thing as an air heat exchanger and Mr. Wallenkamp said he was unsure if it is the same thing but explained that this unit will take hot exhaust air and heat up fresh cool air, so the fresh air requires less energy to heat the building. Mrs. Hallquist asked for an explanation on what the solar ready roof meant and Mr. Wallenkamp explained that the entire structure was designed to support additional weight from solar panels on the roof as well as the orientation of the building. Mrs. Hallquist then asked if the higher level of focus on energy package was considered and Mr. Wallenkamp explained that all levels were considered and the one that was chosen had the best cost / return on investment. Mr. Spanbauer asked what the planned source of heat fuel will be and Mr. Wallenkamp said natural gas. Mr. Spanbauer then asked if a heat pump system or any other type of system that could be 100% electrified was considered and Mr. Wallenkamp said that a VRF system is being considered but that it would still require an additional system be in place due to the small admin area and separate large vehicle storage area. Mrs. Davey asked about the plantings being proposed and if there was going to be a forestry display area for residents to visit and see what trees can be planted in the city. Mr. Maurer and Mr. Wallenkamp went through the different plantings and areas where this vegetation will be; and said they worked with the city forester on some native species as well. Mr. Maurer added that some educational signage could be added by the bio swales and other areas that could be utilized as an educational experience. Mrs. Davey asked if permeable pavement and electric vehicle chargers had been considered in the parking lot and Mr. Wallenkamp said that with the heavy duty types of vehicles that will mostly be using the parking area there is concern with a permeable system being filled up with debris and clogging up. He added that the parking lot will be EV ready in the southeast area of the lot. VI. Menominee Park Shoreline Restoration Report Michelle Bogden-Muetzel shared that the group had a great season with lots of new volunteers. She discussed some of the bird nesting that took place and talked about their plans and goals going forward. Once those plans are finalized she hopes the group can report to the parks advisory board and the SAB. Mrs. Muetzel added that the Audubon Society is hosting a bird watching event at the Miller’s Bay restoration site by Ame’s Point on Saturday, November 6th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. VIII. Agenda Items for Future Meeting Mr. Nielsen stated that the UWO Students will be presenting at the next SAB meeting. They were tasked to research Urban Agriculture as a follow up on a presentation that was given to SAB in the spring of 2021. Mrs. Hallquist said that in the fall of 2019 the UWO Students presented code changes related to native landscaping in the Chapter 17 municipal code and asked if those changes had been made. Mrs. Davey said that most likely that change did not occur because the months following were when the pandemic began and SAB missed a number of meetings. Mrs. Davey proposed that SAB look at all of the UWO Student reports where they can then focus in on a few to review further and come up with a plan of action, such as, recommended code changes for native plantings. Mrs. Davey asked the board if they were interested in returning to in person and a number of members voiced their concern with returning in person and that they would prefer to stay virtual. Mr. Poeschl stated that he wanted to bring up the conversation around the wording of a new Chief Oshkosh monument plaques and if the board wanted to pursue a conversation about that. Mr. Poeschl said that he attempted to get it added to the November 2021 agenda but was told that it could not be added until the December meeting. Mrs. Davey explained that she followed up on this topic to check on the timeliness and received the same answer. Mrs. Hallquist asked for an update on the solar 101 webpage and some discussion was had regarding what that would be. Mr. Spanbauer brought up the idea of investigating and learning more about the proper processes of a board, such as, sub committees, agenda items, voting, etc. Mrs. Davey recommended that SAB invite a City Attorney to share with them how a board should function and what the processes are. IX. Next Meeting, Monday, December 6th, 2021 X. Adjournment The board voted 9-0 to adjourn (Poeschl / Muetzel) Recorded by: Brandon Nielsen, Assistant Planner