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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.06.2024 MinutesCITY OF OSHKOSH SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD Minutes May 6th 2024 SAB PRESENT: Margy Davey, Lisa Marone, Jacob Klaameyer, Vic Oliver, Brad Spanbauer, Joe Stephenson, Alyssa Reinke EXCUSED: ABSENT: Megan LaFond STAFF AND OTHERS: Emma Dziengeleski (Planning Staff), Brandon Nielsen (Planning Staff), Staff (Oshkosh Media) I. Call to Order Chair Margy Davey called the meeting to order at 6:00pm and a quorum was declared present. II. Public Comment Ms. Davey asked if there were public comments. No public comments occurred. III. Approval of Minutes, April 1st, 2024 Ms. Marone motioned to approve the minutes. Mr. Klaameyer seconded the motion. The board approved the April 1st minutes 7-0 (Marone/Klaameyer). IV. Introduction of New Board Members Ms. Davey began introductions of the new Sustainability Advisory Board members. Mr. Klaameyer began as he had not been introduced on the air yet. Mr. Klaameyer shared that he considers himself a “free food fanatic”. He enjoys foraging plants and other foods. Ms. Reinke introduced herself. She shared that she just recently moved from Fond du Lac to Oshkosh. She also shared that she works at Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance doing stormwater management coordination across northeast Wisconsin. Council member Stephenson then introduced himself. He shared he was a big sustainability advocate and was happy to be the new council liaison to the board. V. No Mow May 2024 Update Ms. Dziengeleski shared that registration for No Mow May had officially closed Friday, May 3rd. She said that just over 640 properties had registered. She also shared that staff put out a follow up email, FAQs, a press release, etc. Mr. Nielsen stated that the City of Madison was participating in what they are calling “Low Mow May” this year, if that is something the board would want to consider for next year. Mr. Klaameyer shared that he has also heard “Slow Mow Summer,” which is a more sustainable practice for all summer long as well as exploring more sources for that concept. Mr. Nielsen shared City of Oshkosh Municipal Code does currently allow you to grow your lawn 8 inches long, which can most likely be maintained and also still provide the appropriate plants and habitats for the bees and butterflies. Mr. Spanbauer said that a few people have reached out regarding No Mow May, and he wanted to share some thoughts with the board. He stated that if someone has a more uniform lawn, he is not sure the benefit from a biodiversity aspect, but more from an emissions aspect as mowing will be reduced for the month of May. On the other hand, someone with a more textured lawn has the plants that are the most beneficial to allow letting their lawns grow a little longer. Mr. Spanbauer then brought up the idea of a longer grace period to allow residents to sign up later than the first week of the month. Mr. Nielsen said that staff could ask about that, and that technically registration was open longer this year. He shared that it was off the website, but if someone called or came to the Planning Counter staff would register them. Mr. Spanbauer brought up the idea of just mowing part of your yard. He then provided the example of only mowing the front but leaving the back yard long. He asked what the consequences were to that, or if it would just be if someone complained. Mr. Nielsen explained that you would get a correction notice and would have some time to mow, but if you don’t within the given timeframe, then you may get charged service fees. Ms. Oliver explained that it may be beneficial to do more education just letting residents know that if they wish to mow some of their yards, but let the rest get longer, that there is nothing preventing them from doing so. Mr. Nielsen shared that sending out a handful of emails with education and resources is the plan for the remainder of the month. He explained that it is difficult to educate before May because staff needs contacts prior to sending out information. Ms. Davey asked if anything was done with the registration lists from previous years. Mr. Nielsen responded no, and that those were primarily to just track numbers of participants. Mr. Spanbauer shared that it would be interesting to see the lists from previous years compared to this year’s lists and if/where there is overlap. Mr. Nielsen said that staff could combine those lists and see what properties have been repeating participants. Ms. Oliver stated that it would be neat to see the list laid over a map to see where all participating properties are located within the city. Mr. Nielsen said that that was the ultimate goal, and if the board was interested in seeing that data, staff could plot those address points. Mr. Klaameyer asked if staff could send the board the information that has already been, and will be sent out, to registered participants. He also shared that he and other board members may have information for staff to include. Mr. Nielsen agreed, and asked board members to send staff any resource or information they wished to be sent out. VI. Energy Innovation Grant (EIGP) Update Mr. Nielsen shared that the city has been awarded $55,000 to do a Comprehensive Energy Study of the municipal buildings. He explained that the next step is for staff to work on the Request for Proposals (RFP) to get that sent out. Mr. Stephenson asked what organization the grant is through. Mr. Nielsen responded with the Public Service Commission. He also shared that the City of Stevens Point had applied for the Energy Innovation Grant (EIGP) funding as the lead through the Wisconsin Local Government Climate Coalition (WLGCC), and they were awarded $178,000. Since the City of Oshkosh is a member, we will have access to some of those awarded funds as well. Ms. Dziengeleski went on to explain that those funds are for members to gain access to ICLEI and create more of a greenhouse gas inventory. She explained that staff was still waiting for more exact information on how those funds will be used. Mr. Nielsen reiterated that staff is still unsure how both awards will overlap, but they are hoping that one will benefit the other and can be used to the best advantage. He reminded the board that there is some preliminary data collection already occurring with a consultant. He specified that it will not cover every municipal building, but probably around 15 to 20 of the more major buildings. Mr. Stephenson asked if there is any city in Wisconsin or the Midwest that would be comparable to what the City of Oshkosh is trying to accomplish with this study. Mr. Nielsen clarified that all the major cities have already done this. Ms. Dziengeleski stated that at the last Green Tier Legacy Communities (GTLC) meeting in Fitchburg, staff learned that a number of the communities in Dane County partnered together to create one big overarching plan for their region and to compare each community to one another. Mr. Nielsen explained that those communities have staff and residents that are a little more open to these sorts of things and actually push for it to get done. Whereas the City of Oshkosh has a little harder time getting traction to accomplish a plan like this. Ms. Davey suggested the information we are capturing now be compared to the ICLEI milestones that were done in 2012. Ms. Davey then asked if all the awarded funding would be going to a consultant to complete the work. Mr. Nielsen said that that is the plan. He then shared that the grant was for $50,000, but since the city partnered with a non-profit, they could ask for more funding. In the application, they asked for $65,000 and was awarded $55,000. Mr. Spanbauer asked that the next step was to put out an RFP to get bids for the actual Comprehensive Energy Study. Mr. Nielsen responded with yes, and that the plan is to have the RFP put out as soon as possible. Mr. Spanbauer asked how long it needs to be open for. Mr. Nielsen responded with 30 days. Ms. Davey asked if this requires Council approval. Mr. Stephenson shared that he believed responses to the RFP would most likely be in a consent agenda at some point. Mr. Spanbauer asked for some clarification of the City of Stevens Point and WLGCC application and award. Mr. Nielsen said that staff will keep the board in the loop and share any opportunities where members could get involved and help in the process. Mr. Klaameyer thanked staff for working on this and making this happen. He also shared that resident have access to grants and funding to do energy audits on their own homes. He was curious if the city would also be eligible for any of those funds. Mr. Nielsen shared that hopefully once we have this plan in place, it will help with making smart decisions with grants in the future. Ms. Davey added that the Oshkosh Chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby will be hosting an event at Fox Valley Technical College. A couple from Oshkosh will be presenting on their experiences with working with Focus on Energy and all the energy efficiency changes they have made in their home. Mr. Nielsen shared that there is IRA brochures for homeowners and businesses owners on second floor in City Hall that highlights some of the resources available. VII. City of Oshkosh American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Update Ms. Dziengeleski explained at the April 23rd Council meeting City Manager Rohloff gave an overview of where staff was at with reviewing ARPA applications. She explained that there was 50 submitted applications that they are still working on scoring and narrowing down. So hopefully in the near future, the board will have a better understanding on where their application sits amongst the others. Mr. Nielsen stated that it was his understanding that there is just over $2 million available, and the applications received total over $10 million. VIII. Summer Farmers Market Ms. Davey stated that she was hoping to have dates for the Summer Farmers Market, but she does not yet. She said that the Market was anticipating sending those dates out in the middle of the month; once we have dates, we can figure out who is all available and staff them. Ms. Reinke asked if there has been discussion of what the board plans to cover at the Farmers Market. Ms. Marone answered with rain barrels, general educational components, water and electric bills, etc. Ms. Reinke shared that rain barrels are always a good go to. She spoke to more education, including Facebook, doing more public outreach at the Farmers Market, and said it would be beneficial to include applications for rain barrels and rain gardens. Ms. Davey explained that they have always made sure to include the rain barrel application with all the material they bring to the Farmers Market. She also mentioned that going through that material is necessary before the first Farmers Market date approaches. IX. Agenda Items for Future Meeting No Mow May Update, Summer Farmers Market, Tree Protection Zones X. Next Meeting is Monday, June 3rd, 2024 XI. Adjourn The board voted 7-0 to adjourn (Spanbauer/Oliver) Recorded by: Emma Dziengeleski, Assistant Planner