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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutesMINUTES SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD November 1, 2010 Present: Steve Barney, Kimberly Biedermann, Michelle Bogden Muetzel, Bob Breest, Margy Davey, Justin Mitchell, Jan Scalpone Excused: Bob Poeschl, Andrew Sabai Staff: Darryn Burich, Planning Director, Robin Leslie, Principal Planner, Shelly Reinke, Planning Assistant, Allen Davis, Community Development Director, John Urben, Director of General Services CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:00 by Chair Justin Mitchell. APPROVE MINUTES Motion by Margy Davey and second by Bob Breest to approve the minutes from the last meeting. Motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENT None ENERGY EFFICIENCY CONSERVATION BLOCK GRANT (EECBG) FACILITY IMPROVEMENT MEASURES (FIMs) Jon Urben stated Matt DeMeuse from McKinstry was ill and that instead, he would provide an update on the EECBG, which is a $634,000 grant from the Department of Energy. He stated that the bids were competitive and that the City was ready to proceed with awarding the bids. Steve Barney was concerned that City staff waited until the final step of the process to inform the Board. He said he was disappointed. Robin Leslie stated that the EECBG information was given to the Board at the last meeting. John Urben stated they achieved their goals as directed by the City Manager and that any input the Board would like to make, to direct those comments to him as they may have surplus funds after the proposed projects are completed. URBAN CHICKEN ORDINANCE ELEMENTS Justin Mitchell provided an update on the urban chicken ordinance by presenting a summary of ordinance provisions for the Board to consider. He said that the City Manager asked the Board of Health to take a look at the issues. He stated he provided an overview to the Board of Health at their last meeting and invited them to this meeting. The Board of Health approved a motion to support the creation of an ordinance that included the elements that were presented to them. Steve Barney stated he was not comfortable voting on this at this time because he thought the Board needed more time to discuss the issues. Bob Breest suggested that this item be further discussed after the presentations. URBAN CHICKEN PRESENTATIONS Brent and Andrea Schneider provided a short video about their chickens and coop. They stated they live just outside of the city and havel l chickens in an 8 -foot by 8 -foot enclosure. They stated each chicken produces one egg per day and that that the benefits outweigh the effort involved in caring for them. They stated they feed them all food scraps except fats and meats to their chickens, which cuts back on waste. In addition, they stated chickens need 14 hours of daylight per day (real or artificial) otherwise they will stop laying eggs. The Board then began a discussion on humane treatment of the chickens and square footage needs for the coop. There were no public comments after this presentation. Ron Kean, UW Animal Science Department, stated he has worked with chickens for a long time. He also stated that there is always the potential for health issues such as salmonella, but these same issues can arise with other pets such as turtles and dogs. He stated that smell, noise and rodents can also be issues and that the hens will cackle when laying eggs, but they are no noisier than a dog barking. In addition, he stated the hens sleep at night and smell and rodent issues can be managed with good cleaning and feed - management procedures. He also stated the average wingspan for chickens, depending upon breed, is 20 -30 inches. Justin Mitchell asked Mr. Kean to make a recommendation for minimum coop and run size. He stated three square feet per chicken is good for a small number of chickens in a coop, but if there is only one chicken there should be a minimum space of 6 -7 square feet. He also stated the bigger the better for run size. He recommended either the same size as the coop or to double the size of the coop. He stated if the area is too small, there will be no plant /green area because the chickens will turn the area to dirt. He suggested a minimum of six square feet per bird for the run. Mr. Kean also encouraged insulation and ventilation in the coop. In regards to heat, he stated you could treat them the same as other pets or that a heat lamp in an insulated area would be sufficient. The Board then began a discussion of organic farming, wingspans and runs, setbacks, chicken tractors, enclosures, animal protection laws, killing, education, and sick chickens. Cristina Hoyt, Oshkosh resident, asked if Madison required heated coops, if there were particular breeds that were winter hardy and about water in the winter. Mr. Kean replied that Madison did not require heated coops, some Canadian breeds with small combs were considered hardier than others and that chickens should be provided unfrozen water at least two times per day. He also stated the Madison ordinance is very open and unspecific and that chickens should be considered as pets and there should be no need to micromanage them. Dan Hoyt, Oshkosh resident, asked Brent and Andrea Schneider about their run size. They stated their run was about four feet by 16 feet. He also asked about egg washing. Mr. Kean stated that if the eggs are for personal consumption, you do not have to follow USDA requirements. Eggs must be refrigerated and if they are visually clean, you do not need to wash. He said it was better to clean eggs dry as adding water to clean the eggs can create bacteria growth. If you must wash the eggs, wash with warm water with a little soap. Justin Mitchell asked Mr. Kean what he thought about the recommended ordinance elements. Mr. Kean stated if what is proposed is the equivalent of what other cities are doing, then he thinks those elements would be sufficient. Steve Barney stated he was not impressed with what other cities have done. URBAN CHICKEN ORDINANCE ELEMENTS (continued) Motion by Justin Mitchell and second by Jan Scalpone to add a minimum of seven square feet for coop size to the ordinance elements. Motion by Steve Barney to amend the motion to be nine square feet. Motion failed for a lack of second. Original motion carried 6 -1 (Steve Barney voting against). Motion by Justin Mitchell and second by Jan Scalpone to direct staff to draft an ordinance based on suggested elements, as amended. Motion carried 6 -1 (Steve Barney voting against). Bob Breest asked for a clarification if the chickens would be treated as livestock or pets in the city ordinance. Darryn Burich stated they would be in the animal section of the ordinance as pets. Steve Barney asked again if chickens would be protected by animal - cruelty laws. Justin Mitchell directed staff to follow up with the City attorney. NEXT MEETING Chair Mitchell reminded the Board the next regularly scheduled meeting was Monday, December 6 th at 4:00 pm and that the Board would be discussing goals for next year and identifying what goals were met and /or not met for this year. ADJOURN Motion by Margy Davey and second by Kim Biedermann to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 6:00 pm. Respectfully submitted, Robin Leslie Principal Planner