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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes MINUTES SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD August 6, 2012 PRESENT: Steve Barney, Michelle Bogden Muetzel, Bob Breest, Aaron Campbell, Margy Davey, Samara Hamze (by phone), Bob Poeschl, Jan Scalpone EXCUSED: Kim Biedermann STAFF: Jeff Nau, Associate Planner; Elizabeth Schultz, Planning Assistant; David Patek, Director of Public Works & Engineering; Ray Maurer, Director of Parks & Forestry CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Chair Margy Davey. PUBLIC COMMENT None APPROVE MINUTES Motion by Jan Scalpone and second by Michelle Bogden Muetzel to approve the minutes from the last meeting. Motion carried 5-0 (Breest, Poeschl and Campbell absent). CENTRAL GARAGE The Board had a lengthy discussion on the documents provided by Jon Wallenkamp of Kueny Architects, which addressed questions from the June meeting. Mr. Wallankamp stated he was presenting three options. Option 1 includes strategies that meet minimum design standards and are 20 percent better than code; Option 2 is the current proposed design and is 30 percent better than code; and Option 3 builds upon Option 2 with additional strategies with reasonable paybacks and is 41 percent better than code. He stated the differences in construction costs are as follows: Option 1 $430,000; Option 2 $650,000 and Option 3 $740,000. He then stated the total costs of the project including environmental remediation will be anywhere from $95 to $120 per square foot. In addition to those options, he also pointed out some optional items the SAB suggested at the June meeting and their construction costs (green roof $62,500, Saw Tooth Roof $60,000, Solar Roof Panels $2,500,000, Wind Turbine $25,000). Finally he stated these costs do not include any costs for commissioning for LEED certification. Steve Barney and Samara Hamze suggested exploring thermal solar panels instead of voltaic because they are more cost-effective for providing ambient heat and hot water. Ms. Davey wanted to know if geothermal was explored. Mr. Wallenkamp said the borings have not come back yet but most likely because this was a fill site that it would not be conducive for geothermal heating. Mr. Barney also wanted to know if they looked at trucking in landfill gas for heat because the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office uses it for heat and the landfill is still flaring gas. Jan Scalpone wanted to know how the project would be evaluated for LEED. Mr. Wallankamp stated the baseline Option 1 most likely meets LEED but they will need to verify because measures are constantly changing. Ms. Hamze wanted to know if Mr. Wallankamp was excited about anything different with this project compared to other projects. Mr. Wallankamp stated the reuse of the site, the way they flipped the building to be more attractive from the intersection and that the ability of the public to see what public works does from viewing the site. Aaron Campbell said he was not a fan of LEED certification based on his experience at UWO. He stated things are constantly changing in certification and that he would rather put public tax dollars to their best use in the building. Bob Poeschl stated the Council has not voted on that yet or what level they would go for if they do. Michelle Bogden Muetzel reminded everyone of the April 2, 2012 motion by the SAB to build the garage to the highest possible certification. David Patek, Director of Public Works & Engineering, stated staff is: not proposing solar panels at this time but are proposing a roof to handle the load for possible future use; proposing a green roof; proposing use of biodigester heat and trying to address other items from the June minutes. Mr. Poeschl stated he would like to move forward with Option 3 and give direction to provide solar. He stated the City would be missing out on an opportunity if they didn’t. He also stated they could look at certification later. Mr. Patek stated the solar panels are very expensive and there has to be funding to pay for them. He also stated there is no more stimulus funding and the City Manager’s office is looking but not finding any additional funding. Mr. Wallankamp said he needs direction to get into the details for the bidding process and that they can provide alternative bidding on some of the items that are possibilities. Ms. Davey questioned if they looked into using permeable pavement. Mr. Wallankamp and Bob Breest both agreed that permeable pavement was not a good idea because of the amount of maintenance that would be involved due to the use of salt. Ms. Hamze disconnected the conference call. MENOMINEE PARK MASTER PLAN Ray Maurer, Director of Parks & Forestry, went over the Menominee Park Master Plan Concept drawings with the Board. He stated the plan has been in the works since February and that he has had multiple public input sessions. He also stated that the Parks Board had looked at concept plans in June and the plan in front of the SAB is the latest version of the concept plan. He informed the Board that the Parks Board would like to wait three to five years to see what the natural planting pilot project at Millers Bay will look like before adding more areas to the park. Mr. Barney wanted to know about lifeguards and lockers at the beach. Mr. Maurer stated that they have not gotten into that kind of detail yet. He also stated that this plan will be a long range plan and there will a phasing plan based on priorities. 2 | August 6, 2012 Sustainability Advisory Board Minutes Mr. Barney stated he would hate to see it moving toward more of an amusement park and that he likes the natural areas and wildlife. He said he would also like to see the native plantings expanded and a boundary for the swimming area. Ms. Scalpone stated she would like to see some compensation for the additional hard surfaces because they will produce more runoff into the lake. She also suggested the use of porous pavement and natural plantings between green space and the lake. Mr. Maurer stated they will look into swales and filtration. He also stated that the porous pavement would not be recommended for the same maintenance reasons at the central garage. Mr. Poeschl stated he believed they already have a good example for the native plantings and believes those are shovel-ready projects. Ms. Scalpone stated it would not hurt to wait a minimum of two years (including this year) for the native plantings. Ms. Davey stated she would also like to see the native plantings back in the plan and feels that the five households who objected to them should not dictate the plan for a park that serves the entire city. She stated not only are the plantings aesthetically pleasing, but they also deter geese and help with runoff and erosion. She also encouraged the use of recycled rubber surfaces for the play areas. In addition, she wanted to point out the recommendations in the Sustainability Plan for the park and that everyone should be concerned about light pollution from the park. Mr. Barney stated he would prefer concrete to blacktop because of fumes and its contribution to the heat effect. He also wanted to know if fees at the park were to increase to pay for the improvements. In addition, he stated he would like to see Monkey Island developed into a wildlife refuge. Mr. Maurer stated they have not looked at the fees but are looking for grants and private partnership opportunities. He also stated that the Board is welcome to attend the next Parks Board meeting. ST NEXT MEETING MONDAY, OCTOBER 1 Chair Davey reminded the Board of the next meeting. ADJOURN Motion by Bob Poeschl and second by Michelle Bogden Muetzel to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 7- 0. Meeting adjourned at 6:09 pm. Respectfully submitted, Robin Leslie Principal Planner 3 | August 6, 2012 Sustainability Advisory Board Minutes