Agendas and Minutes

Conservation and Climate Outreach Committee (View All)

Regular Monthly Meeting

Agenda
Wednesday, June 27, 2001

ASHLAND CONSERVATION COMMISSION

Minutes

June 27, 2001

CALL TO ORDER - Chairperson Susan Reid called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. Members present were Susan Reid, Bruce Moats, Russ Chapman, Howard Braham, Paige Prewett, Charles Bennett and Joanne Krippaehne. Staff present were Dick Wanderscheid and Sonja Akerman. Members Russ Otte and Mort Smith were unable to attend the meeting.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Chapman said the May 23, 2001 minutes should state the tipping fee for yard debris will be $5.00 per yard rather than $7.00. Krippaehne then moved to approve the minutes as clarified and Chapman seconded the motion, which passed with a unanimous vote.

ASHLAND SANITARY & RECYCLING UPDATE - Chapman stated there was nothing new to report since last month. As soon as the signage comes in, compost material will be accepted at the transfer station. This should be by July 1.

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS:

Marketing - Prewett related this subcommittee had not yet met. Reid said she would like to discuss Smith's idea of a parade entry because, in a way, this is marketing. His idea is to have some people march while holding a clothesline. The clothesline would have articles of clothing hanging with the Conservation Commission logo, energy tips, etc. Reid said the Commission was generally supportive and Prewett volunteered to contact Kathleen Katz, who is the youth group leader for the Havurah Temple. Katz had brought a youth group to the park and was very responsive to the idea of recruiting some of them to march in the parade and promised to let Prewett know if she got the volunteers. If volunteers can be recruited, Prewett offered the Nature Center as a place for people to paint the clothing signs. She said would also like to be able to feed the volunteers. Reid and Prewett agreed that if this does not happen this year, the idea should be used next year. Wanderscheid stated the Conservation Commission has a banner that would need to be carried in the parade also. Braham moved and Prewett seconded to put a $100 cap on money to be spent on materials and food and that the deadline for making the decision be 5:00 the following day (June 28). The motion was unanimously passed.

Adopt-A-Street - Chapman reported he and Prewett had met with Code Compliance Officer Adam Hanks, who is currently administering the program. Prewett took the ideas and came up with a draft brochure. It will now go to Ann Seltzer, who will put it in the proper City format. Chapman added the final draft brochure should be ready by next month's meeting.

Street Sweeping/Leaf Collection - Chapman reported he and Moats had met with Public Works Director Paula Brown, who is open to having an experimental pilot project in the Railroad District. Hours would be set every Monday for a period of six weeks. The street sweeper would bring the load out to the Transfer Station and dump it in the leaf and grass box. No fees would incur for the pilot project season, but at the end of the program, costs would be evaluated. The Conservation Commission would be asked to pay for advertising. Brown will meet with her employees and have something for the next meeting. Chapman cautioned if the loads that come in are contaminated with too much other debris, they will be charged as trash, so hopefully, they will be clean. Reid asked why the Railroad District was targeted. Wanderscheid responded there are many old trees in the district and the storm drains get clogged with the debris (leaves and branches). So with the nature of the vegetation and storm drains, Railroad District resident and former Conservation Commission member Ashley Henry was hoping something could be done to alleviate the clogging of the storm drains every fall and winter. This pilot program is a result. Wanderscheid informed the members that many Railroad District residents do not have off street parking; therefore, it is necessary for them to park on the street. Chapman said that perhaps the sweeper should only do one side at a time. The Commission discussed various methods of advertising and notifying the residents. Chapman related Brown is very open to suggestions. The subcommittee will meet with Street Supervisor John Peterson and the sweeper operators in order to figure out where to go from here.

TID Committee - Wanderscheid said there was nothing new to report at this time. He did say that for the first time in six years, TID water will be pumped into Reeder Reservoir soon. This is a different strategy than used in the past because TID water was only used toward the end of the season. At this time of year, the quality of TID water is better and the temperature is much cooler than late in the season so it will be easier to treat. The water will be one part TID to five parts Ashland Creek. Wanderscheid also informed the Commission the City just made a payment in order to have water rights to Rogue River water from Lost Creek Reservoir, so eventually the TID second water right will probably just go away. Prewett asked for a pre-drought status report and Wanderscheid responded the reservoir is now 97% full. During hot days, the outflow is higher than the inflow and with no more snowmelt for water supply, the Council is being asked to invoke the waste portion of curtailment, effective July 9. This means that certain uses of water will be illegal, for example, water should only be served upon request in restaurants, people can only wash their cars if they have a shut off valve, people can't use water to wash the sidewalks, they can't water their yards in the middle of the day, etc. It is hoped demand will go back down with the invocation of this portion of the curtailment. Paula Brown's goal is to have the reservoir as full as possible when TID water is shut off later in the season. When asked by Prewett about the watering of the Siskiyou Boulevard medians, Wanderscheid stated they will not be watered when curtailment is invoked, however the big vegetation will be kept alive. He noted the reason water runs off the medians is that the soil and grass are planted right on top of concrete. With the redesign of the Boulevard, the medians will come out and be replaced correctly.

OLD BUSINESS:

Construction Debris Recycling Update - The draft brochure was included in the packet. Prewett stated it was a little difficult to read and suggested more hard returns and perhaps bulleting the items. Chapman related Dan Murphy is also reviewing this and there may be more changes. Wanderscheid added that Murphy will be meeting with Ann Seltzer and that the final draft should be ready for the next meeting. Reid then said she had just spoken with Mayor DeBoer who wants to include construction debris recycling in the demolition of the Blue Mountain Café as it is taken down for the fire station expansion. He wants the Conservation Commission to be involved and to use this as a demonstration project. Recycling of materials will be built into the contract or Request for Proposal (RFP). Krippaehne volunteered to meet with the Mayor and Fire Chief, as this is of special interest to her.

City Council Presentation Update - Smith, Bennett and Krippaehne gave the presentation to the Council on June 19. Wanderscheid stated it went well, the Council got a good update and it was an opportunity to announce the green waste program.

Compost Class Update - Wanderscheid reported there were nine people who attended the first compost class. Reid suggested making sure the dates for the compost classes are advertised in the Tribune, as well as the Tidings.

Sustainable Housing Discussion - Wanderscheid stated this is a long-term goal and construction debris recycling is the first piece of the puzzle. He offered to provide a copy of the existing density bonus program for the next meeting in order for the members to see how it works now. There is a section that deals with energy and water conservation. This will provide a comparison for Krippaehne's handout on green building programs associated with the Home Builders' Association. Krippaehne volunteered to meld together from the various programs she has looked into using the basic elements and come up with a first draft of a program. She will be looking at the common elements of her research. Reid asked how this would relate to the Housing Commission and Wanderscheid replied it would be more directly related to the Planning Commission, but that the Housing Commission would be involved also. Reid noted the Housing Commission is also working on sustainable housing, so she suggested Krippaehne meet with Senior Planner Bill Molnar (Housing Commission liaison). Wanderscheid stated the Housing Commission would most likely be very happy to have the Conservation Commission develop this portion of the project and keep them apprised of the developments and work with its members prior to going to the Planning Commission. Krippaehne will make an appointment to meet with Community Development Director John McLaughlin and Molnar. Krippaehne asked if the objective would be to build this in to regulations or incentives. Wanderscheid replied he would like the green building program to stand alone for a single individual who wanted to take advantage of it and then to replace the portion of the density bonus code with this. It would be regulatory but not mandatory. It should also be educational with incentives.

NEW BUSINESS:

Budget - As of July 1, the budget will be $4,000.

Leave of Absence - Wanderscheid stated Smith has asked for a three-month leave of absence from the Commission. He should be back in the fall. The Mayor has already granted the leave. In discussing this, the Commission agreed it should be granted.

COMMISSION ITEMS:

1) Prewett needed to know if there was authorization to spend money on an ad in the Daily Tidings recognizing the people who are volunteering for the Adopt-A-Street Program. Wanderscheid responded that when the program was designed, this was covered in an annual recognition by the City. The brochure should state the volunteers will be publicly recognized by the City. 2) Prewett also noted that the newsletter for the Environmental Stewardship Program features a little article on the coupons for compact fluorescent light bulbs. 3) Prewett stated the Nature Center would be a good candidate for solar panels if an opportunity arises like it did at the Ashland Middle School. Wanderscheid stated the $7,500 system ended up costing the City around $2,000. 4) Krippaehne stated Wanderscheid had spoken at the Rotary Club about energy rates and conservation programs. The members were very appreciative to know where we stand and what we can do.

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

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