MINUTES
Recycling and Resource Conservation Advisory Board Minutes
December 14, 2005
Present: Dickie Heckler, Steve Hughes, Kevin Dobbs, Cindy Strecker, Laura
Routh, Marie Stockett, John Craft
Staff: Mollie Mangerich
Guests: Boog Highberger, Mayor; Mike Campbell, Chair Wakarusa Chapter of KS Sierra Club; Cary Maynard-Moody, Vice Chair; Daniel Poole, Board Member, and Kathy Peterson, National Resource Defense Council
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Mollie Mangerich: Farewell to Steve Hughes! Thanks for 6 full years of service to this advisory board. You have been instrumental in the implementation of the Energy Fair.
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Guests present info on a proposed Mayor's Initiative City project to reduce greenhouse gases. Sierra Club requests favorable recommendation from RRCAB to support City's participation. Program involves creating CO2/greenhouse gas inventory and then determining areas for reduction. All steps of the project have potential costs. Inventory could cost ~$2000. Challenge exists in finding City department to implement the reduction programs, and also figuring out how ambitious we want to be. Boog Highberger: Would prefer to keep $ spent on inventory to a minimum. Better to focus on known strategies that will reduce CO2/GHG. Boulder funded their initiative with trash tax. The Mayor would be the signatory to the agreement. Topeka has signed on to this project.
Q. Can we get credit for code/housing/energy coded changes?
A. Only if we measure for replacement housing...
Q. Is growth factored in?
A. Vehicles are particularly a growth issue. In Ft. Collins, CO, this was a big issue.
Q. Why is this program favored over others?
A. Greenhouse gas reduction is Sierra Club's #1 campaign, nationally. The U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement initiative is not a Sierra Club initiative, however.
Mangerich asks Boog to address the process for the Board to submit a letter of recommendation. If the Board does approve and submit a letter of recommendation to the City Commissioners, then they (Commission) would discuss it. If agreed upon by the Commissioners, it could be recommended for inclusion into the 2007 budget process.
RRCAB ACTION needed: Draft memo or letter to support mayor's agreement, early in 2006.
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ENERGY subcommittee issues
Q. What's happening with the “energy memo”?
A. Funding was approved for the Home Energy Conservation Fair, support for a LEED library was
expressed, and the International Environmental Building code review is ongoing.
ACTION needed: We should add recommendations from the “energy memo” tasks to our 2006 goals.
Q. What about the environmental procurement policy?
A. WRR Division is responsible for implementation of this policy.
Q. Was energy efficiency of city buildings part of that policy? Concern expressed that the new fire station on Iowa does not appear to have been built with energy costs in mind. Neighborhood resources approves site plan the Board wonders if energy issues were addressed in its construction. Given the cost of the building, it would seem that someone would have looked at energy costs. What timeline is projected for the adoption of the International Environmental Building codes?
A. January – a final recommendation will be made. The plumbers are not on board, at this point.
RRCAB ACTION needed: Boog Highberger recommends a short letter/brief presentation to support energy code adoption at relevant City Commission meeting.
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RRCAB Emails
We've gotten no more, we never did figure out a way to respond, so those that we received have been tabled, by group agreement.
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Recycling Subcommittee
The Wal*Mart center has finally reopened.
The Haskell Bargain Center has been the subject of multiple complaints; blowing debris, burning, they have an outdoor furnace and have been burning OBS/plywood, allegedly.
RECYCLING subcommittee Meeting: January 18, 2006. 5:30 PM, Paneras 23rd
Street.
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Election of officers, 2006
Cindy: Vice Chair
Kevin Dobbs, Chair
Laura, Secretary
Adjourn 7:05 PM