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Minutes 09-04-08 MINUTES OF THE CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH GREEN TASK FORCE MEETING HELD ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2008, AT 1:00 P.M. AT THE LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Present: Carisse Lejeune, Assistant to the City Manager Nancy Byrne, Assistant Director of Development Debbie Majors, Grants Administrator Jody Rivers, Parks Superintendent Christine Roberts, Assistant Director of Public Works Chris Roschek, Engineering Manager/Utilities Absent: Mike Dauta, Warehouse Manager Mike Simon, CRA Development Manager Also Present: Wayne Segal, Public Affairs Director Steve Evans, Labs Supervisor I. Open Meeting and Approval of August 21,2008 Meeting Minutes The August 21, 2008 minutes would be approved at the next meeting. II. Water/Landscaping Workshop Update Mr. Evans reported he had put together a basic outline for a potential Powerpoint presentation on the merits and methods of conservation. He was also working on a rain barrel workshop. A large supply of rain barrels was maintained at the West Plant and could be used for the demonstrations. Indoor conservation kits and literature could be provided to workshop attendees. Ms. Lejeune and Mr. Segal met with Sherry Johnson, of the Green Market. Ms. Johnson was delighted at the prospect of having the workshop coincide with the grand opening of the Green Market on November 1, 2008. Ms. Johnson received a $10,000 grant to advertise the Green Market, and she indicated the Green Task Force could piggyback on her advertising. It was suggested the workshop be given a name. Ms. Rivers and Mr. Segal would work on an "edgy" title for the workshop and bring their thoughts back to the team. Meeting Minutes Green Task Force Boynton Beach September 4, 2008 Ms. LeJeune noted it would be necessary for Mr. Hallahan, Ms. Hall and Mr. Evans to meet as soon as possible with regard to the format of the workshop. As irrigation would be a major theme, it was believed information should be provided relating to terminology (native, invasive and exotic), and the manner in which appropriate native material should be planted. It was also suggested the Green Task Force provide information at a green table highlighting Boynton's "118 Best Practices," and any Commission action taken to date. Other suggestions included having a mixture of PowerPoint presentations which could be scheduled at various times during the day, and displays both inside and outside the Civic Center. A tent could be pitched which would be surrounded by tables or booths, and a bridge would link the Green Market to the Civic Center. Organizations such as Florida Yards and Neighborhoods and the Palm Beach County Extension could provide information and displays pertaining to environmental horticulture. Ms. Rivers would be responsible for reserving the Civic Center for November 1, 2008. Ms. LeJeune noted vendors wishing to attend the workshop and to provide a display would be allowed to place their ancillaries on a table to promote conservation; however, they would not be permitted to promote their products. Ms. LeJeune believed, in addition to educating the public on green initiatives, the workshop should also showcase the Green Task Force's accomplishments. III. GHG Inventory Update Mr. Evans advised he did not have any results to report. Additional information had been provided by Human Resources with regard to the employee commute. He was awaiting information pertaining to natural gas. He believed it would be more expeditious to focus on the City's operations and the community thereafter. Analysis of the City's energy and greenhouse gas usages would become critical, as this would be required by the State. IV. Update on Public Service Announcement Mr. Segal provided an update on the Public Service Announcement campaign. He met with Ms. Shea and explored a variety of public service announcements on the Internet and came up with a concept. The middle segment reflected children coming out of the Children's Schoolhouse Museum holding bottles and throwing the bottles into recycling bins while jumping in the air exclaiming, "Kids in Boynton Beach are committed to recycling; won't don't you do the same?" Appropriate music would accompany the segment. Mr. Segal pointed out the announcement would have to be completed by the end of the month as funding was included in this year's budget. 2 Meeting Minutes Green Task Force Boynton Beach September 4, 2008 V. Final Report/White Paper and Recommendations Ms. LeJeune noted all the department elements had been received, and she sought direction as to the manner in which the report was to be assembled. It was noted a further analysis would be required of the Florida Energy Code and changes to State Statutes. The report would reflect the actions taken by the Governor which would directly impact Boynton Beach. Changes in the State Building Code would also be reflected, as would Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) requirements. One of the recommendations of the Development Department would impact the Public Works Department, and should have been included in the Public Works element. It would be necessary for the City to partner with a private company to provide single-stream recycling of building materials, and this was a prerequisite to obtaining green certification. Public Works staff would be meeting with Waste Management in order to explore single-stream recycling and revenue sharing. Ms. LeJeune suggested Ms. Byrne assemble the documents and forward them to Ms. Lejeune for fine tuning. Thereafter, Ms. LeJeune would provide the team with a final draft for review. Ms. Byrne agreed, noting she could tie in the Governor's initiatives with the elements provided. Ms. Byrne referred to Paragraph 4, "City Wide Incentives" of the Development element. This initiative addressed private sector partnership funding. Staff met with representatives of EcoZone, who wanted to partner with the City on the issue of street signage. While this was not feasible, there could be other opportunities to pursue. For example, the City could partner with EcoZone on a recycling program. If the recycling were performed in-house, EcoZone could provide the recycling containers containing their logo and pro-green message. Both the City and EcoZone would benefit from the revenue stream. While this concept would be presented to the Commission, Ms. Lejeune still wanted to schedule a meeting with Johnson Controls, key executive staff members and EcoZone. An item identified through the City Manager's office subsequent to the Round Table workshop was how to incentivize going green. Sembler funds provided to Community Improvement were earmarked for affordable housing and could be used for that purpose only. However, there was the potential to draw $55,000 out of the Sembler funds to incentivize green affordable housing, and it was suggested this be included in the recommendations to the Commission. Ms. Byrne requested support for the creation of a Sustainability Coordinator which would expand Ms. Byrne's position as Assistant Director of Development. Ms. Byrne was volunteering to do the job in conjunction with her existing duties. The Sustainability Coordinator would serve as a watchdog, ensuring that every department tasked with expediting reviews and inspections followed through with the specific timelines 3 Meeting Minutes Green Task Force Boynton Beach September 4, 2008 established. In this way, the City's commitment to the development community would be maintained at all times. Motion Ms. LeJeune moved that Ms. Byrne name herself as a potential Sustainability Coordinator. Ms. Roberts seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Ms. Byrne pointed out that it would be necessary for Ms. Majors to serve as a key person to assist Ms. Byrne, as the Sustainability Coordinator would also provide incentive assistance and search for funding opportunities outside the City. Ms. Majors agreed to serve in such capacity. Ms. LeJeune suggested Ms. Majors serve as the third reviewer of the elements in order to insert the grant funding information before the draft was provided to the team. The team agreed to Ms. LeJeune's suggestion. The question was raised whether there was any consideration of expanding the City's recycling program to include multi-families. Ms. Roberts advised the City currently maintained a recycling program for multi-families; however the service required the approval of the property owner or the management company. Ms. Roberts noted most families participated in the program. During a conference call with Climate Communities regarding funding issues, representatives of Broward County commented that a one-foot rise in sea level would cause a catastrophic infrastructure failure of the County's sewer system. Ms. Byrne suggested Utilities might wish to give thought to this as an item for future consideration. A recommendation could be made to fund an analysis to determine how the City could adapt its water systems to changing water levels in Florida. Ms. LeJeune noted ancillary information could be added once the report was put together. As previously discussed, recommendations could include a request to allow the team to continue working together on green initiatives after the Green Task Force had sunsetted, and for a group of concerned citizens to be assembled to assist in providing education on green initiatives. It would be necessary to compile a list of the disciplines that would contribute towards the educational component. Palm Beach County assembled a seven-member Green Task Force comprised of individuals from all disciplines, all of whom met specific criteria. Ms. LeJeune would put together a preliminary list for the team's review prior to its inclusion in the final report. The white paper would be presented by Ms. Lejeune and Ms. Byrne at the first Commission meeting in October. The transportation initiatives called for all City employees to be charged for parking at any City facility. Alternative transportation would be proposed, including carpooling. Carpooling could be set up at the Boynton Beach Mall or other location in the City, 4 Meeting Minutes Green Task Force Boynton Beach September 4, 2008 allowing employees to reduce their vehicle miles traveled and incentivizing individuals who carpooled. City fleet vehicles could be used in cases of emergency. If the Commission favored this program, it would be explored in depth. The Greenway concept would be moving forward and would be tied into the Comprehensive Plan element. The Greenway Plan was adopted in concept only, and Ms. Rivers had been attempting to complete it for several years. The Greenway Plan would be put in as a recommendation and if selected by the Commission, there would an opportunity for fine tuning. Ms. LeJeune did not anticipate anything more than preliminary discussion and questions at the October 7, 2008 Commission meeting. She believed the Commission would accept the report and absorb it over one or two meetings before making their policy decisions. VI. New Business Mr. Segal read a communication received from Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty announcing the County's recent formation of a Green Task Force. The committee would focus on encouraging more efficient and sustainable buildings, energy and natural resources, conservation and environmental sustainability. The committee was comprised of 16 voting members from the community, three non-voting members and a Task Force Chair, County Commissioner Robert Kanjian. The members would inventory current County policies and identify initial actions and policies that would save energy. Boca Raton City Commissioner Susan Haynie was appointed by Commissioner McCarty as the District IV representative of the committee. Ms. Rivers reported the City met all of the requirements for Blueway certification, but did not have the $2,500 application fee. Mr. Hallahan joined the meeting at 2:00 p.m. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, the meeting properly adjourned at 2:00 p.m. ~9.L Stephanie D. Kahn Recording Secretary 090808 5