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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05 Minutes - Citizens' Sustainability Committee 01/25/2021CITY OF PALM DESERT CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MINUTES MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021 -3:00 P.M. ZOOM VIRTUAL MEETING I. CALL TO ORDER 11. Chair Dean Gatons called the meeting to order at 3 :01 p.m . ROLL CALL CITY COUNCIL ACTION P t APPROVED _____ DENIED resen : RECEIVEJl o\:: :Pi led OTHER ----- Chair Dean Gatons Vice -Chair James Henderson MEETf.~G DA~ _z l~ Member Berlinda Blackburn AYES :-t:VJthil;;N<}htiffit®;N@iifrfe,lj1ir,fimi/o/ke /Jy Member Vincent Heuring NOES: NO he I Member David O 'Donnell ABSENT: ---'-;N~blll;:n~e~---------- Mem ber Mel Mason ABSTAIN: _--i.;N::,.;D~ni.::.e-:::--:::-:-.:-~------- Mem ber Evan Trubee arrived at 3 :14 p.rN.ERIFIED BY: _ __,M.....,..6._S'-1-/ ..... :S:;..;.r..::S;.._ ______ _ Also Present: Jan C . Harnik, Mayor Pro Tern Gina Nestande , Councilmembe r Original on File with City Clerk's Office Ryan Stendell , Director of Community Development Heather Horning , Sen ior Management Analyst Amy Lawrence , Management Analyst Monica O 'Reilly , Management Specialist II Mariana Rios , Management Specialist I 111. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Mr. Kim Floyd , Palm Desert , California , requested that the Committee make a list of priorities of some sustainability issues for 2021/2022 . Councilmember Gina Nestande commented that the City Counci l has scheduled a goal-setting meeting and noted Mr. Floyd 's request. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. MINUTES of the Citizens ' Susta inabil ity Committee meeting of October 19 , 2020 . Rec : Approve as presented . PRELIMINARY MINUTES CITIZENS’ SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE JANUARY 25, 2021 2 W:\Staff Reports - Shared 2\Staff Reports 05-13-2021\4 -City Clerk - 05-13-2021\05 Sustainability Minutes\01 - 01-25-21 Minutes.docx Upon a motion by Member Heuring, seconded by Vice-Chair Henderson, and a 6- 0-1-1 vote of the Citizens’ Sustainability Committee, the minutes were approved as presented (AYES: Blackburn, Gatons, Henderson, Heuring, Mason, and O’Donnell; NOES: None; ABSENT: Trubee; ABSTAINED: Guinaw). V. NEW BUSINESS None VI. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VII. OLD BUSINESS None VIII. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Staff 1. Review of the General Plan (Chapter 6, 7, 8 and 9) Mr. Stendell provided a brief overview of Chapters 6, 7, 8, and 9. Chair Gatons noted that in Chapter 6, the Palm Desert Community Church is now named Center for Spiritual Living Palm Desert. Member Berlinda Blackburn commented that she submitted a request to the Palm Desert in Touch app regarding the water-filled road barriers used during the Certified Farmers’ Market. She requested if the water from the road barriers could be captured and reused in some way instead of letting the water drain into the street after the event and at future City events/projects. Regarding Chapter 7 (Noise), Member Dennis Guinaw mentioned that Indio passed an ordinance to mitigate loud music coming from cars. He asked if it is an issue in Palm Desert. Mr. Stendell responded that he was not familiar with Indio’s ordinance. However, if the Committee felt it is an issue in Palm Desert, the City could have a study done. Member Guinaw commented that it was only a thought. Chair Gatons referred to page 102 and mentioned again that he is disappointed that lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and street sweepers could begin work at 5:00 a.m. within a country club. He highly requested that country clubs are part of the noise ordinance. He stated that the City would cite him if he began work at 5:00 a.m. PRELIMINARY MINUTES CITIZENS’ SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE JANUARY 25, 2021 3 W:\Staff Reports - Shared 2\Staff Reports 05-13-2021\4 -City Clerk - 05-13-2021\05 Sustainability Minutes\01 - 01-25-21 Minutes.docx Since she has been on the City Council, Councilmember Nestande has wanted to regulate leaf blowers for the noise and the dust that goes into the air. Mr. Stendell shared that leaf blowers have come up during the Council goal-setting sessions. At this point, it is a legislative fix, and the staff has to receive direction from the City Council to amend the code formally by a Zoning Ordinance Amendment. Member Vincent Heuring commented that he has been teaching engineering for 30 years. He said he could not speak to the political issues on the noise from leaf blowers; however, he volunteered to do a short white paper on the technical aspects of the two kinds of leaf blowers. Mr. Stendell responded that the staff would contact Member Heuring regarding the leaf blower study. Member Guinaw mentioned that the General Plan does mention cooling centers in Chapter 8. Member Blackburn commented that the cooling centers are listed on page 125. After Mr. Stendell reviewed Chapter 9, he stated that the staff would review Chapter 10 at the next meeting. 2. Update on San Pablo Mr. Stendell provided an update on Phase II of the San Pablo improvements. He noted that the improvements and CV Link construction are moving along concurrently. He also noted that the City would install temporary traffic lights at the City Hall entrance off Fred Waring Drive when San Pablo Avenue closes from Fred Waring Drive to Magnesia Falls Drive. Member Evan Trubee pointed out that the intersection gets narrower at Magnesia Falls Drive and Portola Avenue. Once people go back to in-person classes, he asked if there is a concern with traffic congestion. Mr. Stendell responded that the congestion has existed and it would not get any worse. However, narrower lanes mean slower speeds around schools. Mayor Pro Tem Jan Harnik added that structural changes to the infrastructure changes behavior. She noted that the dining decks and raised crosswalks on El Paseo automatically slowed down traffic. Mr. Stendell commented that the safety benefits outweigh the speed or the comfort of a wider roadway. PRELIMINARY MINUTES CITIZENS’ SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE JANUARY 25, 2021 4 W:\Staff Reports - Shared 2\Staff Reports 05-13-2021\4 -City Clerk - 05-13-2021\05 Sustainability Minutes\01 - 01-25-21 Minutes.docx 3. Citizens’ Sustainability Committee Meeting Schedule Management Analyst Amy Lawrence stated that the City Council has not decided on potential changes to the Citizens’ Sustainability Committee. Staff would continue to schedule the meetings quarterly, which the next meeting would be on April 19, 2021. Staff would email a meeting schedule for 2021. Mayor Pro Tem Harnik commented that the Committees/Commission Subcommittee has an upcoming meeting, and they are moving in the right direction. Ms. Lawrence passed the meeting over to Ms. Horning to provide an update on organics legislation. Senior Management Analyst Heather Horning provided an update on Assembly Bill 1826, which relates to mandatory commercial organics recycling. She said that the state lowered the threshold for businesses that would need to comply with organics recycling from four cubic yards of waste generated a week to two cubic yards. City staff is working on notifying businesses that they need to implement an organics program. Additionally, Burrtec would host a virtual educational workshop on information about organics recycling. Assembly Bill 1383 relates to organic waste for both businesses and residents. She said that City staff is working with a consultant to do a gap analysis to examine City programs to determine what the City needs to comply with the new law. Programs need to be in place by January 2022. Due to restaurants being hit hard financially by the pandemic, Councilmember Nestande asked if there is a pause on legislation. Ms. Horning replied that there is no pause, and the state is moving ahead with the timeframe. Mayor Pro Tem Harnik announced that the Riverside County Department of Waste Resources has free virtual classes on composting and vermicomposting. The next class is on February 6 at 9: a.m. Go to www.rcwaste.org/classes for more information. B. Committee Members Member Blackburn mentioned that she asked City staff to work with the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) to add a trash receptacle at the trail leading up to the tennis courts off Painters Path. There is a lot more activity in the area, which is creating more trash. It is the CVWD’s right-of-way and asked what the status is. Ms. Lawrence replied that she would find out. At the last meeting, Chair Gatons mentioned enforcing speed limits on Hovley Lane West. He asked if someone could address the speeding problem. He shared there are no medians, and he has seen people use the yellow middle lane as a PRELIMINARY MINUTES CITIZENS’ SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE JANUARY 25, 2021 5 W:\Staff Reports - Shared 2\Staff Reports 05-13-2021\4 -City Clerk - 05-13-2021\05 Sustainability Minutes\01 - 01-25-21 Minutes.docx passing lane. He stated that he does not see the Sheriff’s Department patrol the area. On a different note, he was happy to see that grading has begun at the Chick- fil-A center. He commended the Public Works Department for picking up shopping carts, which are a safety hazard. In December 2020, he mentioned that the Los Angeles Times had an article about the recycling industry facing a new crisis due to the pandemic. Ms. Horning commented that there is still recycling in our area. In other areas, recyclables are ending up in landfills because it is too costly to process and recycle them. Mayor Pro Tem Harnik read an article in the Wall Street Journal that a couple of companies are making reusable to-go containers but cannot keep up with the demand. They are also seeing more people using cardboard and paper containers. Member David O’Donnell asked if Lupine Lane would be back for outdoor dining. Mayor Pro Tem Harnik responded that the Lupine would reopen soon. The City wants to make sure that its following all the guidelines to make it safe for the community. Member O’Donnell commented that Lupine would be a good place to exaggerate the upcoming legislation and emphasize recycling. Mayor Pro Tem Harnik agreed that it is a great place for information. Member O’Donnell mentioned it would also be a great place to have the new color dumpsters/trash and educate the people on what is coming. Councilmember Nestande said it is a great idea. Mr. Frank Orlett, Burrtec Waste & Recycling, commented that they have different things they want to do in the coming months and would meet with the City to discuss. He said they continue to recycle, which is costly, but they felt it was the right thing to do. IX. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence, Chair Gatons adjourned the meeting at 3:59 p.m.