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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Citizen's Sustainability Committee 08/31/2011APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT CITIZEN'S SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 201 I. CALL TO ORDER C Chair Langford called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. 7 =' II. ROLL CALL Members Present IV. Bruce Kassler Luke Taylor John Greenwood Ellis "Cleve" Langford, Chair Robert Leo, Vice -Chair Eric Freed arr. at 10:05 a.m. David Koller Ralph Raya, arr. at 10:10 a.m Members Absent: Joe Norbeck a� J w O rU 6 _J 3 U U w '3 z Erzw c�wv�v1CG as 07 > o Staff Present: Missy Wightman, Assistant Planner Tony Becker, Administrative Secretary Lauri Aylaian, Director of Community Development Lisa Ream, Recycling Technician ORAL COMMUNICATIONS NONE NEW BUSINESS A. MM-20, immediate city projects recycling requirements — 100% inert, 75% other construction material. Ms. Wightman read the requirements and asked the committee for their thoughts on the matter. She mentioned that this policy and associated document had been tested on three deconstruction projects within the city: homes along Alessandro Alley resulting in 100% inert and 87% other, Desert Willow resulting in 100% inert and 70% other (due to mixed materials) and finally, Sage Crest resulting in 100% inert and 87% other. At the end of the deconstruction project, the receipts were kept to verify and track the results of the waste recycling. Ms. Wightman invited the group to make any comments that would enhance this policy for public use or revisions necessary to implement it into the private sector. Mr. Greenwood began by asking if the contractors would be responsible for this and would there be a fee. Ms. Wightman stated that the contractor would bring the waste to the recycling plant and most, but not all, recyclers charge a tipping fee. This fee is almost always less than a trash dump fee. Mr. Koller wanted to know why asphalt was listed under the inert materials. Ms. Wightman said that Cal -recycle was referenced for lists of `inert' material. Mr. Kassler interjected that asphalt is probably considered `inert' because many of the binding agents that hold it together wear off over time in the desert climate and upon deconstruction asphalt reacts differently than it would with those binding agents. Mr. Leo wanted to know if these new regulations would apply to a homeowner that was doing a DIY home project. Ms. Wightman stated that the group would need to decide if that is the direction they want the ordinance to go. Mr. Kassler asked Mr. Leo to be more specific about his example. Mr. Leo stated that if he were a homeowner who was going to tear down a wall or move a window —something that required a city permit —then would something like this apply to him? Ms. Wightman stated that this is what the group should decide. Mr. Kassler asked if there was any accounting done on `for permit' work, meaning that if the cost was too prohibitive, then possibly an exemption might be better than a requirement. Mr. Freed stated that a simple `hardship clause' would be appropriate. Mr. Freed asked if there were any places in Palm Desert that still had lead paint and / or asbestos. Ms Aylaian stated that there is a test that is required prior to any demolition if a structure were built before the 1970's. Mr. Freed asked because he didn't want any of the abated material to get counted in the percentages. 4 I W _,I Iqq 11 a I] =IME011111► \ = 11 11 1 Mr. Kassler asked if there would be any way to incentivize the applicant to recycle x% of material then he would get back x% on his application fee. Ms. Aylaian stated that is a good idea in theory, yet, since many of these fees are collected up front, and because a contractor won't know how much material will actually be recycled until demolition, then that makes the scenario more cumbersome, however, not impossible. Mr. Kassler asked if there was anything in the ordinance that allowed for reduced fees. Ms. Aylaian stated that there are already numerous 'fee -free' designations: solar installation, window replacement, water heaters and HVAC to name a few. The City Council was asked at the last meeting to update the fee schedules, but denied any increase in fees at this time for permits and decided to look at this issue during this next budget cycle. Ms. Wightman asked the group what changes they thought would be necessary to make this document work for the private sector. Mr. Leo stated that the document should not `sound' anything like a `City Document' with too much technical jargon, but rather be user-friendly so that an average homeowner could understand it. Mr. Kassler stated that he was overwhelmed by all of the places that he, as a homeowner would have to travel simply to `do the right thing' and recycle the demolition materials. Many places only open at a certain time of the day and a resident can only drop-off a certain quantity of their paint or tires or other hazardous materials on certain days and it's very antagonistic to someone who wants to recycle and not just dump trash in the desert. After reading that, he said he sees why so many people dump in the desert; it's too difficult to 'do the right thing'. A firm or a contracting company wouldn't find it so difficult since that is their business, but a homeowner who might only have two-four projects a year would find it impossible. Mr. Freed interjected and asked about enforcement of something like this. He wanted to know how this could be enforced. Mr. Raya stated that the burden should be placed on Burrtec. Mr. Koller gave an example of a toilet replacement program hosted by CVWD in conjunction with Burrtec. At first Burrtec indicated that they would collect the old toilets that were being replaced and recycle them. After a while they discovered the difficulties of collecting toilets from the CVWD location because of the success of the program and told Mr. Koller that Burrtec would not participate in the recycling of old toilets; they would just take them to the dump. Mr. Koller worked out a deal with Desert Recycle to take the toilets to be recycled. 3 Mr. Kassler asked if the City, having a number of vacant sites, could be the `transfer station' for those that want to bring recyclables to a certain area and then have them hauled away. Recycling Technician Lisa Ream entered the room and began answering some of these questions. Ms. Ream mentioned that the City of Palm Desert already has a Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program in place for residents. Under this program, a resident gets up to four free pick-ups a year for things like batteries, light bulbs, paint and certain types of solvents, chemicals, and e-wastes. This service is free of charge for the first four pick-ups. Ms. Ream also stated that the city of Palm Springs just started an HHW program where any Coachella Valley resident could bring their household hazardous waste to that facility for disposal. Mr. Greenwood commented that any additional, undue difficulty added to this or any program would likely cause a private homeowner or small business not to participate. Ms. Wightman reiterated that this would be for the private sector, not larger contractors. Mr. Freed suggested that having a limit of up to three cubic yards would keep the larger contractors from using this amenity. Ms. Ream stated that the current program requires an ID check to make sure the business or resident is located in Palm Desert. She said that sometimes they check utility bills rather than driver's licenses because those show actual proof of residency, rather than location. She mentioned however, that the addresses north of 1-10 are a grey area because they have Palm Desert addresses, but they aren't technically within the city limits. Mr. Taylor asked specifically how many permits were being issued to homeowners versus contractors and he asked further how a program like this could be policed, to prevent a homeowner from just throwing something in the trash, rather than in the proper receptacle. Ms. Wightman stated that the simpler this ordinance is, the better. Mr. Freed asked about using the MRF. They know the most about what is recyclable and what isn't; why not work out a program with them? Ms. Ream stated that recycling from the Coachella Valley actually goes to Escondido rather than the one visited in Fontana. The Escondido location isn't set up exactly like the Fontana plant and can't handle some of the materials that the Fontana location can. Ms. Ream also stated that the Fontana plant is at capacity, so they certainly won't be taking more requests. Ms. Wightman, Mr. Freed, and Ms. Aylaian 2 interjected and indicated the general manager at the Fontana plant said that they were nowhere near capacity at this time. Mr. Langford suggested that the form read very simply and have on the front of it where a homeowner can go to dump materials. Ms. Wightman stated that on the present form, the first eight pages will not be part of it because those are for large City projects only and contractors would fill those out. Mr. Raya asked Ms. Ream if hazardous household recycling could be thrown in with the regular recycling in the bin. Ms. Ream stated that the materials are very different, are considered differently and treated differently. Mr. Raya stated that was the answer: to have a way to just have the homeowners throw all the materials into the recycling bin and have it sorted later. That way, they are doing their part and still diverting materials from the landfill. Mr. Greenwood suggested that the City host a symposium or a self- help class at a big box store on `remodeling' and how to go through the process, what forms to fill out, what permits are required and what materials are recycled. That way the public at large is reached and better informed when they do decide to do their household project once per year. Mr. Leo suggested that the information be distributed to the HOA boards and meetings. The majority of HOA's have reserve accounts for projects such as replacing all lighting or roofing or sidewalks and they want to do the right thing, but the information isn't written or disseminated in a manner that reaches them. Mr. Raya asked Ms. Wightman and Ms. Ream if they could get information from Burrtec on the number and volume of three -yard bins that they issue to get an idea of just how many DIY homeowners are using them rather than hiring a contractor to do the work. Ms. Wightman said that she would do this and inform the group as the information became available. Ms. Wightman asked if any changes were necessary of the proposed City ordinance and the Committee concurred no changes were necessary to the staff presented document. 5 B. Discussion for potential datesitimes for a tour of Imperial Western Products. Chair Langford asked for discussion about touring Imperial Western Products -a facility that takes green waste and food waste and turns them into biofuels and other recycled materials. He noted that Wednesdays seem to work for everyone because of the sustainability meetings and wanted to know if they liked that and preferred a morning or afternoon. The group decided that mornings work best and maybe have the tour last about one hour or so. Ms. Wightman mentioned that she would check into shuttle service for carpooling. Ms. Ream asked if she could be included in the local facility tours. V. OLD BUSINESS A. Outdoor lighting ordinance update. Ms. Wightman said she found information on other ordinances from various cities including Phoenix and Scottsdale and all of them were quite short. The City of Palm Desert's ordinance is over eight pages long and uses very technical jargon. Ms. Wightman said that the International Dark Skies ordinance has been recently updated, so it has the most up-to-date information in it. She asked the Committee to share any thoughts or comments about the proposed ordinance that could be incorporated into a new ordinance when the City updates the Zoning Ordinances. Mr. Leo indicated that the new ordinance needs to specifically delineate what would be applicable to a homeowner and what would be applicable to a business. The current code, as he understands it, is quite ambiguous toward what is required of whom. Mr. Kassler pointed out that Palm Desert is nearly built -out and any new ordinances should be tailored toward existing businesses and homes. Mr. Koller interjected and said that Community Associations Institute (CAI) has a very large and well attended meeting every year that many of the HOA board presidents and managers attend. That would be a very good way to distribute the information to the associations. A B. Update of the tour of the Fontana MRF (Material Recovery Facility). Messrs. Freed and Langford, and Mmes. Riddle, Aylaian and Wightman toured the MRF facility in Fontana on Tuesday, August 30, 2011. There, the group was able to meet with the general manager and see first-hand how the facility operates. Ms. Wightman said that they were shown the entire process, from unloading of trucks to conveyor belts to the actual sorting and some of the by-products created from the recycled materials. Mr. Freed put some photo slides on the on -screen display for the group to see. Mr. Taylor asked what percentage of material ends up in the landfill after going to a facility like this. Ms. Wightman said about 10-30% can't be recycled and that would end up in the landfill. The general manager indicated it really depends on what is put into the recycle containers that makes it jump from 10-30%. Ms. Ream stated that there is a program underway to begin getting the equipment installed to be able to recycle Styrofoam and milk and juice containers. Mr. Freed gave a brief presentation to the group on a project he is working on to retool the way builders of `big box' stores think and construct their stores. Today, they over -build a lot in order to meet a perceived high demand for parking and inventory that only might occur a few times per year (on `black Friday' for example). Therefore, nearly 15 acres (a typical sized lot for a `big box' store) is mainly asphalt for parking that is largely unused most of the year. Mr. Freed wants to make the majority of the parking 'grasspave' with semi -permeable pavers to be used as overflow parking and only have about 15% of the lot be asphalt for day-to-day parking. He also proposes to bring the building itself closer to the street frontage and take a small percentage of the overflow parking and have that be dedicated to community gardens. Finally, his proposal calls for a green- or cool -roof to be put on the building. He coined the term 'de- asphaltification'. This proposal, he states, will go a long way to reduce the amount of asphalt and the `heat-island effect' that `big box' stores create and make a more sustainable lot. He showed some renderings on the on -screen display. 7 Mr. Kassler stated that there have been numerous studies conducted about the benefits and improvements of semi -permeable pavers and that they're being improved upon all the time. Mr. Taylor said that most pavers are now ADA-compliant and that the Living Desert parking lot is a good example of the success of these pavers. Mr. Leo asked if this item could be placed on the agenda for next time. Mr. Raya asked that the parking requirements be provided to the Committee for this item. VII. SWEARING IN OF NEW MEMBERS City Clerk Rachelle Klassen swore in Mr. Ralph Raya to the Committee. VI. COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS Mr. Freed believes that the construction ordinance is a good thing. With it, he believes that Palm Desert would be the first city in Southern California to have something like it. He hopes that eventually the percentage would be raised to 85% for 'other materials' and not remain at 75% for too long, as he believes it's an attainable and realistic goal. He commented on the lighting ordinance saying that it's a `no brainer' and will be good for the city. He also mentioned that it doesn't have to be palatable to all, just have the regulations in place and people will follow as long as it's simple to understand and to use. Mr. John Greenwood echoed Mr. Freed's statement about ease of use. That was his major point as well. He suggested that maybe some of the Cal -green information be inserted in the project files for the bid. Mr. Leo wanted to compliment staff on their timely dispersion of materials and their assistance with his questions. Mr. Kassler agreed with everything said here today and wanted to reiterate that whatever ordinances come forward that they be tooled for simplicity and ease -of -use by both contractor and homeowner. He would like to see the lighting ordinance in draft -form and begin working on that. Mr. Raya commented that he too felt that no matter what ordinance came forward, it should be easy to understand and more importantly, have LOT, I W .,11\ \ = 1I ll 1 • 1 instructions that are easy to follow. He also suggested that the recycling requirements be given to the contractors as part of the permitting process rather than later in the process. Mr. Taylor was concerned with the policing of this new ordinance. He still wasn't certain how that could be accomplished. He wanted to have it be very simple and maybe work out a deal with Burrtec that would allow just one bin for any type of recyclable material. Mr. Langford asked if he could see more numbers on how many bins and how big (volume) the bins were that Burrtec issued out for various types of projects. He also felt that the bottom line is to keep it simple. Mr. Koller stated that everyone at the table hit one or a few of his points and that he was in agreement with everything mentioned. VII. ADJOURNMENT Chair Langford called for a motion to adjourn. Mr. Leo motioned and Mr. Koller seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m. JMJ44K� MISStOGHTMAN for Anthony Becker, Recording Secretary