MINUTES

Energy Conservation and Green Building Committee
Mayor’s Energy Task Force
March 2, 2004
3:00-5:00 pm, MG&E, 133 S. Blair Street

Meeting No. 9
Final

Resume

1. The agenda was reviewed by Sherrie Gruder for items to be discussed today. The committee approved switching time slots for items 2 and 3 on the agenda.

The committee approved holding on review and approval of the meeting minutes for February 3, 2004 until the next meeting. Changes will be presented at the next meeting to add information on Dark Sky issues.

2. Low Impact Development (LID)
Storm Water Management Practices
Greg Fries, Engineering, City of Madison

Greg gave a presentation on the principals of Low Impact Development (LID) as it relates to stormwater management. In general terms the presentation went over the basic differences between LID and traditional (or at least traditional for the last 20 years) stormwater management. Briefly, where traditional stormwater management directs most runoff very quickly to a regional stormwater treatment device such as a detention, retention or infiltration basin, LID stormwater management seeks to infiltrate water very close to the source in multiple locations and in multiple ways. This brings in the other main principal of LID and that is multiple systems are used to keep more of the stormwater on site including rain gardens, green roofs, infiltration basins, porous pavement, swales, and limited disturbance of the underlying soils.

Challenges with identifying who owns and maintains the rain gardens. There needs to be redundancy in the systems. A deed restriction is one device so that a new owner would have to maintain the rain gardens as well. This would require City enforcement.

Committee members were interested in how developers might be credited with reduced fees as incentives for using these approaches. They suggested there should be a rate reduction like an adjustment in stormwater connection fees. Greg responded that developers building an LID would still be charged the review fees of $5/1,000 SD of impervious surfaces but that a credit would come at the plat approval level. This goes to the Board of Public Works for review and approval.

Greg went on to discuss some of the challenges in implementing LID in a highly urban environment such as the City of Madison. The prime problem is the limited lot size. This limits the ability to use swales and rain gardens.

Discussion was had on the impacts of NR-151 which goes into effect this October and will require infiltration on most new developments in the State. This will serve as a push to direct developers toward rain gardens and LID.

3. City Department Head Survey Results

Sherrie Gruder, UW-Extension

Sherrie Gruder presented information on the EC&GB committee survey of City of Madison department heads. The survey report presents information gathered from telephone interviews conducted by Sherrie’s student assistant. The departments interviewed included Engineering, Library, Fire, Monona Terrace, Motor Equipment, Parks, Parking, Planning, Streets, Traffic, and Water Utility.

• Departments have a variety of green initiatives.
• Identified areas for improvement and new initiatives in buildings, fuel efficient and flexible equipment, improved recycling, reduction in use of toxics and pesticides, green purchasing and upgrades to mechanicals.
• New full time staff to conduct assessments, head energy related and green building initiatives, educate and bring in new approaches and investigate additional opportunities for savings
• Library needs a facilities manager
• Half of departments get money their department saves back into their budget while for half, the money goes into the general fund
• Keys to motivating departments to be more green are education and targeted funds
• 5/11 surveyed – knew the annual energy use of their department
• Educating all departments at once on green building and energy conservation would improve efficiency through collaboration
• Green purchasing is marginal and non-uniform across the City. Traffic, Streets and Parks have gone well beyond office products
• 5/11 have taken advantage of Focus on Energy assistance, others would like to

4. Other business, prioritize guest speakers, next meeting agenda item, other.

The speakers for the next meeting will be:

• Lynn Hobbie from MG&E to speak on MG&E’s commercial and residential programs on energy conservation, renewables, and green buildings.
• Kelley Simonds from Housing Operations, City of Madison, to speak on energy conservation initiatives including mechanical equipment upgrades in low income housing (I hope that is what he will address Jim).

Website links need to be updated, send to Sherrie Gruder.

5. Break into separate work group sessions; Energy Conservation working group, and Green Building working group.

6. Adjourn at 5:00 p.m.