CCMinutes - 11/08/04 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Eichner Kelley reviewed the six phases of LEED-EB implementation: 1) assess current operations against LEED-EB prerequisites; 2) implement all prerequisites appropriate on organization-wide basis; 3) assess organization-wide credits already being implemented and implement those near to meeting LEED-EB; 4) implement building-specific credits; 5) LEED-EB certification of specific buildings; and 6) maintain certified building status and all ongoing program elements. Mr. Sutton said the results of the process were a comprehensive understanding of current sustainability efforts, immediate improvements to City operations, and an understanding of how the City measured up against the LEED-EB benchmarks. In regard to existing sustainability efforts, Mr. Sutton showed the council slides of solar panels in use at Amazon Pool, native species plantings at the Park Blocks, and a diagram showing direct digital controls used to monitor heating and ventilation system in City buildings. He briefly noted some of the immediate improvements, which included expanded recycling, improved refrigerant monitoring/reporting, and adoption of Green Seal standards. Speaking to how the City measured up against LEED-EB standards, Ms. Eichner Kelley said of the ten prerequisites examined by staff, the City satisfied or had some elements of nine; one, Retrocommissioning, would be more difficult to achieve. There were 20-25 elective credits that would be relatively simple to achieve. Given the base level of certification for LEED-EB was 32 credits, Ms. Eichner Kelley did not think building certification would be difficult. Mr. Sutton emphasized all work done to this point was included in the work plan, and done in-house with existing staff. He said the City needed to keep working to improve in-house expertise, secure funding for Retrocommissioning services, and secure organizational, staff, and council support for improvements to City sustainability policies and practices. He noted the benefits of the process, which included better interde- partmental communication, added efficiencies, and increased quality of the work place. He believed there was also a benefit to the public using City facilities. Mr. Sutton concluded by saying that staff wanted to move from a traditional maintenance philosophy to a system that embraces and promotes sustainable principles. He offered to make the same presentation to organizations who want to know how to get started on a similar process. Mayor Torrey called on the council for comments and questions. Ms. Taylor commended the presentation and determined from Mr. Sutton that staff was willing to offer the presentation to the neighborhood associations. Ms. Bettman concurred with the benefits of certification. She said during the recent LOC conference, participants toured Energy Trust, which was an interesting program. The program had about $15 million annually to distribute to businesses and agencies that wanted to invest in their existing buildings or build new buildings. Energy Trust was currently soliciting projects, but unfortunately, the agency's service area excluded Eugene because of the programs the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) operated. Ms. Eichner Kelley clarified that natural gas projects in Eugene qualified for Energy Trust funding, and the City had worked with the agency on the new fire station. Ms. Bettman encouraged staff to take advantage of those funds if possible. She asked how the City could secure similar benefits for electric power projects, acknowledging EWEB operated some programs but not at the scale the Energy Trust operated on. Ms. Bettman described a retrofitted project that she toured, which included the provision of extra windows and interior walls that were also windows to maximize the ambient light. The energy bill was lessened by the presence of ambient light and workers' performance had been enhanced. Mr. Sutton said the City had MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 8, 2004 Page 4 Work Session