Sustainability and Resiliency Committee Minutes - November 4, 2021
The Sustainability and Resiliency Committee meeting was held in the City Commission Chambers at Fargo City Hall at 3:00 p.m., Thursday, November 4, 2021.
Present:
John Strand (chair), Fargo City Commissioner
Tim Mahoney, Fargo Mayor
Bruce Grubb, Fargo City Administrator
Nicole Crutchfield, Fargo Director of Planning and Development
Brenda Derrig, City of Fargo Engineer
Ben Dow, City of Fargo Director of Public Works
Greta Gramig, At-Large Member of the Public
Shawn Paschke, Xcel Energy Representative (Ex-officio)
Paul Matthys, Cass County Electric Cooperative Representative (Ex-officio)
Blake Mikesell (via conference call), Fargo School District Representative (Ex-officio)
Dave Leker, Fargo Park District Representative (Ex-officio)
Absent:
Jennifer Sweatman, At-Large Member of the Public
Casey Steele, At-Large Member of the Public
Approval of the Agenda:
Chair Strand added an item to the agenda for a brief presentation from Darla Lewandowski from the Plastic Bag Task Force. There was unanimous approval.
Approval of the Minutes:
There were no corrections or additions to the minutes from September 1, 2021 meeting. Mayor Mahoney moved to approve the minutes. Second by Mr. Grubb. There was unanimous approval.
Dark-Sky Presentation:
Mr. Grubb said Patrick Sommer reached out to him and Mr. Strand on behalf of International Dark-Sky Association, an advocacy group and recognized authority on light pollution. Mr. Sommer encouraged Fargo to start discussing, and perhaps addressing, the increased levels of artificial lighting. He said light is not what most people think about as far as pollution; however, it is a real thing. He said he, Mr. Strand and City staff met with Mr. Sommer and concluded light pollution would be a good topic for discussion.
Mr. Sommer (via conference call) said he is a Fargo resident and is not an engineer nor a scientist but speaks as a concerned citizen and member of the International Dark-Sky Association, an advocacy group calling attention to light pollution. He shared a slide presentation titled Saving Dark Skies.
In response to a question from Mr. Matthys asking about the slide of the light pollution map of the Northern Plains and what affect municipals switching to LEDs for street lighting has had, Mr. Sommer said the map does not pick up LED emissions well. He said a large number of cities are starting to address the directionality and intensity of their lights.
Mr. Sommer said three kinds of light pollution are sky glow, glare and light trespass. Sky glow is the dome of brightness on the horizon obscuring the night sky, he said, glare is caused by light entering eyes at shallow angles, and light trespass is light falling outside of a property boundary onto another property. Light pollution consequences include ecological impacts, human health and energy waste, he said. He shared the example of sea turtles that hatch on the coast and historically are drawn to the lightest part of the landscape, which was the ocean reflecting starlight and moonlight; however, now with cities, roads, etc., he said, turtles get turned around. Birds have problems too, he said, many migrate at night and migrate via celestial navigation and can get lost. Plants exposed to artificial light can bud earlier, lose leaves earlier and have shorter life spans, he said, and some invasive species actually do better under artificial light. Humans are not unaffected, he said, evolution involved reliable cycles of light and dark and natural circadian rhythms and internal cycles can be disrupted by the addition of artificial light. Exposure to light at night has been linked to increased cancer risk, obesity, diabetes, mood disorders, reproductive issues and others. He said the American Medical Association recommended shielding streetlights and using 3000 k (Kelvin) or lower lights. There is energy waste, he said, with about 35 percent of lighting worldwide considered wasted, which can be $3 to $7 billion per year of wasted energy costs with about 21 million tons of CO2 released in the air. Excessive lighting can be done in the name of safety, he said; however, poor or too much lighting can have an opposite effect. Visibility and smart lighting should be the goal, not more or brighter lights, he said, and well-designed lighting is safer. In fact, he said, increased lighting could be beneficial to criminals in that it may help them see what they are doing. The heritage of dark skies can be lost, he said, now only 2 out of 10 people can see the Milky Way, and 99% of the people in the US and Europe live under light polluted skies. Dark is a precious natural resource for everybody on earth, he said, and the glow of uncontrolled outdoor lighting has hidden the stars and changed the perception of night. Knowing about the problem and that it is increasing is something that can be solved, he said. Individual actions can make a difference, he said, and communities can make changes on a larger scale as through Ordinances and to focus on better lighting design. Shielding, color, intensity and warranting are goals, he said, and one of his key points of action is to address groups such as this to start a dialogue on regaining some control of the light pollution being generated and urging leaders to enact night sky friendly lighting Ordinances. A few cities embrace such policies including Tucson, Pittsburg and Ann Arbor, he said, and doing so saved money, reduced emissions and presented a healthy living place for residents. Efforts are not to keep the ground dark, he said, it is to keep the sky dark and the environment healthy. He shared a case study on Tucson’s light reduction efforts and said their success in reducing total lumens emitted by streetlights, blue light emissions and overall reduction in light emissions in the Tucson metro area was 7 percent. He said five principles for responsible outdoor lighting are: useful, targeted, low light levels, controlled and color. He said he hopes to work with local leadership towards modern, dark sky friendly lighting Ordinances. Some steps he would like to see within 1-5 years are to work towards a dark sky friendly Ordinance, open dialogue with surrounding communities, incorporate lighting into a comprehensive climate/environment plan, encourage a lights out event and work towards a dark sky designation.
Mr. Grubb said the City’s Comprehensive Plan Go2030 includes an initiative on light pollution and the recommendations made in 2011 were to continue to look for ways to reduce excessive light while maintaining safety, continue the utilization of LED light fixtures and encourage minimal up lighting.
Street Lighting and Traffic Utility Update:
Fargo Transportation Division Engineer Jeremy Gorden shared pictures of the types of streetlight fixtures in Fargo. There are very few blocks left in town without a City owned streetlight, he said, and many fixtures are basic. As the City has evolved, he said, lights have become an amenity to dress things up, such as on Broadway or 8th Street South. He said the light on a number of the fixtures shines up and out and high-energy sodium lights are energy hoggish. Once retrofitted to LED, he said, the savings could be up to 90%. The teardrop fixtures found around Downtown light up pretty much everywhere, come in high power sodium, and LED are not dark sky friendly, he said. There are developers who are very selective about the look and feel of their neighborhood, he said, such as areas by Davies High School with expensive fixtures. The state of practice for busier streets or arterials are lights that shine straight down and are efficient, he said, although that can mean less light on the sidewalks. The NDDOT operates high mast lights on both interstates that put out a lot of light, he said, and light up the area good, even though they are directional going down. The temperature of lights in the City are typically 3,000 or 4,000 Kelvin. He said he prefers the whiter light at night for visual purposes due to orange or yellow light being more difficult to see. Bulbs are being replaced with LED bulbs as they are updated, he said; however, it will take a while to be all converted to LED. The City’s streetlights are powered by feed points with a photo eye to turn a breaker off and on, he said, and cannot be switched on or off remotely and none of the circuits are dimmed. There are approximately 15,000 lights in Fargo, he said, with 8,000 to 9,000 still being
high-pressure sodium. There are 661 feed points of all shapes and sizes throughout the City, he said, some are very new and some very old. A new one runs $8,000.00 to $9,000.00 furnished and installed, he said. The cost per year for electricity for street lights is about $1 million per year, he said, which is about 20 cents per light per night.
In response to a question from Mr. Leker asking whether the texturing or grooves in the glass in newer fixtures could help with the direction of light, Mr. Gorden said that is not really the case. He said they have even used aluminum foil inside fixtures in some cases increase directionality or shielding.
In response to a question from Mr. Grubb asking if dimming the lights would be managed through feed points, Mr. Gorden said it could with the newer lights; however, with older streetlights having a ballast, it is not so easy. He said he does like the idea of a “lights out” event and he likes the idea of the capacity to dim the lights; however, when there was an inadvertent event in Deer Creek last week leaving it dark several days, there were plenty of people not so excited about it being dark. He said a “lights out” event would have to be short lived.
In response to a question from Mayor Mahoney asking the cost of converting the 8,000 to 9,000 lights to LED, Mr. Gorden said it would depend because Fargo has a complex system and many fixtures are at end of life. Fixtures can be replaced for $200.00 to $300.00 per pole, he said, or bulbs could be purchased for $50.00 to $60.00 per bulb with a result of approximately 50 percent savings.
Mr. Sommers said Fargo is far from as bad as it gets in terms of light pollution; however, with so many lights to go, he would not want the problem to be inadvertently made worse. He cautioned the City to be cognizant that if all is done is swapping out a bulb; it could be that the fixture is not the best fixture to place that bulb in. If fixtures are 50-60 years old, he said, it might be a good time to update those as part of a plan.
In response to a question from Ms. Gramig asking whether a homeowner has recourse for concerns about light pollution because a streetlight was added when her alley was paved and she does not see the need for lights in alleys, Mr. Gorden said the City does not have streetlights in alleys; Xcel Energy likely did hers.
Sign, Signal and Street Lighting Operations Manager Al Schumacher said an alley light was likely privately requested and funded. He said likely someone on Ms. Gramig’s block requested it.
Mr. Sommers said to Ms. Gramig’s point, there have been petition campaigns and even lawsuits that have made it through the court systems about light pollution and light trespass. He said cities could take action to get ahead of issues.
Mr. Leker said he is familiar with Tucson’s down lighting for observatories and in response to his question on whether other metros are doing that, Mr. Sommers said two big ones are Pittsburgh and Ann Arbor, and both are pursuing with Ordinances. He said he is interested to see their savings and the impact to night sky issues.
In response to a question from Mr. Leker asking about the winters in this area and the affects of clouds and snow reflection, Mr. Sommers said Fargo nights in winter certainly can produce treacherous driving conditions with a combination of fresh snow, ice and glare, and it is best for safety to not increase problems by illuminating only what is necessary.
The topic of a lights-out night is interesting, Mr. Strand said; the aurora borealis last week could have been an opportunity to shut lights off so people in the City could see rare sights such as the Northern Lights.
Presentation from Darla Lewandowski from the Plastic Bag Task Force:
Ms. Lewandowski said her work with the Regional Plastic Bag Task Force, which is based out of Clay County, is to educate people about plastic bags and why they are bad for the environment and why they end up as litter. She said locally, fifth graders have been a focus and schools welcome the Task Force coming. This year, she said, she created a slide show to go over with students who are then sent home with a worksheet to go over with their parents. Using what they have learned from that worksheet, she said, the students will create a piece of artwork that will be printed on a reusable bag that will be distributed. She shared some examples of the worksheets and the artwork. Once a winner is determined, she said, about 700 bags will be printed at a cost of $4.29 each or a total of about $2,000.00. Much is left up to the schools on how to distribute the bags and students participation, she said.
Next Meeting:
Mr. Strand said the group will meet every other month. He encouraged members to be thinking of action items and not to be hesitant to bring ideas forward. There are great partners at the table who can quickly connect and deliver, he said. There is an immense focus growing in North Dakota for the topics of carbon capture and carbon sequestration, he said, and the State has huge capabilities of taking carbon and putting it down into the geological plates, so he is open to that topic.
Mr. Grubb offered to author a recommendation for any sort of actionable step for the City Commission from this committee. He said it would be fun for him to put something achievable from this committee on the City Commission agenda at some point.
Mr. Matthys said his company is working on an initiative, Project Tundra, and he would be able to secure a speaker on the topic.
Mr. Mahoney said he would also like discussions on the proposal to bring gas to the eastern part of the State, the governor’s proposal for carbon capture and the idea of Fargo getting into hydrogen technology. He said he found it interesting with Amazon’s new million square foot building, their forklifts are managed by hydrogen and are very quiet, although one must be careful around them.
Mr. Dow said hydrogen technology could be incorporated; however, it is very volatile. He said staff is always looking at what can be done in the City’s facilities and how to build them better. He said the Solid Waste Department is looking at some different technology with vehicles, which is important looking at the future.
The meeting adjourned at 4:40 p.m.