Sustainability and Resiliency Meeting Minutes - April 9, 2024
Sustainability and Resiliency Committee
Fargo City Commission Chambers
April 9, 2024 3:00 p.m.
Present
John Strand (chair), Fargo City Commissioner
Bruce Grubb, Fargo City Administration
Mark Williams, Planning and Development
Brenda Derrig, Assistant City Administrator
Ben Dow, Director of Public Works
Becki Majerus, Director of Facilities Management
Shawn Ouradnik, City of Fargo Inspections Director
Luke Grittner, Transit Planner
Abhijna Kavasseri, Youth Initiative Representative
Mike Williams, At-Large Member of the Public
Zoe Absey, At-Large Member of the Public
James Hand, Fargo School District Representative (Ex-officio) (via conference call)
Absent
Tim Mahoney, Fargo Mayor
Jennifer Sweatman, At-Large Member of the Public
Casey Steele, At-Large Member of the Public
Greta Gramig, At-Large Member of the Public
Shawn Paschke, Xcel Energy Representative (Ex-officio)
Chad Braousseau, Cass County Electric Cooperative Representative (Ex-officio)
Dave Bietz, Fargo Park District Representative (Ex-officio)
Mr. Strand called the meeting to order.
Approve Agenda:
Mr. Strand pointed out that the agendas have been modified somewhat to include timelines built in and time limits when there is public comment so the meetings do not run long. Mr. Grubb moved, second by Ms. Derrig that the agenda be approved. There was unanimous approval.
Approve Minutes:
Ms. Derrig moved, second by Mr. Ouradnik that the minutes from the February 13, 2024 meeting be approved. There was unanimous approval.
SRC Bus Wrap Update:
Mr. Grubb said Ms. Kavasseri has been working with Planning Department staff and finalists for the bus wrap design contest were selected.
Ms. Kavasseri said in January Communications and Planning staff assisted in getting the word out about the contest which helped with the number of submissions that were received. There were 20 total, she said, and members of the Arts and Culture Commission and Youth Initiative members reviewed the applications and chose the top three. She said now the final selections will go to the City Commission for approval at the April 15th meeting. The contest was well received, she said, and she enjoyed seeing the creativity in the range of ages of the artists.
Mr. Grittner said once the finalist is selected it likely would be less than a month before the wrap application. Contact has been made with a wrap vendor, he said, so the process will move quickly.
Mr. Strand said the top three winners will receive a stipend and the winning artwork will be featured on a bus. He suggested having the wrapped bus at City Hall at a future time for a photo opportunity when the Committee can see it.
Ms. Majerus said the plan is for the artwork to be on display on the first floor at City Hall on April 15th.
DOE Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) – Building Energy Efficiency
Mr. Grubb said in early 2023, City Administrator Michael Redlinger was notified by the North Dakota League of Cities about a grant opportunity through the Department of Energy’s EECBG program. It was a non-competitive direct formula grant the City would receive of $176,940.00; however, he said, the first thing was to file a pre-application due April 1, 2023, which was done. He said the follow-up was a formal project application to actually receive the money. Energy efficiency and buildings seemed to be a great theme to take on first, he said, and Ms. Majerus provided input. He introduced Mattie Anders and Hannah Delker from WSB who presented the formal application and the strategy plan virtually.
Ms. Anders, WSB Sustainability Program Manager, gave a background summary on WSB and their work with the City. WSB works on diverse projects and policies, she said, one locally is American Crystal Sugar. She said two areas WSB has worked with the City over the past several months are CPRG Implementation funding and ECBG funding. She said the City is applying for a Program Formula Grant awarded through the DOE called an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) which is noncompetitive and is $176,940.00 with a deadline of April 30, 2024. She said $430 million dollars is being dispersed to local governments for projects that cut carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency and reduce energy use, and up to about $17,940.00 of the $176,940.00 can be used for administrative expenses. The City is pursuing the voucher option, which covers technical assistance and is a simplified application process and faster turnaround time, she said. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy Plan (EECS) has to be developed along with the EECBG, she said, which includes a description of Fargo’s goals for increasing energy efficiency and conservation in the future. She said staff has been looking at eligible activities under the program and identified a list of qualifying projects, should the City pursue roof replacement at the Public Health building for $315,000.00, about $176,000.00 of that would be covered and the City pay the rest, she said, so there will be more conversations on what to pursue. She said they are looking into whether the funding could be used for a computer aided facility management software. She said the EECBG is in the works and it will take coordination over the next few weeks to get all the pieces in order.
Ms. Majerus said her list consists of items that were requested in the 2024 budget; however, were not funded. She said computer-aided facility software would be a global attempt to track energy efficiency and to help identify where the most impact could be made.
Mr. Strand said a portion of earlier efforts and an underlying theme is to look for opportunities to bring actions home and find funding, which is where WSB is helping to deliver.
Mike Williams said over the years there have been proposals for performance-based sustainability funding, so money saved can be used to invest in projects that normally do not hit the budget. A consultant does not need to be hired to do that, he said, and the City could make that decision.
Mr. Grubb said the next item for discussion is a version of that concept where the savings get applied. The Department of Environmental Quality notified the City about the availability of grant funding through the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program, he said. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) had begun preparing a Statewide Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), he said, and it is a requirement to be eligible to receive grant money through the program. Public input sessions were held across the State, he said, and while the City was not successful with that, a white paper was noticed on the City website and the LED lighting program was zeroed in on. He said that was included as one of the State’s top five priorities, which is important because for a project to be eligible, it has to be listed in one of the PCAPs. On March 1st it was discovered the City was listed, he said, and in less than a month the application was done ahead of the deadline. This is a nationwide competitive grant, he said, and the amount of the application is $2.64 million.
EPA Climate Control Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG – Streetlights Conversion to LED)
Hannah Delker, WSB Graduate Municipal Engineer, said she appreciated the collaboration that made it possible to submit the application three days ahead of the deadline for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG). She outlined qualifications for the grant, stating that it does need to be part of a PCAP. She said other requirements are that it reduce greenhouse gas emissions, significant benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities (LIDAC) and that it be an innovative or creative solution. The project proposed has the LED streetlights as the foundation and a broader mission of community outreach, she said, and replaces about 4,000 streetlights that do not have LED bulbs. LED bulbs are more efficient, reduce energy consumption and are better as far as longevity and function, she stated. The proposed project involves two years of construction, she said, and a half year was tacked on for anything that must happen at the end. She said the plan focuses on community relationships and connections and opening up conversations for future action, and community outreach that supports the streetlight projects. She shared an organization chart and said the project is overseen by the finance manager to be sure grant reporting is done properly, with
Jeremy Gorden primarily as the cross-departmental liaison. She said for about a year and a half, there would be a part-time data management employee and for 2.5 years there would be a Communications manager with extra money included for a consultant to support that individual and an electrical contractor would support the work. The request was $2.64 million and encompasses everything needed to support this work, she said. A commitment made was to operate as if the budget included this, she said, and then the funds could be used for other work.
Mr. Grubb said neither grant requires a local match, making it a unique opportunity.
In response to a question from Mr. Strand asking if this project aligns with the Dark Sky Program, Transportation Division Engineer Jeremy Gorden said this project is more to replace what exists with a different type of bulb. He said the Dark Sky Program encourages that light shines down or has a cap on top of the light.
In response to a question from Ms. Absey asking when the hiring would begin, Ms. Delker said she believes funding is dispersed around October, pending revisions that may be requested, so if funding is awarded, hiring could happen as soon as November with the work beginning next summer. Community outreach could happen in winter and spring, she said, and plans could be developed and construction could start in the spring.
Mr. Gorden shared a PowerPoint highlighting the different light types on local, collector and arterial streets and items considered during design. He showed pictures of various LED types and variety of fixtures, explaining the differences and maintenance requirements. He said there are more than 15,000 lights in town, 8,300 of them are LED lights and the remaining are 100, 150, 250 and 400 watt High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights and they are all over the City. He shared a map showing the lights to be replaced with LED and a map of the approximately 40% that are already replaced. He said changing from HPS to LED saves about 60% to 65%. The grant proposes to change nearly 4,000 lights, he said, and there is also a project underway to replace 1,000 of the arterial and collector fixtures at a cost of $1M funded with Carbon Reduction Program funds from the Federal Highway Bill.
In response to a question from Ms. Absey asking how decisions have been made on where the lights have been changed, Mr. Gorden said for the most part, changes have been made as the bulbs burn out.
In response to a question from Mr. Strand asking if the amount residents are charged on their monthly bills for street lighting could be reduced as a result of increased efficiencies, Mr. Williams said if the City is saving money for conservation it would be great to cut the residents in on it too.
In response to a question from Mr. Strand asking if LED lights can be too bright, Mr. Gorden said there is a variance in color and warmth, so definitely color preferences. Color is graded in Kelvin, lower numbers such as 2,700 Kelvin are easier on the eyes and the whiter colors range from 3,000 to 6,000 Kelvin with the new LEDs used are 4,000. He said the color or warmth has nothing to do with energy. He said on a monthly basis, operating each HPS light costs from $25.00-$50.00, which is the same as an entire traffic signal operating at an intersection.
In response to a question from Mr. Strand asking about whether the philosophy of the City remains the same as far as well-lit neighborhoods, Mr. Gorden said about 10 years ago there were square blocks without street lights and the City Commission made it a priority to have lights installed in those areas. There is a safety component, he said, and the lighting was recommended by the Police Department.
Resident Comments:
There were no resident comments.
Next Meeting:
The tentative date for the next meeting will be June 10, 2024.
The meeting adjourned at 4:00 o’clock p.m.