HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-09-2020 CAC Minutes DRAFT
1 Town of Lansing
2 Conservation Advisory Council
3 Monday, January 9, 2020 6:30 PM
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5 Present Excused
6 Robyn Bailey Andra Benson
7 Thomas Butler John Greenly
8 Karen Edelstein David Wolfe
9 John Fleming Todd Walter
10 Carrie Koplinka-Loehr
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12 Other Staff
13 C.J. Randall, Planning Director Sue Munson, Code Office
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15 Public Present (1) that signed in
16 Terry Carroll, Cornell Cooperative Extension
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18 Opened the meeting at 6:30 pm.
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20 Public Comments
21 No Public Comments
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23 Carrie Koplinka-Loehr is willing to work as a co-chair. Thomas Butler agreed to act as a co-chair
24 with Carrie.
25
26 Motion to approve both Co-Chairs, Carrie Koplinka-Loehr and Thomas Butler
27 Motioned by: Karen Edelstein Seconded by: John Fleming (Motion Carried)
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29 The Town Board passed the climate smart communities pledge at the December meeting.
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31 Osamu Tsuda From Cooperative Extension came and talked to CAC, a couple months ago. Now
32 our real priority is getting into this. Thank you, Terry Carroll, for coming to talk to us and help
33 us out a little.
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35 Summary of Terry Carroll—Cooperative Extension's Clean Energy Communities Coordinator:
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37 Terry works for Cornell cooperative extension, managing a program called Clean Energy
38 Communities in the Southern tier. Basically, it's a program that is put on by the New York state
39 energy research and development agency, NYSERDA. The program itself consists of 10 actions.
40 Communities that complete four of those 10 actions become designated clean energy
41 communities and at that time they are able to apply for grant funding. We have worked with the
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42 Town of Lansing to become a Clean Energy Community. The Town has completed four actions;
43 One of the actions itself is part of another program, this program called Climate Smart
44 Communities. In addition to managing the Clean Energy Communities Program, we also do
45 quite a bit of work with the Climate Smart Communities Program.
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47 CCE works with communities to complete natural resource inventories, greenhouse gas
48 inventories, fleet inventories. But we're also looking at, expanding a little beyond that.
49
50 CCE is here to help communities, do what they want to do and, back up the technical analysis.
51 Depending on what you're interested in and depending on what the town has already done. We
52 will act as an advisor through this process and as a guide. So, it's really up to your Conservation
53 Advisory Council and the Town of Lansing.
54
55 The Town of Lansing has been looking at its Natural resource inventory for a while. CCE is
56 happy to be as involved in that or as uninvolved in that as you want us to be, whether it's creating
57 the maps or, sharing our template or filling in the template.
58
59 The Climate Smart Communities Grants works as long as you get over the minimum threshold of
60 points, which I think is maybe 50 or 60 points, they then rank order according to where you fall
61 in that ranking, you either get the funding or you or you don't.
62
63 It's worthwhile in a lot of ways if you're planning on applying for that funding. There is a lot of
64 applications for what that funding can be used for. E.g.: Local waterfront revitalization, Steep
65 Slopes, Farmland and Streamside buffer may also dovetail.
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67 The Town should consider when looking at what the situations may look like in 10 or 20, 30
68 years with a change in climate.
69
70 CCE, Terry Carroll and Osama will be generating the maps for the CAC that they can then
71 review and provide additional input.
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73 At some point the CAC will hold a Community Presentation when the maps are ready.
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75 Terry Carroll specializes in emissions analysis of Governmental Building, Governmental
76 Equipment and Street Lights.
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78 When a community becomes certified (for example,e a Bronze Level), they are good for five
79 years for all the points they have achieved. Some points can be recertified up to ten years.
80
81 The CAC would like to find positive ways to create some public outreach. Could be
82 accomplished through a Town Twitter account or possibly the Town Website. We would have to
83 check with the Town Board to see what they feel comfortable with.
84 The Town could gain points by hosting a Heat Smart Campaign event.
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86 Karen Edelstein manages the Lansing listsery
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88 Collaborate with neighboring communities and partner agencies to co-host an event with the
89 library or with Tompkins County.
90
91 Now it is up to the CAC to choose a few items from the checklist to really focus on to achieve
92 adding points from the Climate Smart Communities Certification Action Checklist—Version 3.6
93 (January 3, 2020)
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95 Karen Edelstein and Tom Butler interested in working through the generic NRI template that
96 Terry will send. Robyn Bailey interested in composting and tree planting; John Fleming
97 interested in watershed assessment and flood plains. Carrie Koplinka-Loehr interested in joining
98 C.J., Sue, and Osamu in a meeting with Town officials about the checklist and C.J. will schedule
99 this meeting.
100
101 EV Charging stations have been discussed and would add point from the checklist. It can be set
102 up like a paid parking spot if needed, can be done with a network model.
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104 C.J. Randall will set up a meeting time with Osamu Tsuda to get the maps and find out the points
105 the Town of Lansing already qualifies for.
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107 C.J. will add CAC to the Draft of Parks & Recreation& Trails Master Plan.
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109 For meetings to follow the CAC will allot 90 minutes.
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III Adiourned Meeting
112 Meeting adjourned at the call of the Co-Chair Carrie Koplinka-Loehr at 8:20 pm.
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114 Minutes taken and executed by Sue Munson.
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116 Access to public documents are available online at:
117 Conservation Advisory Council Email tolcodes@lansingtown.com
118
119 Town Website https://www.lansingtown.com
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