Approved Minutes - 2010-03-08 Special
City of Lake Oswego
Sustainability Advisory Board Minutes
March 8, 2010 Special Meeting
CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL
Co-Chair Bruce Brown called the March 8, 2010 meeting of the Sustainability Advisory Board to
order at approximately 6:30 p.m. in the Main Fire Station Conference Room, 300 B Avenue,
Lake Oswego, Oregon. Members present: Co-Chair Brown, Co-Chair Grant Watkinson,
Dorothy Atwood, Matt Briggs, Ron Gronowski, Paul Lyons, Gregory Monahan and Amin Wahab.
Absent: Marshall Kosloff. Council Liaison Sally Moncrieff participated in the meeting. Guest:
Daniel Gottlieb, Lake Oswego resident. Staff: Susan Millhauser, Sustainability Coordinator.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SAB members were invited to attend the first meeting of Lake Oswego Sustainability
Professionals on April 28th. Millhauser noted that Marshall Kosloff had submitted his resignation
from the Board. Brown and Watkinson were to participate in a community development code
review meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT (None)
REGULAR BUSINESS
Develop Work Plan / Identify Action Areas
The reason for the meeting was to brainstorm actionable items the SAB could accomplish
during 2010. Many did not feel the SAB had accomplished enough since it was formed. Brown
invited the members to recount what SAB had done that fit their Mission and Duties. The
members recalled most of the things they had done related to promoting education and
awareness, including Sustainability Action Month activities; introducing the Council and staff to
the Natural Step Framework; and presenting to other City boards and commissions.
Brown asked what new ideas they had that fit their Mission and Duties. Members suggested
making the Comprehensive Plan a model of embedded sustainability, including a goal to be
fossil carbon free by 2030. Millhauser advised the City planned to use Energy Block Grant
funds to conduct a community-wide greenhouse gas emissions inventory this summer that could
serve as a baseline for electric and natural gas use. Members suggested de-carbonizing
energy through water conservation; transportation changes; land use; neighborhood action and
code changes. One implementation measure could be a weatherization program. Some other
cities used bond funds to make weatherization loans that property owners paid back with energy
savings. Perhaps Lake Oswego could use some of the block grant funds for that. A Portland
group used group purchasing power to buy solar photovoltaic equipment at a discount.
Neighborhood associations might consider doing that. The City might need to review solar
access policies or allow owners of shady property to put their solar devices on a nearby school
building or property. It was suggested that the City require those seeking a building permit to
construct to net zero or LEED standards. Vancouver, Washington had done that. Another
City of Lake Oswego Sustainability Advisory Board
Minutes of March 8, 2010
Page 2 of 2
suggestion was to encourage neighborhoods to become their own eco-districts. Members
wanted to continue green power signups. The group discussed transportation. Millhauser
advised that the City had adopted the Trails and Pathways Master Plan and TAB was working to
promote a better bike system. Brown advocated working toward a public mini-bus system that
would connect with the Streetcar. The School District might want to use the mini-bus system
too. Moncrieff confirmed the streetcar alternatives study included bicycle and pedestrian
access. The City had just received a safe routes to school grant to install the Pilkington
pathway. The Lake Grove Village Center Plan recommended connecting the bike lane on
Boones Ferry Road.
Brown asked the group to suggest ways to implement their ideas. Briggs predicted LED lights
would be better and cheaper by the end of the year. Millhauser reported the DEQ was
interested in developing a Clean Diesel City program that would come with technical assistance.
Members suggested the City put solar panels on the new maintenance facility. Atwood
suggested addressing toxins and chemical use, with zero toxicity as the goal. Brown saw
promoting more organic gardening as another implementation measure.
Millhauser related the 2008-09 report on the progress made under the City Sustainability Plan
would be ready soon. She reported the staff had developed a screening tool to use to prioritize
CIP projects by comparing the triple bottom lines. Planning Department staff planned a green
homes tour in October. Brown advocated encouraging neighborhood associations to create
sustainable neighborhood action plans. Moncrieff advised that when the SAB recommended
something they should also let the Council know what it would cost. Board members suggested
the City dedicate a staff person to the effort to win grants. Moncrieff explained she would like to
have SAB input before the Council made a decision about things like code updates; building
new City facilities; and the kind of water filtration system to put in the new plant. They could
suggest the best strategies to get to net zero impact. She confirmed she would use an
overarching sustainability policy as a litmus test for Council decisions, just as she used the
Comprehensive Plan and Quality of Life Indicators. The Board agreed that drafting an
overarching sustainability policy was their role as an advisory group and they should flesh it out
into a framework that addressed every goal in the Comprehensive Plan. It would guide the
community as well as City operations. Measurable goals, a baseline and an annual incremental
progress matrix would be necessary. They felt they needed to communicate a sense of
urgency, too. Monahan volunteered to draft the overarching sustainability policy. The Board
agreed to continue this discussion at the next SAB meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
The next meeting was scheduled on March 15, 2010. There being no other business Co-Chair
Brown adjourned the meeting at 8:28 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Millhauser
Sustainability Coordinator
L:\Boards & Commissions\SAB\Minutes\2010\LO SAB2010 03-08 Special Meeting APPROVED.doc