Approved Minutes - 2013-12-16
CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO
Sustainability Advisory Board Minutes
December 16, 2013
Call to Order / Roll Call
Co-chair Mary Ratcliff called the December 16, 2013 meeting of the Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB)
to order at 6:30 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Main Fire Station, 300 B Avenue, Lake Oswego,
Oregon.
Members Present: Andre DeBar, Gary Hanifan (Phone), Vidya Kale, Gregory
Monahan, E. Jay Murphy, Mary Ratcliff, Ron Smith, Aden Eilers
(Youth), Louis Isbell (Alternate), Priya Judge (Youth)
Members Excused / Absent: Lisa Adatto, Mick Mortlock, Ron Smith
Council Liaison: Councilor Skip O’Neill
Guests: Liz Start, Republic Services
Staff: Susan Millhauser, Sustainability Coordinator
Welcome New Members/Introductions
New and continuing Board members introduced themselves.
Announcements from Board and Staff
Mr. Monahan announced that the Friends of Luscher Farm (FOLF) had been dually approved by both
NRAB and PRAB, and was on the agenda to be approved by the City Council in January. Heidi Schrimsher
is now president and Mr. Monahan is now Treasurer. He added they were working on expanding the
FOLF board, and working with NRAB and PRAB on a trail signage project. Guest Liz Start on behalf of
Republic Services shared numbers in regards to the recycling event held on November 16. Ms.
Millhauser announced that the City Council is having an open house and community reception on
January.
Approval of Minutes
None
Public Comments
No public comments
Regular Business
A. Review Agenda
Co-chair Ratcliff reviewed the meeting agenda; there were no changes.
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B. City Council Goal Setting and Board and Commission Summit
The City Council will have meeting on January 11 to determine their goals and objectives for the
upcoming year (2014). On February 11 the Council will be hosting a Boards and Commissions summit, at
which co-chairs will share highlights of the year (2013) and share goals for the upcoming year (2014).
C. SAB 2014 Work Plan, Goals and Objectives
Ms. Millhauser noted that based on the Board’s comments and suggestions, the 2014 goals and
objectives were revised. Goals and objectives were rearranged to make the connections between each
goal and the Board’s mission and duties more clear, as outlined in the updated draft. A roundtable
discussion followed on how to better define aspirational goals and clarify measurement of success, with
members noting it is hard to measure SAB effectiveness out in the community. Mr. Kale would like to
track anything that measures the Board’s effectiveness, such as the number of participants in the 100
Mile Challenge. The Board reviewed each goal with some suggested edits and additions in terms of
Board action.
Mr. Monahan made a motion to approve the Board’s 2014 goals as amended; the motion was
seconded by Mr. DeBar. The motion passed (Yes-5; No-0; Abstention-1).
D. Boones Ferry Road Letter/Testimony
Ms. Ratcliff shared a draft letter to be submitted to Lake Oswego Review as an editorial piece on why
the SAB supports the project. Mr. DeBar will read the letter as public testimony at the December 13
Council meeting.. Mr. Monahan made a motion to approve the Boones Ferry Road draft letter as
written; the motion was seconded by Ms. Murphy. The motion was passed unanimously (yes-6; no-0).
E. Comprehensive Plan Update Letter/ Testimony
Mr. Kale gave an update on the Comprehensive Plan, noting he had looked at Package 1, and had not
yet drafted a letter. Mr. Mortlock was to review and report on Package 2 but Mr. Kale had not heard
back from him yet, so no updates as of now. Mr. Monahan discussed that the opportunity to modify the
Plan was very minimal at this point. Co-chairs Ratcliff and Adatto agreed to work with Mr. Kale on
drafting a letter for the Board to review and discuss at the January meeting.
F. Block 137 (Wizer Block) Letters/Testimony
Mr. Hanifan discussed the draft letter he put together regarding Block 137. He noted the submission by
the developers was not final but he was using it to inform the recommendations. For example, he saw
gaps around electric vehicle charging, noise/HVAC/energy efficiency. He added that the idea behind the
letter is to highlight specific sustainable recommendations that could be strengthened in the proposal. A
member asked if the City can require developers to make specific changes at this point. Councilor O’Neill
opined the City doesn’t have the ability anymore as the development agreement had already been
approved; it focused on a commitment for shared parking. Ms. Millhauser clarified that some of the
points in the letter are in the City Community Development Code, and the Development Review
Commission will be working with to developers to make sure City code is followed. Mr. Hanifan
continued that the letter asked the developers to follow the LEED certification checklist and asked which
areas are of most interested to the Board. Mr. DeBar shared some aesthetic concerns and noted he
became more sensitized after attending the Evergreen Neighborhood Association meeting in regards to
height and scale. Mr. DeBar suggested the list could be a great addendum of recommendations for LEED
implementation, picking three or four most important points of concern, such as: 1) covered and secure
bike parking, 2) electrical conduit in place for EV charging for residents, 3) Photovoltaic’s (PV) or solar
hot water (PV ready at a minimum), with electricity generated being used on site or net-metering back
to the grid. Mr. Hanifan noted the developer had expressed aspirations for the development to be LEED
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December 16, 2013
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certified, but so far was non-committal, so the letter asks them to: 1) make a specific “green”
commitment, and 2) focus on specific areas of interest to the SAB such as energy efficiency, HVAC noise,
and EV charging. Mr. DeBar and Mr. Hanifan will work together to tune-up the letter and bring a draft to
the January SAB meeting. The possibility of sending a separate letter for the Lake Oswego Review was
also discussed.
G. City Council Update (Review Council Schedule)
The upcoming City Council meeting calendar was reviewed. Councilor O’Neill provided an updated,
including that the Planning Commission recommended not approving a zone change for the WEB, which
goes to Council to discuss on January 7. It was noted that the resolution regarding establishment of
Friends of Luscher Farm is also on agenda for January 7. Mr. Debar asked if the City had a facilities
master plan in place to guide what happens if the WEB is sold and other facility decisions, and where
everything and everyone will move to. Councilor O’Neill shared that several studies had been done. Mr.
Kale asked for an update on LO Tigard water project. Councilor O’Neill said they are re-evaluating drilling
and piping do to extremely high costs due to increased demand for pipe in other parts of the U.S.
H. Sustainability Plan for City Operations Update
Ms. Millhauser gave update on Sustainability Plan for City Operations. The staff steering committee had
its first meeting (including many department directors and the City Manager). Mr. Hanifan gave the
committee a presentation of what other cities are doing, and shared an overview of the business case
for sustainability which includes cost savings, revenue enhancement, risk avoidance, and brand. The
committee had discussion on how to better articulate the mission, and will meet again January 9.
Adjournment
The next meeting was scheduled on January 13, 2014. Before the meeting adjourned, Co-chair Ratcliff
informed the SAB youth that if students had school projects that the Board would like to help out. Co-
chair Ratcliff adjourned the meeting at 8:32 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Millhauser
Sustainability Coordinator