Agenda Packet - 2024-04-15AGENDA
Sustainability Advisory Board
15 April 2024
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Willow A Room, Lake Oswego Maintenance Center, 17601 Pilkington Rd
Staff Contact: Amanda Watson, awatson@lakeoswego.city
503-635-0291 380 A AVENUE PO BOX 369 LAKE OSWEGO, OR 97034 WWW.LAKEOSWEGO.CITY
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Jay Hamachek, Co-Chair ∙ Whitney Street, Co-Chair ∙ Buzz Chandler ∙ Matt Schaeffer ∙ Kara Orvieto Ashley Robin Palao Bastardes ∙ Mark Puhlman ∙ Nathan Chen ∙ Margaux McCloskey
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
March 18, 2024 Meeting Minutes
4. PUBLIC COMMENT
The purpose of Public Comment is to allow community members to present information or raise an
issue regarding items not on the agenda or regarding agenda items that do not include a public hearing.
A time limit of three minutes per individual shall apply. Public Comment will not exceed thirty minutes
in total. If you are unable to attend the meeting and prefer to provide public comment in writing, please
email the comment to the staff contact listed above at least 24 hours before the meeting.
5. CITY COUNCIL UPDATE (10 mins) (Information)
6. YOUTH MEMBER UPDATES (5 mins) (Information)
7. TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM PLAN AND PATHWAYS PROJECTS (45 mins) (Information,
Discussion)
Briefing from Will Farley, Senior Associate Engineer
8. CITYWIDE EV CHARGING STRATEGY (30 min) (Information, Discussion)
9. FARMER’S MARKET PLANNING (15 min) (Discussion)
Discuss information/resources for SAB’s table and who will be participating.
10. STAFF & BOARD UPDATES (10 min) (Information)
11. ADJOURNMENT
Page 2
503-635-0291 380 A AVENUE PO BOX 369 LAKE OSWEGO, OR 97034 WWW.LAKEOSWEGO.CITY
Next Meeting: May 20, 2024, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
ATTACHMENTS: March 18 Draft Meeting Minutes; Staff Memo on EV Charging Strategy
City of Lake Oswego Sustainability Advisory Board Minutes
March 18, 2024
Page 1 of 4
CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO
Sustainability Advisory Board Minutes
March 18, 2024
DRAFT
Call to Order / Roll Call
Whitney Street called the March 2024 meeting of the Sustainability Advisory Board to order at 6:32 pm.
Members Present: Buzz Chandler, Jay Hamachek, Kara Orvieto, Mark Puhlman,
Matt Schaeffer, Whitney Street, Nathan Chen, Margaux
McCloskey, Matthew Coleman (Alternate)
Members Excused/Absent: Robin Palao
Staff: Councilor Trudy Corrigan, Amanda Watson
Public: Edward Conrad
Approval of Minutes
Whitney made a motion to approve the minutes from the February 2024 meeting with one edit fixing a
typographical error, Buzz seconded, motion approved. Whitney also made a motion to approve the
minutes from the December 2023 meeting minutes, Mark seconded, motion approved.
Public Comment
None.
Regular Business
A. City Council Update
Councilor Corrigan provided updates on City Council’s work over the past month:
• Proclaimed National Drug and Alcohol Fact Week, Women’s History Month, and Disability
Awareness Month.
• Applied for an Oregon Parks & Recreation Department grant for phase 2 of Rassekh Park project.
• Adopted standards and procedures for hiring a new municipal judge.
• Executed a contract for the purchase of advanced water metering infrastructure system for
$1.9m. Residents will have an app that they can use to monitor their water consumption.
• Issued a $16.5m bond for the wastewater treatment plant project to complete property
purchases and pay for design.
• Held study sessions on the ADA Annual Progress Report, Arts Council update, Parks & Recreation
CAPRA Accreditation.
Councilor Corrigan also shared that LOSN has a plan for an “electrify your landscaping” campaign. Mark
added that LOSN’s campaign will include writing letters to the editor, expanded electric landscaping
presence at October EV fair, and a plan to partner with the City and AGZA on an electric expo for
landscapers in 2025. Amanda noted City Council has received a number of comments lately related to
landscape equipment, in response to the City of Portland’s passing their ordinance last week, both in favor
of and against a ban in Lake Oswego.
City of Lake Oswego Sustainability Advisory Board Minutes
March 18, 2024
Page 2 of 4
B. Youth Member Updates
Margaux shared that her high school Green Team will have a table at the Sustainability Resource Fair this
year. They are deciding what they will focus on at their table.
C. Parks Plan 2040 Update
Kara is the Sustainability Advisory Board liaison on the Parks Plan 2024 Citizen Advisory Council (CAC) and
gave an update on the project, which will be updating the 15-year strategic plan for the City’s Parks
system. The CAC includes representatives of other City advisory boards and Neighborhood Associations
and has been meeting quarterly. So far the Parks project team and consultants have done a lot of
information gathering and community engagement, including community kick-off events, small focus
groups--including one on sustainability--and a community survey. Initial findings were that people are very
satisfied with parks in Lake Oswego and general preference was that the City focus on investing in existing
parks and facilities. Other main goals of the plan update are a focus on equitable access to parks, a
sustainable and resilient system, and working on connecting parks with trails where applicable. The CAC
is going to help “ground truth” the GIS maps developed for the project that show different layers like
neighborhood walkability to park facilities. The plan will not focus on specifics of things like funding and
invasive species management, but more holistically on supporting a sustainable and resilient parks
system, for example the ability to recover from climate impacts and continuing to preserve the urban tree
canopy. Other proposed sustainability focused aspects are supporting activities like environmental
education and community gardens, using locally adaptive species in landscaping, and reducing wildfire
risk in the wildland-urban-interface.
D. 2024 Board Priorities Work Planning
The Board continued their discussion from the February meeting on work plans for their 2024 priorities.
Jay noted that the Board has fallen short in advising City Council, it has been over a year since their joint
meeting with City Council. Another goal of SAB should be to ensure we have a carbon inventory that is
updated and focused on what is in the direct control of City activities. Amanda shared that the City is
hoping to apply for federal block grant funding to support the GHG emissions inventory update.
Project/Priority: Sustainable Transportation, in particular improving safety and infrastructure for
walking and biking
• Engineering Department staff will be coming to SAB’s April meeting to provide an overview
of active transportation in the Transportation System Plan and current pathways projects.
• Is there opportunity for a joint meeting with the Transportation Advisory Board?
• Matt shared that there is a LOSN workgroup working on transportation related to schools,
like bus electrification, and traffic and parking concerns; that connection should be made.
• Mark suggested looking at land use codes that could assist in creating pathways.
• Amanda will present on the EV Charging Strategy at the April SAB meeting. She will be
presenting to City Council at a study session in May/June.
Project/Priority: Education for residents and homeowners about what they can do to meet
community climate action goals, especially on energy efficiency and clean energy.
• Buzz: a long-term goal could be for the city to become a virtual power plant; small businesses
and residents can convert to solar, more of it is going up around the city already. PGE has a
Smart Battery pilot program in place that can draw on rooftop solar and storage systems
during peak periods. This can also contribute to resilience during power outages.
City of Lake Oswego Sustainability Advisory Board Minutes
March 18, 2024
Page 3 of 4
• Matt: With recent rate increases, this is not only a sustainability conversation but now also a
financial one. Energy conservation can help people to save money.
• Kara: Most of the infrastructure we have in this country is very old, some of the power plants
we rely on are over 100 years old. In the PNW and around the country we are seeing a 40-
45% increase in energy bills. The grid infrastructure does need to be upgraded.
• Buzz: The US is now facing an energy shortage due to higher demand from electrification, as
well as data centers for the cloud and Bitcoin mining.
• Jay: PGE already has a smart grid started; it can optimize the time when an EV charges
overnight, and a whole-house smart metering system can shift appliance use to off-peak
hours for energy savings. It would be great to have PGE staff at the Sustainability Resource
Fair who can share information about those programs. Energy Trust of Oregon also has a lot
of really great programs, like grants to convert to ductless heat pumps, and it would be great
to have them at the resource fair. In Central Oregon, the public utility district shares
information via their website and app on your daily energy use and where you spend the most
energy; it would be great if PGE could have a similar app for people to take control of their
daily energy use.
• Kara: there were discussions at the Boards and Commissions summit about people wanting
to age in place in Lake Oswego and cost of living being a challenge. Other jurisdictions like
Portland have programs to install air conditioning for elderly residents who need it; there may
be a way to reach out through other city advisory boards, the ACC to see who might need that
kind of support.
• Amanda shared that LOSN has new initiatives focused on getting information about
electrification resources to residents; she will work with SAB co-chairs to schedule LOSN to
present during a future meeting.
Project/Priority: Continue to research options to support transition from gas to electric landscaping
equipment
• Buzz reflected that SAB had been working on this issue for the four years he has been involved
with the Board. In the past year, they toned it down because along with City Council they realized
they were limited in what Lake Oswego could do, given the size of the city. With City of Portland
adopting their ordinance this week the elephant is in the room, and SAB will have to do a lot of
work to advise the City and community at large on what Lake Oswego can do. He sees some pitfalls
related to Portland’s implementation. Portland, like Seattle, is only addressing leaf blowers, so
instead of eliminating a source of power for landscaping tools they are putting in a separate
system for only a small portion of those tools. Lake Oswego could, maybe in conjunction with
West Linn and Tigard for a multi-city approach, come up with a comprehensive solution that
applies to all lawn care equipment. Buzz shared an idea that households who hire a landscaping
company could have dedicated batteries for electric equipment that they keep and recharge in
between when the landscaper comes to their home.
• Mark suggested SAB could be a source of information for landscaping companies from expert
sources like AGZA, for example about battery charging technology that is more efficient. Other
ideas that SAB has put forth previously are that homeowners could buy the electric equipment
for their landscaper to use, e.g. “Adopt a Landscaper”. A rebate program or some kind of
monetary compensation for companies to get the electric equipment will be necessary.
• Matt asked if City Council adopted a goal related to landscaping equipment; Amanda clarified they
had not adopted a goal for 2024 but would be reconsidering for 2025. Matt recommended the
Board think of the output of this project a recommendation for a City Council calendar year 2025
goal.
City of Lake Oswego Sustainability Advisory Board Minutes
March 18, 2024
Page 4 of 4
• Matt asked what other communities have done something about this that SAB should be tracking;
Amanda recommended Seattle, since they have a similar climate with wet leaves in the fall. Other
cities that have adopted ordinances are Washington DC and several California cities.
• Noting the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network is addressing landscaping equipment, Matt
recommended SAB align with what LOSN is pushing for.
E. Sustainability Resource Fair Planning
The Fair will be on April 20 from 10 am – 1 pm. SAB will have a table and will need members to staff it;
Amanda will send out a sign-up sheet. The Board discussed what information and resources they would
like at their table. Amanda will bring the map of EV charging stations, information on EcoHome LO,
Boards & Commissions recruitment, posters about recycling. Republic Services is invited and should be
there for at least part of the fair, sharing information on battery recycling. Matt suggested a poster
board with key highlights from the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan and what has been
accomplished, illustrate what the Board is working on. Kara suggested including information on and/or
samples of free resources available from the City’s water conservation program. This year’s fair will also
include a sporting equipment gear swap and e-waste recycling.
Kara encouraged SAB members to help advertise the fair to their networks. Matt suggested SAB
members could be more active in using social media, not only to promote events but also to share
information about what SAB is working on, and to intake information about what the community is
talking about. Amanda clarified that she would have to work with the City’s communications team to
post SAB-related content on city social media accounts, but SAB could provide input on the messaging.
F. Staff & Board Updates
• There is an online open house to provide input on the City’s Housing Production Strategy; Amanda
will send out a link to the Board.
• Boards and Commissions recruitment is opening on April 1. SAB has a couple members whose first
terms are ending and are eligible to reapply.
• Matt shared that the schools are doing a lot of really cool things on sustainability, all of the
elementary schools will be getting gardens, he’d like to get an update from Larry Zurcher or his
successor since he will be retiring. Former SAB member Stephanie Glazer is on the school’s
sustainability committee and might be able to come to an SAB meeting to provide an update.
Meeting adjourned at 8:21 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Amanda Watson
Sustainability Program Manager