Green Task Force Meeting Minutes 4-19-2018
Guest speaker: Mayor Duggan
Meeting starts promptly at 3:00p.m. at 3408 Woodward Avenue
Mayor Duggan is introduced by Councilman Benson to a record attendance.
Mayor Duggan speaks of choosing Joel Heeres as the cities Sustainability Director
He continues to speak about the stormwater drainage issue, including the parking lot expansion and his discussion with a bishop who decided to do pervious paving to decrease the costs of drainage.
His next topic of discussion is on the bike lanes and paths within the city and the destination paths he will be presenting on Monday evening. Should we have protected bike lanes within the city. Let’s have conversations in a relaxed way to get things accomplished.
Q. Are there any plans on educating drivers and senior citizens on the safety for bikers?
- The windows on cab doors in NYC is a campaign he gives as an example. He believes we should have both types of education for everyone and that will be part of his plan.
Q. What opportunities do you envision for community awareness for sustainability?
- He asks Joel to speak about Motor City Makeover and the new competition for recycling bins in the neighborhoods.
Q. Statement – people of senior age are using the bike lanes for safety.
Q. Do you have studies that show that there is no impact from the shutoffs – she clarifies – if you live on a block where there has been shutoffs, there has been health issues with the water – has the health department that has rejected our research, shown anything that shows a counter that there is no impact? We need this to show we are not in the same situation as the people of Flint.
- 80,000 houses in the city were having problems with water shut off – we have 6 million now in a fund to help this not be a problem, if you are under the poverty line or have a leaking pipe issue or are in arrears – get your neighbors and friends into the programs we have at the city. There is a bigger problem with the concerns of child safety with abandoned houses and making sure that the lead paint and other things in the dust are controlled once the houses come down. All data is publicly available. The CEO of Henry Ford apologized to him personally for the data that came out of the hospital, which was not supposed to become a report. It was raw data that wasn’t used correctly.
Q. Bike Lane Coalition – wants to have the Mayor at a meeting –
- I would prefer to have a community debate at one of the community meetings so that everyone involved can have a voice. We have the opportunity this summer to set up the lanes, and then have a meeting in the fall to see if it has worked so far.
Q. Donna Givens – What is your vision for community based organizations to share the responsibility of the green infrastructure as well as downtown business partnerships to bring business capital into the community as well.
- He gives an example of one park and asks about Chandler Park Conservancy, stating that is another collaboration. Gives the name Valencia as a protective collaborator. so far he sees neighborhoods and businesses concerned with parking lots. He sees these partnerships as completely possible.
Q. Quinton Turner – Sierra club asks about a city composting program.
- Heeres states that the city is exploring opportunities.
Q. Rachel, Green Living Science – How can we partner our current programs with the city on other environmental projects that the city is doing right now?
- Heeres states – multi family and commercial buildings as well as tapping into the existing green businesses and networks.
Q. If we had greener codes and ordinances, and we’ve talked to Joel as well, do you think you can do more on the codes?
- The codes in the city are about 40 years out of date and every time you change the codes, you get about 5 different perspectives – asks Benson to be a supporter of this on the council end for success.
Q. Questioners husband comes home and tells her that the city department that he works in and others are not green at the city level. What are you doing to create a better, greener infrastructure?
- Joel states that all fire houses now are recycling. The goal is that this be done in all buildings within the year. Current funding and opportunity on initiatives and the Sustainability Action Agenda is moving forward. In the next 6 months the Mayor is seeking paperless paychecks, which speaks to the antiquity of the structure.
Q. Several cities in Michigan are going to be 100% solar – what is the city’s goal?
- Joel states that we are moving toward the look and all over ROI on this idea
Q. I think there is a missing city-wide vision.
- I’m in enough living rooms to know that people don’t want me to change the vision I have for the city. A main piece of our work is storm water management, including an area that is being bought back for a marsh strong park. You may be frustrated in the slowness of the projects, but the general public need to be brought along at a different rate of speed.
Q. What kind of efforts are being created to understand the water flow of our sewer systems?
- Have Palentia here to talk about this – we have leased the suburbs water lines for 50 million dollars every year for the next five years, which will give funding for the targeted infrastructure upgrades – they are going to be at contractor capacity in order to get things done quickly.
Q. What role does the district play when it comes to the water initiatives.
- Talk to Palentia and the folks at DPS. I got DTE to create a 10 acre solar field – there are a lot of former DPS school sites that could become solar fields as well. This could be a great partnership.
Q. What are your visions in terms of the cultural communities, (museums), to be partnered with the community from a city level?
- Joel are we working with museums – Yes, there are great educational programs and roles within the museums, including the questioners at Charles H. Wright.
Q. Are you willing to be a solutionary partner with us on the water sustainability/affordability issue?
- There is a water issue board working on this now for months. He’d be glad to have you be a part of it, as well as the water advocates.
Joel states he wants as much input from citizens and interested parties here to fill out the questionnaires in the back.
There is also a place online for people to go in order to learn more about the meetings and get information mailed to them on the movement of the work going forward.
Benson – Where are we on the charter plan on Green Innovation and Technology?
Heeres – I like the ideas and we are taking a holistic view on the Action Agenda, and it will fulfill the requirements
Committee updates:
Rene Wallace – Organics Recycling Subcommittee
Moving things to a capacity for excess food to be utilized for composting, many things going on at the meetings.
Meetings are on the 1st Tuesday of the month here at the center.
Diane Van Buren – Renewable Subcommittee
Petitions for the 2030 to expand the renewable energy portfolio standard – Jennifer Root with CleanEnergyHealthyMichigan.com has these in the back of the room and is here for questions.
Ben and Tony are going on slide show to show communities. Looking for ways to help create policy to be solar ready in Detroit.
Meetings are on the 2nd Thursday of the month.
Kalil, Alliance for the Great Lakes – Student Earth Day poster contest – announces that 3 winners will be showcased around the city on billboards donated – we had interesting and creative submissions.
Additional sponsors donated printing costs for bus panels as well.
Committee is working on an audit on the water progress points from the original water report for the city departments.
Meetings are on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 2727 Second Street.
Rachl – Chair of the Recycling and Waste Reduction Subcommittee – curbside recycling program, including the municipal projects – 24.17% participation right now, going to reach 30% this August. Challenge has been made publicly.
Meetings are on the 4th Monday of every month at 5400 Russell St. DPW yard.
Good of the group –
Kerwin talks about the Earth Day Awards – We are doing great and moving forward, we hope to see everybody there on Saturday to celebrate the people doing wonderful things for the city!
Motor City Makeover is working along side the GTF for curbside recycling. She thanks GFL .
