Loading...
Minutes Environ. Stewa 01 09 01MINUTES OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP ADVISORY COMMISSION JANUARY 9, 2001 4:00 P.M. CITY HALL ANNEX, 1300 MAIN, CONFERENCE ROOM # 1 Michael Buelow called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Mike Buelow, John Bennett, Briana Tully, Dave Czarnecki MEMBERS ABSENT: William Niemann. Two seats remain vacant on the Commission. STAFF PRESENT: Mary Rose Corrigan, Don Vogt, Paul Schultz Michael Buelow completed the Certification of Compliance with the Iowa Open Meetings Law. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: John Bennett moved to approve the Minutes of the December 5, 2000 ESAC meeting. Dave Czarnecki seconded the motion. There were no changes or additions and the Minutes were approved as distributed. TEST AGENDA: John Bennett requested that information regarding erosion control be added to agenda. With this addition, John Bennett moved to accept the agenda. Dave Czarnecki seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. ITEMS FROM COMMISSION: OLD BUSINESS: 1. Radon. Mike Buelow reported that he, Bill Niemann and Mary Rose Corrigan attended the Building Code Board of Appeals meeting in December 2000. He stated that there was no feelings of negativity, other than wanting additional information. Mike reported that he spoke to Joe Haggerty in Muscatine, Iowa. The Muscatine City Council wants to adopt the International 2000 Building Code. Mike will obtain a copy and take to the March 2001 Building Code Board of Appeals meeting. Mike stated that Mr. Haggerty stated there would be a possibility for our staff to train with the Muscatine personnel. Also, Muscatine has applied for grant monies to provide training to others. The International Building Code considers counties and states. Dave Czarnecki asked if FHA or VA has any requirements for radon testing for loans. Mike stated that there are more radon tests being conducted and he feels that lending institutions are requiring radon testing more. Mary Rose Corrigan informed the Commissioners that the Health Services Department has radon test kits for sale for $5.00. 2. Bottle Bill Resolution. Paul Schultz drafted a resolution for the Commission to submit to the City Council. He stated that the issue is going before the Environmental Protection Commission on June 16, 2001. Paul and John Bennett received an e-mail opposing the Bill from someone from Georgia. Paul stated that some businesses are supporting the effort. Handlers dislike it, but the extra one cent would help gain support from them. A brief discussion on the pros and cons took place. John Bennett moved to accept the draft resolution to be submitted to City Council, along with staff recommendation. Dave Czarnecki seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Mary Rose asked Paul Schultz about the timeframe. He stated that the sooner the better. They will try to submit to City Council at one of the February meetings. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Your Community Report. John Bennett stated that the Environmental Defense Fund puts together a report from EPA data. This report is available on the Internet. He stated that in looking over the report for Dubuque, outdoor air quality was an interesting topic. He felt that the "air quality" relates to the lung cancer issue the Commission has been researching. John went over some of the points in the report. He recommended that the other Commissioners check this website. There was a brief discussion about the superfund sites in Dubuque. Don Vogt gave some information on the sites and the ongoing testing. John stated that he was not sure how often the website was updated because the data comes from voluntary data submission. A brief discussion followed on various aspects of air quality points. 2. Erosion Control. John Bennett brought a copy of the Holly Springs, North Carolina ordinance and the steps that community is taking to try to eliminate sedimentation and erosion in their town. The Ordinance outlines that the movers of dirt need erosion plan, the steps the City must take, penalties, design and protection. A copy of this Ordinance will be forwarded with to Commissioners and staff with these Minutes. John felt this might give the Commission a place to start looking at Dubuque's erosion control. A discussion followed. On another topic, Dave Czarnecki asked if there was ever tests conducted for chloride levels from the salt on streets. Don Vogt said sand may have to be used this winter. He stated that sand is not a deicer, it's an abrasive. The hills in Dubuque need deicing or there is the potential for more vehicle accidents. Sand also needs to be cleaned up at some point. Historically, the use of only sand had led to lawsuits for cities, and the cities have lost some of these lawsuits. Colorado cities have been ordered by the courts to stop using sand. A brief discussion took place on this issue. ITEMS FROM STAFF: OLD BUSINESS: 1. Deer Management Program. Mary Rose informed the Commission that 116 deer had been harvested to date. The count survey and aerial survey still need to be done. She will report to Commission when she has more information. NEW BUSINESS: Mary Rose reported that the City Clerk's Office has received an application for one of the Commission openings. Paul Schultz asked if the Commission should recruit more business participation, i.e., Chamber. Mary Rose and Paul passed out America's River information. ITEMS FROM THE PUBLIC: There was no one present to address the Commission. CLARIFICATION OF TASKS: Mike Buelow will forward copies of the International 2000 Building Code. Mary Rose and Paul will submit the resolution and staff recommendation to the City Council (she will notify Commissioners which February meeting it will be on.) NEXT MEETING DATE: February 6, 2001. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: There were no additional topics suggested. ADJOURNMENT: Dave Czamecki moved to adjourn the meeting. John Bennett seconded the motion. Meeting was adjourned at 5:17 P.M.