Meeting Minutes
October 12, 2004
The meeting convened at 7:32 p.m.
The following members were present: Faith Klareich, Chair; Carl Henn; Alicia Hosmer; Gerald Leighton; Tolulope Odunlami
The following members were excused: Daniel Earnest, Geoffrey Sanders, Jaskaran Singh
Welcome, News and Agenda Review
Faith Flariech reported on the reception held for Boards and Commissions representatives with the potential City Manager, Scott Ullery.
Environmental Summit
Faith noted that no comments had been received from Commission members on the report, and that it would be sent out to everyone for comment. The report should be sent out soon to all participants.
Staff Update
Jim Wasilak reported that the vacancy on the Commission would be advertised in the next edition of Rockville Reports. Faith encouraged members to solicit prospective new members of the Commission.
Jim reported that there was a stream walkthrough for the Watts Branch Watershed Improvement project on Saturday, October 9. Although not a complete walkthrough, there were specific areas that the community wanted to visit because of some concerns. The Commission asked staff to find out where those areas were, and to obtain a copy of the resident survey, and report back.
Gerry Leighton reported about the College Gardens LID study. A workshop for residents was held on Saturday, October 2, and a raingarden workshop is upcoming on Saturday, October 16.
Members discussed how to raise the visibility of the Commission, and determined that a good start would be to liaison with other boards such as the Planning Commission and the Traffic and Transportation Commission. It would be beneficial to know what is being considered by other commissions, and to get on their agenda to discuss issues like sustainability and others of common interest. The Traffic and Transportation Commission, being the lead on the Citywide Noise Study, would be a good place to start. A volunteer was requested to attend their next meeting, which would be held on October 26. Gerry Leighton and Tolu Odunlami agreed to attend.
The Commission discussed review of various City documents, such as the Zoning Ordinance and Building Code, for compliance with the Model Energy Code. Tolu agreed to investigate the Building Code for energy standards.
The Commission discussed development in Town Center. In particular, whether there were some ongoing successes that should be touted, either through the Environmental Excellence Awards or some other type of recognition. For example, the Commission would like to learn more about the sediment control program for the Town Square project, and whether there is an opportunity to go beyond what is required. Also, there may be other items worth mentioning, such as recycling building materials.
Sustainability Principles
The Commission discussed the two Sustainability position papers that had been submitted by Carl Henn and Gerry Leighton. Gerry related that there really were no fundamental differences between the two versions, and that the Commission should be ready to move forward. Carl agreed to work on the final version and send it out to the members. Gerry Leighton made a motion, seconded by Alicia Hosmer, to forward the document to the Mayor and Council, with minor modifications as discussed. The motion was approved unanimously.
Approval of Minutes
A motion was made by Carl Henn to approve the minutes as prepared by Geoff Sanders, and was seconded by Gerry Leighton. The motion was approved unanimously. Jim stated that he would make sure the approved minutes were posted on the Commission’s web page.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:46 p.m.
