HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 04-17-2008
ST. LUCIE COUNTY SUSTAINABILITY AD HOC COMMITTEE
April 17, 2008 * 3:00 PM * Commission Chambers
Donna Rhoden, Bobbi Conti, Doug Coward, Allen Gilbert, Linda Bartz,
MEMBERS:
Leon Camarda, JP Gellermann, Nick Blount, Robert Tabor, Erick Winterstein
SLC STAFF: Sandra Bogan, Peter Jones
Robert Cannellos
GUESTS/PUBLIC:
The meeting of the Sustainability Advisory Ad Hoc Committee was called to order at 3:05.
A motion was made and passed unanimously to approve the March 17, 2008 minutes.
Discussion on location of meetings. Sandy reminded the members that there was some
discussion on the location of the meetings, whether they should remain at the SLC admin
building, change back to the Oxbow, or move meetings around to various locations each
time. A motion was made and approved to make the Oxbow Eco-Center the official
meeting site. Sandy told the group that the speaker for May, Larry Maxwell, AIA is
already set up to present in Conference Room 3 of the Admin building.
Robert Cannellos, Studio Zero Environmental Solutions, gave a presentation on
incentives and ordinances that are in place in various cities and counties in Florida.
Commissioner Coward asked if any municipality has made green development in the
private sector mandatory. Robert said that all are currently voluntary, although several
have made it mandatory for any new county/city buildings or renovations, including all
state buildings to be green or LEED certified.
Commissioner Coward also asked if any cities or counties have developed rebates to
green businesses in Florida. Robert said there were not, but pointed out that Austin Texas
has taken that step for solar and fuel cells, with the goal of being ‘off of’ fossil fuels by
the year 2020.
Commissioner Coward reminded the group that the County is currently going through the
Comp Plan Appraisal report, and asked Peter Jones if any incentives have been
suggested. Peter explained that no specific incentives have been included, but that broad
sustainability issues have made their way into the initial report.
It was suggested that this committee, having now gained quite a bit of knowledge on
green building and green development, should work toward making recommendations to
the BOCC. Peter reminded everybody that the comp plan deals with very broad concepts
and includes not just buildings, but transportation, land use, etc. Incentives offered to
builders / developers would come in the form of more specific codes.
The committee discussed the idea of bringing the Smart Growth Committee and the
Sustainability Advisory Committee together to facilitate this discussion and make
recommendations / suggestions regarding the Appraisal Report and the Land
Development Codes, including providing incentives to developers/industry. It was
decided that since the speaker was set up for May, we would plan this joint for June.
Robert Tabor talked about how we offer incentives, given the current budget constraints
the county is facing. For example, how do we give 50% off of permitting when there is
still processing work at the county level?
Allen Gilbert talked about how the School district hires a commissioning agent to ensure
green aspects are designed into site plans and installed properly, especially HVAC
systems. He also pointed out that building a green building is the simpler part, and that
attention needs to be given to how you maintain a green building to ensure it is still
operating at the expected level through time.
Erick Gill, Public Information Officer, told the group about the new ‘Living Green’
program he will be working on to help educate the public. Erick Winterstein said that
FPUA has a video they are showing at their offices, that may be shared with SLC TV if
interested.
Robert Tabor talked about how we need to educate people about basic ideas on how to
live more sustainably. He thought the School board should have open houses for the
public to highlight the green aspects of our new schools. Allen Gilbert stated that that was
a good idea and he would work on it.
Erick Winterstein said that FPUA has taken the step of educating and incentivizing the
weatherization of homes, and is also looking for an acre of land to do a solar panel
project.
The next thing on the agenda was to review priority issues and plan for the next issue the
group wanted to address. It was decided that this item should be saved for a future
meeting, after we have completed any recommendations for the EAR and LDCs.
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Under old business, Sandy reminded the group of the Ed MacMahon talk on April 24 at
FAU-Jupiter campus, and the alternative energy workshop at IRCC. She also invited the
group out to Oxbow’s Earth Day event. JP reminded everyone of the next Green Drinks.
Sandy said she would forward the invitation, and members could get on the Green Drinks
e-mail tree to receive notifications directly.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:45 pm