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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.14.16 Minutes  Minutes    Tuesday,  June  14,  2016    6:15  PM   Robert  Gilliam  Municipal  Complex,  City  Hall   Second  Floor  South  Conference  Room   150  Dexter  Ct.,  Elgin,  IL  60120     A. Call  to  order  (chairperson)     B. Roll  Call  (staff  liaison)   Chairperson  Knoerr  and  Commissioners  Aagesen,  Frazier,  Hajek,  Keare,  Masterson  and  Segel   present.  Commissioner  Jacobs  resigned  prior  to  the  June  meeting.       C. Approval  of  previous  meeting’s  minutes   May  2016  minutes  were  approved.       D. Discussion  Items   1. Waste  Management  presentation   Waste  Management  public  sector  representatives  will  update  the  commission  on  recent   pilot  recycling  programs  and  outcomes,  as  well  as  plans  to  expand  programs.     Waste  Management  representatives  Vaughn  and  Sheila  provided  the  commission  a   presentation  on  the  recent  recycling  pilot  program  in  Elgin.  They  covered  the  program’s   background,  Phase  1,  Phase  2  and  the  next  steps.  Commissioner  Aagesen  inquired  if  they   had  any  information  on  contamination  rates  in  cities  that  have  banned  plastic  bags.  They   did  not  have  that  information.     2. Solar  presentation   Elgin  resident,  Paige  Fitton,  will  provide  the  commission  with  a  presentation  and   discussion.   Paige  Fitton  provided  the  commission  with  a  presentation  related  to  energy  savings  and   solar.  She  discussed  options  residents  have  like  having  a  Nicor  energy  audit.  She  also   discussed  the  Nest  thermostat  and  how  it  can  save  energy  by  changing  heating/cooling   settings  when  you  are  away  from  the  home.  She  then  discussed  solar.  While  it  would  be   nice  to  have  off-­‐grid  solar,  it  involves  a  battery,  which  is  currently  very  expensive.  It  was   pretty  easy  to  have  on  the  grid  solar.  She  discussed  how  solar  panels  have  dramatically   fallen  is  price  in  the  last  5  years  and  the  payback  can  be  5-­‐8  years.  In  addition  Home   Owners  Associations  cannot  deny  residents.  There  is  also  a  Federal  tax  incentive  available   to  pay  for  30%  of  cost,  including  the  cost  of  the  panels,  mounting  and  installation.  Pat   Curran,  a  builder  in  the  West  Point  Gardens  neighborhood,  is  supportive  of  solar  and  will  be   offering  solar  packages  on  new  homes  being  built.  Perhaps  the  commission  can  reach  out   to  new  builders  and  developers  to  suggest  similar  packages.  Paige  recommends  that  the   Sustainability  Commission  send  a  letter  to  Home  Owners  Associations  informing  them  of   the  state  statute  that  they  cannot  deny  residents  solar,  so  they  are  informed  when  a   resident  inquires.  She  suggested  we  ask  Illinois  Solar  Energy  Association  (ISEA)  for  a  draft   letter.  Paige  recognized  Elgin’s  diverse  housing  stock  and  the  reasons  for  the  structural   engineer  requirement,  even  though  it  can  be  an  extra  expense.  Regarding  installation  and   the  current  ordinance,  she  was  curious  if  there  could  be  more  accommodations  in  the   setbacks  on  the  roof.  The  current  setbacks,  she  assumed,  were  for  firefighter  purposes.   However,  she  would  have  liked  use  more  space  on  the  roof  for  additional  solar  panels.  She   went  to  the  Illinois  Solar  Energy  Association  (ISEA)  website,  checked  their  certifications  and   recommended  installers  and  then  sent  inquiries  to  those  companies.  She  picked  three   companies  based  on  reviews  and  asked  for  proposals.  They  all  conducted  site  visits  and  ask   for  her  energy  account  number  and  then  explained  the  process.  Paige  found  ComEd  to  be  a   big  barrier  in  the  process.  The  solar  installer  applies  for  an  interconnection  agreement.   ComEd  can’t  say  no,  since  its  part  of  state  legislation.  Interconnection  agreement  and  net   metering  agreement  are  required.     3. Debrief  recently  sponsored  events   Discuss  &  provide  feedback  on  ECC  event  with  Professor  Glenn  Earl   Professor  Earl  provided  materials  regarding  the  event  debriefing  they  had  at  ECC,  and   suggested  they  will  begin  planning  the  event  much  earlier  this  year.  He  suggested   positioning  this  as  co-­‐curriucular  event  instead  of  extra  credit  and  getting  more  students   involved  earlier  in  the  process.     4. ComEd’s  proposed  demand  charges  policy  discussion   Discuss  SB1585  and  its  potential  effects  on  homeowners  and  the  solar  industry   ComEd  is  trying  to  push  the  state  to  have  demand  charges,  but  ComEd  has  not  said  what   the  charges  are.  Some  believe  ComEd  are  trying  to  get  a  bail  out  for  its  nuclear  plants.  The   proposals  have  been  very  vague  and  suggest  getting  rid  of  net  metering.  The  commission  is   concerned  as  it  could  hurt  the  solar  industry  if  net  metering  were  abolished  or  tampered   with.  Federal  government  is  supporting  renewable  energy  by  offering  incentives,  and  the   state  should  as  well.  The  ISEA  website  shows  a  response  to  ComEd’s  letter  from  April  and   highlight  the  problems  in  red.       E. Old  Business   1. Partners  for  Places  grant  proposal   Continued  discussion  on  project  idea,  requirements,  and  timeline.     The  commission  will  continue  this  discussion  at  the  July  meeting.   2. Community  Gardens   Continued  discussion  on  ideas  &  logistics  into  expanding  options  in  Elgin.     The  commission  will  continue  this  discussion  at  the  July  meeting.     F. Commissioner  comments/announcements   Fox  Valley  Sustainability  Network  –  Liaison  &  Commissioner  Segel  will  recap  the  June  8   meeting.     G. Adjourn      The  City  of  Elgin  is  subject  to  the  requirements  of  the  Americans  with  Disabilities  Act  (ADA)  of  1990.  Individuals  with  disabilities  who  plan  to  attend   this  meeting  and  who  require  certain  accommodations  in  order  to  allow  them  to  observe  and/or  participate  in  this  meeting,  or  who  have  questions   regarding  the  accessibility  of  the  meeting  or  the  facilities,  are  requested  to  contact  ADA  coordinator,  at  (847)  931-­‐6076,  or  TTY/TDD  (847)  931-­‐5616   promptly  to  allow  the  City  of  Elgin  to  make  reasonable  accommodations  for  those  persons.