ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES COMMITTEE
Regular Meeting Minutes
Date: Aug 25, 2022
1. Attendees (15)
2. Call to Order (roll call)
a. Members: Anand, Sasha, Vrinda, Pat, Mike, Steve
b. LAH Staff: Sofia, Peter
c. Council Liaison: Stan
d. Guest: Kit
3. Approval of Minutes of the meeting on Jul 28, 2022
a. Moved by Sasha, seconded by Vrinda, passed unanimously
4. Agenda Review
5. Public Comment
6. Open Space Committee Turf Recommendations - Kit Gordon a. Kit presented
b. Vrinda: What is the issue? Kit: Mainly educational.
c. Steve: Installed artificial turf in 2007 for kids/dogs/play area. Kit uses Carex instead of turf for the play area. Many more options now. d. Mike: Appreciates the nuanced approach. Can't just call it "hardscape", because it might encourage people to install turf instead.
e. Sasha: Found some code that references artificial turf (link here)
7. 2022 Reach Code Update - Vrinda B
a. Sasha: Use Palo Alto's definition of retrofit -- simple. b. Sofia: Make sure it is easy to implement -- very limited staff time to focus. Do all electric buildings for October (new constructions).
c. Mike: What type of outreach would be needed? Sofia:
d. Steve: Need to be cognizant of Staff's time.
e. Stan: Should take our time... get all ducks in a row and promote next year. f. Peter: Need to be more aggressive! We need to make sure people protect their homes and make them carbon free. Start by defining the goal, and make the trigger very clear. Communicate goals to residents and contractors/architects. g. Sasha: What about using gas for backup systems? Should be ok until 2045...? h. Steve: Keep it simple, let Staff lead.
i. Stan: Very supportive, but don't overshoot what the public will support. j. Steve moved to approve Vrinda's plan and forward to staff, for Staff to modify as they see fit. Vrinda seconded. Unanimous support.
8. Electrification Rebate - Anand R
a. $14,400 budget to encourage electrification
b. Recommends $1000 incentive for HPWHs
c. IRA will add another $2000 -- so for a DIY 120V HWPH, it can be pretty much free!
d. Sofia: This is not a permit reduction, but an incentive. Anand confirmed.
DRAFT
e. Stan: What is the installation cost? Anand/Mike: Varies a lot. This won't cover it all, but will help.
f. Sasha: Operating cost is not always lower for replacement of 80% efficient gas water heaters, with current rates. Steve noted that many older water heaters have lower efficiency (like this one available today at Home Depot at 59% efficiency), and for those a HPWH saves money.
g. Steve moved to approve proposal to Staff, Sasha seconded, passed unanimously
9. Update on Climate Action Plan Implementation - Steve S a. Report from Fairbanks, AK: Drunken Forests, sagging buildings, melting ice lenses, new bird species, salmon stocks plummeting.
b. Any takers for EA beta tests? Mike (tried QuitCarbon, will next try RetrofitZero), Vrinda, Steve.
c. Vrinda asked about GHG inventory contract: Anand thinks it goes in front of council in September but will confirm.
10. Topics of Interest /Open Discussion
a. Steve, regarding outreach on CAP: Environmental education/outreach has failed in the past. Compared to neighboring towns, LAH has a disengaged community:
we have a silent majority in favor of environmental action but who are not engaged. The only engaged residents on these topics are deniers who shout down change. Staff can do outreach for contractors & architects, but they don't vote. Our council has strong backbones and can ignore deniers.
11. Agenda requests for next meeting
a. Sasha: Bush abatement. He can't get home insurance.
b. Outreach discussion
12. Next EIC meeting Sep 22, 2022 at 6:30pm
13. Adjournment at 8:23pm
DRAFT
550 Pilgrim Drive
Foster City, CA 94404
Phone: 650.522.2500
Fax: 650.522.2599
www.csgengr.com
FOSTER CITY | PLEASANTON | SAN JOSE | SACRAMENTO | NEWMAN | FRESNO | PASO ROBLES | ORANGE September 1, 2022
Sofia Mangalam
Planning and Building Director
Town of Los Altos Hills
26379 Fremont Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Re: Proposal for Reach Code Assistance
Dear Ms. Mangalam:
Thank you for the opportunity for CSG to submit its proposal to the Town of Los Altos Hills (Town) for the above mentioned project. Provided herein is a summary of the scope of services, a description of our proposed personnel, and our fee proposal.
Scope of Work and Schedule
The Town is seeking assistance to modify the Town’s existing Reach Code ordinance in preparation for adoption. CSG will draft and finalize the ordinance, help prepare staff report, and attend meetings associated with the work.
Personnel
Shweta Prakash, PE, CBO, Principal Plan Check Engineer, will serve as the primary contact for this work. Her contact info follows:
Shweta Prakash, PE, CBO
(650) 522-2503 | [email protected]
Fee
CSG proposes to complete this work at an hourly rate of $150 with a not-to-exceed 6 hours (or $900).
If you have any questions regarding this proposal, please feel free to contact Shweta at the information provided above. We are looking forward to assisting the Town with this project.
Sincerely,
Cyrus Kianpour, PE, PLS
President, CSG Consultant
Attachment 3