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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 9/21/2010 City of Glendale G Council Sustainability Committee LENDt Minutes September 21, 2010 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Council Chambers Conference Room B-2 Attendees Council Sustainability Committee Members: Present were Councilmember/Chairperson David Goulet (Ocotillo District), Vice Mayor Steve Frate (Sahuaro District), and Councilmember Yvonne Knaack (Barrel District). City Staff Members: Deborah Mazoyer, Jon Froke, Karen Flores, Stuart Kent, Jo Miller, Pam Wertz, Bob Manginell, Bill Brewer, Sherry Schurhammer, Don Bolton, Stephen Rot, and Marilyn Clark. I. Approval of Minutes-Council Sustainability Committee Meeting of August 17,2010 Chairperson Goulet called for a motion to approve the minutes for the August 17, 2010 Council Sustainability meeting. Councilmember Knaack made a motion to approve. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Frate. The minutes of the August 17, 2010 Council Sustainability Meeting were approved as written. II. Selection of Committee Chairperson Chairperson Goulet called for a motion to select a new Committee Chairperson. Vice Mayor Frate made a motion to elect Councilmember Knaack. The motion was seconded by Chairperson Goulet. Councilmember Knaack was selected as Chairperson. The appointment is for one year, running through September 2011. III. Green Purchasing Bill Brewer, Materials Manager for Management and Budget presented this agenda item. Mr. Brewer thanked the committee for the opportunity to provide them with information about the City's green purchasing efforts. The presentation focused on bid specifications, how requirements for energy savings are produced, and the life cycle of a purchase, which takes into consideration the useful life of an item and how it is disposed. The presentation also demonstrated how actions taken by the City, together with the involvement of the employees, can produce a sustainable economic impact, that provides income and savings, not only for the City, but the community as well. The following are highlights taken from the presentation. September 21, 2010 Council Sustainability Minutes Page 2 Energy Reducing Specifications Specifications for the Energy Star program were instituted in 1992. This is a national energy conservation measurement program which sets guidelines that define energy performance and consumption for numerous products. Most of the new appliances and electronic items that are purchased today are Energy Star certified. In keeping with Energy Star compliance, the City uses Energy Star certification in its purchases as well as directly purchasing energy conserving items. Energy Reduction In an effort to conserve energy and reduce costs, for several years, the City has purchased energy efficient computers, and associated electronic items such as light-emitting diode (LED) traffic signal lights, energy saving ballasts, and compact florescent lights for the office, and green lighting technology for the City's sports fields. Vending Services Saving Energy The City's commitment to go green continues through the purchase of Energy Star rated vending machines. The vending machines are required to comply with the requirements outlined in the City's vending machine contract. The machines are equipped with energy saving compressors and motion sensors to determine when the surrounding areas are unoccupied. When motion is detected, it takes the machine out of sleep mode, and turns on the machine's internal lights. Office Supplies Recycled and Remanufactured Forty percent of office supplies purchased online from the City's current contract vendor, Office Depot, are recycled and remanufactured. There are a variety of items to choose from, which are identified in the products catalog. Some of the most common purchases were items such as printer and copier toners, paper, pens, and pencils. These purchases are driven by the employees, not by the City which reflects a positive attitude of environmental concern on the part of the employee. Paperless Bid Process Publications Submittal The use of paper has been nearly eliminated with the Materials Management formal bid process. The proposal documents are published on the City internet website and can be electronically downloaded by interested businesses. The offers are submitted to Materials Management on a CD. Green Purchasing Actions Generated Revenue- FY 2009/2010$957,540 All products eventually reach the end of their useful life and it is up to us to determine how best to dispose of them. Green actions have been established which provide for their reuse and recycling. The actions taken also produce revenue and save costs. September 21, 2010 Council Sustainability Minutes Page 3 Disposal through Reuse The following are established practices that the City uses to dispose of items in a way that allows those items to be reused: Vehicle Auctions $544,892: City vehicles are removed from service, based on the Vehicle Replacement Program. Once identified, the vehicles are sent to the City's contract auctioneering company. The end of life process for these City vehicles can be converted into an extended life for a new owner through this process. Major advertising and promotional efforts are undertaken by the auctioneering company to produce the greatest revenue for the City. Police RICO $226,066: Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) Funds are proceeds generated by law enforcement activities that result from asset forfeitures. Vehicles seized by the Police Department also become city property and are sold at auction, some of which may have a high value. Proceeds go back into the Police Department funds. IT Surplus Equipment $13,085: Equipment throughout the City is also considered surplus and is sold at auction. Computer hard drives are physically removed and destroyed at the warehouse. The surplus equipment is then purchased for components that can be recycled, such as precious metals (silver and gold) and steel. Prior to sending items to auction, surplus equipment is made available to other City departments who may be able to use it. Police Vehicle -Armored Car: Occasionally, the City will acquire unique items which require special handling. One such item was an armored car the City donated to Luke Air Force Base which was used as part of their gunnery range training. Surplus Store - Furniture - Office Supplies — Tools: The Materials Management department also operates a surplus store where furniture and office supplies are collected and displayed at the warehouse. Departments can donate surplus items they no longer use, which in turn allows other departments to save money by obtaining items at no cost to them, rather than purchasing new. Tools are very popular items at the surplus store, and do not last long. Standard procedures are in place to permit an equitable distribution to all departments. Most of the tools are obtained as abandoned personal property from the Police Department. These types of reuse not only extend the useful life of an item, but it also reduces costs to the City. Bicycles - Bike to Work Transportation Department - D.A.R.E. Program: Approximately 400 unclaimed bicycles are disposed of annually, most of which are sent to auction. There are two City programs that are used to dispose of unclaimed bicycles. The Bike to Work Program allows the employee to keep the bicycle, if the employee bikes to work three days a week. The other program is the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program which has volunteers who refurbish bikes and distributes them to kids. September 21, 2010 Council Sustainability Minutes Page 4 City Surplus and Police Department-Abandoned Property$53,510: Surplus City equipment and abandoned personal property from the Police Department, not useable in the City, is sent to auctions. Abandoned personal property are items recovered as evidence by the Police Department, and unclaimed by the owner. After these items are processed, abandoned personal property becomes City property. Disposal through Recycling The City's recycling efforts for the disposal of scrap and other miscellaneous items contracts with various recyclers that provides Glendale with revenue, which is based on current market prices. The easy action would be to simply throw scrap away, but by taking the time to put this program out there to get the value out of these items has paid off. The success can be highly contributed to a conscientious effort on the part of City employees. Examples are illustrated below. Recycling / Scrap Steel $10,781: Knocked down street light poles and metal drums are collected at the warehouse yard to be picked up by the contractor for salvaging. Collection bins are placed throughout City facilities in secured areas to allow for the convenient collect of scrap items. Departments involved in this green effort do a great job of placing these items in the bins. Recycling/Scrap Copper$6,932: Clean copper is a high value scrap metal. Bits and pieces can add up quickly over a years' time. Multiple barrels are located in secure areas throughout the City. Recycling/Scrap Brass $10,240: Brass bullet casings that come from the police shooting range are a high value item. A 55 gallon barrel has a value of over $1,000. Up to three barrels a year are filled. Although dirty and corroded, brass water meters taken out of service, also have value. These bins are also collected from the contractor. Recycling / Scrap Aluminum $762 - Street Lights — Radiators: Recycling is also done for items that may not produce significant revenue, but are a component that is part of the City's effort to recycle. It takes very large bins to handle items such as street lights and radiators. Contractors pick up bins when they are full, and replace them with empties. Recycling/Printer Cartridges $937: The city purchases and stocks recycled toner cartridges for printers and copiers in the warehouse. Empty cartridges from departments are collected and sold. The cartridges are remanufactured for continued use. Recycling / Scrap Iron $2,970: Fire hydrants are also part of the recycling program. Occasionally hydrants are sent to auction. Some hydrants are sold to individuals that will use them for their pets or as yard decorations. September 21, 2010 Council Sustainability Minutes Page 5 Recycling /Scrap Pallets - Fire Department and Public Safety Training Facility: Not many things to be disposed of escape our recycling efforts. Wooden pallets which are in good condition are sold to pallet companies. Pallets in poor condition are given to the Fire Department to be used in training in their burn program. Recycling / Used Cardboard: Cardboard boxes are constantly being recycled. Bins are conveniently placed for used boxes. The used cardboard is taken to the Materials Recovery Facility for recycling. Aerosol Disposal and Recycle: Aerosol paint cans that are disposed of containing a residual amount of paint are considered a hazardous material under EPA regulations. Hazardous material disposal can be very expensive. The City uses a process to puncture the can and drain the paint, which significantly reduces disposal costs. The empty cans are then sent to the Materials Recovery Facility. The paint is collected in a drum and is disposed of as hazardous material. This concluded Mr. Brewer's presentation. The Committee made inquiries regarding different aspects of the City's Green Purchasing Program, resulting in discussions during and after the presentation. No items required follow up or action on the part of staff. Chairperson Goulet thanked Mr. Brewer for his presentation, and as this was an informational item, no motion or vote was called for by the committee. IV. Staff Updates Jo Miller updated the Committee on the Free Fall 2010 Green Living Classes that are being offered at the Glendale City Libraries. Information is posted on the City's Going Green Website. Pam Wertz, Assistant Building Safety Director reported on the second 101 Training for Home Remodelers which helps to raise awareness on the permit process and educate residents on how to go green while remodeling. Jon Froke, AICP, Planning Director, reported that Karen Flores, AICP, Planner, would be retiring as of September 30, 2010. The Committee thanked her for her time and contributions that she made during her three year employment with the City. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at approximately 11:12 a.m. September 21, 2010 Council Sustainability Minutes Page 6 NEXT MEETING: October 19, 2010 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Council Chambers Conference Room B-2 TOPIC: Storm Water—New Requirements Respectfully Submitted, Marilyn Clark, ‘cording Secretary