Tri-City Sustainability Plan Minutes

Development Team Presentations to City Councils

Gering, Mon, Febr 22;  Scottsbluff, Mon, March 1;  and Terrytown, Thur, March 4, 2010

www.alherbel.com/SustainableCommunities.htm

Members of team attending presentations: L.Cooper, H.Duncan, A.Herbel, L.Herbel, R.Manasek, R.Moore, and L.Morrison

Definition of Sustainability / discussion

“Meeting our needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” – from the 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Report)

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Our Community Sustainability Mission:

“The mission of the Tri-Cities sustainability effort is to promote the healthy well-being of its citizens in a sustainable environment that brings economic benefits to the citizens and governmental entities, now and in the future.”

Presentation of TSCP to city councils – Gering-Mon, Febr 22, 2010

Ø With the TCSP presentation to Gering City Council tonight, discussion included: how the plan itself was approved for development; how the city would utilize the sustainability plan; reporting of the plan benefits to citizens; and how it was not to be destined to a shelf to grow dust.  Benefits to the city included among other things: lower operations costs; having a sustainability plan to refer to with grant applications for the city; a written document in place which focuses otherwise good intentions from department supervisor and employees.

Ø City Manager Lane Danielzuk, in addition to expertly highlighting the intent of the TCSP development team in our efforts over the past almost 2 years, read a short article about another city and their sustainability plan status this week.  Danielzuk told about the TCSP dev.team members efforts were advanced by 2 months over that other city with the Tri-City Sustainability Plan as presented tonight.

Ø Councilwoman Jill McFarland was prepared to make a motion to adopt the TCSP into city policy, but due to one or two council members (of 8 council members) who had not read the sustainability plan in its entirety will propose a motion to adopt the TCSP at the next council meeting.

Presentation of TSCP to city councils – Scottsbluff-Mon, March 1, 2010

Ø Just to give you a quick update on the Tri-city Sustainability Plan presentation Monday night - Dr. Zitterkofp commented that the plan looked like a great deal of work and he liked it, Mayor Randy Meininger suggested that the Planning Commission be given a copy of the plan by the council and be educated about it, there were no questions.

Ø Later in the meeting, the Riverside Development group presented the plans for the Discovery Center.  Those of us in attendance from the Tri-City Sustainability Team asked if LEED construction was an option, if the new construction would be constructed to add solar and wind at a later date, if bike racks and pedestrian friendly accommodations were a consideration, etc.  Mayor Meininger suggested that the Discovery Center Group needed to include us in their meetings.  It is hard for any one person to think of everything and the more input from various perspectives could greatly benefit the project.  We felt encouraged.

Presentation of TSCP to city councils – Terrytown-Thursday, March 4, 2010

Ø TCSP presentation to Terrytown City Council, discussion included: how the plan itself was designed to be incorporated into city operations.  Discussion included how to update and improve the plan as time advanced and adoption of the plan proceeded for the city.

NO Next Team Meeting – TCSP presentations to city councils ended team commitment to TSCP.

Ref: 20100222MinutesTSCP.doc