Recycling and Resource Conservation Advisory Board
Meeting Minutes
January 12, 2005
Present: Heather Muth, Dickie Heckler, Cindy Strecker, Laura Routh, Shannon Criss, Steve Hughes, Chris Cobb, Kevin Dobbs, John Kraft.
Guests: Larry Hamm, City of Lawrence Neighborhood Resources Division; Tony Hoch, City of Lawrence Neighborhood Resources Division; Steve Lane, Habitat for Humanity; Rebecca Buford, Tentants to Homeowners; and Alan Bowes, Tenants to Homeowners
Staff: Mollie Mangerich
Guest Presentations RE: energy conservation efforts:
Larry Hamm, Tony Hoch, City of Lawrence Neighborhood Resources Division:
$1.3 million comes into Lawrence through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and Homeowners out of Tenants (HOOT) monies, for moderate and low-income housing and improvement. CDBG and Home Investment Partnership Program or (HOME) funds are additionally used with the first time homebuyers program or HOOT. Programs are grant or mortgage based except for the Weatherization Program which is a free Grant. In 2004 the Weatherization Program had 62 applicants of which 45 received assistance. These programs provide blown in attic insulation; storm window installation; weather stripping for entry doors and furnace replacement. All programs are for homeowners only—no services are available for renters. City commission has not been receptive to providing assistance to rental units as landlords are making a profit and should be responsible for their units. For furnaces, 80% efficiency is required. Higher efficiency furnaces installed only if client plays differential. Recently, requests for weatherization assistance has been increasing. There is no energy code in the city of Lawrence. Currently, hence some houses have no real insulation because it was not required. The issue with homes in Historically-significant areas is related to Lead based paint issues and dealing with lead. When we can do vinyl siding, the energy efficiency in improved because we can do house wrap and insulation wrap under the siding. We also are not limited in the type of windows we can install so we can do energy efficient vinyl windows.
There is also an emergency program for foundation problems and roofing repairs. All work is subcontracted but contractors are pre-approved (NOTE: a training opportunity might apply here). Larry Hamm and Tony Hoch don’t deal with new housing, so the International Building Codes don’t apply to them.
Q. For your clients, is there a lack of awareness about options for energy conservation? What type of education do you do?
A. In some cases, single mothers, especially, just don’t know about energy conservation actions they can take. We distribute booklets. More could be distributed, as the Neighborhood Resources Division has ample supply.
Suggestion: RRCAB request a copy of the brochure for review, and ask staff to put a link to this program on the Waste Reduction and Recycling Division website. At future events, perhaps we can distribute these brochures.
Alan Bowes, Tenants to Homeowner (TTH):
Our program is mandated to do lead abatement on older homes; we also strive to adhere to American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements by making homes handicapped accessible. Energy efficiency is a big part of their mission, and they use the concept of a home’s envelope to ensure that positive air pressure within a home maintains a blow, not by taking in exterior air. Attention to details also makes a big difference—in particular, insulation contractors need training to do it right—otherwise gaps are left and efficiency is lost. Tenants to Homeowners (TTH) “new builds” use insulated concrete form technology—learning this as they go. HVAC choices for TTH homes are conventional but very efficient. They strive for 94% efficiency as a preference. They have lots of interface with the city. TTH also has stated a land trust process whereby homes sold actually fall under a long-term lease so that resources are retained for low-income buyers, and a community benefit is realized.
Alan feels that if all homes had to pass an energy audit in the City of Lawrence, there would be much more attention to detail. It would be a big change, but builders would adjust. The functional costs of a home, energy, etc, would go down over time. Labor costs for building would increase, initially, until contractors are trained. A contractor’s job, currently, is to bring a house in under budget and on time. Most contractors pay little attention to how a house functions, i.e. energy wise. TTH has the luxury of time, which most contractors don’t. Construction costs—hard costs—have risen significantly in the past three years.
Steve Lane: Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat for Humanity has no city connection. Some of their homes do qualify for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) monies. Habitat is not affiliated with Tenants to Homeowners. They make all homes wheelchair accessible and try to make homes energy efficient and durable. The average price for a Habitat home is 70-90K. They are not using insulated concrete forms (ICF) in Lawrence, yet. Habitat uses wet blown cellulose insulation and Tyvek house wrap. Cellulose is the insulation (recycled newsprint and other papers with chemical additives for fire retardant), and 'wet-blown' is the application process.
Land costs are high in Lawrence. Steve feels that the model energy code would not increase housing costs significantly; it’s just that change is hard and we’ll need to educate both the public and the builders. Steve notes that in his professional opinion, Both Habitat and Tenants to Homeowners are currently building homes that exceed the requirements of the International Model Energy Code. As a result, Steve thinks the argument against adopting the Model Energy Code because "it will make housing not affordable," is not reasonable.
General Energy Efficiency Comments:
There is a movement afoot to license builders within the city of Lawrence. (see http://www.lawrenceneighres.org/contractorlicensing.shtml) Such a mandate would include some training component. NOTE: The board may wish to discuss this mandate and consider supporting it, with the proviso that energy efficiency be included in training requirements. RRCAB might attend the City Commission meeting when this topic is raised.
John Kraft notes that the code review committee has been discussing deletion of some or all of the energy provisions in the code currently under discussion.
City staff at Neighborhood Resources Division handles building inspections and would be responsible for energy inspections if energy code goes through.
Goals and Objectives for 2005
Laura shares a handout of suggested goals. Litter project and RRCAB structure suggestions removed from list. It is decided that the RRCAB members will discuss goals via email and develop a final draft to be voted on at February meeting. See attached draft. Discussion includes need for RRCAB to re-examine recycling; address public transportation, code review and green building emphasis; RRCAB roles and responsibilities RE: earth Day parade, etc.
Mollie Mangerich notes that their department has been solicited by the Imagination & Place subcommittee of the Arts Commission to assist in development of an environmental award. Suggestion from Shannon Criss that the award highlight green building. Mollie notes that on goal #4 (energy conservation efforts) RRCAB has documented they will coordinate with other city departments. She suggests one way to continue that is to continue to set up guest speakers at each meeting. Laura requests that the group create a time limit for speakers and establish times for each agenda item so that the group has time to do regular business.
Mollie Mangerich provided group with annual report for Household Hazardous Waste and Small Quantity Generator Program.
December minutes approved: motion by Laura, second by D. Heckler—unanimous.
Meeting adjourned 7 PM.