VII.3. Sustainability Update; Imihy Bean
CITY OF HOPKINS
Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
Mike Mornson, City Manager
From: PeggySue Imihy, Management Analyst
Date: October 5, 2021
Subject: Sustainability Update
_____________________________________________________________________
Purpose
Following a sustainability update in June, tonight, staff will present an update on
sustainability initiatives and accomplishments across departments. This will include:
• Introduction of the City’s GreenCorps Member, Pazey Yang
• An update regarding existing initiatives such as B3 Benchmarking, GreenSteps
Cities
• Potential new initiatives such as Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy Program
Background
At the June 8th meeting staff discussed the awarding of a GreenCorps Member position
to the city from the Minnesota Department of Pollution Control. This Member will work
on behalf of the city until August 2022, focusing on Community Readiness and
Outreach related to recycling, organics and waste management, air pollution and overall
community readiness for climate resiliency. Our Member, Pazey Yang, started with the
City on September 20, 2021. Pazey (pronounced: Pay-zee) Yang, has a in B.S. in
Environmental Science, Policy and Management, and a minor in Sustainability Studies
from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Hopkins was her first-choice location for
her GreenCorps Service.
A handful of potential initiatives were identified for staff to continue to research and
determine the work necessary to advance at the June meeting. Staff has taken the
summer to do this research and has begun to plan for increased sustainability work in
2022. Below is a short summary regarding each of the initiatives:
GreenStep Cities advancement – accomplishing steps 4 & 5
Staff has discussed the work necessary to accomplish step 4 in 2022 with other
communities as well as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency who runs the program
and has determined that this should be an easily accomplished goal in 2022. This work
will require about 40-50 hours of effort in the early spring of 2022, but that the city
should achieve Step 4 by the summer.
Participating in Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy Program
Administration
The Xcel Energy Partners in Energy (PIE) Program helps communities plan for reduced
energy consumption through energy efficiency best practices. Staff met with Xcel
Energy over the summer to determine if this program would be a good fit for the
community. Staff was especially interested in how the program addressed communities
like Hopkins with large rental populations. Xcel expressed that they have worked in
communities like Hopkins and had success working with renters and rental properties.
Program applications are accepted in July and January each year, and Staff believes
that the best timing would be January 2023, following the awarding of Step 4 from
GreenSteps cities as achieving Step 5 can be done though the PIE Program.
Energy benchmarking through B3 Benchmarking and/or Regional Indicators
Initiative
Staff had recommended energy benchmarking through an external program, however
while researching B3 Benchmarking it was discovered that this is already in process by
our Public Works department. Staff will continue to utilize this benchmarking information
to make sustainability decisions and is integral to achieving Steps 4 and 5 in Green
Steps cities.
Native plantings and pollinator gardens on city-owned parcels and in city
parkland
Over the summer, the City applied for a grant to the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District
which had a grant opportunity for improving water quality within the watershed. The city
was awarded $12,540 for a demonstration project at Valley Park which would have
native plantings, pollinator species, and fescue as well as informational signage,
benches and bike racks which can serve as a location for teaching and learning about
improving water quality through alternative plantings. This partnership will help city staff
teach residents about these types of plan tings as well as help the city learn about how
these types of plantings could be incorporated into city-owned land. Planting and
installation of this project is scheduled for Spring 2022.
Increase communication and messaging around sustainability
With the addition of the GreenCorps member, whose role is focused heavily on
community outreach and education, communication and messaging are set to increase
significantly over the next year. Additionally, Staff is working to improve messaging and
information available on the website and in other communications available to residents.
Involvement in external programs
Staff is also continuing to participate in programs that help showcase the sustainability
efforts of the city. One program that the city has expressed interest in participating in but
has not fully completed is being recognized as a Sol Smart Designee. Staff in Planning
and Inspections are working to finalize an application to be a designee through updates
to the permitting process for solar, training on solar for inspections team members and
more clear information on how to install solar. This process should be complete by the
end of 2021.
Staff was also asked at the June meeting and recently at the last planning commission
meeting if the city is still a participant in the Tree City USA program. The City is not
currently a participant, but is looking to pursue this designation again in 2022.
Continued Collaboration with Staff
Staff is also planning to advance these efforts through continued collaboration across
departments. In 2022, staff will begin organizing sustainability meetings which bring
together staff from various departments to discuss sustainability efforts and how to
better communicate these efforts with residents.
Next Steps
Staff will continue to advance the above sustainability efforts and will provide another
update to council int eh first quarter of 2022.