III.2. Sustainability Update; HowardImihy Bean
CITY OF HOPKINS
Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
Mike Mornson, City Manager
From: PeggySue Imihy Bean, Special Projects and Initiatives Manager &
Kurt Howard, Planner
Date: December 19, 2023
Subject: Sustainability Update
_____________________________________________________________________
PURPOSE
Following sustainability updates in October 2022 and May 2023, tonight staff will
present an update on sustainability initiatives and accomplishments across
departments. Special Projects and Initiatives Manager PeggySue Imihy Bean will
present a brief sustainability update and Planner Kurt Howard will report on the
completion of the planning process for Hopkins’ participation in Xcel Energy’s Partners
in Energy program.
Ongoing Initiatives
Conservation Minnesota Blazing Star Award
Tonight, staff from Conservation Minnesota will present the City of Hopkins with a
Blazing Star Award. This award recognizes the City for its work on the Heat
Vulnerability Study. The Blazing Star Award acknowledges local governments for
exciting projects that advance conservation, climate resilience, environmental
protection, or outdoor recreation opportunities. Staff from LHB, one of the consultants
who worked on the award, will also be in attendance.
Hopkins Climate Solutions Fund
The first round of funding for the Hopkins Climate Solutions fund closed in September
with many fantastic projects having already been completed. Eligible items for the fund
include solar energy systems, electric heating and cooling technologies, and even
electric bicycles. In 2023, the City provided $55,000 in grants to residential and
commercial properties, who in turn invested $750,000 of private funds into clean energy
products. Some highlight projects include helping fund solar installations on two new
affordable housing buildings - Chorus Apartments by Alatus and Vista 44 by Beacon
Development. The fund will reopen for new applications in spring 2024.
HOURCAR
In January 2023, the City entered into an agreement with car sharing provider
HOURCAR and Xcel Energy to host HOURCAR ‘Evie’ vehicles at Dow Towers. Due to
unforeseen issues with the Public Utilities Commission, this has been delayed
significantly. However, Public Housing Manager Muse Mohamed has recently worked
with Xcel on the design for the charging ports and we are optimistic that the cars will be
installed in summer 2024.
Administration
Sustainability Specialist
Over the fall, the City posted for a Sustainability Specialist position which will take over
the bulk of sustainability work from Special Projects and Initiatives Manager Imihy
Bean. The new position will be situated within public works, and report to City Engineer
Eric Klingbeil. Sustainability initiatives related to transportation and land use will
continue to be worked on by Planner Howard, and everything else will be handled by
the new position. We anticipate this person starting after January 1.
Partners in Energy (PiE)
Tonight, Planner Howard and staff from the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE)
will present on the current status of Hopkins’ participation in the Partners in Energy
program, which provides assistance to the City in developing and implementing an
Energy Action Plan over a two-year period. Shortly after the May 2023 sustainability
update, the City finished recruiting members for its Energy Action Team through an
open application process and targeted outreach. The Energy Action Team held its first
in a series of five planning workshops in May and completed its final workshop in
October. These workshops involved establishing a baseline of Hopkins’ energy use,
developing a vision and goals for the future, and identifying strategies and tactics to
achieve those goals. Staff from CEE are in the process of documenting this work in a
draft Energy Action Plan which will be finalized by the Energy Action Team and is
anticipated to come before the City Council for formal adoption in February 2024.
FUTURE ACTION
Staff will return with a draft Energy Action Plan to propose for formal adoption. This is
anticipated to occur in February 2024.