DATE: September 27, 2016
TO: Board of Mayor and Aldermen
FROM: Eric Stuckey, City Administrator
Emily Hunter, Director of Planning and Sustainability
Andrew Orr, Principal Planner
LK Browning, Chair of Franklin Sustainability Commission
SUBJECT:
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Franklin Sustainability Commission Update
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Purpose
The purpose of this memo is to provide information to the Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) concerning efforts and activities undertaken by the Franklin Sustainability Commission.
Background
The Franklin Sustainability Commission was created in 2009 to implement the Community Action Plan and provide guidance pertaining to initiatives that improve environmental conditions and reduce costs. Some of the recent initiatives include the following activities:
• The Second Avenue and Fourth Avenue parking garage lights have been converted to LEDs in order to reduce energy costs and improve light quality. The City received a $16,000 grant from TDEC and TVA provided $6,000 worth of incentives towards the completion of the Second Avenue conversion project.
• Energy audits of City Hall and the Police Headquarters were recently conducted.
• The City has 1.2 Megawatts (MW) of installed solar at the wastewater treatment plant through a public-private partnership. The City earns approximately $30,000 year.
• A series of river and stream clean-ups were organized by Cumberland River Compact and over 2,000 pounds of debris was removed.
The Sustainability Commission held a strategic planning retreat in April of this year. The Commission’s main priority is to raise public awareness of existing sustainability efforts and better determine the desires of Franklin residents and the business community. Secondary goals include working with MTEMC and TVA to achieve a comprehensive conversion of street lights to LEDs. The City has been successfully testing and retrofitting municipally-owned lights to LEDs since 2011 and will convert the high mast interstate lights to LEDs this fiscal year. The Commission also seeks to work with the Sanitation and Environmental Services Department on establishing the vision for further waste reduction efforts and community clean-up events.
Lastly, the Commission seeks a full-time staff person to work on cost saving initiatives, grant applications, and community outreach.
Financial Impact
No Financial Impact related to this item
Recommendation
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Information Only