Committee Report - OSEE - 2-1-17 — File 202812

Open Space, Environment and Energy Special Committee Page 1 of 4 Printed 2/2/2017 February 1, 2017 REPORT OF THE OPEN SPACE, ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY SPECIAL COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Katjana Ballantyne Chair Present Robert J. McWatters Vice Chair Present Mark Niedergang Ward Five Alderman Present Lance L. Davis Ward Six Alderman Present Dennis M. Sullivan Alderman At Large Absent Others present: Goran Smiljic - ISD, Steve MacEachern - DPW, Stan Koty - DPW, Jill Lathan - Parks & Recreation, Emily Monea - SomerStat, Luisa Oliveira - OSPCD, Annie Connor - Legislative Liason, Rositha Durham - Clerk of Committees. The meeting took place in the Committee Room and was called to order at 6:30 PM by Alderman Ballantyne and adjourned at 8:30 PM. Approval of the November 30, 2016 Minutes RESULT: TABLED Approval of the November 15, 2016 Minutes RESULT: TABLED 202769: That the Administration present to this Board's Committee on Open Space, Environment and Energy the Fields Presentation dated November 15, 2016. Ms. Oliveria and Ms. Monea discussed the Athletic Field Master Plan (re-distributed at tonight's meeting) and spoke about reconfiguring the asphalt at the Healey School. There are 2 options, with one being more complicated, since the Healey grounds is not entirely owned by Somerville. The plan is all based on Healey's master plan. The critical path item won’t have plan until a geotechnical investigation is performed. The geotechnical work for both Conway Park and the Healey school is being finalized. Also included in the presentation is part of a comprehensive report from the EPA with articles on safety and artificial turf fields that do not show any direct

Open Space, Environment and Energy Special Committee Page 2 of 4 Printed 2/2/2017 correlation of any harm from artificial turf. Also discussed was a financial analysis of a 15-year lifecycle showing that natural grass may be more expensive than artificial turf. Alderman Sullivan asked if the material used at the East Somerville Community School is different from what was used at Dilboy. He expressed concern that the material may be too hard for younger children. He also inquired about routine maintenance of the field(s) and who has that responsibility. Ms. Lathan stated that some fields are groomed by city personnel while others are groomed by an outside contractor. Ms. Lathan mentioned that two fields, Conway and the field at the Dilboy stadium, were locked. The field for the East Somerville Community School, which is still under warranty, was not done through OSPCD, but through the Capital Projects Department. Alderman McWatters asked if the city will be doing an environmental assessment of fields prior to installing turf or grass. It was stated that, in recent meetings, DCR has had no discussions about installing artificial turf in Draw Seven. Ms. Lathan introduced Jeff Winsor who was hired in December as the Operations Director for Parks and Recreation. He as an enormous amount of experience and a passion for parks and recreation. He previously worked for a professional baseball league, an athletic field consulting firm in Keene, NH and a gold course construction company. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 200749: That the Supervisor of Inspectional Services report to this Board on the differences between the Stretch Energy Code and the International Energy Conservation Code 2012, and which Code the City is applying. Mr. Smiljic stated that most states are using the energy codes. On January 1, 2017, there was a change regarding the use of stretch energy codes. Everyone not using the stretch code, must use the 2015 International Energy Code. The stretch code will eventually be phased out. Alderman Davis asked Mr. Smiljic to outline the key points to provide a better understanding for the committee and residents. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 201378: That the Director of Sustainability and Environment provide an energy master plan for the most effective systems to approach net zero for Union Square and other "transformative zones" as outlined in SomerVision. Ms. Connor informed the committee that she spoke to Mr. Snyder and Mr. Sellers Garcia regarding this matter. There were discussions of 3 components to the zoning overlay.

Open Space, Environment and Energy Special Committee Page 3 of 4 Printed 2/2/2017 • Phase 1 determines whether a building is silver or gold. The Union Square 2 building will all have to be gold. • Phase 2 is a questionnaire that was put together. The City of Cambridge does a LEED certification and questions asked could be if the building has adaptability to climate change. • Phase 3 relates to overlay passes and the Planning Board and includes shadow and visual impacts. Alderman Davis stated that this discussion will probably carry over into the Land Use Committee meeting. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 200896: That the Commissioner of Public Works request that the city's LED lighting contractor review the report by resident Luis Morales and provide their written comments. Mr. MacEachern and Mr. Koty reported that they contacted the cities of Cambridge and Boston, as well as independent contractors regarding the right equipment for the City of Somerville. There were recommendations from AMA of what product to use and Mr. Koty stated there were many negotiations about which product to use. There were also discussions about the cost vs. health issues of the product. Complaints about the lights shining in windows were addressed by dimming the lights and adding shields to them. Alderman Davis asked to hear from the director of HHS about the potential health issues and height of the lights, especially for those on a 2nd or 3rd floor of a house. Additionally, Alderman Davis asked Mr. MacEachern to provide a list of lights that were adjusted based on requests from residents. A question was raised regarding the effects of reducing the kelvins from 4000 to 3000. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 201840: That the Director of Health and Human Services report to this Board on the potential harmful human health effects of the recently installed LED street lights. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 201857: That the Commissioner of Public Works and the Director of Sustainability and Environment inform the Special Committee on Open Space, Environment and Energy which elements of the AMA's 2016 guidelines on LED lighting could be or have been used to minimize potential harmful effects. See 200896 RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE Handouts:

Open Space, Environment and Energy Special Committee Page 4 of 4 Printed 2/2/2017 • Fields Presentation (with 202769) • Energy Code Info (with 200749)