CSC says no money for Tree Foundation

Benicia Community Sustainability Commission has agreed on which groups will get grant monies through a fund that stems from a 2008-10 settlement with Valero — including whether those groups will get full or partial funding.

At its Monday night meeting, the CSC decided an electric car celebration should get twice its requested amount, then — citing a City Council suggestion that the panel focus on saving water — voted against a request from the Benicia Tree Foundation, saying that planting more trees during a drought is unwise.

The commission’s recommendations must be approved by the Council before any of the agencies get the money from the Valero-Good Neighbor Steering Committee Settlement Agreement Fund.

The panel couldn’t meet all applicants’ requests, a total of $401,264, because it committed $150,000 to underwrite one year of Climate Action Plan coordinator services, and had less than $300,000 left in its account.

If the Council agrees with the CDC’s funding recommendations, that would leave the panel with $5,000 in its account.

Under the CSC’s recommendations:

• WattzOn will get $100,000 to continue its program of water and power analyses in Benicia homes. The company also trains Benicia High School students as interns so they can perform some of the tasks needed to determine how much water and electricity a homeowner uses, and ways to reduce consumption and save money.

• The next highest amount, $60,000, would become the city of Benicia’s contribution to a turf rebate program. The city requested $100,000, but commissioners pointed out that Solano County already offers a $1 rebate for every square foot of lawn replaced with drought-tolerant landscaping.

Panel members also asked Community Development Director Christina Ratcliffe to determine whether the city’s contribution needed to match the county program dollar for dollar, or if Benicia’s rebate could be 50 cents for each square foot of replaced lawn.

• The city’s solar incentive program, which offers rebates to residents who put solar panels on their homes, would receive its full request of $50,000. This is a continuation of a program that originally had $100,000 available in rebates and still has a waiting list of those who want the rebates.

This version of the plan reduces the incentives so more residents can participate; city employees expect that 45 homeowners can participate under this grant.

• WaterSmart would receive a grant of $45,000 to fund a program that has helped participants cut back on their water consumption by 5 percent through providing more detailed information about how they use — or waste — that resource. More than 6,000 homes have participated in the initial pilot program, with another 1,000 used as controls.

“This is a program that pays for itself,” Chairperson Kathy Kerridge said.

Commissioners urged program operators to get other homeowners involved in the next phase. WaterSmart had asked for $69,899 for a two-year extension of the software project.

• Arts Benicia, which asked for $48,300 for water conservation-themed art shows and murals and decorated rain barrels, would get $24,000, even though the application received the lowest average score based on the CSC’s grading criteria.

Nevertheless, the panel liked the nonprofit’s outreach to children and adults in ways that other projects couldn’t accomplish, commissioners said, even if the results couldn’t be boiled down to convenient, measurable numbers.

“The arts reach people,” Commissioner Sharon Maher said, adding that by involving children on such efforts as painted rain barrels, parents also become involved. She also suggested the organization put half its efforts into murals that would be public illustrations of the need to save water.

• Celebration of Drive Electric Week, which Kerridge had proposed, would get $10,000 rather than the $5,000 requested because promoting a change to electric cars reduces greenhouse gas emissions, one of the primary goals of the Climate Action Plan, commissioners agreed.

The event, which would tie in to a national observation, also could be linked to economic development and local tourism efforts to benefit the city, Kerridge said.

The requested amount was doubled at Commissioner Bruce Barrow’s urging, “because $5,000 is not enough for an impact.”

The only applicant to get a denial recommendation from the CSC was the Benicia Tree Foundation, which had sought a grant of $28,675 to continue its program of planting trees at school campuses and to start planting at Lake Herman.

While Commissioner David Linsay reminded the panel of the benefits of trees, and Kerridge suggested minimum funding of $10,000, Barrow said the foundation has been the recipient of “a lot of money,” adding that the organization consistently has fallen short of its tree planting goals.

Commissioners also were concerned that the foundation has planted trees that didn’t get necessary maintenance and either didn’t thrive or died. “The timing isn’t right,” Maher said. “The Council said to reduce water, and trees do not conserve water.”

Also Monday, the CSC recommended a scope of work for contracted Climate Action Plan coordinator Alex Porteshawver for what is expected to be her last year working in Benicia.

Originally, Porteshawver was Benicia’s representative from Sonoma State University, which won the city’s two-year, $150,000 contract that later was extended to June 30 and expanded so Porteshawver could work at City Hall four days a week.

But last year she was hired by PMC, a firm that has since been bought by Michael Baker International. The firm honored Porteshawver’s existing contract, and Sonoma State no longer showed interest.

The company suggested a new two-year, $250,000 contract to start July 1. They offered Porteshawver’s services at City Hall one day a week; she would work on Benicia concerns away from the city for a second day, and other staff members would be available for certain projects.

The City Council accepted the CSC’s offer to pick up the $150,000 tab for Porteshawver’s first year, but wouldn’t commit to a second year even if the CSC picked up part of that cost, too.

Instead, city employees will be trained to continue some of the CAP coordinator’s duties, and others are likely to end in 2016.

The CSC agreed Monday to a list of 25 assignments Porteshawver is expected to undertake or complete through June 30, 2016.

Top of the list, the panel said, should be collaboration with the Economic Development division on the Business Retention Incentive Program. “It’s good to highlight the BRIP program,” Kerridge said. “It should be number one.”

Commissioners also suggested the Council recognize that to meet Climate Action Plan goals, the city may need to contract for professional services.

“What happens to the Climate Action Plan if this comes to an end?” Barrow asked.

“We feel the city will be losing a lot with the loss of this position,” Kerridge added.

Under the jobs that would put Climate Action Plan strategies into play, Porteshawver would manage electric vehicle charging stations, help with Public Works water conservation, find more funding for sustainable works and manage the development of a 3-megawatt wind generator and other “green” business projects.

She also would assist with grant reviews, support the city’s switch to Marin Clean Energy as its primary power source, represent Benicia at conferences and in legislative and policy matters, manage third-party reports, update the city website and media accounts regarding sustainability and help with the city’s climate change adaptation measures.

Porteshawver also would be tasked with managing the residential solar incentive program and examining opportunities for clean car sharing.

She would make presentations to the Council and the CSC, continue to supervise projects and attend pertinent meetings, develop training modules so city employees can pick up some of the tasks she formerly performed, and co-manage the Benicia Efficiency and Climate Action Team.

Among Porteshawver’s greenhouse gas inventory and reduction tasks, she would conduct a peer review of the 2010 and 2014 inventories and make forecasts based on indicators and reductions noted in existing state requirements.

In monitoring the Climate Action Plan, she would create a monitoring tool, complete quarterly progress updates and prepare an annual greenhouse gas report.

Of these tasks, city employees would be trained to manage the electric vehicle chargers, co-manage the efficiency and climate action team, support MCE, attend meetings and provide policy and legislative support, and manage third-party reports as well as Web and social media sites.

The CSC has recommended employees also should continue making quarterly Climate Action Plan progress reports and prepare the annual greenhouse gas report.

Those recommendations, as well as those for sustainability grants, will be sent to the City Council for approval.