Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2023 04 12

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Open Space Advisory Board Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 4 of 9 Laura suggested that the design plans should come to OSAB for review before implementation. Ember was hopeful that they would, but she wasn't sure. David said that he felt that most board members would ultimately be in support of these plans. Laura felt that since the decision to move forward was made without the board's input and since the Open Space department will be tasked with maintaining the trails, the full board should have a chance to weigh in on the designs before they are built. Ember thought this discussion might feed into the concerns being considered in Discussion Item 12. Susan reported that March 1 st was the first meeting of the Bee City committee and it was held just before the PPLAB meeting. One of the committee members works at the Butterfly Pavilion, which is a useful connection. Susan said that the Butterfly Pavilion trains volunteers in restoration projects. John White from PPLAB and Susan will be co-chairs. Helen is also on the committee. The committee is in the process of brainstorming their ideas and Susan thinks it will be a high-energy group. Helen noted that the committee is rotating the role as secretary for their meetings. Michiko suggested giving citizens seed bombs, but Susan cautioned that they want to make sure they only encourage seeding plants on staff lists. David asked if this committee could help guide the re -plantings on the city's burned medians. Susan thought so, and Ginger and Deb added that there is no bluegrass planned for medians. Kayla also said that there is a program, funded by Northern Water, to provide landscape templates for fire victims and the public that are water -wise and fire -wise. They will be ready by late summer. The plans will incorporate the staff's plant lists and they have been told about the Bee City initiative. At their April meeting, PPLAB will discuss dog parks. Helen suggested that PPLAB be provided with enforcement information from the open space rangers. 8. Discussion Item: City of Louisville E-Bike Rebate Program. Presented by Kayla Betzold, Sustainability Coordinator Kayla introduced herself. She has been the city's sustainability coordinator for a year and she works in the City Management office. She is also the staff liaison to the Sustainability Board. The guiding documents for her work are the city's Sustainability Action Plan and the city's Climate Action Goals. The current carbon inventory for Louisville is based on 2016 data, though this will be updated soon. Transportation, after buildings, is the second highest contributor to city carbon emissions. She mentioned some other initiatives she is involved in, including working with the Boulder County Electrification Plan looking for EV incentives and charging stations, and a Louisville Decarbonization plan. Electric vehicles are one strategy to lower transportation carbon emissions, but since most trips people make are short and local, the city is also looking at E-bikes. The ultimate goal of the E-bike Pilot Program is to provide incentives to reduce car miles. The program provides a rebate to lower the cost of an E-bike to successful applicants. The rebate will be followed up with user surveys to test how much the E-bikes are getting used. A similar program in Denver has shown promising results from its follow-up surveys, including fewer car miles and frequent E-bike use. She noted that the state of Colorado is developing an income - qualified, state-wide program. Louisville may join with the state program next year, depending on how this local program goes.