Health Social and Environmental Affairs Committee

HEALTH, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2025 The Health, Social and Environmental Affairs Committee will conduct a meeting on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Busby Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street, Columbia, SC 29203. Members of the public may view the meeting online at www.columbiasc.gov. Please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (803)545- 3045 or cityclerk@columbiasc.gov if you have questions regarding this meeting. The Honorable Aditi Bussells, Chair The Honorable Edward H. McDowell, Jr., District II ▪ The Honorable Tyler D. Bailey, At-Large Prior to entering the meeting, please silence all electronic communication devices. All presenters are asked to speak directly into the microphone for recording purposes. CALL TO ORDER APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of May 27, 2025 Health, Social, and Environmental Affairs Committee Meeting Minutes PRESENTATIONS 2. EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Update – Mr. Jory Fleming, CPRG Planning Grant Manager; Mr. Gregory Spouse, Director of Research, Planning, and Development; and Ms. Jocelyn Falkenstine, CPRG Implementation Grant Manager/ Central Midlands Council of Governments 3. Beat the Heat, Plant a Tree: The Sequel – Mr. Brian Neiger, Superintendent, Forestry and Beautification 4. Bee City USA Initiative – Ms. Mary Pat Baldauf, Sustainability Facilitator ADJOURNMENT Page 1 of 1  1 MEETING DATE: July 15, 2025 DEPARTMENT: City Clerk FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk SUBJECT: Approval of May 27, 2025 Health, Social, and Environmental Affairs Committee Meeting Minutes FUNDING SOURCE & ORIGINAL BUDGET: ATTACHMENTS: • #a: HSEAC_MN_052725 (DOCX) Updated: 7/8/2025 4:14 PM Page 1 Packet Pg. 2  1.a HEALTH, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2025 CALL TO ORDER The Health, Social and Environmental Affairs Committee conducted a meeting on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at City Hall (Mayor's Conference Room), 1737 Main Street, Second Floor, Columbia, SC 29201. The Honorable Aditi Bussells, Chair called the meeting order at 1:01 p.m. and the following members were present: Attendee Name Title Status Aditi Bussells Chair Present Edward H. McDowell Member Present Tyler D. Bailey Member Present APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of April 22, 2025 Health, Social, and Environmental Affairs Committee Meeting Minutes – Approved Upon a motion made by Mr. McDowell and seconded by Mr. Bailey, the Committee voted unanimously to approve the April 22, 2025 Health, Social, and Environmental Affairs Committee Meeting Minutes. PRESENTATIONS 2. Climate Protection Action Committee Update - Mr. Bob Petriulius, Chair, Climate Protection Action Committee – Received as information. Mr. Bob Petrulis, Chair/ Climate Protection Action Committee (CPAC) reported that all CPAC seats are now filled, with Secretary Gretchen Lambert’s term ending this year. CPAC continues to support the City’s 2036 clean energy goal by tracking projects like the Canal Hydro Plant renovation, a proposed solar farm, city building energy audits, and methane capture. The committee hosted a Climate Action Fair with 300–500 attendees and is developing a public dashboard. CPAC also awarded 17 Bloomberg Youth Climate Leadership grants and advocated for updating the City’s climate plan. There was discussion about prioritizing benchmarks, LEED certification renewal, the smart growth plan, and Bee Cities. Page 1 of 2 Packet Pg. 3  1.a HEALTH, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2025 COMMITEE DISCUSSION 3. Impact of Delivery Robots - Ms. Krista Hampton, Director of Planning and Development Services – Received as information. Ms. Krista Hampton, Director of Planning and Development Services gave an overview of autonomous delivery devices, which typically operate on sidewalks rather than roadways. She noted one active operator, Starship Technologies via GrubHub at USC and reviewed regulatory considerations, including weight, speed, automation level, right-of-way usage, and local control. Ms. Kelly Smith, Business License Administrator stated that the only current requirement is a business license and the robots are restricted to campus delivery. Mr. Clete Myers, USC Dining Services explained that the robots are maintained and charged on campus, with human staff managing orders. The devices are programmed to avoid pedestrians, navigate peak times like class changes, and they contribute to campus job creation. There was discussion about broader regulatory needs, insurance requirements, concerns about competitive fairness, delivery radius, programming with GPS, whether each unit needs a decal, the recording capabilities of onboard cameras, weight of robots, damages to robots, a map of the service areas, and scheduling an in-person demo. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 1:57 p.m. Respectfully submitted: Erika D. Moore Hammond, CMC, CPM City Clerk Page 2 of 2 Packet Pg. 4  2 MEETING DATE: July 15, 2025 DEPARTMENT: City Clerk FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk SUBJECT: EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Update – Mr. Jory Fleming, CPRG Planning Grant Manager; Mr. Gregory Spouse, Director of Research, Planning, and Development; and Ms. Jocelyn Falkenstine, CPRG Implementation Grant Manager/ Central Midlands Council of Governments FUNDING SOURCE & ORIGINAL BUDGET: ATTACHMENTS: • #a: EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Update__presentation (PDF) Updated: 7/11/2025 3:03 PM Page 1 Packet Pg. 5  2.a EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Update Packet Pg. 6  2.a Fund for Municipal Solar + Smart Surfaces (S3) Projects in the Midlands of South Carolina Award: $8,739,181 Timeframe: November 2024 >> November 2029 Awardee: Central Midlands COG, in partnership with local municipalities Projects: 8 in Phase 1 (next slide>>) **Grant remains active and obligated** 2 Packet Pg. 7  2.a Estimated Expenditures by Project Partner Type/Desc IRS Direct Pay @ S3 Fund Tier S3 Fund Municipality Portion 40% Remaining City of Newberry Urban Tree N/A 2+3 $85,500 $57,000 Canopy, 500 trees @ $285 City of Columbia Public Works Cool N/A 2+3 $1,584,000 $1,060,000 Pavements Pilots, 8.8MM ft2 @ +$0.30 Columbia Metro WWTP (Columbia 2 MW Solar @ $2,000,000 2+3 $1,800,000 $1,200,000 Water, Cayce Utilities, East Richland $5 MM Utilities, Richland County Utilities) estimate Kershaw County WWTP 0.5 MW Solar $430,000 3 $361,200 $283,800 @ $2.15/watt Town of Batesburg-Leesville WWTP 0.5 MW Solar $430,000 2+3 $387,000 $258,000 @ $2.15/watt Saluda County Solar 0.25 MW Solar $215,000 2+3 $193,500 $129,000 @ $2.15/watt Fairfield County Solar 0.25 MW Solar $215,000 2+3 $193,500 $129,000 @ $2.15/watt Eastover Solar 0.08 MW Solar $117,200 2+3 $105,480 $70,320 @ $293,000 estimate Total $3,407,200 $4,710,180 $3,187,120 Packet Pg. 8  2.a Estimated Expenditure Partner Type/Desc IRS Direct S3 Fund Tier S3 Fund Municipality Portion S3 Fund (W/o Tax Municipality Pay @ 40% Remaining Credit) Remaining Portion (W/oTax Credit) Columbia Metro WWTP (Columbia 2 MW Solar @ $2,000,000 2+3 $1,800,000 $1,200,000 $3,000,000 $2,000,000 Water, Cayce Utilities, East Richland $5 MM Utilities, Richland County Utilities) estimate Economic Value Map 1) Project would generate large savings on electric costs to power the facility. Simple rate of return estimated at ~10 years [NREL simple model] 2) Expected useful life of 30+ years leads to a long-term investment at an important facility 3) Maximizes the leverage available from obligated federal grant funds Packet Pg. 9  2.a Partnership Model Tax Credit Implications The following partners signed an MOU with no The budget bill passed by Congress and signed July 4th, financial commitment and potential to 2025 eliminates the solar investment tax credit (ITC) that was planned to cover 40% of project costs. withdrawal at any time to jointly explore the project and issue an RFP. 1) ITC remains available IF projects “begin construction” by July 4th, 2026 - Columbia Water 2) New “foreign entity of concern” requirements - Richland County *may* make the credit impracticable, even if it is - East Richland Utilities available. CMCOG is evaluating policy implications - City of Cayce Utilities against our grant terms and conditions (which require Build America, Buy America and may The intention is for project partners to view RFP automatically avoid new FEOC rules) submissions, and then decide on an expanded 3) Policy barriers imposed by Congress will probably intergovernmental agreement to co-invest and impact the commercial solar sector in the next ~6 months, which may make initial project estimates share “profits” [i.e., avoided electricity payments] inaccurate. proportionately. **In any case, the first step remains to issue an RFP and evaluate the project’s return on investment and benefits from bid submissions.** 5 Packet Pg. 10  2.a Project Benefits - Economic: project will reduce electricity bills at a high usage site for 30+ years - Community: 15% of project’s energy savings will benefit local communities (e.g., water utility assistance fund) - Health: reduced air pollution - Land: opportunity for native plants and pollinator habitat underneath solar panels [100% grant funded] 6 Packet Pg. 11  2.a Estimated Project Timeline Inter-Governmental Post-Project Data MOU + Pre-RFP Site Review Agreement + Contracting Collection Summer/Fall ‘25 Spring ‘26/Fall ‘27 Spring/Summer ‘25 Fall ‘25 Spring ‘28/Fall ‘29 Request for proposals Construction Oversight (RFP) 7 Packet Pg. 12  2.a Jocelyn Falkenstine jfalkenstine@centralmidlands.org Thank You Jory Fleming jfleming@centralmidlands.org Gregory Sprouse gsprouse@centralmidlands.org Packet Pg. 13  3 MEETING DATE: July 15, 2025 DEPARTMENT: City Clerk FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk SUBJECT: Beat the Heat, Plant a Tree: The Sequel – Mr. Brian Neiger, Superintendent, Forestry and Beautification FUNDING SOURCE & ORIGINAL BUDGET: ATTACHMENTS: • #a: Beat the Heat_ Columbia Green Partnerships_presentation (PDF) Updated: 7/8/2025 3:56 PM Page 1 Packet Pg. 14  3.a City of Columbia Continued Partnership with Columbia Green On the Beat the Heat – Plant a Tree “the Sequel” The best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago; the second-best time is now. Packet Pg. 15  3.a Original Beat the Heat Grant Overview • Grant Applicant • City of Columbia • Columbia Green • Funding: • $295,000 USDA via Arbor Day Foundation supported by the Inflation Reduction Act • Program/Goals: • 5-Year Goal: • 1,500 in Justice40 neighborhoods • 250 citywide via Columbia Green • 20 quarterly events: • Seeking 90 applicants per quarterly event • Lunch and education for community outreach 2 Packet Pg. 16  3.a Beat the Heat Program Accomplishments • Community Demand: • Over 1,000 tree requests in three educational and outreach sessions • 835 from outside grant coverage areas • Columbia Green Response: • Overwhelming response • 835 trees • Additional Support: • $25,000 grants from International Paper • $61,200 in private donations • Partnership Milestone: • 990 trees delivered in 6 months vs. 5-year projection • $43,100 of the federal grant money spent • Grant cancelled in February of 2025 with only 3 quarterly events 3 Packet Pg. 17  3.a Beat the Heat – Plant a Tree, “the Sequel” Proposed Plan • Columbia Green presented a proposal to the City to continue the program • Columbia Green Commitment: • Administer the program • Manage the application portals • Host quarterly educational and outreach events • Light refreshments • Pursue partnerships with other counties/municipalities • Actively seek additional grant funding for trees • Continue private fundraising through donations • Continue to develop educational materials 4 Packet Pg. 18  3.a Beat the Heat – Plant a Tree, “the Sequel” Proposed Plan • City of Columbia Responsibilities • Provide a venue for a quarterly educational and outreach event • Printing educational materials • Approximately $3000 • Public Relations support • Logistical support for • Tree orders • Receipts • Delivery coordination within city limits • Tree delivery to property owners inside city limits • Approximately $4500 (Staff time and vehicle usage) • Current funding levels can absorb the approximately $7500 costs associated with this proposal 5 Packet Pg. 19  3.a Questions Packet Pg. 20  4 MEETING DATE: July 15, 2025 DEPARTMENT: City Clerk FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk SUBJECT: Bee City USA Initiative – Ms. Mary Pat Baldauf, Sustainability Facilitator FUNDING SOURCE & ORIGINAL BUDGET: ATTACHMENTS: • #a: Bee_City_Presentation (PDF) Updated: 7/8/2025 3:59 PM Page 1 Packet Pg. 21  4.a City of Columbia CPAC Driven Bee City USA Initiative Making the world safer for pollinators one city at a time. Packet Pg. 22  4.a Bee City USA Overview • Significance of the Initiative: • Pollinators are essential to food systems and healthy ecosystems • Support biodiversity, sustainability, and climate resilience • Program Purpose: • Raise awareness and support for pollinator protection • Expand pollinator plantings on City properties • Increase community engagement • Program Goals: • Conserve native pollinators • Thoughtful land management practice • Integrate pollinator friendly policies • Maintain Bee City USA commitments as outlined in the resolution 2 Packet Pg. 23  4.a Bee City USA – Action Plan • Designate a Sponsor and Liaison: • Sponsor: Climate Protection Action Committee (CPAC) • Liaison: City’s Sustainability Facilitator • Form a Committee: • Minimum of five internal and external members • Chair: CPAC Appointee • Committee: Forestry and Beautification, Parks and Rec, CPAC, Columbia Green • Responsible for ensuring compliance with the Bee City USA Resolution • Establish a regular public meeting schedule • Coordinate efforts with Columbia Green 3 Packet Pg. 24  4.a Bee City USA – Committee Responsibilities • Committee Responsibilities: • Bee City USA Signage • At minimum one Bee City USA sign in a prominent location • Host an Annual Event • Integrate pollinator conservation into an existing City event • In conjunction with Beat the Heat “the Sequel” • Create a Dedicated Webpage • Attach a Bee City USA section to the CPAC website • Include the resolution, updates, and annual reports • Promote Native Plantings and Thoughtful Land Management • Reduce pesticide use • Inventory the City’s suitable properties for pollinator-friendly plantings • Provide a list of recommended native plant species 4 Packet Pg. 25  4.a Bee City USA – City Council and Staff Action and Citywide Benefits • City Council Action: • Resolution • Align with City Planning • Incorporate pollinator protection into Columbia Compass: Envision 2036 • Staff Action • Initial Application • $500 fee • Apply for Renewal • Each February apply for renewal of the City’s designation • Submit application, and the previous year’s Bee City USA report • $500 renewal fee • City Benefits: • Help ensure the health of essential pollinators • Promote safe pest management • Heighten community awareness of biological diversity 5 Packet Pg. 26  4.a Making the world safer for pollinators one city at a time. Questions Packet Pg. 27