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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021/05/20 - ADMIN - Agenda Packets - Community Technology Advisory Commission - Regular Community technology advisory commission meeting May 20, 2021 6 p.m. If you need special accommodations or have questions about the meeting, call Jacque Smith at 952.924.2632 or the administration department at 952.924.2525. Community technology advisory commission All meetings of St. Louis Park boards and commissions will be conducted by telephone or other electronic means starting March 30, 2020, and until further notice. This is in accordance with a local emergency declaration issued by the city council, in response to the coronavirus (COVID- 19) pandemic and Governor Walz's “Stay Safe MN” executive order 20-056. The chief administrator has determined that in-person council or commission/committee meetings are not feasible at this time due to the pandemic. All board members/commissioners will participate in this meeting by electronic device or telephone rather than by being personally present at the regular meeting place of 5005 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park. Members of the public can monitor the meeting by “listen only” audio by calling 1.415.655.0001 and using access code 133 750 5112. Cisco Webex will be used to conduct videoconference meetings of the city, with board members/commissioners and staff participating from multiple locations. Agenda 1. Call to order – roll call 2. Approval of minutes – April 29, 2021 3. Smart cities initiative a. Committee check ins b. Prep for June 14 joint study session with city council 4. Meeting schedule for 2021 a. In person meetings for boards and commissions start July 1 b. Does the commission wish to continue meeting monthly? i. Bylaws call for four times per year 5. New appointment to commission 6. Adjournment Future meeting/event dates: • June 14, 6:30 p.m. – joint study session with the city council • June 17, 6 p.m. regular meeting (TBD) Community technology advisory commission meeting April 29, 2021 6 p.m. Community technology advisory commission Members present: Abe Levine, Bruce Browning, Kelly Heitz, Cindy Hoffman, Rolf Peterson, Theo Pohlen Members absent: Mike Siegler Staff present: Clint Pires, John McHugh Guests: None 1. Call to order – roll call Meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. 2. Approval of minutes Peterson moved, Pohlen seconded. All moved to approve the March 11, 2021, minutes as written. 3. Smart cities initiative Levine gave an update that Insight would no longer be working with the commission on a regular basis as commission members felt they could accomplish needed work on their own. Pires stated that Insight was told there was a pause on their work and that if a need arises, they’ll be contacted. Levine said he posted an item on his LinkedIn account about smart cities looking for similar commissions that may want to connect. He will repost next week. Peterson gave an update on plug loads. At his house he found 35 appliances drawing 180 watts in standby mode, which costs $223-$244 per year. Levine asked how he measures. Peterson showed an amp meter. He can’t measure everything, like motion sensor lights. He said Energy Star appliances are the way to go and show a significant savings over older appliances. To correct, he suggests turning off power strips where appliances are plugged in, unplugging appliances when not in use or buying Energy Star whenever possible. Levine asked if there is a high-tech way to monitor then integrate the data with a dashboard that could then work with Xcel Energy. Peterson said there are devices that integrate with the electrical panel, but they are $350 or more so he hasn’t purchased that. Levine said the commission should talk to Xcel. Peterson said Xcel promotes Energy Star. Levin asked Pires if businesses in St. Louis Park are using power management programs like the city. Pires said sustainability staff would likely be working with the business community on this and he and Smith could follow up with staff. Community technology advisory commission meeting April 29, 2021 Browning gave an update on the connected communities committee. They need to get more data from stakeholders about internet connectivity, not hardware. Then they can analyze data and find solutions. Browning asked Smith if Comcast had programs. Smith said information was included in a previous commission packet about the various Comcast programs, and that Comcast representatives had connected with the school district about how they could take advantage of those programs for students. Browning contacted Maria Solano about how to reach residents of color and underserved communities to find out their level of internet service. She was going to provide information in the coming weeks. Browning also said council member newsletters would be a good way to gather information. He asked Pires if we could get maps showing internet service areas from US Internet and CenturyLink. Pires said US Internet information is on their website, but that CenturyLink treats their information as proprietary so the commission wouldn’t be able to view it. Pires said the forthcoming Census data will show information by census tract and may be helpful. He reminded the commission that internet service doesn’t speak to quality. Pires mentioned the new emergency broadband program that provides a $50 credit for internet service for those with qualifying incomes. Heitz gave an update from the GIS committee. They are moving ahead with dashboards. She showed an affordable housing story map currently on the city’s website, then showed a dashboard from Tallahassee, Florida, that included more data and is the model they hope to follow. Heitz said they have a meeting May 17 where city housing and GIS staff will show the first draft of a housing dashboard. She and Hoffman will provide feedback. They hope to have a final housing dashboard to show at the June 14 meeting with the city council. Levine asked if Hoffman or Pohlen had anything to add. Pohlen said he has a large following on Instagram and also contacts at the St. Louis Park High School newspapers. He suggested using both outlets to provide a survey about internet service. He believes it’s important to reach out through the newspaper, which provides printed copies and will reach students without internet access. Levine shared his LinkedIn post and showed statistics for the views. Pires said he learned of new state programs funded by federal money. Some broadband may be supported especially for low-income and underserved communities. Pires asked Abe to share the information with Siegler. Levine said he could help with this as he had previous experience. 4. Commission bylaws refresher Smith gave an overview of the bylaws and suggested commission members should be familiar with especially the city ordinance that outlines the roles and responsibilities of commissions related to the city council. Pires said the next meeting May 20 should be a test run for the June 14 meeting with the city council. Levin agreed and said committee chairs should put together Community technology advisory commission meeting April 29, 2021 storyboards for the May 20 meeting, and those should be provided to Levine a few days in advance. 5. Adjournment Browning moved and Peterson seconded a motion to adjourn. All moved in favor of adjournment. Meeting adjourned 6:55 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Jacque Smith, liaison Abe Levine, chair member