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MINUTES <br />Parks & Recreation Commission <br />November 4, 2004 <br />Rob Harris of 2707 Noel Drive asked if a soil survey had been done on the site. He felt that <br />other sites must be more cost effective for the Watershed due to the soil corrections needed on <br />the Noel Drive site. Aichinger stated that a survey has been done and peat was discovered about <br />15-18 feet below the surface. Some soil corrections and pilings are necessary, but are not <br />considered significant. <br />Sarah Nettleton of Sarah Nettleton Architects, the architect hired to design the building, was <br />present to answer questions. She indicated that her firm looks for• green strategies when <br />designing buildings. She said that she envisions a building that will fit well into the area, and <br />she encouraged residents to visit the building once it has been built. She outlined the project <br />goals which included: <br />1. Consider storm water runoff as a resource and develop a project that results in zero off-site <br />runoff. <br />2. Via this building and site design, demonstrate how a building can be wonderful to work in, <br />integrated with its site and surrounding environment. <br />3. Provide a living lab of educational opportunity: demonstrate how the watershed is an <br />interconnected system basic to the health of the whole community. <br />4. Reduce the environmental impact of this building over its lifetime by reducing its annual <br />energy consumption by 30% of current code to meet the Kyoto Protocol. <br />5. Reduce the ecological footprint of this building through the selection of materials and waste <br />disposal strategies. <br />6. Demonstrate environmentally responsible leadership with the above goals by taking <br />measured risks with well-chosen strategies. <br />Aichinger commented that his staff works on habitat restoration on a daily basis. He indicated <br />that they will restore and improve the hillside adjacent to the proposed site. He also stated that <br />they will try to preserve the garden planted by Norm Strohbeen, but if they cannot, they will <br />transplant all of it. <br />Aichinger indicated that they do not plan on mowing the site. They want to plant native grasses <br />and also feature a water element to show how water is managed. They plan to extend the trail <br />so that people can walk through their site. They want their site to be a public resource. He <br />stated that the parcel has 11,000 square feet of buildable space, but the Watershed is only <br />proposing to use 6,000 square feet. The parking they plan to use will be impervious. He <br />indicated that the underground storage area is not designed as underground parking, but will be <br />used as a garage to store chemicals, a boat, and one of their trucks. <br />Harris asked how many cars will be parked on-site during the day. Aichinger stated that the site <br />will feature approximately 25 parking spaces. They have four district vehicles, 11 full-time <br />staff members, and occasionally, they have meetings in which more cars are present. He <br />estimated 6-12 cars would be there on a continual basis during the day. He assured the resident: <br />that they would not see much traffic. He stated that people will come and go similar to Little <br />Canada City Center. <br />Page 2 of 6 <br />