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HomeMy WebLinkAbout120919 EC minutesCity of Falcon Heights Environment Commission Monday, December 9, 2019 6:30 pm Meeting Minutes 1. Call to Order: Chair Jim Wassenberg called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. 2. Roll Call: Present: Jim Wassenberg, Jordyn Bucholtz, Martin McCleery, Esha Seth, Patrick Mathwig, Nick Olson Also Present: Justin Markon, Staff Liaison Absent: Mark Miazga, City Council Liaison 3. Approval of Minutes: September 9, 2019 Motioned by McCleery, seconded by Bucholtz, motion passed. 4. Agenda: a. Begin 2020 work plan i. Chair Wassenberg said that the FHEC was referenced many times as a good commission at the recent strategic planning session. Chair Wassenberg reflected on the accomplishments of the commission in the past year: Sustainable Actions Fair, Native Landscaping, Food Scraps site, outreach and interaction with other cities. ii. Chair Wassenberg encouraged commissioners to choose a topic they feel passionate about to focus their efforts on in the next year. Chair Wassenberg shared a list of possible projects to take on next year, assigning a lead to each one. 1. He emphasized previous Mayor Peter Lindstrom’s desire to implement a beekeeping ordinance, as well as a Planned Urban Development (PUD) ordinance in light of the recent developments in Falcon Heights. a. Commissioner McCleery will be lead on the bee project. b. Commissioner Olson will be lead on the PUD project. 2. In terms of the Sustainable Actions Fair, the commission talked about partnering with Roseville, St. Anthony Village. 3. Chair Wassenberg emphasized his interest in sustaining outreach to other Environmental Commissions in the Twin Cities. 4. Chair Wassenberg discussed following up on opportunities for funding for an EV charging station in Falcon Heights through the MPCA looking to place over 50 duel-level charging stations and up to $75,000 in 2020-2023. a. The commission discussed the lack of charging stations in Falcon Heights. b. Chair Wassenberg said he would be the lead for this project. 5. The commission discussed continuing their efforts to improve communication to Falcon Heights residents with an EC “Corner”. a. There have been two posts from Commissioner Bucholtz and Commissioner Mathwig. The commission discussed future posts about solar, bee keeping, home energy audits, weatherization. b. Commissioner Bucholtz will be the lead on this project. 6. The commission discussed hopes to obtain funding to help finance home energy audits for Falcon Heights residents and businesses. a. $2,500 of funding has been approved by the City Council for home energy auditing. i. Considering the total cost is $100 for a total audit, the commission hopes the financial assistance by the City will incentivize residents to choose the full audit. ii. The Commission discussed the most effective way to disperse the funds to maximize the reach and impact. iii. The Commission decided it will be first-come first- served. iv. The Commissioner talked about loans provided by CEE. v. The website will be available at the end of January, and the Commission decided to begin advertising once the website is complete. vi. Commissioner Mathwig said he will be the lead on this project and will write a post for the environment corner related to this topic. vii. The task of the Commission is to promote the program. viii. Commissioner Seth said she would write a post on individual sustainability actions. ix. The Commission talked about a post on best practices for using salt as a deicer. 1. MPCA, MNDOT would be good references. x. The Commission created a schedule for EC posts. 1. Salt de-icing best management practices: February a. Olson 2. Weatherizing, ice dams, home audits: January a. Mathwig 3. Food scraps: February a. References from county b. Lead: Markon and county 4. Winter energy efficiency: a. Seth 5. Native landscaping ordinance: April/Spring a. Olson 6. Flooding: May/Spring (how to prepare for more extreme rainfall) a. McCleery 7. At work recycling: a. Wassenberg 8. Biking a. Seth 9. Summer energy efficiency A/C cooling: a. Seth 10. Electric vehicles a. Wassenberg b. Write when funding opportunities come out, say we are applying for the grant 7. The Commission discussed adding a youth commissioner to the FHEC; Commissioner Wassenberg plans to lead this project. a. City staff created a flyer and the Commission has contacted the high school. b. Commissioner Wassenberg said he will continue his efforts to reach out to the high school. He will find out if there are clubs or classes relevant to the Environment Commission. c. Commissioner Wassenberg said he will be the lead on this project and is hoping to find someone by February. 8. The Commission discussed organizing an Earth Day cleanup. a. The Commission discussed contributing to the Roseville Earth Day cleanup. The Commission recognized their past contributions to the Como Park cleanup. The Commission talked about tentatively hosting a cleanup on April 25, 2020. b. The Commission recognized the value in hosting a cleanup in Falcon Heights in addition to, or replacing, helping at a cleanup in Roseville. 9. The Commission discussed the next steps for Sustainable Actions Fair planning. The Commission clarified that the set-date is September 12, 2020. The Commission discussed the possibility of hosting the fair in St. Anthony next. a. Commissioner Mathwig will be the lead on this project. 5. News and Announcements: a. Food scraps collection update i. Staff Liaison clarified that the food scraps bin will now be located at City Hall per request of the City Council. The food scraps bin will be usable by January. b. Native landscaping feedback i. City staff reviewed the ordinance and the subcommittee met in November to make updates to the ordinance. Now there are two-foot set back requirements around houses. Now the ordinance is open for public comments. The planning commission will hold the official public hearing on January 28, 2020. The final recommendations will go to council on February 12, 2020 for final approval. c. New City website i. City Liaison recommended commissioners begin thinking about links and other interactions to include on the website regarding the environment commission. d. Two-day strategic planning meeting i. Chair Wassenberg gave updates from the meetings 1. Moderated event by two consultants 2. Six council members were in attendance and three commission heads (Planning, Community Engagement, Environment) 3. In order for FH to be a “city that soars” in 25 years, they need to: a. Created six overarching goals, and roadblocks 4. Developed action items 5. There was a lot of discussion around certain themes: a. Communication i. Ensuring messages got to all residents ii. Outreach to businesses b. Empowering residents to take action themselves (beyond the commissions) i. The city should foster and help organize smaller community groups 1. Ex) citizen landscaping committee ii. Learning groups and meetings around the city c. The City needs to be welcoming to ideas from citizens d. Actions need to be multi-generational 6. Actions for 2020-2021 will come out in a report and be taken up by City Council 7. Very active discussion 8. To discuss execution and prioritization, a third day would have been beneficial 9. Should make all city events zero waste 10. Focused a lot on the work of the CEC, not as much on EC ii. The Commission discussed pursuing a single-use plastic ban, styrofoam 6. Adjourn: a. Meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.