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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEC Minutes 1.13.2025 - Approved City of Falcon Heights Environment Commission City Hall 2077 Larpenteur Avenue West Minutes Monday, January 13, 2025 6:30 p.m. A. CALL TO ORDER: 6:31 p.m. B. ROLL CALL: Beth Mercer-Taylor (Chair) _ A __ John Pellegrini (Vice-Chair) _X_ Jared Mehlhaff _A_ Adam Keester _X_ Amy Christiansen _A_ Pedro De Filippo Vannucci _X_ Sophie Nagel __X__ City Staff Nelson (filling in for Staff Liaison Lynch) _X_ Council Liaison Mielke _X_ GreenCorps Member Siebert _X_ C. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Vice-Chair Pellegrini made a motion to approve the agenda. Motion was seconded by De Filippo Vannucci. Motion passed by consent. D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. December 9, 2024 Vice-Chair Pellegrini made a motion to approve the minutes from December 9, 2024. Motion was seconded by Keester. Minutes were approved by consent. E. NEW BUSINESS 1. 2025 Officer Nominations Keester says that notetaking seems to work on a fairly informal basis, with Lynch taking notes and others assisting, as needed. Pellegrini says that as long as Mercer-Taylor is willing to continue, he supports her as Chair. The commissioners unanimously support (4-0) Mercer-Taylor as Chair and Pellegrini receives unanimous support (4-0) as Vice Chair. 2. 2025 Schedule & Priorities Pellegrini asks if commissioners have anything to add to the schedule. Siebert adds that this is also intended to open the floor for any passion projects or topics that others would like to add. Pellegrini asks Siebert their plans after GreenCorps ends in August and Siebert will bring a report to the February meeting. Mielke asks if the boulevard trees can be added to the priorities list. She adds that Lynch has applied for grant funds, which may bring the cost of trees down for residents. Commissioners discuss timing of tree sales and will look at Roseville’s past sales as an example. Pellegrini enjoys the Nature Newsflash in the weekly newsletter and suggests going back through the archive for story ideas, as they were previously a much more brief article and could be expounded on now. Mielke suggests the idea of backyard garden tours or featuring residents’ impressive gardens. Keester volunteers to write about household waste. Pellegrini says that once the new environmental service center is open, it would be nice to educate people about what they do. Will e-waste, for example, be handled there? Commissioners would be interested in a tour of the facility. He then proposes adding a third speaker at the Sustainability Fair, Doug Tallamy, who speaks on the subject of adding just one small portion of native lawn to each person’s yard. He adds that Keester’s idea of household waste also gives him the idea of writing an article to recap his upcoming Home Energy Squad visit. Nagel and De Filippo Vannucci are also interested in writing a future article. Keester suggests adding action items or follow-up steps for the Energy Action Plan to the calendar, an update to the Climate Action Plan, suggests commissioners tour the pond at Community Park, and says to look to neighboring cities to connect and collaborate rather than duplicate. Mielke adds that Theo, the youth who spoke at a previous commission meeting, is anxious for them to tour and would like to stock the pond with native fish. Mielke then reminds commissioners about Adopt a Drain. F. Information and Announcements 1. Staff Liaison Report Siebert walks commissioners though the upcoming Sustainability Fair. The date is Saturday, April 26 at City Hall. Mielke suggests adding a kid’s craft and to ask Monarch Joint Venture to participate. City staff person Nelson then adds that she is Staff Liaison to the Parks and Recreation Commission and that they have expressed an interest in sharing their goals with other commissions and vice versa as a way to find opportunities to support efforts. Siebert shares Lynch’s idea of playing BINGO at the fair as a way to visit every booth and to then receive a compost bin once the card is full. De Filippo Vannucci asks if the compost bins will be limited to one per household, which they will to ensure more people get access. Mielke reminds commissioners that Roseville Area High School students or National Honor Society students may want to help as a way to earn volunteer hours. Commissioners suggest other organizations that may be a good fit to participate at the Sustainability Fair. Nagel asks if a flyer could be produced and if a banner could be ordered to place outside City Hall. Mielke suggested announcing in the Park Bugle. Siebert provided brief updates on the Climate Action Plan progress, the plastic bag recycling program, and a new form on the website to seek energy project testimonials from residents. 2. Council Liaison Report Council Liaison Mielke updates the commission on recent City Council agenda items such as the approval to purchase new playground equipment at Community Park, the passing of Cannabis ordinances and the passing of the levy. She spoke briefly about the application for funding for EV chargers through the NEVI grant program. G. Adjourn Meeting was adjourned at 7:43 p.m. Next regular meeting date: February 10, 2025