Citizens' Environmental Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB CITIZENS’ ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION January 5, 2017 The Citizens’ Environmental Commission held a meeting on January 5, 2017, at the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois, 60115. Chairman Oleckno called the meeting to order at 4:04 p.m. A. ROLL CALL The following members of the Citizens' Environmental Commission were present: Bill Oleckno, Ken Koch, Clare Kron, Ann Shult, Michael Lundgren, Dan Kenney, Mark Hein, Melissa Burlingame (ex-officio), Mike Holland (ex-officio), and Michelle Gibson (ex-officio). Members Absent: Sharon Skala and Amy Doll (ex-officio). No members of the public were present. B. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA – ADDITIONS / DELETIONS MOTION Ms. Kron moved to approve the agenda, seconded by Ms. Shult. Agenda was approved unanimously by voice vote. C. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION/ANOUNCEMENTS No public participation. Chairman Oleckno passed around an article on hydroelectric power. D. APPROVAL of MINUTES for December 1, 2016 MOTION Mr. Lundgren moved to approve, seconded by Ms. Koch. Minutes were approved unanimously by voice vote. E. COMMISION REPORTS 1. DeKalb County Health Department: Michelle Gibson Ms. Gibson reported that the County Health Department is still collecting holiday lights. Ms. Gibson also mentioned that a survey regarding composting will go out next week to the neighborhood involved in the Composting Pilot Program. Citizen Environmental Commission January 5, 2017 Page 2 of 7 2. DeKalb Park District: Amy Doll No Report 3. NIU: Melissa Burlingame The NIU Green Team is involved in student engagement efforts. Ms. Burlingame mentioned there may be a funding opportunity for the CEC. 4. DeKalb Sanitary District: Michael Holland Mr. Holland reported that the Sanitary District met with Dan Kenney and Dean Johnson of the DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation District regarding the potential for restoring 2 to 3 acres of turf grass to prairie areas. Mr. Holland mentioned the Sanitary District is pursing deconstruction (recycling of materials generated during demolition) of the 19 homes that will be removed for the wastewater plant upgrades. 5. City of DeKalb: Tim Holdeman Mr. Holdeman reported that the Public Works Department has undertaken significant snow removal operations during three weekend snow events. Mr. Holdeman also mentioned that the Utilities Division recently responded to a major water main break on Annie Glidden Road. F. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS 1. Communications Subcommittee – Ms. Kron reported that the subcommittee will not be meeting in the next couple of months due to scheduling conflicts. G. OLD BUSINESS 1. Adoption of CEC Logo Mr. Lundgren passed around the most recent iteration of a logo for Commission members to review. He received feedback for the next iteration. 2. Progress on Hiring Student Interns Chairman Oleckno reported on progress made toward hiring an environmental intern. Ms. Gibson and he will conduct interviews and report on progress to the Commission. 3. Website Development Mr. Lundgren will prepare a link for the CEC. 4. P.R.I.D.E. Awards Presentation Chairman Oleckno reported on the recent awards presentation. He noted both recipients were present to receive their awards. 2 Citizen Environmental Commission January 5, 2017 Page 3 of 7 5. Update on the Share-A-Bag Program Ms. Kron reported that NIU bookstore is interested in participating in the program. She will be working on identifying 6 more locations. A discussion followed regarding the importance of recycling. Several ideas were shared on how to make residents aware of the benefits of recycling and why it is important. Mr. Holdeman suggested a presentation on the City’s 2025 Strategic Plan to understand the City’s commitments to sustainability and the environment. H. NEW BUSINESS 1. Approval of (1) 2017 CEC Mission Statement, (2) 2017 CEC Goals and Objectives, and (3) 2016 CEC Report of Progress on the Implementation and Monitoring of the Sustainability Plan Chairman Oleckno recommended adding “The Commission also monitors progress on the implementation of the City's Sustainability Plan.” to the CEC Mission Statement. The full Mission Statement with this addition will be: It is the primary mission of the DeKalb Citizens' Environmental Commission to examine and identify issues related to the local environment and report those issues to the DeKalb City Council. In addition, the Commission advises and makes recommendations to the City Council either upon request or as a result of its own deliberations. The Citizens' Environmental Commission has the ultimate goal of improving the environment of DeKalb for the benefit of its citizens. It uses a variety of means to protect and enhance environmental quality in the City, while fostering the sustainable development of community resources. The Commission also monitors progress on the implementation of the City's Sustainability Plan. MOTION Ms. Kron moved to approve the suggested addition, seconded by Mr. Lundgren. Motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. Chairman Oleckno presented the following 2017 Goals and Objectives: 1. Continue to monitor and facilitate the implementation of the City of DeKalb Sustainability Plan Comments: The City's Sustainability Plan is a dynamic, on-going, and comprehensive guide for the sustainable development of DeKalb. During 2017, the Commission will continue to see that the plan is implemented systematically and monitored for progress on a continuing basis. 2. Continue to develop new and innovative environmental education and communication programs for local residents, businesses, and organizations that promote environmental awareness and the implementation of sound environmental practices in DeKalb 3 Citizen Environmental Commission January 5, 2017 Page 4 of 7 Comments: Community-based environmental education and communication are fundamental aims of the Commission. During 2017, the Commission will undertake a number of new initiatives to inform and educate the community regarding important environmental issues. The principal means of achieving this objective will be through the newly created Communications Subcommittee, which has been charged with developing innovative and practical environmental education programs in DeKalb. 3. Continue to improve cooperation and coordination between the Citizens' Environmental Commission and other groups or organizations in order to enhance the Commission's environmental mission in the City of DeKalb Comments: In the past, the Commission has sought to improve cooperation and coordination with other groups or organizations within and outside DeKalb. During 2017, the Commission will continue these efforts to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of its environmental mission to the City of DeKalb. 4. Continue to utilize and develop Web content so as to provide readily accessible, contemporary information and resources for the community on a variety of important environmental topics Comments: An on-going goal of the Commission has been to communicate relevant, practical, and reliable environmental information to the public via the World Wide Web and social media. To date, efforts in this regard have been somewhat thwarted in large part due to limited resources and the long turnaround time involved in making changes to existing Web content. During 2017, the Commission plans to expand its presence on the City's Website through more effective linking to existing content on the Web and to the judicious use of social media. These efforts will be coordinated with Goal No. 2 so as foster consistency in the Commission's efforts. MOTION Mr. Koch moved to approve the 2017 Goals and Objectives as presented, seconded by Mr. Lundgren. Motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. Chairman Oleckno presented the following 2016 CEC Report of Progress on the Implementation and Monitoring of the Sustainability Plan: Background Chapter 50 of the recently revised Municipal Code, "Citizens' Environmental Commission," requires that the Commission submit an annual report to the City Council documenting progress on the implementation and monitoring of the Sustainability Plan (Section 50.04). The City's Sustainability Plan was originally prepared by a Task Force consisting of a broad cross section of community volunteers working in collaboration with the Citizens' Environmental Commission. The final plan was approved by the City Council on November 10, 2014. Monitoring Plan 4 Citizen Environmental Commission January 5, 2017 Page 5 of 7 In late 2014 and early 2015, the Citizens' Environmental Commission developed and subsequently approved a protocol for monitoring the implementation of the City's Sustainability Plan. This protocol involved the creation of a spreadsheet identifying all 10 areas covered in the Sustainability Plan, including each of the plan's 18 goals and 90 short-term, medium-term, and long-term action plans. The protocol, or Monitoring Plan, as it is commonly referred to, identifies the Commission members who have primary responsibility for each goal in the Sustainability Plan. These members are responsible for monitoring progress toward their assigned goal(s) and promoting the implementation of the applicable action plans for that goal(s). In addition, staff resources within the City may be identified where appropriate. Also included is the current status regarding implementation of the applicable action plans. A copy of the Monitoring Plan accompanies this document. Progress During 2016 Much progress was made during 2016 towards fulfilling the goals of the Sustainability Plan. Nevertheless, much remains to be done. Given the dynamic and evolutionary nature of the Sustainability Plan, it is expected that there will always be items to implement and improve upon as time passes. The Citizens' Environmental Commission serves as the "guardian" of the Sustainability Plan and takes this responsibility very seriously. Progress on the plan is discussed at each of the monthly meetings of the Commission and updates are noted in the Monitoring Plan. The accompanying Monitoring Plan indicates those action plans that are currently pending, in process, ongoing, completed, or have not yet been addressed. In general, the focus during 2016 has been on short-term and medium-term action plans. Some highlights of the Commission's achievements during 2016 are noted below. For convenience, reference is made to goals, such as 2.1, 4.3, or 9.2. These designations refer respectively to goal 2, action plan 1; goal 4, action plan 3, and goal 9, action plan 2. This is consistent with the numbering in the Monitoring Plan. For specifics, please refer to the Monitoring Plan. Goals 2.1, 2.2: These short-term action plans refer to reducing paper and printing resources in City Operations. The action plans are listed respectively as "In Process" and "Ongoing" in the Monitoring Plan, indicating that during 2016 the City was in the process of reducing paper use and printing resources in accordance with the Sustainability Plan and is currently storing documents electronically versus paper form to the extent possible, also in accordance with the Sustainability Plan. Goal 6.6: In July, 2016, the first business incubator was opened in DeKalb. It is known as the DeKalb County Business Incubator and is located at the Community Outreach Building on Annie Glidden Road. This achievement represents a positive step toward fulfilling this long-term action plan. Goal 7.1: This short-term action plan to develop a community-wide solar ordinance was actually "completed" by the Citizens' Environmental Commission prior to 2016. The final ordinance was approved by the City Council on April 14, 2015. 5 Citizen Environmental Commission January 5, 2017 Page 6 of 7 Goals 8.1-8.5: Significant progress was made in 2016 regarding the Sustainability Plan goal of promoting food security for all of DeKalb's residents and assuring accessibility to healthy food. Details of the progress with regard to these action plans are noted in the applicable comments section of the Monitoring Plan. Each of these action plans have been designated as "In Process." Goal 11.2: The Citizens' Environmental Commission held its inaugural "Green Living Festival" at the DeKalb County Health Department in August, 2016. Among other things, this festival helped the Commission toward the achievement of this "ongoing" action plan, which fosters sustainable property maintenance and "green" practices. Goal 13.3: This short-term action plan to encourage the use of reusable bags or other containers in DeKalb was greatly facilitated during 2016 by the development of a new program aptly titled the "Share-A-Bag" program. The program seeks to increase the use of reusable bags by DeKalb residents, while discouraging the use of plastic bags, which can threaten the environment. The program, initiated on Earth Day 2016, now boasts six containers strategically placed around the City with six additional sites planned for 2017. The Share-A-Bag program places containers of reusable bags at places frequented by residents and asks them to take what they need and replace them with more reusable bags when convenient. Additional details of progress towards achieving the goals of the City's Sustainability Plan for 2016 can be found in the Monitoring Plan (attached). This plan has aided the Commission in documenting progress and provides a mechanism for sharing that progress with other constituents, including the public at large. The Commission hopes to post this report on the City's Website in the near future. MOTION Ms. Kron moved to approve the 2016 CEC Report of Progress on the Implementation and Monitoring of the Sustainability Plan as presented, seconded by Mr. Lundgren. Motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. 2. Approval of Letters Regarding Littered Retention Ponds Chairman Oleckno presented a draft of the letters to be sent to the owners of the retention ponds around the Best Buy area. MOTION Ms. Kron moved to approve the letter as presented, seconded by Mr. Hein. Motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. 6 Citizen Environmental Commission January 5, 2017 Page 7 of 7 3. Discussion of Work Ideas for Student Interns Several ideas were discussed among the group including research of composting opportunities, ideas for using food beyond the expiration date, and alternative uses for slightly blemished “ugly” food. It was agreed that each intern should be assigned a mentor/supervisor, who is a member of the Commission. MOTION Ms. Kron moved to approve allowing Chairman Oleckno and Ms. Gibson to select 2 to 3 candidates and assign them to a member of the Commission, seconded by ______. Motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. 4. Native Plants Presentation Ms. Shult made a presentation on native plants. Several ideas for improving the presentation were discussed. Mr. Holdeman will provide a copy of the presentation via email so that members can make additional comments and email their suggestions to Ms. Shult. 5. Election of Vice-Chairperson MOTION A call for the election of a Vice-Chairperson was sought by Chairman Oleckno. Ms. Shult moved to approve Mr. Hein as Vice-Chairperson, seconded by Mr. Kenney. Motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. J. NEXT MEETING: February 2, 2017 at 4:00 PM K. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Koch moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Ms. Shult. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Chair Oleckno declared the meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Respectfully Submitted: Tim Holdeman, Public Works Director Minutes Approved February 2, 2017 7