Citizens' Environmental Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB CITIZENS’ ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION April 6, 2017 The Citizens’ Environmental Commission held a meeting on April 6, 2017, in the Haish Conference Room at the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois, 60115. Chairman Oleckno called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m. A. ROLL CALL The following members of the Citizens' Environmental Commission were present: Bill Oleckno, Ken Koch, Clare Kron, Michael Lundgren, Dan Kenney, Sharon Skala, Melissa Burlingame (ex- officio) Michelle Gibson (ex-officio) and Tim Holdeman (City Liaison). Members Absent: Ann Shult, Mark Hein, Mike Holland (ex-officio), and Amy Doll (ex-officio). Ashrafunnesa Flora (intern) and Dale Osterle (resident) were present. B. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA – ADDITIONS / DELETIONS MOTION - To approve the agenda. Ms. Kron moved to approve the motion, seconded by Ms. Skala. Agenda was approved unanimously by voice vote. C. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION/ANOUNCEMENTS Mr. Kenney mentioned that the DeKalb Sanitary District name change to Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District, effective May 1. Mr. Koch mentioned the Reclamation District is looking for a new trustee. Chair Oleckno mentioned that he would be receiving the Mayor’s Earth Day proclamation during the regular City Council meeting on April 10. He invited other members to attend. Ms. Skala mentioned she has native plant information that she will pass on to Ms. Shult. Mr. Kenney mentioned an article about property values increasing as a result of wind turbines. Ms. Kron mentioned that Illinois is 17th in the United States in solar energy jobs. Mr. Kenney asked about the status of the rain garden discussion. Mr. Holdeman indicated he would follow up with City staff that had been working on this issue. Ms. Kron mentioned that Houston is the largest US City with a Community Wildlife Habitat Certification by the National Wildlife Federation. Citizen Environmental Commission April 6, 2017 Page 2 of 3 D. APPROVAL of MINUTES for March 2, 2017 MOTION Mr. Koch moved to approve, seconded by Ms. Kron. Minutes were approved unanimously by voice vote. E. NEW BUSINESS 1. Application for Illinois Sustainability Award Chair Oleckno described the work he had completed so far in preparing the application and the need for additional data. Several elements of the application were discussed. It was agreed that more quantitative data is needed for a competitive application. The group discussed the need to bolster the monitoring/tracking system to better quantify sustainability. Such monitoring could be applied to community gardens, native plants, composting, the share-a-bag program, community outreach, City operations, and retention pond clean-up. It was the consensus of the group that it wait until next year to submit an application for the award. 2. Approval of Member Profiles Chair Oleckno provided an updated list that was reviewed by members. The revised list will be forwarded to Mr. Lundgren, who will incorporate it on the Commission's webpage. F. OLD BUSINESS 1. Update on CEC Logo and Website Mr. Lundgren provided a status report on progress toward finalizing the logo and Commission webpages, which were viewed positively by the Commission. 2. Update on Past P.R.I.D.E. Award Recipients A list of past P.R.I.D.E. Award recipients was circulated among the members and some minor corrections to the list were made. These will be added to the Commission webpages. 3. Update to Sustainability Plan No updates G. COMMISSION REPORTS 1. City Staff Liaison: Tim Holdeman No report. 2. DeKalb County Health Department: Michelle Gibson 2 Citizen Environmental Commission April 6, 2017 Page 3 of 3 The County Health Department will not be holding the Green Living Festival this year. Instead, it will be working with DeKalb Kiwanis Club on composting at Cornfest. Volunteers are needed. Another Hazardous Waste Collection Drive will be held on May 20. The DeKalb County Farm Bureau at 1350 West Prairie Drive, Sycamore, IL will be the collection point. There will be a Green Town event in Aurora on April 27. The Health Department has 6 new Share-A-Bag bins. It needs about 50 bags for each bin. 3. DeKalb Park District: Amy Doll No Report 4. NIU: Melissa Burlingame Green Team moving forward on the NIU Sustainability Plan. They are also revamping their web site. Ms. Burlingame will be teaching a class in the fall and students will be writing sustainability goals. The Green Team is working with Huskie Food Pantry on the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. NIU Environmental Studies is moving to Montgomery Hall. The Green Team continues to look for ways to fund environmental initiatives without State funding. 5. DeKalb Sanitary District: Michael Holland No Report 6. Communications Subcommittee: Clare Kron Six new bins will require about a lot of new bags. Mr. Kenney suggested Ms. Kron ask if #Proudly DeKalb could be placed on the bins. H. NEXT MEETING: May 4, 2017 at 4:00 PM I. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Kron moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Ms. Skala. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Chair Oleckno declared the meeting adjourned at 5:57 p.m. Respectfully Submitted: Tim Holdeman, Public Works Director Minutes Approved May 4, 2017 3