Environmental, Forestry, & Sustainability Commission

Regular Meeting

Winnetka, IL · February 12, 2026

Minutes

WINNETKA ENVIRONMENTAL AND FORESTRY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES February 12, 2026 A record of a legally convened meeting of the Environmental and Forestry Commission of the Village of Winnetka, which was held in the Council Chambers at Village Hall, 510 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, Illinois, Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Call to Order: Chair Eck called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Voting Members present: Chair Peter Eck and Commissioners Gregory Frezados, King Poor, and Tim Ring. Members absent: Liz Kunkle, Dave Varca, and Brendan Andrew. A quorum of presently appointed members was present. Village Council Representative present: Kim Handler. Student Representative Absent: Scarlett Harper and Louisa Hernandez. Staff Liaison present: Elyse Steiner, Sustainability Manager. 1) Introduction & Chair’s Remarks: Chair Eck welcomed the group and encouraged Commissioners to learn about the stormwater project update. 2) Public Comment: None 3) Review and Approval of Minutes a) Approval of the January Regular Meeting Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Poor, seconded by Commissioner Ring to approve the minutes as presented. AYES: ECK, FREZADOS, RING, POOR. NAYS: NONE ABSENT: ANDREW, KUNKLE, VARCA 4) New Business Updates: a) Climate Action Plan discussion Keramida consultant Emilee O’Neill presented an overview of the draft CAP and changes that had been made to the draft that was circulated. Commissioners shared additional feedback on the actions, targets, and assumptions in the draft. There were some questions about the feasibility of some targets. The next version will clarify and simplify some of the concepts and address the targets. b) EFSC update to Council Elyse shared some draft slides reviewing the past year and listing objectives for 2026. The commissioners debated next steps on the ground-mount solar issue. The current Village code does not permit ground-mount solar energy systems in Winnetka. Options are to do nothing at this time, amend the code to make a special use, or amend to make a permitted use subject to certain criteria. The update is on the Council agenda for March 3. Note: This has been rescheduled c) Earth Day EFSC members brainstormed ideas for an Earth Day/ Earth Month activity. Ultimately, they decided not to organize an activity for April. There is interest in organizing a solar energy forum or discussion panel to support residents curious about adding solar panels to their homes. Commissioner Ring has been leading this initiative. The event would take place sometime in the summer. d) Green Awards At the time of the meeting, no Green Award nominations were received. Elyse encouraged EFSC members to identify and nominate Green Award nominees. Applications will be reviewed and winners selected at the March meeting. 5) Communications: The Winter issue of the Winnetka Report featured many sustainable issues and initiatives. The Spring issue will have a section dedicated to environmental and sustainable stories. 6) Commission/Staff Reports: Chair Eck reminded commissioners about the Post Office survey. He also commented on the Tower Rd pier conditions. 7) Open Forum: 8) Adjournment: There being no further business, Chair Eck asked for a motion to adjourn which was moved by Commissioner Poor and seconded by Commissioner Frezados. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote; the meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Agenda

Packet

Village of Winnetka Environmental, Forestry, & Sustainability Commission Meeting February 12, 2026 at 7:00 PM Winnetka Village Hall Council Chambers - 510 Green Bay Road AGENDA 1. Introduction & Chair's Remarks 2. Public Comments 3. Review and Approval of Minutes a. January 14, 2026 Meeting Minutes 4. Old Business Updates 5. New Business a. Climate Action Plan comments b. Presentation to Council c. Earth Day planning 6. Communications 7. Committee/Staff Reports 8. Open Forum 9. Adjournment NOTICE All agenda materials are available at villageofwinnetka.org (Government > Council Information > Agenda Packets & Minutes); the Reference Desk at the Winnetka Library; or in the Manager’s Office at Village Hall (2nd floor). The Village of Winnetka, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, requests that all persons with disabilities who require certain accommodations to allow them to observe and/or participate in this meeting or have questions about the accessibility of the meeting or facilities, contact the Village ADA Coordinator, at 510 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, Illinois 60093, 847-716-3543; T.D.D. 847-501-6041. Page 1 of 3 WINNETKA ENVIRONMENTAL, FORESTRY, AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES January 14, 2026 A record of a legally convened meeting of the Environmental, Forestry and Sustainability Commission of the Village of Winnetka, which was held in Council Chambers, 510 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, Illinois, Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Call to Order: Chair Eck called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Voting Members present: Chair Peter Eck and Commissioners Liz Kunkle, King Poor, Gregory Frezados, Dave Varca, and Tim Ring. A quorum of presently appointed members was present. Voting members absent: Brendan Andrew. Village Council Representative present: Kim Handler. Student Representative present: Scarlett Harper. Student Representative absent: Louisa Hernandez. Staff Liaison present: Elyse Steiner, Sustainability Manager. 1) Introduction & Chair’s Remarks: Chair Eck shared that student representative Louisa Hernandez will be studying abroad this semester and will return to share her experience in the summer. 2) Public Comment: None. 3) Review and Approval of Minutes a) Approval of the December Regular Meeting Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Poor, seconded by Commissioner Ring to approve the minutes. AYES: KUNKLE, FREZADOS, VARCA, RING, POOR, ECK NAYS: NONE ABSENT: ANDREW 4) Old Business: Solar ordinance part 2 to address ground-mounted solar systems is being deferred until further study can be completed. The decision was to take a “wait-and-see” approach for the time being. Without any applications, there is not a rush to take action right now. EFSC will give an update on the current status but will not be presenting recommendations to Council in March. Page 2 of 3 Commissioners are interested in promoting recent “wins” for solar including the updated ordinance, fee waiver, and rebate incentives. They also would like better tracking/ reporting of new solar additions to gauge the impact of these policies. 5) New Business Prepare for February 21 Council presentation on 2025 achievements/ 2026 priorities. Commissioners reviewed and prioritized the working list of initiatives for the year. Chair Eck will work on a draft presentation before the February EFSC meeting. This has been rescheduled for the March 3 meeting. Earth Day/ Earth Month brainstorming. Elyse presented the Eco Ship partnership proposal. Commissioners wanted to explore other possibilities involving solar installers, the Climate Action Plan launch, a recycling event, or promoting events of other organizations. Commissioners agreed to continue thinking of ideas. Green Awards cycle coming up. Elyse asked that Commissioners help market and identify nominees for this year’s award. Some potential candidates include the Park District, D36 schools, and North Shore Country Day School. Special sustainability issue of Winnetka Report. Elyse shared the copy from Wilmette and will get more copies to have on hand. With Council’s support, plan to move this forward in the spring. List of guest presenters/ topics. EFSC has invited speakers on various topics in the past and will put this back on future agendas. 5) Communications: 6) Commission/Staff Reports: Commissioners agreed to reschedule February’s meeting for Thursday February 12. 7) Open Forum: None. 8) Adjournment: There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m. Page 3 of 3