HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCMinutes_2013_12_13Sustainability Council
December 13, 2013
A meeting of the Sustainability Council was held at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, December 13, 2013 at
Brookings City & County Government Center with the following members present: Norma Nusz
Chandler, Ben Kleinjan, Paul Peterson, Donna Hess, Bob McGrath, Jane Hegland, Ryan Carda,
Betty Beer and Alvaro Garcia. Absent: Brooke Sydow and Arika Sanders. Others present
included: Shelly Brandenburger from the SDSU Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability
Committee, Robb Rasmussen and Laurie Carruthers.
Nusz Chandler called the meeting to order at 8:33 a.m. A motion was made by McGrath,
seconded by Garcia to approve the agenda. All present voted yes; motion carried. Carruthers
noted a change to the minutes. A motion was made by Hess, seconded by McGrath, to approve
the amended November 22, 2013 minutes. All present voted yes; motion carried.
Meeting Schedule. Next meeting will be Friday, January 24, 2014 at 8:30 a.m.
Plain Green Speaker Series. Hegland advised that Cori Burbach, Sustainable Community
Coordinator for Dubuque will speak on Thursday, March 20, 2014. The reception will be at 6:30
p.m. with the speaker at 7:00 p.m. at the Brookings City & County Government Center. The
other speakers will be on the third Thursday for January, February, March and April. January
and April will be in Sioux Falls; February and March will be in Brookings.
Earth Day 2014. Carruthers advised that she had been in contact with Penny Hauffe from
ReStore regarding collaborating on the event. Shelly Brandenburger from the ESSC reported
that SDSU is planning events throughout the week including: student competitions, Ignite
presentations, scavenger hunt, and renting the Student Union Main Street for tables and
booths.
Nomination Committee Report and Elections. Carda reported that Nusz Chandler accepted
the nomination for Chair, and Kleinjan accepted the nomination for Vice-Chair. A motion was
made by McGrath, seconded by Peterson, to cease nominations and approve Nusz Chandler as
Chair, Kleinjan as Vice-Chair. All present voted yes; motion carried.
Sustainable Building Practices. Nusz Chandler advised that a letter was sent to Les Rowland of
designArc recommending sustainable building practices for the new school. Carruthers will
follow-up with Rowland next week. Beer suggested the SC provide letters to future developers.
The SC discussed preparing literature and information to distribute at the zoning stage and
possibly awarding for sustainable measures implemented.
Bike rental proposal. Robb Rasmussen from Sioux River Bicycles and Fitness advised Fargo is
implementing a bike sharing program. He entered the zip code in the B-cycle calculator and
based on population, Brookings would need 7 stations, 84 bikes at a cost of $294,000.
Brookings is not ready to apply to be a Bike Friendly Community with the League of American
Bicyclists. More development needs to be made. The next step would be to meet with the City
departments affected (Park & Recreation/Community Development/ Engineering) to inform
and advise regarding the Sustainability Council’s intent.
Indicator Project. Nusz Chandler provided an update on the indicator project. Beer is
reviewing content and filling in the holes. Garcia volunteered to help. Brandenburger will
provide Nusz Chandler with a contact at SDSU who studied GPS for wellness reports.
Electric Car Charging Station. Beer questioned if there was an installation charge for the
charging stations through the city. McGrath advised that the city would need to hire a
professional electrician to perform the installation.
Public Education Campaign. Carruthers advised that SDSU is finishing the remaining photos
and preparing the taglines. The final version of the Mayor’s poster was presented.
Announcements/Correspondence/Communications/Calendar
• March 20, 2014 – Plain Green Speaker Series with Cori Burbach at Dakota Nature Park
• September 12, 2014 – Plain Green Conference
• Membership: Members’ terms were staggered with one, two and three terms when the
Council was created on September 15, 2011. Terms for Beer, Hess and Sanders expire on
12/31/13. All are eligible for a full three year term.
• March 29 from 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Earth Hour: Brandenburger asked the Council for their
help in promoting Earth Hour and turn off the lights during this time to take action on
climate change and show concern for the environment.
• Future topics: Bike racks for BATA buses, bike patrol and East Brookings industry traffic
concerns.
Draft January Agenda: Earth Day 2014, annual report, electric car charging station sub-
committee, bike sharing proposal, Indicator Project update, public education initiative, and
year-to-date financials.
Adjourn. A motion was made by Kleinjan, seconded by Hegland, to adjourn. All present voted
yes; motion carried. Meeting adjourned 9:55 a.m.
Submitted by Laurie Carruthers