HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCMinutes_2014_01_24Sustainability Council
January 24, 2014 (amended)
A meeting of the Sustainability Council was held at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, January 24, 2014 at
Brookings City & County Government Center with the following members present: Norma Nusz
Chandler, Paul Peterson, Trisha Jackson, Bob McGrath, Jane Hegland, Ryan Carda, Betty Beer,
Holly Tilton Byrne and Alvaro Garcia. Absent: Ben Kleinjan. Others present included: Parks,
Recreation & Forestry Director Pete Colson, City Engineer Jackie Lanning, Community
Development Director Mike Struck, Shelly Brandenburger from the SDSU Environmental
Stewardship and Sustainability Committee, Shari Thornes and Laurie Carruthers.
Nusz Chandler called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. A motion was made by McGrath,
seconded by Beer to approve the agenda. All present voted yes; motion carried. A motion was
made by McGrath, seconded by Carda, to approve the December 13, 2013 minutes. All present
voted yes; motion carried.
Meeting Schedule. Next meeting will be Friday, February 28, 2014 at 8:30 a.m.
Overview of City Bike Initiatives. Parks, Recreation & Forestry Director Pete Colson advised
that the city budget allocates $50,000 per year for the next two years for recreational trail
improvements. There are plans to extend the recreational trail along the north side of campus.
The SD Department of Transportation has grants available for improvements. The future plan is
to loop the recreational trail all the way around the perimeter of Brookings. However, the city
will need to wait until the airport construction is complete before proceeding to that section of
town.
Community Development Director Mike Struck and City Engineer Jackie Lanning explained the
specific components of the Safe Routes to School funding. The City intended to strip certain
streets with bike lanes on both sides of the street. In order to provide this two-way traffic,
parking must be removed from both sides of the street. Due to the limited parking around
campus, the residents did not want parking removed. Another option would be to make
specific streets one-way and install one bike lane. The City has had public meetings to discuss
converting certain streets to one-way and did not receive consensus from the residents. In the
end, the City implemented the sharrow or shared-line markings on the street and installed
street signs to raise awareness. Part of the funding was used for purchasing bicycles and
implementing a physical education course focusing on bike safety at the Camelot Intermediate
School.
Brookings currently has bike lanes along 8th Street S from Main Avenue to 22nd Avenue. Future
improvements are being made for pedestrian and bicycle traffic on 6th Street from 22nd Avenue
to 34th Avenue. A pedestrian/bike bridge is planned to be installed along the Exit 132 overpass
in 2016.
Struck advised that recreational trails are being considered in the new school development.
The Safe Routes to School program is now the Transportation Enhancements Program under
the Department of Transportation. This funding is now used for all transportation
enhancements and is not as much as it used to be. Many of the distributions are given to
communities to acquire sidewalks. Fortunately, Brookings has acquired sidewalks with their
development. However, this need in other communities takes top priority for funding.
Shari Thornes and Laurie Carruthers explained to the department directors the Bike Friendly
Community application the Sustainability Council has reviewed and the current bike-friendly
report card for Brookings. In order to receive any funding, steps are needed to increase bicycle
awareness in Brookings. Thornes and Carruthers also provided an overview of the bike sharing
programs the Sustainability Council has considered. Alvaro Garcia advised that a representative
from B-cycle is planning to be in Brookings for the Bike & Kite Fair on June 21 & 22. The B-cycle
calculator indicates Brookings would need 7 stations with 84 bicycles. A private entity would be
needed to fund a bike sharing program.
Colson, Lanning and Struck agreed to work with Thornes to review the Bike Friendly Community
application to see if it something Brookings should consider. Tilton Bryne volunteered to be on
the Bicycle Sharing Subcommittee and Pete Colson volunteered to be an ad hoc member.
Annual Report. The annual report was presented, and no changes were made. A motion was
made by Carda, seconded by Hegland to approve the 2013 Annual Report. All present voted
yes; motion carried.
Earth Day 2014. Tilton Byrne volunteered to be on the Earth Day subcommittee. Promotion
coordination is being made with the Historic Preservation Commission and Downtown
Brookings, Inc. A utility bill insert and the Chamber are possibilities for promotion. Carruthers
will send previous Earth Day/GreenFest information to Tilton Byrne to review.
Indicator Project Update. Nusz Chandler advised that Beer and Jackson have been a
tremendous help in reviewing and revising the Indicator Project. Now it is the Sustainability
Council’s responsibility to proof-read the Indicator Project and advise if the concepts and data
correlate with the message the Sustainability Council wants to provide to the City Council. Each
member’s feedback is due by Friday, February 21, 2014.
Public Education Campaign Update. Carruthers has been working with SDSU and is hoping to
have a campaign schedule to approve at the February meeting.
Electric Car Charging Station Subcommittee Update. Beer calculated the initial cost to install a
Level 2 electric car charging station would be $11,460. Currently, the Pheasant, Brookings
Animal Clinic, 3M and most hotels have Level 1 charging station available to patrons. Beer
proposes the City install a Level 2 charging station at the Government Center or Brookings
Activity Center for downtown patrons to utilize. The City general fund could possibly provide
the yearly service fee of $460.
Announcements/Correspondence/Communications/Calendar
• March 20, 2014 @ 7pm – Plain Green Speaker Series with Cori Burbach at the Brookings City
& County Government Center, Reception at 6:30 pm in the Community Room.
• 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 Hegland and McGrath expire on
12/31/14. All are eligible for a full three year term.
• March 29 from 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Earth Hour: turning off the lights/electricity during this
hour to take action on climate change and show concern for the environment.
• Future topics: Bike racks for BATA buses, bike patrol, East Brookings industry traffic
concerns, Plain Green 2015 Indicator Project, legislative issues.
Draft February Agenda: Indicator Project analysis.
Adjourn. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by Jackson, to adjourn. All present voted
yes; motion carried. Meeting adjourned 10:30 a.m.
Submitted by Laurie Carruthers