HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCMinutes_2014_03_07Sustainability Council
March 7, 2014
A meeting of the Sustainability Council was held at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, March 7, 2014 at
Brookings City & County Government Center with the following members present: Norma Nusz
Chandler, Paul Peterson, Bob McGrath, Ben Kleinjan, Betty Beer and Holly Tilton Byrne. Absent:
Alvaro Garcia, Trisha Jackson, Jane Hegland and Ryan Carda. Others present included: Laurie
Carruthers.
Nusz Chandler called the meeting to order at 8:32 a.m. A motion was made by Kleinjan,
seconded by McGrath to approve the agenda. All present voted yes; motion carried. Nusz
Chandler noted a change to the minutes. A motion was made by Beer, seconded by McGrath,
to approve February 28, 2014 minutes as amended. All present voted yes; motion carried.
Meeting Schedule. Next meeting will be Friday, March 14, 2014 at 8:30 a.m.
Indicator Project Analysis.
Indicator Suggestions/revisions
Complete Streets • Carruthers to check with Struck regarding ‘sharrow’ vs.
‘shareway’
• Check with City Engineer regarding miles of sidewalk
• Note in summary:
o Brookings lacks transit bike lanes
o The Sustainability Council is investigating a bike sharing
program for Brookings
Mixed Use • Under 3rd paragraph of ‘Why is this important?’ change to read,
“Reducing traffic congestion benefits cities by decreasing the
likelihood of accidents…”
• Under ‘How does Brookings compare?’ modify when data is
available.
Quantity of open
space
• Under ‘Why is this important?’ add to first paragraph, “Green
space is not only about quantity, it is also about the quality of
the open space and possible year-round activities available.
Access to open
space
• Change indicator to clarify, “Percent of households within
walkability (1/4 mile) of public open space (including parks and
public schoolyards) according to LEED certification”
• Under last paragraph of ‘Why is this important?’ change the first
sentence to read, “Prospective home owners may be willing to
pay…”
• For Figure 1
o Define public open space
o Identify colors on map
o Add SDSU to map
Historic Preservation • Change Figure 1 to be a table with the ranking of population
compared to NRHP listings
Principle: Green
Buildings
• Add an ‘s’ to Brookings in the last sentence
• Use a photo of the Children’s Science Museum
Green Standards • Delete last sentence under ‘How does Brookings compare?’
• At the end of the summary, add “It is recommended that public
buildings aspire to energy efficiency.”
Affordable Housing • Rewrite ‘Summary’: Brookings needs to provide more affordable
housing for homeowners. Currently, 1/3 of home owners are
living beyond their means. More effort could also be placed in
providing affordable rental property. More than ½ of all renters
are living beyond their means. Brookings is second from the last
in renter affordability compared to the other cities.
Safe Housing • Need to obtain data from City and revise ‘How are we doing?’,
‘How does Brookings compare?’ and the ‘Summary’ Beer offered
to work on this.
Principle: Healthy
Local Food
• Confirm this sentence is an accurate statement, “This indicates
Brookings is about average with the other communities in raising
and consuming healthy food.”
Proximity to healthy
foods
• Jackson is rewriting.
• Define food desert.
• Add Lewis Drug and Nature’s Paradise to map
Community Gardens • Add a sentence at the end of the ‘Summary’, “The current
community garden is not an ideal location. For future planning,
it is recommended that community gardens are placed closer to
residential neighborhoods.”
Farmers Market
Attendance
• Change Figure 1 & 2 to be ‘2’ for Brookings, not ‘3.’
• Under ‘How are we doing?’ in the 2nd paragraph change three to
two.
o Change the content to reflect this change
• Under ‘How does Brookings compare?’ Change Brookings from 3
to 2.
o Change the content to reflect this change
• Under the ‘Summary’ at the end of the 1st paragraph add,
“However, Brookings does have other options available for local
food. Brookings has Community Supported Agriculture (CSA),
the SD Local Foods Co-op which provides a year-round online
farmers market to Brookings and Sioux Falls, local pick-your-own
gardens and roadside stands.
Dollar value of local
foods purchased by
local institutions
• Under ‘How does Brookings compare?’ delete all paragraphs to
read, “A handful of restaurants indicate that 10-40% of their
food is either grown or prepared locally. Many consumers are
cognizant about where their food comes from, and the demand
for local grown food is increasing.”
Obesity • The last sentence under ‘Summary’ should be changed from
‘similar’ to “following a similar trend.”
• Add a Color Run or Brookings Marathon photo
Announcements/Correspondence/Communications/Calendar
• March 20, 2014 – Plain Green Speaker Series with Cori Burbach at the Brookings City &
County Government Center
o 10:00 am – Individual meeting with Cori Burbach and the Sustainability Council
o 6:30 pm – Reception in Community Room
o 7:00 pm – Lecture in Chambers
• 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 March 14 Agenda: Indicator Project analysis, Plain Green Speaker Series, Earth Day
Update.
Adjourn. Peterson needed to leave, and there was no longer a quorum. Meeting adjourned at
9:57 a.m.
Submitted by Laurie Carruthers