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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCMinutes_2015_01_28Sustainability Council January 28, 2015 A meeting of the Sustainability Council was held at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at 3:00 pm at Brookings City & County Government Center with the following members present: Trisha Jackson, Norma Nusz Chandler, Bob McGrath, Ben Kleinjan, Alvaro Garcia, Holly Tilton Byrne, Paul Peterson, Jane Hegland, Stephanie Aure, Betty Beer and Mike Lockrem. Others present included: Mayor Tim Reed, Penny Hauffe, Laurie Johnson, Shari Thornes and Laurie Carruthers. Chair Jackson called the meeting to order at 3:01 p.m. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by Nusz Chandler to approve the amended agenda. All present voted yes; motion carried. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by Tilton Byrne, to approve the amended December 5, 2014 minutes. All present voted yes; motion carried. Schedule next meeting. February 11, 2015 at 3:00 pm. Action to approve the 2014 Annual Report. Beer submitted an amendment to the Annual Report adding her takeaway from the Dubuque conference. A motion was made by Peterson, seconded by Garcia, to approve the amended 2014 Annual Report. All present voted yes; motion carried. Updates/Final Reports: Brookings Benchmarks Indicator Project Action Plan. Mayor Reed updated the Sustainability Council regarding the 2015 Goal Setting Sessions and advised sustainability was a hot topic. City Manager Jeff Weldon has been tasked with preparing a 2015 work plan and has asked for assistance from the Sustainability Council on identifying the topic of sustainable priorities for 2015. At this point, the City Council is not ready to recommend the hiring of a full-time sustainability employee. The consensus for the City Council is to be more hands-on and identify the city’s sustainability priorities and strategy. The work plan should identify specific objectives, action steps and the timeline. Reed advised if not all the identified specifics from the action plan fall into place, have a backup plan. Reed further commented the key elements are to engage, proceed with the action plan and listen to the City Council. After a thorough discussion the Sustainability Council identified poverty, trash/refuse generation, construction, housing, vehicle mobility & walkable neighborhoods, clean fleet and reforestation as the indicators with 2015 priorities. Tilton Byrne and Aure agreed to be on a subcommittee to draft the 2015 plan. The Sustainability Council will review and finalize the 2015 plan at the February 11th meeting. Earth Day 2015. Thornes advised that Habitat ReStore is conducting an event on April 18th or 25th and wanted the Sustainability Council’s input on a date. The members discussed a booth at the event and decided the 18th worked best for the members. Laurie Johnson advised there will be some changes to the SDSU events and they are meeting the week of February 2nd. She will send an update to Carruthers. Summer Student Intern Program Report. Members reviewed and revised the intern proposal. Beer will make the revisions to clarify the research focus and Carruthers will submit the application. Thornes advised that there needs to be a plan in place for the management, daily supervision and work plan for the intern. She suggested a subcommittee be formed for each project if Brookings receives an intern. County Liaison. The County Commission denied the appointment of Thoreau as a County Liaison for the Sustainability Council. Instead, they would appoint a County Commissioner or a Department Head. Thornes asked the members to think about possible appointments and advise her. Announcements/Correspondence/Communications/Calendar • Thornes advised that she has been invited to join the Heartland Regional Network, a subsidiary of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. This network will share ideas and have monthly conference calls. Thornes will provide updates as necessary. Adjourn. A motion was made by Peterson, seconded by Hegland, to adjourn. All present voted yes; motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m. Submitted by Laurie Carruthers.