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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCMinutes_2016_09_19Sustainability Council September 19, 2016 A meeting of the Sustainability Council was held on Monday, September 19, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. at Brookings City & County Government Center with the following members present: Holly Tilton Byrne, Norma Nusz Chandler, Jane Hegland, Alvaro Garcia, Mike Lockrem, Paul Peterson, Bob McGrath and Betty Beer. Absent: Ben Kleinjan, Stephanie Aure, Nels Granholm, and Riley Larson. Others present included: Shari Thornes, Laurie Carruthers. Chair Tilton Byrne called the meeting to order at 3:07 p.m. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by Nusz Chandler, to approve the agenda. All present voted yes; motion carried. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by Nusz Chandler, to approve the June 15, 2016 meeting minutes. All present voted yes; motion carried. Discussion regarding fall meeting schedule and schedule next meeting. Doodle poll for new date will be sent coordinating with Larson’s schedule. Updates/Reports. Growing Sustainable Communities Conference. Council Member Bacon is attending. No Sustainability Council Members will be attending. Beer arrived at 3:14 pm. Monarch & Pollinator Promotion. Dakota Rural Action began a pollinator campaign encouraging residents and businesses to increase native plant habitat. DRA is working with a research farm in Deuel County. Sustainability Intern Giza Mukhidinova is also researching other opportunities. The DRA chapter is promoting a signage program to place by habitat zones and conducting a contest for the artwork. Announcements will be sent to design schools across the state. Hopefully, this will inspire other communities to start similar projects. Garcia mentioned an Iowa State cooperative possibility. Proposed project utilizing funding from Solid Waste Department. $1,000 is available from the Solid Waste Department and needs to be used prior to December 31. One possible option for this funding is recycling containers for the Government Center. Sustainability Intern and Jennifer McLaughlin have been researching options. A motion was made by Lockrem, seconded by Peterson, for the city to develop a universal policy/program that requires all city buildings, departments, public spaces and special events to have recycling containers. All present voted yes; motion carried. An inventory of which buildings are currently recycling and what containers are being used needs to be conducted. The policy will include an overview and budget. The City cannot encourage citizens to recycle if it is not. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by Beer, to allocate the $1,000 from the Solid Waste Department to the public education campaign. Lockrem abstained. All others present voted yes; motion carried. Poster Campaign 2016/2017. A pollinators poster was added to the public education campaign. Carruthers will coordinate with the SDSU photographer’s schedule. Affordable housing is another possible poster option. Lockrem left at 3:45 pm. Liaisons. Brookings Bicycle Advisory Committee – On September 14 & 15, the Committee held Community Workshops at the Activity Center and SDSU as well as specific focus group listening sessions. 80+ people participated on September 14 and 60+ on September 15. Everyone is encouraged to take the survey and provide routes on the interactive map prior to September 30. November will be the next stakeholder meeting, and January there will be another Community Workshop with a final Bicycle Master Plan presented at the March City Council Meeting. Subcommittees. Green Building Policy – The policy is now in the final stages of review and then it will be presented to the departments. There will be an internal review by building officials and the city attorney before review by Sustainability Council. Urban Ag – The subcommittee has been digging through ordinances, which is a very large undertaking. It is easy to pin-point what we have, but not what we need. The subcommittee needs someone with an urban planning background to review everything. Some cities have been rolling back on ordinances because they have been running into problems (weeds/height requirements, bare ground/soil erosion into storm sewers, etc.). It was advised for the subcommittee to check-in with cities that were initially proactive on urban ag. Storm Water – Thornes advised the materials have been assembled and are now being reviewed by the subcommittee. Upon approval, they will be posted on the website and Facebook. Green Drinks – Green Drinks will resume in October. November and December there will not be a Green Drinks due to the holidays. The new start time will be 6pm. Blue Dasher Farms and Council Member Bacon’s report on affordable housing are possible topics. Tilton Byrne will check if Blue Dasher Farm can speak at the October Green Drinks. Earth Day 2017 – Tilton Byrne, Beer, Aure and Hegland are on the subcommittee. Other possible members include Jennifer McLaughlin and Dan Brettschneider. The subcommittee will meet before the holidays. Jason Sternhagen from SDSU’s Electrical Engineering has a mobile trailer with a wind turbine and solar panels, which could be a possible exhibit. Future meeting agendas. Bylaws, net metering, Big Sioux River Water Summit Report & Membership and the Governor’s legislation of a 60% property tax reduction on buffer strips along rivers/streams are scheduled future meeting items. Tilton Byrne advised DRA is following the Governor’s legislation. The Sustainability Council can also take a stand. Nusz Chandler asked if the Council can gauge the community’s interest through an online survey or announcements. Announcements/Correspondence/Communications/Calendar. 9/7 Annual Mayor’s Big Sioux River Water Summit, Sioux Falls – Granholm attended and will report at the next meeting. 9/15 Community Conversation about SD’s Energy Future, Brookings Public Library, 6:30-8 p.m. – This was a discussion about what is missing and an awareness at the community level. 9/30-10/1 Rapid City Sustainability Conference 10/4-5 Dubuque Sustainability Conference – Council Member Patty Bacon attending. 10/7-8 DRA Annual Conference, Rapid City – This is a discussion of sustainability councils across the state and each group reports on their particular activities. Tilton Byrne will be attending. 11/4-5 SD Local Foods Conference, Mitchell – The Sioux Chef Sean Sherman from Minneapolis and Dan Halsey’s permaculture discussion are the featured speakers. 11/10 Mayor’s Awards Reception – ABLE Award for the community gardens raised bed project. 4/22 Earth Day Thornes advised the Public Arts Commission is bringing in Porter Arneill, a national speaker on the Kansas City public art program during Hobo Week. The public event will be at the Art Museum on October 20 from 5-7 pm. The Farmer’s Market has applied for a Kickstarter grant for improvements in their infrastructure (recycling & garbage receptacles, benches and bike racks). The grant is limited to $10,000 and is open to organizations in three states. The project that receives the most votes will get funded. Everyone is encouraged to vote often for the Brookings Farmer’s Market. The Sustainability Intern Giza Mukhidinova has worked on the following projects for the summer: storm water education, bicycle friendly application, Bicycle Master Plan Community Workshop at SDSU, Historic Preservation statewide conference & training camp and recycling containers. She is majoring in hospitality management and has worked one week at the Swiftel Center in August and will work another in October. Nusz Chandler was asked on behalf of the Sustainability Council to explore opportunities for streamlining the pickup and drop-off of children for school and functions. Possible opportunities include BATA, school bus routes, other drop-off sites (Walmart or a church). More facts were needed prior to proceeding with this project. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 4:35 pm. Submitted by Laurie Carruthers