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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCMinutes_2025_03_12City of Brookings Sustainability Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, March 12th, 2025, 4:00 PM City/County Government Center; Room 300 Sustainability Council Members: Anthony Shanks, Louis Hesler, Albert Patin, Robin Buterbaugh, Emily Abele, Kiley Rath, Kyle Jamison, Conner Evers, Alicia Heich, and SDSU Student Representative Valentyna Stopul, City Staff: Samantha Beckman Assistant to the City Manager 1. Call to Order T. Shanks 2. Approval of the Agenda Motion to Approve: L. Hesler Second: E. Abele Aye: All Opposed: None 3. Approval of Minutes Motion to Approve: R. Buterbaugh Second: K. Jamison 4. Open Forum At this time, any member of the public may request time on the agenda for an item not listed. Items are not typically scheduled for the end of the meeting; however, very brief announcements of invitations will be allowed at this time. 5. City Update - Samantha Beckman ● Who wants to go to Growing Sustainable Communities Conference April 1-2, 2025 in Dubuque? ● April 8th - City election for (2) City Council positions (2) school board positions & City Charter amendments ● Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Way street sign dedication in Pioneer Park ● Stephen has started attending Pollinator Steward classes ● Golf Course RFP Process ● Council member Andrew Rasmussen resigned as of Feb 28th. Press release with application deadline will be released this Friday, March 14th. ● PW department busy clearing storm drains & inlets for better storm drainage ● Downtown Fire updates given monthly at City Council meetings & incentive applications are under review ● Skatepark Design Charette was held with 50 people attending ● 2024: 776 tons of recycling collected - 5% increase from 2023 ● 2024: 1,436.2 pounds of string lights collected from holiday light recycling program ● Parks & Public Works having discussions about pest management policies ● Reminder: continue using your bcc for emails containing quorum 6. Growing Sustainable Communities Conference ● TBD members attending 7. Bee CIty USA - Park & Rec Advisory Board Meeting April 7 @ 5:30pm ● The City Council has approved. ● Bee City Resolution has been signed. ● The Sustainability Council has been invited to the Park & Rec Advisory Board Meeting to discuss further collaborations.. 8. Recent Presentations - Lion’s Club ● R. Buterbaugh: Gave presentation about the Sustainability Council talking about what we do and current plans/incentive programs, etc. 9. Stormwater Incentive Program - Rain Garden Locations ● R. Buterbaugh: Plan to expand on Native Plant Reimbursement Program. ● Rain Garden Workshop on April 5th, 10am at McCrory Gardens. ● Rain Garden plans for outside BMU, Dakota Nature Park (x2), to be contracted out. 10. Updates/Reports from Subcommittees a. Education and Outreach ● K. Rath: Ask BSC members to look over revisions to BSC page on City’s website and give input before the next meeting. ○ Content Calendar: We have been approved to have space on City social media for any post ideas we pass along. ● Will have booth at Garden Discovery Festival: May 18th at McCrory b. Climate (Biodiversity) ● No Updates c. Waste ● C. Evers: Further digging necessary for water bottle refill stations. d. Energy ● Find someone to talk to about implementing a charging station at the new Marketplace development. e. Local Foods ● Community Food Forest Update - R. Buterbaugh: ○ Draft letter created for sponsorship opportunities for fencing. ○ QR code linked to informational video ○ Community Engagement Meeting: April 10th at 6:30, Government Center, Room 300. ○ Request use for Sustainability Council funds for fence, in talks with Parks Dept. as well. ○ Cap Sponsorships at $20,000. ● Motion to approve up to $4000 to allocate toward the Brookings Community Food Forest materials and labor as necessary: E. Abele ○ Second: K. Jamison ○ Aye: All Opposed: None 12. Updates from LIaisons a. Parks and Recreation Board i. No Updates b. Planning Commission i. K. Jamison: Undergone training for TIF program - City is implementing a Tax Increment Financing district - alleviating some tax burden to help fund new construction (primarily commercial). To include street improvement, underground plumbing, etc. c. Historic Preservation i. No Updates (Vacant) d. Local Emergency Planning Commission i. No Updates e. BATA i. No Updates 13. Continuing Items a. SDSU Student Project Ideas i. R. Buterbaugh: Potential Educational Outreach Event for Bee City? b. Mayor’s Awards Planning i. Categories: Nonprofit/Government, Industrial, Individual 1. All nominations are due August 1st. (Finalize at July meeting) c. Downtown Brookings Brainstorming 14. Call for Future Agenda Items ● None 15. Adjourn Motion to Adjourn: C. Evers Second: E. Abele Aye: All Opposed: None Respectfully submitted by Kiley Rath.