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HomeMy WebLinkAboutConservation Commission - 02/11/2020APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CONSERVATION COMMISSION MEETING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2020 7:00 PM, Heritage Rooms 1 & 2 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: Anna Anderson (Chair), Jeanne DeSanctis, Aaron Poock, JoAnn McGuire, Debjyoti Dwivedy, Cindy Hoffman, Kate Lohnes, Daniel Katzenberger, Priya Senthilkkumar CITY STAFF: Senior Planner Beth Novak-Krebs, Planning Division, Administrative Assistant Amanda Pellowski STUDENT MEMBERS: Abhiram Nallamalli, Kiersten Orning, Mina Kim, Nile Timmerman, Rohin Gurumurthy I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Katzenberger, Senthilkumar, DeSanctis, and student members Orning and Timmerman were absent. Environmental Coordinator Leslie Stovring and City Engineer Rod Rue joined the meeting. Michaela Papp, a resident of Eden Prairie, was also in attendance. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Poock moved, seconded by McGuire to approve the amended agenda to add discussion about continuity on the Commission and an update on the 2020 Metro Wide Environmental Commission Conference. Motion carried 6-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM JANUARY 14 MEETING MOTION: Dwivedy moved, seconded by Poock to approve the minutes of the January 14, 2020, Conservation Commission meeting with the following corrections: Chair Anderson called the meeting to order, Nallamalli was absent, and Katzenberger’s name should be updated on pages 3 and 5. Motion carried 6-0. IV. REPORTS A. REPORTS FROM STAFF 1. DEBRIEF OF PRESENTATION OF WORK PLAN TO COUNCIL Conservation Commission Minutes February 11, 2020 Page 2 Anderson stated the presentation at the Council Workshop on January 21st went well. It focused on the Conservation Commission’s highlights from the past year and plans for the upcoming year. Council was interested in how Eden Prairie compares to other cities and asked what they can do to help. Anderson responded that passing the Climate Action Plan will be very important and recommended checking on goals more frequently than every 3-5 years to increase the chances of achieving them before 2050. Novak-Krebs added that the Council is very supportive of the Commission’s work and happy to help however they can. They asked whether the Commission has met with any watershed districts. Novak- Krebs suggested discussing the possibility of a joint meeting with the watershed districts. McGuire asked if the Council would like the Commission to lead that endeavor. Anderson didn’t get that impression, but it is important not to be complacent and instead to keep moving forward to accomplish their goals in the timeframes that have been set. Novak-Krebs added there are communities starting to regulate what people can and can’t do. Eden Prairie isn’t at a place yet to regulate. Instead the City makes recommendations that are good for sustainability and the environment. Anderson added the City is focused more on incentivizing and encouraging than on regulating. Hoffman asked when the Climate Action Plan will go in front of the Council again. Rue responded it will be a presentation at the next Council meeting, then possibly in March or April it will be voted on for formal adoption. Hoffman asked if the Commission should attend the Council meeting in support. Anderson agreed that would be a good idea. Rue stated the presentation would happen during the Director of Public Works Report at the February 18 City Council meeting. 2. DISCUSSION OF HOME AND GARDEN EXPO Anderson stated the Home and Garden Expo is Saturday March 21. Stovring shared some background that the City’s storm water permit expired in 2018 and updates are still being worked on for the new permit. It will be passed in June. She’s looking at how to incorporate different aspects of the permit into events this year. The top item in the new permit is education for salt, pet waste and bacteria. They’ll also need two education focus areas that relate to water quality. Stovring’s booth at the Home and Garden Expo will focus on illicit discharges. She might have a salt flyer to hand out and is looking for feedback from the Commission on a pet waste flyer. The City was given a grant from the Met Council for a water conservation rebate program for irrigation systems. It includes the controllers and sprinkler heads. The grant proposal states they will share materials about Conservation Commission Minutes February 11, 2020 Page 3 the rebate program at the Home Landscape and Garden Show. One idea was to do a drawing – a resident could bring a receipt to show proof of purchase of a qualified item in order to be entered in a drawing for a gift card. That might be a good fit for the Commission’s booth. Hoffman asked if the Met Council grant is new. Stovring responded it isn’t - it’s the 3rd or 4th year. Irrigation systems are where the biggest water conservation savings can be found, so they’re focusing on that this year. Stovring will have a mini survey and ducks at the expo. Hoffman asked if there are already key messages that were documented from last year for Arbor Day. Anderson replied they did have something about the smart controller last year, and also focused on recycling at the Home and Garden Expo. Water panels, however, are earmarked for Eden Prairie Center. Jeanne worked with Nancy Litwin at Eden Prairie Center to display some of their panels to help educate the public on simple swaps they can make to be an environmental steward. But perhaps they can borrow the water panel display to use for one event. Hoffman asked what they’ll need for the show. Anderson replied they’ll use the water display panels and will do a give-away. Hoffman suggested the volunteers have a copy of the quiz they’ve used in the past to use as talking points and key messages. Anderson stated she’ll get them from Novak-Krebs and will weave them into the key messages. Hoffman asked if there’s data that shows water usage in Eden Prairie for Dec versus Aug to be able to share at the expo. Anderson will include that data in the key messages. She asked everyone to block their calendars on March 21 from 9 am – 3 pm. They’ll sign up for shifts during the March 10th meeting. 3. DISCUSSION OF ARBOR DAY EVENT Stovring stated the themes she’s focusing on for the Arbor Day Green Fair will be spring and summer topics, the main topic being the new “Adopt a Drain” program. She’s working with watershed partners across the metro focusing on water quality. Eden Prairie is one of the first cities to offer the program. Volunteers can sign up online and are able to view how much has been cleaned up. The most common debris removed from storm drains is grass, leaves and dirt. Many of the volunteers who have signed up did so because of local flooding they’ve witnessed. The City provides supplies such as vests and gloves to volunteers if needed. “Adopt a Drain” is her main focus but she’ll also have pet disposal bags to give away, as well as stampers for protecting ids. The stampers make it possible to put paper directly into recycling instead of having to be shredded. Anderson asked which item the Commission will use for giveaways. Stovring replied they’ll be able to use the stamper, since that fits with the Commission’s key message of recycling. Conservation Commission Minutes February 11, 2020 Page 4 Stovring stated she could also order seed packets. There’s a Minnesota pollinator mix, a monarch mix and a savannah mix. Anderson asked Hoffman’s advice on whether it’s better to hand out seeds at the March or May event in order for recipients to be able to enjoy them that season. Hoffman advised that most of those seeds won’t bloom until the 2nd year. Stovring clarified there are different mixes for different times of year. The seed packets are geared toward people who are experienced gardeners, so if they go with the bigger packets they should only be handed out to people who know what they’re doing. Hoffman asked how much the packets cost. Stovring responded the large packets are $15 each, the small packets are $1 each. Hoffman asked if it’s possible to find something more in the middle and give away small plants, for example milkweed. Stovring thought that might be possible. She’s going to put some thought into what will work. There will also be a sign up to buy trees at a reduced rate. There will be 150 trees available. Riley Watershed and the City are contributing to that. Information about it is currently available on the website. Stovring continued with details about the event. The Water Department will possibly have a water fountain and give away re-usable bottles. The Arbor Day event is at Round Lake Park. Anderson suggested they pause on finalizing the Commission’s Arbor Day plans for now. She’d like to have something a bit more natural that represents what the Commission stands for. Giving away a plant and instructions to care for it is a possibility. Stovring stated one thing that’s different for the event this year is that they’re working with Wild Ones and someone at the Mosquito Control District to have speakers at the building at Round Lake for the event. The event will be held from 9-12 and there will be different speakers throughout that time. Stovring is also working with Wild Ones to possibly do a workshop in June at the Outdoor Center about the “Superpowers of Native Plants” with a carpool tour of local gardens afterwards. She’d like to be able to promote the workshop at the expo. Stovring asked if any Commission members were interested in aquariums and fish. Bloomington does a goldfish surrender and auction event that Eden Prairie could easily replicate. Goldfish are terrible for lakes and many of the plants used in aquariums are invasive. Hoffman stated Prairie Restoration is selling milkweed six packs for $7.50, but they could also consider wild bergamot since it’s hardy and easy to grow. Anderson agreed they should look at the price point and discuss at the next meeting. Conservation Commission Minutes February 11, 2020 Page 5 4. DISPLAY AT EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Novak-Krebs will follow-up with the City’s Communications Manager about approval for the wording on the panels for the display. Anderson would like to also have some examples of items with the panels – light bulbs, showerheads, etc. She asked if there were any items from past giveaways they could use. Novak-Krebs will see if she can find any. Stovring stated they have some budget to buy a showerhead for the display if needed. Anderson clarified the display is enclosed, so the items can’t be stolen. 5. AEON FOR OCEAN MOVIE Novak-Krebs checked on the availability of rooms at the Community Center on Fridays in March for the event. There’s plenty of availability. However, the Home and Garden Expo is in March so perhaps they should look at April instead. Anderson asked that they find two Fridays in April (making sure to avoid spring break) that would work for the family. Then they can confirm availability with the Community Center and choose the date at their March meeting. McGuire will contact the family about their availability. She asked how many people fit in the room at the Community Center. Novak-Krebs responded about 80 people. B. REPORTS FROM CHAIR Anderson gave the floor to Hoffman to discuss the agenda items that were added at the beginning of the meeting. Hoffman would like to ensure there’s continuity on the Commission since there are three members who are rolling off in March. She’s concerned about losing their knowledge and experience. She’d like to expand on the Work Plan to capture experienced members’ thoughts on things that have worked in the past, what hasn’t worked, and to share a list of resources for future members. That could help new members to get up to speed and contribute faster. It would also help to keep the Commission from having to reinvent the wheel. Anderson stated the presentation for City Council is a great snapshot of the Commission’s accomplishments and plans for the future, in just 8 slides. Hoffman thought perhaps they could use the presentation and build on it each year. Anderson emphasized the importance of the Commission continuing to drive toward supporting the work the City is doing. Novak- Krebs thought perhaps the presentation to the Council could be the starting point to create training for the Conservation Commission. It could be used at the April or May meeting for the new members. Hoffman suggested having outgoing members give the new members advice. Anderson confirmed that March will be her and Lohnes’ last meeting after 3 years on the Commission. Hoffman will look at the presentation to find gaps and will bring suggestions to the March meeting. Conservation Commission Minutes February 11, 2020 Page 6 Hoffman gave an update on the 2020 Metro Wide Environmental Commission Conference. The date hasn’t been finalized yet. It could be either Saturday April 4 or Saturday April 18. The focus is on climate change. Commissioners from across the state are invited and staff from cities that have sustainability initiatives can attend. The conference will begin with a presentation on the 2019 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Report. There will also be a shorter presentation on the 2019 Greenhouse Gas Report and one breakout session in which each city will share the top three things they’re doing to combat carbon emissions. Hoffman will have more details at the March meeting. Anderson commented that Eden Prairie’s City Manager has been asked to speak to groups who are trying to start a commission. That might be a good topic for a breakout session if there are attendees who don’t have a commission and are considering implementing one. Anderson shared that the Commission received an invitation to participate in the Park Clean Up Day again. She suggested making it a yearly Conservation Commission alumni event. She’ll rsvp for the group and will figure out specifics for invitations. C. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION 1. WATER UPDATE 2. WASTE UPDATE 3. LANDSCAPE/POLLINATOR UPDATE 4. ENERGY UPDATE D. REPORTS FROM STUDENTS V. OTHER BUSINESS VI. UPCOMING EVENTS Home and Garden Expo – Saturday, March 21, 2020 – 9 am to 3 pm Park Clean Up Day – Saturday, April 25, 2020 Arbor Day and Green Fair – Saturday, May 2, 2020 VII. NEXT MEETING The next Conservation Commission meeting will be held Tuesday March 10, 2020, 7:00 Conservation Commission Minutes February 11, 2020 Page 7 p.m. in Heritage Rooms 1 & 2. VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Poock moved, seconded by Lohnes to adjourn the meeting. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:11 p.m.