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HomeMy WebLinkAboutConservation Commission - 10/09/2018 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CONSERVATION COMMISSION MEETING TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2018 7:00 PM—CITY CENTER Prairie Room, 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: Lori Tritz (Chair), Cindy Hoffman, Anna Anderson, Michael Bennett, Daniel Katzenberger, Kate Lohnes, Nate Pischke, Ashley Young CITY STAFF: Senior Planner Beth Novak-Krebs, Planning Division, Leslie Stovring, Engineering, Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary STUDENT MEMBERS: Troy Johnson, Rhea Sharma, Govind Makaram I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Tritz called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Absent was commission members Katzenberger and Pischke. Hoffman arrived at 7:03 p.m. Makaram arrived at 7:56 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Bennett moved, seconded by Young to approve the agenda Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Bennett moved, seconded by Young to approve the minutes. Motion carried 5-0. IV. REPORTS A. REPORTS FROM STAFF 1. CITYWIDE OPEN HOUSE DEBRIEF Novak-Krebs stated there was a large turnout at the Open House. Stovring announced there might be cuts made to it for the year after next, such as the fire truck, fire display, giveaways, et cetera Stovring replied food and giveaways were donated; the issue was staffing. Anderson urged considering having organizations such as the 4-H Club to help volunteer at Conservation Commission Minutes October 9, 2018 Page 2 the event. Stovring asked for feedback on the event. Tritz stated having all the commission members and the Bee Squad in one room together was effective. Novak-Krebs announced 43 waste pledge cards were taken at the event. Stovring did not have a total of visitors, however, Nine Mile reported around 175 people at 1:00. Hoffman suggested changing the"Event Info" sign outside the door to City Hall to something like"More Inside" or"More Giveaways" make it clear this was not just a person in a booth, and also suggested signage to point to additional parking. Hoffman stated she had many good conversations with residents, and Bennett complimented the Council Members and legislators for attending. Lohnes stated she used the quiz heavily at the water station, and found the pledges to be "big asks" whereas small behavioral changes could add up and were more likely to prove effective. Tritz asked Lohnes and Hoffman to come up with three revised pledge cards, and Anderson suggested tying the pledges with the City's rebate offers. Stovring suggested having pledges easier for apartment dwellers to fulfill. Tritz thanked the commission members and student representatives for their efforts. 2. DISCUSS DRAFT SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN Stovring displayed a Word document onscreen and went through the 52 strategies with the commission members. Staff and the consultant set the priorities, and strategies were ranked by category, not by importance. This was a long-range, 10-year plan. Stovring displayed and elicited feedback on the various strategies discussed. Strategy 1 was to evaluate current use of educational tools. Discussion followed on finding a community board display, perhaps at a senior center or the Mall, like the one at Eden Prairie Library which would soon close for renovation. Strategy 2 was to conduct a web-based survey for residents and businesses. Young suggested a "boots on the ground" survey, perhaps at Eden Prairie Mall, to conduct a survey and capturing contact information. Discussion followed on how to encourage new subscribers on social media and blogs to better inform them about recycling. Strategy 3 was to encourage and promote the County's "Master Recycler" program and track participants and credits needed to keep this status. Bennett stated a friend of his had a difficult time getting into the program and he had not seen the program advertised lately, which complicated the question. Strategy 6 was to develop educational materials for"Move In/Move Out" to properly recycle and dispose of moving materials from homes and especially apartments, and businesses. Strategy 7 was to partner with Chamber of Commerce and other local businesses organizations to optimize the effectiveness of City staff resources. Other suggestions were the Rotary Club, etc. Bennett urged sorting out hazardous waste as much as possible before recycling. Conservation Commission Minutes October 9, 2018 Page 3 Tritz mentioned one-on-one contacts to get the word out, although they were resource intensive, and suggested a"breakfast and learn" like a "lunch and learn." Strategy 8 was to expand promotion of reusables through event promotions and promotion of the Hennepin County Fix-It Clinics and other County initiatives. Bennett stated he created flyers for the Epilepsy Foundation and Disabled American Vets. Some organizations had a three-bag minimum and others could pick up at one's house. Nextdoor.com and placing items on the curb were becoming more popular. Strategy 21 was to evaluate the City's current education program and determine if opportunities existed for additional technical assistance, public education, and outreach to encourage multifamily recycling. Young asked if there was a way to better educate low-income residents about recycling. Stovring also incorporated this in the Multifamily Recycling of Traditional Recyclables section (Section 4.5). Strategy 26 was to evaluate what resources and site improvements would be required for the City to develop yard waste drop-off sites. Anderson asked why yard waste was a priority. Stovring replied this was due to an expressed need from residents; this generated the most calls to the City. However, the management of other organics waste was also being explored and appeared in the Organics Recycling section. Bennett asked if this site would be closed or open certain hours. Stovring replied this was still being determined. Strategy 26 was to evaluate what resources and site improvements would be required for the City to develop yard waste drop- off sites. Bennett expressed concern with contamination of City waste sites. Stovring replied with proper education of residents, St. Louis Park's program was successful. Strategy 38 was to evaluate the Eden Prairie School District current organics and recycling program and explore opportunities to further collaborate with the Schools and the County to enhance the program effectiveness. Young suggested adding an education component to this. Strategy 39 was to evaluate current requirements for outside container screening and placement. Hoffman suggested adding an incentive for places such as gas stations, which often did not prominently display their recycling bins. Young asked if it was the consumer-facing businesses that needed to recycle. Stovring replied certain businesses were grandfathered in, so it was not consistent. There were state requirements such as sports facilities, et cetera,but she was sure there were many businesses that did not know they were support to offer this. Strategy 42 was to evaluate ability to expand recycling opportunities at City events, including organics recycling. Hoffman suggested having these staffed, and Lohnes suggested including the Master Recyclers at these events. Bennett asked if Eden Prairie received information from its haulers Conservation Commission Minutes October 9, 2018 Page 4 about what percentage of waste was sent to HERO, and Stovring replied the City tracked it. Young asked how to help educate low-income residents and offer them free bins, and Stovring replied the City was exploring these options. Anderson asked for the next steps. Stovring replied she would make the changes and prepare a draft for the City Council's next workshop on October 16. After that, the draft would be made available on the website and via email for comment by haulers and the public. When the comments were received, adoption of the plan was projected for December, 2018 or January, 2019. 3. REVIEW WORK PLAN Novak-Krebs summarized the year's achievements, and suggested expanding on Sustainable Eden Prairie goals. Anderson stated these should align with the City's strategies. Novak-Krebs agreed, and suggested holding smaller events, such as a plant swap or a clothes swap, in addition to larger events. Anderson emphasized the idea of focusing on City strategies and goals and on driving outcomes with every event the commission holds or participates in. Hoffman suggested "pop-up" booths in proximity to multi-family developments. Discussion followed on how to reach this audience. Novak-Krebs replied the Housing Division holds workshops with multi-family buildings. Tritz suggested educating a target group that would then disseminate the information to other members of this audience. Novak-Krebs also solicited ideas for tours. Bennett replied the tour of the water plant was interesting and asked for another tour of DemCon, perhaps in the spring. Tritz suggested Nine Mile Creek. Bennett asked about a possible joint meeting with the Parks and Recreation Department, and Novak-Krebs replied one would be held December 3. Bennett also suggested having the new mayor and Council Members visit the Conservation Commission meeting after the election. Anderson asked for the needs of Carol Lundgren, Sustalnability Specialist for Eden Prairie, to support the work and where the commission could support her in this. Tritz suggested inviting Lundgren to attend these meetings, and Bennett also suggested inviting City Manager Rick Getschow at least once. B. REPORTS FROM CHAIR Tritz stated Lundgren attended the Watershed District meeting and suggested having her present. Novak-Krebs stated she would see about having Carol come to these meetings. Conservation Commission Minutes October 9, 2018 Page 5 C. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION 1. WATER GROUP UPDATE 2. WASTE GROUP UPDATE Bennett announced the burner in Anoka County was being shut down, sending that waste to landfills, which would impact Eden Prairie's and other communities' disposal fees. This underscored education to present "wishcycling" and contamination of recycling. The amount of plastic waste would reach critical mass very soon, and it was contingent on suppliers to come up with a plan to reduce packaging or use common packaging to cut down on sorting. Residents were not the customer of these suppliers, but the stores. The long-awaited climate change report was front page news on the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and the manufacture of plastics would become one of the biggest uses of energy in the future. 3. LANDSCAPE/POLLINATOR GROUP UPDATE 4. ENERGY GROUP UPDATE D. REPORTS FROM STUDENTS V. OTHER BUSINESS VI. UPCOMING EVENTS VII. NEXT MEETING The next Conservation Commission meeting will be held Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 7:00 p.m. in Prairie Rooms A & B. VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Bennett moved, seconded by Young to adjourn. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:43 p.m.