Sust Commission Minutes October 2025REGULAR SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Bartholomew Room, City Hall
PRESENT
COMMISSIONERS: Amanda Kueper, Adam Burnside , Craig Heinen, Chris Danner, Katy Boone, Alexa Wozniak , Rose
Thompson
STAFF: Rachel Lindholm (Sustainability Coordinator), Zach McCarty (Solid Waste Specialist),
LIAISONS: Hayley Tompkins (CSC), Rori Coleman -Woods (City Council)
ABSENT Burnside
Call to Order
Kueper called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm .
Approval of Minutes /Agenda
Boone m otioned, Wozniak seconded, approved by all .
Public Comment
None
Staff Reports
Lindholm and McCarty reported:
•Commissioner recruitment – Lindholm reported the city is still recruiting for commissioners and all are encouraged to promote this
opportunity to fellow residents. The Sustainability Commission is expected to receive a second youth commissioner.
•Earth Day Fair will be Saturday, April 25 from 1 -4 pm. Commissioners are welcome to volunteer!
•The County’s first fix-it clinic (of several coming to Richfield in the future) will be November 12.
•WLNC partnered with Better Futures Minnesota for “de -construction” of the building (salvaging usable materials). McCarty provided a
presentation discussing the organization, which trains formerly incarcerated men and focuses on recycling and reuse of build ing
materials. They made good use of fixtures and appliances in the old building before demolition.
•2025 Recycling Audit – Completed recently. Audits have the goal of examining contamination and evaluating the commodi ties
Richfield receives from collection. This year saw an uptick in cardboard and paper compared to 2024, along with a slight increase in
aluminum and a decrease in glass. Generally, these changes put Richfield in a good position for finding markets for these mat erials.
o The Commission discussed how the value of recycling for city revenue makes it worthwhile to shift messaging from
contamination to encouraging residents to recycle items that are currently “missed opportunities”.
Discussion Items
Presentation from Great River Greening
The Commission heard a presentation from this nonprofit, which is dedicated to natural resource issues. They are currently working with the
City of Richfield at WLNC and are working on a set of natural resource plans for four Richfield parks (WLNC, Richfield Lake, Veterans Park,
and Taft Park). At WLNC, the project is in its first year of a five -year grant removing invasive buckthorn and re -planting the forest area, focused
on the southeast part of the park. The Natural Resource Management Plans for the other parks are in their initial stages of development.
Workplan Updates
The Commission is planning to wrap up its project list at the November meeting and reflect on progress for the year. Commissi oners
expressed interest in supporting any “last push” efforts needed for outstanding priorities.
Action Items
None
Committee Reports
From the Community Services Commission:
•Check out the ice arena to see new updates to the facility.
•City has been doing a lot of work on removing sediment, restoring native habitat, and improving water quality at Adams Hill park. This
includes the installation of a hydro dynamic separator to remove future sediment from the Adams Hill pond.
•Winterization of city facilities is underway.
Next Meeting/Adjournment
Next Meeting: Thursday, November 20, 7:00 pm
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:08 pm
DRAFT MINUTES UNTIL APPROVED BY THE COMMISSION