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2020-11 AgendaSUSTAINBILITY COMMISSION Regular Meeting Agenda Thursday, November 19th, 2020, 7:00 pm Virtual Meeting - WebEx Commission Members Staff/Others Liaisons Jeremy Barthels, Laura Durenberger-Grunow, Carolyn Engeldinger, Amanda Kueper, Kameron Murray, Alyssa Sanden, Brian Shaw Amy Markle (Recreation Services Director) Rachel Lindholm (Sustainability Specialist) Ben Whalen (City Council) Heather MacDonald (CSC) 1. Call to Order/Welcome 2. Approval of Minutes/Agenda  Regular Meeting Minutes: October 22nd, 2020 3. Public Comment  Any resident comment and items not printed on agenda 4. Staff Reports  Organized Collection (Lindholm, Markle) 5. Discussion Items  December meeting/communication (Lindholm) 6. Action Items None 7. Committee Reports  Community Services Commission (CSC) (MacDonald) 8. Next Meeting Thursday, January 28th, 2020, 7:00 pm Virtual Meeting held on WebEx 9. Adjournment REGULAR SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING Thursday, October 22, 2020 Held virtually over WebEx PRESENT COMMISSIONERS: Laura Durenberger-Grunow, Carolyn Engeldinger, Amanda Kueper, Alyssa Sanden, Jeremy Barthels, Kameron Murray STAFF: Rachel Lindholm, Amy Markle LIAISONS: Ben Whalen (City Council), Heather MacDonald (CSC) ABSENT COMMISSIONERS: Brian Shaw Call to Order Kueper called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm. Approval of Minutes/Agenda Sanden moved to approve the agenda and previous minutes, seconded by Barthels, approved by all. Public Comment None Staff Reports Climate Action Plan The Climate Action Plan was approved at the last city council meeting on Oct 13. Lindholm mentioned the CAP is now on the sustainability page of the Richfield website. Kueper asked for clarification about an annual review. Lindholm responded that the CAP will be annually reviewed by the commission, and also act as an update to council by the ch air each year. Emails Lindholm has received some emails about the legacy tree protection in Richfield. She proposed to have a section on the agenda for unofficial emails related to sustainability topics from residents. There is a group of residents look ing to implement a legacy tree protection program in Richfield. Discussion Items Lunds & Byerlys Tree Situation Lindholm shared that there was an initial staff meeting on developing a tree preservation policy and staff are trying to figure out who should lead the work/what departments should be involved. Markle added that it will probably be a very collaborative project. Lindholm has started compiling policies from other cities which seem to be mostly replacement polic ies. Residents don’t seem to want just a replacement policy. They want something more specific about preservation. Kueper brought up that last month that she and Engeldinger were planning to write a letter on behalf of the commission about the tree. However, it became known that council had already approved plans for the tree to come down. Residents concerns: iconic tree, thought tree was going to be saved based on council meetings and communication with the builder. Mixed messages. Residents wanted a more transparent process. Lindholm is unsure if there is an official replacement policy in Richfield. She believes it is common practice if not an actu al policy. Engeldinger reiterated the importance of defining what a legacy tree is, asking for an inv entory of the trees we have in Richfield if one doesn’t exist. Majority of large, “legacy” trees seem to be in Wood Lake neighborhoods on private property or at Augsburg Park on public property. Forestry does have some type of inventory, but Lindholm did not know if that information was public or what it entails. Whalen proposed something similar to the wetland replacement project, where if a developer can’t replace a legacy tree they have to take down, they would have to contribute money (tree credit ba nking system) towards tree planting or another sustainability effort. DRAFT MINUTES UNTIL APPROVED BY THE SC Organized Collection There is a November 10th Council work session to inform them of next steps in organized collection process, and talk about public engagement. Commission will have a big role in helping with community outreach, engagement, and education. Kueper asked if that work session was something the commission members should be part of? Whalen said that the general public has not been able to attend the virtual work sessions live. He wasn’t sure why the work session wouldn’t be in collaboration with the sustainability commission. Lindholm is going to check with other staff to invite commission members to attend. Whalen had a question about if it was true that there would be a formal vote by council on the organized collection on November 10. Lindholm said it isn’t necessary per state statute, but will check with the city attorney. Lindholm clarified that this work session is the last informational update before the process starts (with information shared as the process moves along). Direction has been obtained at previous sessions on how to proceed. Whalen mentioned a couple residents reach out - overall people want organized hauling - but have started hearing from people who are confused or against it. He reiterated having super clear communication up front. People have this perception that public comment is invited, but a decision has already been made. Kueper mentioned that we should learn from the issues from other cities and the issues they’ve experienced. Lindholm, Whalen, and Kueper all mentioned that residential feedback is critical and making sure voices are heard. Kueper reiterated cost as a concern. We need to make sure we make it economically possible for all citizens. The perception is the city is going to pick the cheapest one, no matter the service level. Lindholm clarified that the city will not be picking one hauler, as the process laid out by statute requires negotiating with all licensed haulers in the city. Barthels mentioned another concern is about pushing out small businesses. He reiterated the importance of communication and busting myths through education. Lindholm clarified that wh en a city organizes collection, it has to be done by negotiating with a consortium of licensed haulers per state statute. All haulers can choose to participate, no matter their size. Multiple commissioners mentioned a desire for less trucks. Lindholm added that many residents have commented on this as well since being home during COVID. MacDonald asked for clarification on what the hauling would include. Lindholm mentioned it would be for recycling, trash, and organics. Action Items Send ideas to Lindholm as a basis for a letter to council with thoughts on tree preservation policy within the next two weeks. Lindholm will then compile and send to Kueper and Engeldinger who will draft a letter. Committee Reports MacDonald reported on the CSC’s last meeting, giving the following updates: -Taft and Madison playground work finishing up soon. -Augsburg inclusive playground work delayed until 2021. -Dog park will be opening on November 5. Ribbon cutting at 4:30. Baggies for the first 25 dogs, a photo booth, and more! -Ice Arena is almost done. Roof close to being done and will save energy in the summer. -COVID has put a wrench in some general maintenance and programming. -Resurfacing at Veterans Park will be started next summer (2021). Next Meeting/Adjournment Next Meeting: Thursday, November 19th, 7:00 pm, will be held virtually over WebEx. November meeting will be held one week earlier because of Thanksgiving. Adjournment: Motion to adjourn by Murray, seconded by Engeldinger. Meeting adjourned by Kueper at 7:58 pm.