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2021-9 AgendaSUSTAINBILITY COMMISSION Regular Meeting Agenda Thursday, September 23rd, 2021, 7:00 pm Heredia Room, City Hall Commission Members Staff/Others Liaisons Jeremy Barthels, Laura Durenberger-Grunow, Carolyn Engeldinger, Amanda Kueper, Alyssa Sanden, Brian Shaw Rachel Lindholm (Sustainability Specialist) Ben Whalen (City Council) Jenna Hanson (CSC) 1. Call to Order/Welcome 2. Approval of Minutes/Agenda  Regular Meeting Minutes: August 26th, 2021 3. Public Comment  Any resident comment and items not printed on agenda 4. Staff Reports  Organized Collection (Lindholm)  Other (Partners in Energy, Penn Fest, etc.) (Lindholm) 5. Discussion Items None 6. Action Items None 7. Committee Reports  Community Services Commission (CSC) (Hanson) 8. Next Meeting Thursday, October 28th, 2021, 7:00 pm Bartholomew Room, City Hall 9. Adjournment REGULAR SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING Thursday, August 26th, 2021 Held virtually over WebEx PRESENT COMMISSIONERS: Laura Durenberger-Grunow, Carolyn Engeldinger, Amanda Kueper, Alyssa Sanden, Jeremy Barthels, Brian Shaw STAFF: Rachel Lindholm LIAISONS: Jenna Hansen (CSC) ABSENT Ben Whalen (City Council) 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 Organized Collection (Lindholm) -900 households signed up for organics collection (9% of households) -every other trash pickup for small can only - some confusion around that -Size requests need to be in by Sept. 1 to get their desired size cart -Week of Oct. 4 is transition week – put carts out like normal – they will be collected, then new carts dropped off that day -more info will be mailed out to residents soon -Sanden asked how residents can sign up for every other trash week pickup. Need to contact new hauler, or contact Rachel for help -If residents or anyone else has questions, call Rachel -Refund for rest of cycle? – Pay your bill in full. Haulers will issue refunds to residents starting in October -Yard waste will continue until Nov. with new hauler -Phone comment line? Will there be a separate email to keep it organized? -Remember that you should contact your hauler first about customer service issues. But service should be better, because the stakes are higher for the hauler -Definitely contact Rachel for repeat issues or escalation needs (damages collection from haulers, etc.). Bad behavior – like hydraulic fluid spills -Organics – county funding? Score funding from County passed on to residents – credit on water bill. Exact amount uncertain. -Where can residents put the new cart? - city code has not changed in relation to this, but there existing accommodations for those with pull-under garages -Will city keep drop-off sites going? Yes! Especially for multi-unit residents -What bags are allowed? Should use BPI certified compostable plastic bags. -Paper bags better than nothing, but may still get gross. Kueper suggests they be allowed, to increase accessibility and convenience of using the program. -Why does everyone pay for the organics program? Works same as recycling – more equitable, doesn’t punish people for recycling; a third the price for subscription-based system Penn Fest (Lindholm) -Penn Fest still a go on Sunday, September 19 -COVID precautions in place; residents encouraged to mask. -Rachel will be tabling about organics collection and organized collection in general. Bags and countertop containers available Partners in Energy Report (Lindholm) -Currently working on website for energy related resources and working on first actions. More to come! Invasive Removal Events (Lindholm) -October 16 - Wood Lake Invasive Removal -November 14th - Wood Lake Invasive Removal -Partnering with Hennepin County for a buckthorn pull (stage 1 in fall, stage 2 in spring) - Wood Lake Greencorp Member (Lindholm) -A new Greencorp member will be starting on Sept 20. They will work mostly on organics edu. DRAFT MINUTES UNTIL APPROVED BY THE SC Discussion Items None Ac tion Items -Talk to one person/resident this month about the new trash/organics program. Committee Reports Hansen reported on the CSC’s last meeting, giving an update on: -Richfield fall/winter programing -A survey for feedback on a new building for Wood Lake Other/Next Meeting/Adjournment Next Meeting: Thursday, September 23, 7:00 pm, will be held in person in the Heredia Room. Adjournment: Motion to adjourn by Shaw, seconded by Engeldinger. Meeting adjourned by Kueper at 8:07 pm.