2023-5 AgendaSUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION
Regular Meeting Agenda
Thursday, May 25th, 2023, 7:00 pm
Heredia Room, City Hall
Commission Members Staff/Others Liaisons
Amanda Kueper, Bryan Beltran, Matt Dobratz, Adam
Burnside, Craig Heinen, Logan Thein, Santwana
Dasgupta
Rachel Lindholm (Sustainability Specialist) Ben Whalen (City Council)
David Vrieze Daniels (CSC)
1. Call to Order/Welcome
2. Approval of Minutes/Agenda
Regular Meeting Minutes: April 27th, 2023
3. Public Comment
Any resident comment and items not printed on agenda
4. Staff Reports (Lindholm)
Community Gardens & Pollinator Area
Climate Action Plan prioritization – pale BLUE dot LLC
5. Discussion Items
Resident Digital Sustainability Guide (Dasgupta)
2023 Workplan (Kueper)
6. Action Items
None
7. Committee Reports
Community Services Commission (CSC) (Vrieze Daniels)
8. Next Meeting
Thursday, June 22nd, 2023, 7:00 pm
Heredia Room, City Hall
9. Adjournment
REGULAR SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING
Thursday, April 27th, 2023
Heredia Room, City Hall
PRESENT
COMMISSIONERS: Amanda Kueper, Adam Burnside, Craig Heinen, Matt Dobratz
STAFF: Rachel Lindholm
LIAISONS: Ben Whalen (City Council)
ABSENT Bryan Beltran, Santwana Dasgupta, Logan Thein, David Vrieze Daniels (CSC)
Call to Order
Kueper called the meeting to order at 7:06 pm.
Approval of Minutes/Agenda
Heinen motioned, Burnside seconded, approved by all.
Public Comment
Lindholm read an email from a St. Louis Park resident about a water resources/utilities topic and provided follow-up clarifying
information from Richfield Utilities staff.
Staff Reports
Lindholm reported on the following:
• The Eco Fair was a great success! There were 29 exhibitors and around 500 attendees. Several commissioners attended
and volunteered as well. Staff will follow up with the League and other groups to gauge interest in continuing this event next
year. Whalen suggested reaching out to community members like the Richfield Leadership Network or Steve Schneeberger.
• Community garden plots continue to be prepped for the season. More soil and compost will be added to the tilled areas.
• The pilot tree program sold out in a day. Trees will be available for pick-up on Saturday 5/6 at Public Works. Residents who
purchased a tree will be notified once the City receives the trees and details are finalized.
• Commissioners were reminded about the clean-up on 4/29 from 10-noon at Roosevelt Park and encouraged to attend.
Discussion Items
Digital Sustainability Guide
Kueper shared that the subgroup met to discuss content formatting and project direction. They will be drafting a topic content
and layout example so commissioners have a model to follow when writing their own content for the guide. It should be shared
by/at the next meeting.
Workplan Brainstorming
The list from the last meeting was reviewed and those absent shared their individual topics of interest. The group identified the
top projects that commissioners expressed the most interest in and moved the remaining projects to the brainstorming list to
consider in the future. Lindholm will edit and format the workplan and send it out to commissioners and post it on the
Commission webpage.
Action Items
Workplan
The commission voted to approve the workplan as created through group discussion. Heinen motioned, Dobratz seconded,
approved by all.
Elections
Burnside motioned to nominate himself as Secretary. Kueper seconded, approved by all.
Committee Reports
For the CSC, Lindholm reported on behalf of Vrieze Daniels:
• Amy Markle testified before the MN state senate for Wood Lake Nature Center. The bonding bill appears like it will be one of
the last items dealt with by the Legislature towards the end of May. She is not sure as to whether the local sales tax request
will pass.
• Summer programming hiring is still taking place, especially for Playground Leaders and individuals for the Farmers Market.
• Recreation has hired a consulting group for a new mission, visions, and values. It should be ready this fall.
Other/Next Meeting/Adjournment
Next Meeting: Thursday, May 25th, 7:00pm in the Heredia Room.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm
DRAFT MINUTES UNTIL APPROVED BY THE SC DRAFT MINUTES UNTIL APPROVED BY THE SC DRAFT MINUTES UNTIL APPROVED BY THE SC DRAFT MINUTES UNTIL APPROVED BY THE DRAFT MINUTES UNTIL APPROVED BY THE SC