Bordentown City Environmental Commission

BCEC MINUTES: Meeting - January 11, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom Submitted by Lynn Robinson Ralph Tolomeo , the chairman called the meeting to order at 7:08pm. Present at meeting: Joel Dowshen, Lauren Drumn, Grace Archer, Ralph Simon, Dan Preston, Cathy Elliot-Shaw, Ralph Tolomeo, Visitors: Janis Parker, Gabryella Pulsinelli The minutes were approved with the exception of one minor correction. Current Items --Continue BCEC Meeting venue via Zoom for 2023 until decision to meet in person is determined --Planning Board Report: No report --D&R Greenway & Abbott Marshland Reports Two sculptures have been put in place on the grounds. There will be a grand opening soon, maybe February. Just built a new trail on the Bordentown Bluffs. Changed some of the areas that were too steep. Changed from a down and up to a lot of valleys. Abbott Marshland is getting more volunteers. Point Breeze: More residents are visiting the complex. Hopefully in the spring there will be an open house. --BCEC & Green Team Membership Recruitment - We have two openings on the board. We have two resumes and we can give our recommendations to the mayor. Gabryella told us a little about herself. She works at the DEP and has Master’s in sustainability. She grew up in Bordentown and her parents live in Bordentown. Reappointments in 2023 – 5 current members’ term expires in May. Ralph will be in touch to see who wants to remain on the board. High School Student “Membership/Participation” in BCEC --2022 BCEC Budget: We almost had a “0” balance in December. --2023 BCEC Budget: A proposed budget was submitted to the business office. There is flexibility in case we need to make changes. The proposed budget was displayed and discussed. Calendars of Events: Ralph gave us a list of events. He has asked us to mark our calendars so we can save the dates. Events: During the February Commissioners’ meeting, Mike Van Clef will present his findings on Invasive Species and tell why it is important to address this issue. --Contact Grace Archer to reserve the Carslake Community Center. ---Parking and Street Scape Study: Dan is waiting for information to present to us. 2023 Initiatives & Events --Invasive species remediation—both insect (SLF) & vegetation We need to keep the Spotted Latern Fly information available just in case they are still around. We are not sure but they might have moved on. --Pedestrian and Bicycle crossings of Rte 130 & 206 --Hilltop Park Native Planting & Plant Identification Markers Cathy may do minor planting in the spring. Weeding is needed once per month or every six weeks. Volunteers should get in touch with Cathy. --Storm water downspout planters & materials We have two storm water planters. We need to review the green infrastructure report to see if we need to start new sites. --BCEC Storage Area Clean Up and Organization We need to decide if we want to keep the storage at Carslake or move to the new site on Park Street. Cathy asked Grace if there is space in the new building. Grace said there are rooms on the upstairs level for storage but not sure how much space is available. Grace also said maybe we can make the Carslake storage area more available. She will talk to JC and Commissioner Myers to come up with a plan for easier access. --Earth Talks—Topics & Speakers We will try to get a speaker in April to co-inside with the Homes and Garden Tours. Maybe we can partner with the library on Food Waste. Grace and Cathy both have ideas in this area. --Rambles--Locations & Guides Jen Simon has agreed to create a flyer about the town. Ralph has agreed to do the tour map. Hopefully it will inspire and educate people. Pleasant Run Nursery can organize a native plant sale. Ralph suggested we do this on a Sunday from 12 - 4pm. Another suggestion was 11- 2pm. Grace suggested we start small and build upon it for next year. We have 8 areas so far and we don’t have to limit it. There are different things on the list such as solar panels and rain gardens. Variety is important. The projected date may be Sunday, April 30. 2023. --Clean Ups--Where & When We do not have a clean-up date at this time. Plogging is a term used for picking up trash while jogging. Lauren will reach out to a person who runs with a Bordentown group and ask if they would like to sponsor a Plogging with us. 2023 Calendar of Events—See Events List *****PUBLIC COMMENT**** Janis Parker asked questions about the BCEC”s position with the collection of plastic bags. Cathy said each municipality can collect a specific number of plastic bags and get a free bench. We do not have the storage area to keep the bags if we were to collect them. We will inquire around to see if we can find a place to store them. Meeting Adjourned at 8:15pm Next meeting: WEDNESDAY, February 8, 2023 at 7:00 via Zoom