Bordentown City Environmental Commission

Bordentown City Environmental Commission MINUTES from Meeting of December 11, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. Via Zoom Meeting was called to order at 7:05pm. Members present: Joel Dowshen, Cathy Elliot Shaw, Lauren Drumm, Brooke McMinn, Dan Preston, Ralph Simon, Lynn Robinson, Mike MacEwan Public Statement was read. Minutes for November meeting were approved. Correspondence (none) Reports and Recap  Planning Board Report (Lynn) Approval for a house expansion on Church Street.  D&R Greenway & Abbott Marshland Reports (Joel) A grant was awarded for a consultant to do an overview on Point Breeze. It is just for a plan. No money was given for trails or signage. First there needs to be a meeting with all of the organizations involved to get things started. Three of the main players (city, state and D& R Greenway) must meet in order to get started cleaning up the trails.  Creative Team (Dan) The Creative Team is no longer under the BCEC, however we can still be a liaison. Cathy will get more information about how they will be operating and if they are under our budget. They also need a chair person.  Trails Committee – o Committee members enjoyed an informative walk at Point Breeze earlier this month o suggested scope for Green Acres grant (trails and other amenities at Point Breeze); o met with the Greater Mercer Transportation o Management Association for a presentation about their plans for the John Bull Trail John Brodowski put together the Green Acres application. Chuck Latini will be a guest at the next trails meeting.  Pumpkin collection – approximately 1,000 pounds collected  Green Team highlights and initiatives:  Plastic recycling through NexTrex – 342.5lbs collected to date. 500 pounds are needed to get a bench.  Cigarette waste recycling 1st month 4 oz; 2nd month 7 oz; 3rd month 14 oz  Toy Library kick off and collection was successful.  Exploring PakTek partnership for plastic handle recycling Discussion Items  A meeting with Mayor Sciortino and City staff was held Dec. 9 to discuss the city’s Sustainable Jersey Certification. BCEC members are asked to assist with application; more details to follow. First deadline will be in January. More delegation among more people is needed to complete this project.  Goals for 2025? - Light pollution and dark sky initiative. This project could start with a speaker or an educational event. There is a good film that we can use. Maybe we can do this activity at one of the Green Team meetings. --Dan Aubrey would like to continue his project on noise pollution. --Anna would like to continue the Climate Change Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessment. --Continue our invasive species work We are learning as we go along.  Communication: We have over 800 people on our mailing list. When we have a special project Joel can directly mail the information. If we have a graphic we want to use we can send it to Joel.  Suggestions for 2025 budget? Budget items from last month have been ordered. We need to send a proposed budget to Peg soon. Information and updates (discussion only if needed)  Invasive Species Strike Team – o Need to review maintenance of Lime Kiln Alley Park trails and meadow, discuss with public works o Monthly workdays ongoing at Lime Kiln Alley Park; potential high school student involvement  Troll Trek – Green Team member will help promote Edward –  Requisition forms submitted to Peg for: o Deer Survey $310 o Weed puller $315 incl shipping o Tent weights $40 o Tarps – about $20 each Upcoming events: December 18, 6:30 pm Trails Committee meeting January 12, 9 to 11 am Invasive species workday January 20, 7 pm Green Team meeting Quarterly Check-In Report (Q1 in March, Q2 in June, Q3 in Sept, Q4 in Dec) Representatives of these subcommittees/initiatives will present a status report on a quarterly basis.  Farmer’s Market  Community Garden *****PUBLIC COMMENT**** Meeting adjourned at 7:50pm. Next meeting: WEDNESDAY, January 8, 2025, at 7:00 pm (Via Zoom)