6/25/2024 Environmental Commission

ZACK MULLOCK Mayor LORRAINE M. BALDWIN PAUL E. DIETRICH Deputy Mayor City Manager MAUREEN K. MCDADE ERIN C. BURKE Councilmember City Clerk SHAINE P. MEIER Councilmember MICHAEL G. YEAGER Councilmember City of Cape May Environmental Commission Minutes June 25, 2024 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL Charlotte Todd Present Justine Gaver-Margiel Present Hope Gaines Present Randy Nuschke Present Councilmember Mike Yeager Present Michael Jones Present Barbara Meimbresse Present Gretchen Whitman Present Kim Gronendahl Present Sarah Stevenson Present Angela Judge Absent Chris Hajduk Absent Also Present: David Scheffler, Cape May City Director of Recreation and Jennifer Schneider, Solar Landscape Community Advisor MINUTES: The minutes from May 28, 2024 - Kim Gronendahl made the motion, Randy Nuschke seconded it and all approved. OLD BUSINESS: Mike Jones- Planning Board report was that they approved the application by LeMer to tear down the entire wing and add 51 units and a convention center. Gretchen Whitman- prepared an environmental landscaping report and LeMer agreed to all the items. Gretchen suggested including a more detailed recycling plan for demolition waste and a plan to handle recyclables from events. Also, a plan to incorporate a light pollution ordinance in their lighting plan. This was read into the record, and they agreed to do all of this. Councilmember Mike Yeager- said there was nothing to report from Council. David Scheffler- had no updates to report about on Dune Day. NEW BUSINESS OPEN TO PUBLIC DISCUSSION: Jennifer Schneider- solar expert, presented information to the Green Team including that her organization has worked with many municipalities in New Jersey on community outreach and education. Her organization helped to create the solar letter that went out to all residents last month. This outreach qualifies as 25 points towards goals for sustainable New Jersey. Jennifer brought copies of a solar flyer to be given out during Harborfest to interested locals. The solar array is a huge roof with solar panels is in Millville, NJ. This is useful for residents who want to claim solar credits and cannot put solar panels on their own home. This project is a New Jersey approved board of public utilities regulated program. Justine Gaver-Margiel - brought a solar shingle that was used on her home to demonstrate the new solar technology that looks beautiful and is much more advanced than previous panels. She plans to have it displayed at Harborfest. Maybe the shingle can be presented to the HPC along with technical information so they can see what the new technology looks like. The shingles hook together and are installed just like regular roofing tiles. Harborfest: Mike- had a second banner made up for display at Harborfest. The Environmental Commission will have 2 booths. Who is manning them? Hope, Kim and Sarah will man one and Justine and Randy will man the other with the help of a high school volunteer. Gretchen- reported that the City part of Harborfest is along Delaware Avenue and the Nature Center has control of what is taking place on their property. The vendors, the guest speakers, the craft projects and the beer garden and the music. This part will look much like Oceanfest, a festival within a festival. Setup is between 8 am and 9:30 and the festival runs from 10 am to 5 pm. Paul Dietrich, City Manager- said he had some flood information pamphlets to be distributed at Harborfest just for general knowledge. Justine reported that the Star and Wave is printing the Environmental Commission’s educational ads. Invasive species and water conservation. In September we will put in an educational ad about Dune Day that takes place a week after Monarch Fest so maybe we can have a sign-up sheet at Monarch Fest. What incentive would you give to people to come to Dune Day and plant beach grass? The Nature Center can have people sign up on Eventbrite as a free event. Should we do that? • Get this information out soon because organizations such as the Boy Scouts are already setting up their fall calendars. We need volunteers to plant dune grass such as the Garden Club or Kiwanis. Randy Nuschke- said he would continue to bring medical information about dealing with global warming. There are two main organizations dealing with global warming through conferences and they do not share their information, so they are inefficient. The recommendation is to unify their information under the United Nations so everyone is basically on the same page. • The Summer of 2023 was the hottest ever recorded in the northern hemisphere. The estimate is that the fallout from climate change will be more impactful than that from COVID and require greater funds and effort. Charlotte- addressed the issue of new strategies for our energy master plan for the State of New Jersey. The 2019 Master Plan provided for responsible renewal energy sources in compliance with state and federal regulations throughout the future. In 1975 the goal of responsible municipal land use and renewable energy sources for now and into the future. Energy touches the lives of residents and visitors every single day. Cape May City has received high regard as a sustainable community with a Silver Certification Award four times. Growing Cape May’s Green Economy is important and is an effort of residents, businesses and leadership. It was important in 2019 and it is important today. We must go forward with more solar energy within our city. • There is a BPU conference at the end of the month and one of the agenda items is the cost of the proposed energy plan – that is very steep. Gretchen- asked when we review plans for projects before the Planning Board and they go back to the developer and the recommendations are agreed to. What is the follow-up? Mike Jones said they are written into approvals. If they are not done, then it is the hands of the City’s Construction Department. Gretchen asked, “If we notice that some of the items are not done, what happens next? Mike Jones said, “Bring it to me or to the attention of the construction department. Or bring it to the attention of Craig Hurless, the Planning Board engineer, who reads everything you put into your report verbatim into the Planning Board record. He also does site visits to completed properties to make sure that everything is done properly. Let me know and I will contact Craig Hurless. Enforcement is always a problem. ADUOURNMENT: A motion to adjourn the meeting at 11:50 a.m. Next meeting is Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024, at 11 a.m. in Cape May City Hall auditorium. Meryl Simon Nelson Environmental Commission Secretary July 5th, 2024