Sustainability Commission

Regular Meeting

Carbondale, IL · March 20, 2025

Minutes

CARBONDALE SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION Thursday March 20th, 2025 - 5:00PM Carbondale Civic Center – Room 103 200 S. Illinois Avenue, Carbondale IL MINUTES ________________________________________________________________________________________ Voting Members: Present Absent Comment Treesong (Chair) x Aur Beck (Vice Chair) x Jane Cogie x Kevin Clark x Sarah Heyer x Vacant (CCHS Student) Chaya Rice (SIU Student) x Gayle Klam x Joan Davis x Ex Officio Members: Present Absent LaCaje Hill (Councilmember) x City Staff: Present Absent Lauren Becker (Staff Liaison) x Community Members Present: Mike Baltz, Keep Carbondale Beautiful Executive Director Mark McDaniel, City of Carbondale Parks & Recreation Supervisor and Arborist Ana Moroz, John A Logan College Student Body President 1. Call to Order and Roll Call (5:02pm) 2. Approval of Meeting Minutes: February 20th 2025 (J. Davis moved, J. Cogie seconded) 3. Citizen Comments and Questions (None) 4. Presentations/Special Guests Mark McDaniel, City Arborist – Volunteering with Carbondale Parks & Recreation The Commission engaged in conversation with Mr. McDaniel about city greenspaces and the potential for volunteer opportunities. Mr. McDaniel expressed interest in hosting an Earth Month tree planting event. The Commission brainstormed and finalized a tree planting to be held April 5th at 8am. Liaison Becker offered to create a flyer and add the event to the community-wide calendar of Earth Month events. 5. Report of Officers, Committees, and Communications a. Subcommittee Reports i. Nature | Joan Davis: J. Davis shared that the Native Garden Walk will be hosted June 8th. Joan shared about her experience at the Wild Things Conference. Joan asked Mark McDaniel if there was any opportunity to reduce mowing across city greenspaces. Mark expressed that there is. Liaison Becker asked a portion of the gasoline budget could be repurposed for the cost of labor + seeds/plugs to establish a native planting area. Mark expressed that could be done, especially given staff who are already familiar with establishing prairie. b. Sustainability Coordinator Monthly Progress Report (L. Becker, attached) c. Former Koppers Wood Treatment Site Report (A. Beck) 6. Old Business (None) 7. New Business (None) Save the Date! April 15th 5:00pm Earth Month “At the Table” Dinner & Dialogue Series - Asking that Sustainability Commission members attend and serve as facilitators for discussion. - The overarching topic of dialogue is Climate Anxiety and Climate Grief, with particular focus on questions of environmental justice, identity, sense of place, the term “home”, and the “balms” that can help make these anxieties manageable. 8. Announcements Open Meetings Act (OMA) Training https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/open-and-honest-government/pac/pac-training/ J. Davis shared that her son’s house has been funded for solar through the Bright Neighborhoods Program! 9. Adjournment (6:12pm S. Heyer moved, C. Rice seconded)

Agenda

CARBONDALE SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION Thursday March 20th, 2025 - 5:00PM Carbondale Civic Center – Room 103 200 S. Illinois Avenue, Carbondale IL AGENDA ________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Call to Order and Roll Call 2. Approval of Meeting Minutes: February 20th 2025 3. Citizen Comments and Questions 4. Presentations/Special Guests Mark McDaniel, City Arborist – Volunteering with Carbondale Parks & Recreation 5. Report of Officers, Committees, and Communications a. Subcommittee Reports b. Sustainability Coordinator Monthly Progress Report (L. Becker, attached) c. Former Koppers Wood Treatment Site Report (A. Beck) 6. Old Business 7. New Business Save the Date! April 15th 5:00pm Earth Month “At the Table” Dinner & Dialogue Series - Asking that Sustainability Commission members attend and serve as facilitators for discussion. - The overarching topic of dialogue is Climate Anxiety and Climate Grief, with particular focus on questions of environmental justice, identity, sense of place, the term “home”, and the “balms” that can help make these anxieties manageable. 8. Announcements Open Meetings Act (OMA) Training https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/open-and-honest-government/pac/pac-training/ 9. Adjournment Voting Members: Present Absent Comment Treesong (Chair) Aur Beck (Vice Chair) Jane Cogie Kevin Clark Sarah Heyer Vacant (CCHS Student) Chaya Rice (SIU Student) Gayle Klam Joan Davis Ex Officio Members: Present Absent LaCaje Hill (Councilmember) City Staff: Present Absent Lauren Becker (Staff Liaison) Community Members Present: CARBONDALE SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION Thursday February 20th, 2025 - 5:00PM Carbondale Civic Center – Room 103 200 S. Illinois Avenue, Carbondale IL MINUTES ________________________________________________________________________________________ Voting Members: Present Absent Comment Treesong (Chair) x Aur Beck (Vice Chair) x Jane Cogie x Kevin Clark x Sarah Heyer x Vacant (CCHS Student) Chaya Rice (SIU Student) x Gayle Klam x Joan Davis x Ex Officio Members: Present Absent LaCaje Hill (Councilmember) x City Staff: Present Absent Lauren Becker (Staff Liaison) x Community Members: 1. Call to Order and Roll Call (5:03pm) 2. Approval of Meeting Minutes: January 16th 2025 (G. Klam moved, J. Cogie seconded) 3. Citizen Comments and Questions (None) 4. Presentations Illinois Solar for All Bright Neighborhoods Presentation | Kristen Culp - Robust Q & A and discussion following Kristen’s presentation about the program. 5. Report of Officers, Committees, and Communications a. Subcommittee Reports i. Nature/Green: J. Davis reported 1) She will need help finding community members who “no- mow”, “low-mow”, bee-garden, plant clover, garden native plants, native trees, etc. in Carbondale who would be open to being a stop on the garden walk, 2) The Mayors Monarch Pledge will be put before Council in April, 3) She is still interested in coordinating a half-day summit with food in April. b. Sustainability Coordinator Monthly Progress Report (L. Becker, attached) c. Former Koppers Wood Treatment Site Report (A. Beck) 6. Old Business (None) 7. New Business (None) 8. Announcements Please remember to complete your Open Meetings Act (OMA) Training and send Lauren a copy of the certificate: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/open-and-honest-government/pac/pac-training/ 9. Adjournment (6:03pm J. Davis motioned, J. Cogie seconded) The following will serve as my Sustainability Coordinator report of progress for the month of February 2025. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions and comments. Recurring: - Continued regular check-ins with Justin Harrell, SIU Facilities & Energy Maintenance - Continued regular check-ins with Wade Halva, Faith in Place - Continued attending weekly “Federal Funding Fridays” by the Midwest Climate Collaborative - Continued attending monthly “Complete Streets” meetings, which encourage interdepartmental collaboration for well-designed cityscapes - Continued regular monthly check-ins with the Village of Dowell team - Continued regular Pleiades Strategy Check-ins Chronological: - Submitted the State of Illinois Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Round 4 Implementation, which will cover the cost of Smart Energy and Design Assistance Center (SEDAC) audits of each of our municipal buildings as well as intermittent blowers at the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant. (2/3) - Held Fleet Assessment Program Kick-off meeting w/ Grant Salley & Dustin Vance (2/3) - Toured SIU Carbondale BioLaunch Facility, led by Ken Stoner (2/4) - Attended MIF Proposal Discussion (2/11) - Attended ICLEI Office hours regarding MIF (2/11) - Reviewed Pleiades Strategy narrative (2/12) - Submitted the Low Income Communities Bonus Credit (LICBC) application for the Southern Illinois Multimodal Station’s Solar and Geothermal (2/13) - Attended follow-up conversation with AGE Brandon Bullard (2/13) - Met with the Nature Conservancy to discuss the Energy Sovereignty Proposal (2/13) - Attended the Carbondale Community Housing Trust meeting to discuss the MIF (2/13) - Met with Molly Maxwell, Joe DeMond, and Karl Mueller to discuss City of Carbondale decommissioning bond requirements (2/14) - Met with Dr. Ajay Kalra (SIU Engineering) and Robert Hardin regarding Comprehensive Stormwater Master Plan (2/18) - Met with Dianah McGreehan and Councilmember Hill regarding the April 2025 At the Table (2/19) - Attended Illinois Finance Authority Energy Efficiency and Revolving Loan Fund Program webinar (2/19) - Met with C-LEAP Coordinators Scott Carron and Johanna Jamison to discuss updates to the program due to incoming federal administration (2/20) - Hosted Bright Neighborhoods Program Presentation at 2/20 Sustainability Commission meeting - Created list of nine priority interviews regarding the Energy Sovereignty Proposal (2/21) - Met with Marcella Bondie Keenan, Chair of the Great Lakes Climate Action Network (2/21) - Met with Department of Energy Communications Team (2/25) - Attended Midwest Climate Collaborative (MCC) Quarterly Member Meeting (2/25) - Attended “Update on the Current Status of Direct Pay” hosted by Atlas Public Policy (2/26) - Met with Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship leadership and Joan Davis to discuss April 2025 Calendar of Events (2/28) - Sent out invitation to submit events to the April 2025 Calendar of Events (2/28)