Sustainability Committee

MINUTES SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE February 19, 2025, City Hall, 100 W. Woodstock Street, Crystal Lake, IL 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:07 p.m. Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at Crystal Lake City Hall by Amy Olson. 2. Roll Call/Attendance Present were the following Committee members: Dean Farr, Amy Olson, Jen Oliver, Lisa McLaughlin, Cordell Crane, Steve Platt, Terry Dieckhoff and Vignesh Tiruvannamalai by phone. Members of the public in attendance: Allison Wolcott, Dr. Gloria Warren, Community Development Analyst Victoria Wojcik and Assistant to City Manager Ryan Oates. 3. Public Comment Dean Farr shared that the Girl Scouts are working with the City of Crystal Lake’s Public Works Department on planting trees at Three Oaks Recreation Area. He stated that the Soil and Water Conservation Committee of McHenry County will be donating these trees. Dean also shared that many employees have been losing their jobs in the Federal Parks organizations and the IDNR. He stated that this will have an effect on local municipalities and residents. 4. Approval of Minutes from the November 20, 2024 Meeting Lisa McLaughlin made a motion to approve the minutes of the November 20, 2024 Sustainability Committee meeting. Jen Oliver seconded the motion. Upon voice vote, motion passed. 5. Time Change Amy Olson asked about the meeting time change from 6:30 PM to 6:00 PM and asked if anyone had an opinion either way about changing the regular meeting time to Noon. Cordell Crane shared the he liked the 6:30 PM time and stated that 6:00 PM would be the earliest that he would be able to make it. Lisa McLaughlin agreed with Cordell’s statement. Ryan Oates shared that he will put the meeting time change discussion on the agenda for the next meeting to revisit the vote. 6. Litter Clean Up Initiatives A. Trash Can Locations Amy Olson brought up the topic of changing the garbage can and lids to a different color to stand out. She stated having a different color will allow for people to notice the cans and so that they will not blend in with the scenery. Ryan Oates stated that the Committee last talked about locations for the trash can and that it may be difficult to place it by the Downtown triangle. Cordell Crane asked if anyone on the Sustainability Committee has reached out to Crystal Lake Central to talk about a trash can placement. Dean Farr recommended having an outreach to students about keeping the  community clean. Jen Oliver asked if any of the schools had a sustainability committee. Cordell Crane recommended reaching out to the school district to get all of the schools involved. 7. Strategic Plan Discussion A. Mission Statement Ryan Oates spoke about the Sustainability Committee Strategic Plan and some of the additions that were included. Steve Platt recommended looking into how many views the Sustainability Committee website receives to determine how useful it is. Dean Farr recommended including links or QR codes to direct people to various pages on the website. Cordell Crane recommended adding self-reliance and disaster recovery into objective three. He stated that this will help foster people with an emergency plan and help prepare people with food storage, water, and surviving a disaster. Jen Oliver recommended that the self-reliance and disaster recovery could be another bullet point on objective three. Cordell Crane stated that he was going to look at the Fire Department’s emergency plan and write some information that could be included. Lisa McLaughlin recommended putting a link on the Sustainability Committee page that would lead to the Fire Department’s emergency plan. Ryan Oates recommended that any changes that the Committee Members would like to be made should be sent via email to Ryan Oates and Victoria Wojcik to include it in the next meeting. 8. Mayor’s Monarch Pledge The Committee reviewed the action items for the 2025 Mayor’s Monarch Pledge. The Committee went through each line item and Committee members were able to discuss if the item was achievable and desirable. After review, the Committee chose fourteen action items to recommend to Mayor Haig Haleblian. At a vote of 8-0, the vote passed. Ryan Oates and Victoria Wojcik stated they will review this with the Mayor and City staff. 9. Open Discussion Dr. Gloria Warren suggested that providing educational programs through the school district is an effective way to teach the public about native species in the community. She also stated that the Crystal Lake Park District may be a good resource for educational opportunities for the school district as well. Jen Oliver shared that McHenry County Schools Environmental Education Programs are some other program options to recommend to the high school district that aligns with a Mayor’s Monarch Pledge objective. 10. Next Meeting: March 19, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. 11. Adjourn There being no further business, Cordell Crane moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:38 p.m. Lisa McLaughlin seconded the motion. Upon voice vote, all voted aye. Meeting adjourned.