Sustainability Committee

MINUTES SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE March 18, 2026 City Hall, 100 W. Woodstock Street, Crystal Lake, IL 1. Call to Order Victoria Wojcik called the meeting to order on 6:04 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at Crystal Lake City Hall. 2. Roll Call/Attendance Present were the following Committee members: Steve Platt, Dean Farr, Terry Dieckhoff, Emilie Hoffman, and Jennifer Oliver. Members of the public in attendance: Community Development Analyst Victoria Wojcik and Public Works Analyst Emily Sitkie. 3. Public Comment There was no public comment during this meeting. 4. Approval of Minutes from the February 18, 2026 Meeting Jennifer Oliver made a motion to approve the minutes of the February 18, 2026 Sustainability Committee meeting. Steve Platt seconded the motion. Upon voice vote, motion passed. 5. Crystal Lake Stormwater Program Presentation Victoria Wojcik introduced Public Works Analyst Emily Sitkie, who presented the Crystal Lake Stormwater Program updates. The presentation explained the Crystal Lake Watershed, and that the lake is filled by groundwater. The City has a Watershed regulation program that aims to preserve water that goes into the lake. Emily Sitkie also discussed how Crystal Lake residents can do their part to keep the groundwater as clean as possible. 6. Meeting Time Change Proposal Victoria Wojcik explained how the Sustainability Committee has been meeting at 6:00 p.m. at Crystal Lake City Hall every third Wednesday of the month. However, the past few meetings have not had a full quorum until fifteen to twenty minutes after the hour, thus starting the meeting late. Jennifer Oliver started the discussion by stating that starting a later meeting would fit into her schedule better. Emilie Hoffman agreed. They group discussed that starting regular scheduled Sustainability Committee meetings at 6:30 p.m. would be more beneficial. Steve Platt, Dean Farr, and Terry Dieckhoff did not oppose. Steve Platt made a motion to vote for starting regular scheduled Sustainability Committee meetings at 6:30 p.m. every third Wednesday of the month. Dean Farr seconded the motion. At a vote of 5-0, the vote passed. 7. Litter Clean Up Initiatives A. Chamber of Commerce Earth Day Cleanup Event The Committee members discussed their availability to attend the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce Earth Day Cleanup Event on April 18, 2026. The check-in period will be between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. that morning, where the Sustainability Committee booth will be held. Sustainability Committee attendees will also be in charge of designating the City-owned cleanup properties to volunteers that morning. Wojcik stated she will send out a sign-up email to see who can attend the event. The Committee also discussed what will be provided at the Sustainability Committee booth. The Adopt-A-Highway and Independent Litter Cleanup Program resources will be presented at the booth. Emilie Hoffman also considered that including something entertaining or enticing to the public or for the younger volunteers would help bring more people to the booth. No updates were provided regarding coupon donations from local businesses, so Jennifer Oliver suggested handing out stickers of the litterbug mascot associated with the Independent Litter Cleanup Program. Victoria Wojcik said she will look into purchasing custom stickers of the mascot. B. Independent Litter Program Victoria Wojcik announced that the Independent Litter Cleanup Program is almost complete. She brought in a demo litter cleanup kit that is one of the four made and ready to use. The checklist and recycling guide handout was passed around as well, which explains how to keep track of items in the kit. Emilie Hoffman suggested that the litterbug mascot on the checklist should also be on each kit bucket to stand out. Victoria Wojcik said that once the buckets are all labeled and checklists are added, she will publish information about the program on the website ready for use. 8. Mayor’s Monarch Pledge Action Item Progress Victoria Wojcik presented a list of the 2026 Mayor’s Monarch Pledge action items. Emilie Hoffman presented that the Countryside Garden Club has a plant sale every year in the spring. This year, it will be held on May 30th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Native plants will be sold, and Emilie said that the group would benefit from having a table providing information on Monarch butterflies and pollinators at the event. The collaboration with the Sustainability Committee would also be posted on social media to inform the public of the event. Dean Farr said that this event would address a few action items, and that handing out milkweed seeds at this event would further the completion of more action items. Victoria Wojcik said that she will also send a sign-up email to the Committee members to see who can attend before the group reaches out to Countryside. The Countryside Garden Club also maintains the Triangle Garden by Downtown Crystal Lake. Emilie said that the Garden Club is accepting native seeds for that garden. This can also further achieve action items selected for this year. 9. Next Meeting: April 15, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. 10. Adjourn There being no further business, Jennifer Oliver moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:38 p.m. Emilie Hoffman seconded the motion. Upon voice vote, all voted aye. Meeting adjourned.