Citizens' Environmental Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB CITIZENS’ ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION December 6, 2018 The Citizens’ Environmental Commission held a regular business meeting on December 6, 2018, in City Council Chambers at the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois, 60115. Chair Kenney called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m. A. ROLL CALL The following members of the Citizens' Environmental Commission were present (indicated by x): X Dan Kenney (Chair) X Ken Koch Mary McGinn X Clare Kron (Vice-Chair) X Bill Oleckno X Rachel Farrell X Sharon Skala X Ann Shult The following ex-officio members were present (indicated by x): X Amy Doll, DeKalb Park District X Mike Holland, Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District X Christine Lagattolla, Northern Illinois University Lacey Carlson, DeKalb County Health Department B. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Kenney asked for a motion to approve the agenda with two items, Logo Update and Coal Tar Sealants, to be moved to future agendas. MOTION - Ms. Kron moved to approve the agenda as amended. Ms. Shult seconded the motion. Agenda was approved unanimously by voice vote. C. PUBLIC COMMENT None. D. APPROVAL of MINUTES Chair Kenney asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Monthly Meeting held on November 2, 2018. MOTION – Mr. Oleckno moved to approve minutes. Ms. Shult seconded the motion. Minutes were approved unanimously by voice vote. E. COMMISSION REPORTS 1. DeKalb County Health Department: Lacey Carlson Ms. Kron provided the update on behalf of Ms. Carlson. The Illinois EPA has a new website to help residents find recycling centers. The website is: https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/waste-management/Pages/recycling.aspx Ms. Carlson has a new position, however, she will continue to attend the CEC meetings. Citizen Environmental Commission December 6, 2018 Page 2 of 3 2. DeKalb Park District: Amy Doll The Nature Trail Restoration project is continuing; however, the recent snow has delayed progress. Work on the Strategic Plan is ongoing, including establishing environmental goals. Next year’s budget includes several capital projects and the identification of no-mow areas. 3. Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District: Michael Holland The District has a Used Cooking Oil Drop-Off Program. The purpose is to provide residents with a means of disposing cooking oils and grease, other than our sewer or landfill, which we can then process to create electricity. More information is available at: http://kishwrd.com/dekalbsanitary/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/KWRD_Grease_Oil_Dropoff.pdf Construction on the new facilities is progressing. The Administration Building is complete and move-in has begun. 4. Northern Illinois University: Christine Lagattolla NIU has approved and is in the process of creating a new position for a Sustainability Coordinator. Green Team had Waste Management in to talk about recycling. 5. City of Dekalb: Tim Holdeman Public Works conducted a 24 hour snow and ice removal operation on November 25 and 26. Crews used more than 400 tons of salt during the operation. All streets were cleared by 7 a.m. on Monday morning. Snow is now covering the leaves that residents have raked up for loose leaf collection. Public Works will be assessing the conditions in the coming weeks and if we can, we will reconvene the loose leaf collection operation. LRS has agreed to extend the curbside yard waste collection program through the end of December. The City Manager search continues. The goal is to have the new City Manager in place by February 1. F. NEW BUSINESS 1. Kishwaukee Watershed Study: Anita Zurbrugg and Dean Johnson Ms. Zurbrugg began the presentation with a brief discussion on the DeKalb County Community Foundation (DKCCF), their mission, and how they got involved with Watershed Protection Planning. The DKCCF uses its undesignated funds to address land planning issues, including Watershed Protection. Mr. Johnson presented the outline of the Kishwaukee Watershed Protection Plan. The plan will include community involvement and stakeholder input. The field inventory began in November. The plan will take about 2 years to complete. G. OLD BUSINESS 1. P.R.I.D.E. Awards Two nominations were received. One for Inboden’s Meat Market and one for Mr. Matt Boelk. The nominations were discussed. MOTION – Mr. Oleckno moved to award a P.R.I.D.E. Award to each of the nominees. Ms. Kron seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. Citizen Environmental Commission December 6, 2018 Page 3 of 3 2. Logo Update Will be discussed at a future meeting. 3. Coal Tar Sealants Will be discussed at a future meeting. 4. Report on research into other energy companies Mr. Holdeman reported that he had received a list of other energy companies to be considered for an energy audit of the City and will forward those to Mr. Koch. 5. Charge Point Electric Vehicle Station Information Mr. Holdeman reported on his conversations with a Charge Point sales representative. The Charge Point price per charging station ($8,000) is considerably higher that the Clipper Creek stations ($1,500). The Clipper Creek stations would be preferred for the pilot program that CEC is considering. 6. Other Sustainability Plan Updates Mr. Oleckno recommended that we review the Sustainability spreadsheet. Mr. Holdeman will circulate it with the January agenda. Mr. Oleckno also asked that there be informational follow-ups for former issues brought before the Commission. H. ANNOUNCEMENTS Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, January 3, 2019, 4:00 pm I. PUBLIC FORUM ON LED LIGHTING Dr. William J. Mills, Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University, presented detailed information regarding LED lighting. J. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Koch moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Kron seconded. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Chair Kenney declared the meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m. Respectfully Submitted: Tim Holdeman, Staff Liaison Approved by Voice Vote on February 7, 2018