Citizens' Environmental Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB CITIZENS’ ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION February 7, 2018 The Citizens’ Environmental Commission held a regular business meeting on February 7, 2019, in the Executive Conference Room 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): Amy Doll, DeKalb Park District Mike Holland, Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District Christine Lagattolla, Northern Illinois University X Veronica Polvi, DeKalb County Health Department Chairman Kenney thanked Mr. Holdeman for his service as staff liaison for the Commission. B. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Kenney asked for a motion to approve the agenda. MOTION - Ms. Shult moved to approve the agenda. Mr. Koch seconded the motion. Agenda was approved unanimously by voice vote. C. PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Smith commended the Commission for working with staff on environmental issues facing the community and recognized the contributions of Mr. Tim Holdeman with a certificate of appreciation. D. APPROVAL of MINUTES Chair Kenney asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Monthly Meeting held on February 7, 2019. MOTION – Ms. Shult moved to approve minutes with minor modifications. Ms. Skala seconded the motion. Minutes were approved unanimously by voice vote. E. COMMISSION REPORTS 1. DeKalb County Health Department: Veronica Polvi Holiday lights collection ended this week. E-waste is tentatively scheduled for May 4 and Citizen Environmental Commission February 7, 2019 Page 2 of 3 September 7. Ms. Kron asked for Ms. Polvi to look into disposal locations for smoke alarms. 2. DeKalb Park District: Amy Doll (via e-mail) • No spring workdays at Prairie Park are currently scheduled but we plan to schedule one in March and one in April • DeKalb Nature Trail restoration work continues and Phase 2 (the non-power lines side of the trail) is proposed to be completed in next fiscal year. • A new initiative in conjunction with NIU’s Outdoor Adventures is being put together – DeKalb County Connecting Children to Nature ◦ Kick off meeting on Monday, February 25th at 4:00 pm at the Hopkins Community Center to a kick-off meeting of this coalition. ◦ Possible projects for this coalition could include:  Sharing a website and resources for offering programs and events (potentially a part of Live Healthy DeKalb County)  Projects that boost participation in local outdoor recreational activities such as developments in nature trails, river access, and environmental restoration  Focused educational programs aimed to connect children to nature i.e. citizen science initiatives, outdoor skill workshops, etc.  Resources that encourage the community to engage with nature i.e. nature library or nature backpacks/go packs  Advocating for a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights ◦ For more information they can contact me or Christine Lagatolla from NIU 3. Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District: Michael Holland No Report. 4. Northern Illinois University: Christine Lagattolla No Report. 5. City of Dekalb: Patrick DiDiana • Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS) is preparing for Household Hazardous Waste collection days. The dates will be posted on the City’s website. • Ms. Kron mentioned that she had not received any information from ComEd on the specifications of the LED streetlights being installed in DeKalb. She does not want to resort to legal action. • City Manager Nicklas will get the information from ComEd prior to April 1. F. NEW BUSINESS 1. Summary of 2018 Accomplishments Chair Kenney invited Commission members to the March 11th meeting of City Council at 6:00 p.m. for his report on the Commission’s Accomplishments and Goals. The Commission listed and briefly discussed several accomplishments in 2018, including: Native Planting Ordinance, LED Lighting Public Forum, Chapter 50 revisions, Mayor’s Climate Pact, designed a CEC Logo, Sustainability Plan, Solar Farms, Gardens Policy, PRIDE Awards, Testified at City Council regarding smoking regulations, and electrical charging stations. Citizen Environmental Commission February 7, 2019 Page 3 of 3 2. Goals for 2019 The following goals for 2019 were discussed: Sustainability plan update, implementation of charging stations, revisit mission statement, backyard chickens, host at least 3 public forums, update watershed plan, LED lighting, Radon gas, coal tar sealants, and more educational initiatives. G. OLD BUSINESS 1. Logo Update Commission members asked Mr. DiDiana to consult City Attorney on the limitations of using a CEC logo. 2. Coal Tar Sealants Commission members discussed the ramifications of coal tar sealant run-off and drafting an ordinance based on the Village of Deerfield’s ordinance. Concerns were expressed regarding administrative costs and logistics of monitoring the use of coal tar sealants. Mr. Koch suggested members review the Deerfield ordinance and be prepared for further discussion at the March meeting. 3. Report on research into other energy companies Mr. Koch researched several other companies that perform energy audits. He concluded that different companies use different models based on their interests. He will look into ComEd’s free evaluation. MOTION – Mr. Koch moved to investigate the ComEd free energy assessment. Ms. Shult seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. 4. Updates on other items discussed previously Ms. Kron reported that Ms. Jennifer Cordon has organized an informational meeting to be held at the DeKalb Public Library on Tuesday, Feb. 19. The purpose of the meeting is to gauge public interest in supporting a backyard chicken ordinance. Ms. Kron discussed how wind farms generate more heat and recommended advocating for solar power. H. ANNOUNCEMENTS Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, March 7, 2019, 4:00 pm I. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Kenney moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Shult seconded. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Chair Kenney declared the meeting adjourned at 5:27 p.m. Respectfully Submitted: Patrick DiDiana, Staff Liaison