Citizens' Environmental Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB CITIZENS’ ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION March 7, 2019 The Citizens’ Environmental Commission held a regular business meeting on March 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 4:01 p.m. A. ROLL CALL The following members of the Citizens' Environmental Commission were present (indicated by x): X Dan Kenney (Chair) Ken Koch Mary McGinn X Clare Kron (Vice-Chair) X Bill Oleckno X Rachel Farrell 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 X Christine Lagattolla, Northern Illinois University Veronica Polvi, DeKalb County Health Department B. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Kenney asked for a motion to approve the agenda. Items G.1 (Logo Update) and G.2 (Coal Tar Sealants) both postponed to April 4, 2019 meeting. MOTION - Ms. Kron moved to approve the agenda. Mr. Oleckno 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. Several other people were in attendance but did not make any comments. 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 the minutes. Mr. Oleckno seconded the motion with the minor modifications. Ms. Kron also requested minor modifications. Minutes were approved unanimously by voice vote. E. COMMISSION REPORTS 1. DeKalb Park District: Amy Doll No Report Citizen Environmental Commission March 7, 2019 Page 2 of 3 2. Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District: Michael Holland No Report. 3. Northern Illinois University: Christine Lagattolla Ms. Lagatolla mentioned NIU’s first sustainability survey was conducted. It was titled BARKS - Behaviors, Attitudes, Resources and Knowledge of Sustainability. She will bring the results to the CEC once they are tabulated. 4. DeKalb County Health Department: Veronica Polvi No Report 5. City of Dekalb: Patrick DiDiana Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS) has started taking requests for hazardous household waste home collections online and by phone. Requests for April collections will be taken through March 31, 2019. Mr. DiDiana also noted the previous staff liaison’s (Tim Holdeman’s) initiative to honor a 384-year-old Bur Oak tree located on the east bank of the Kishwaukee River. In response, Chairman Kenney requested the contact information for Michael Kirk. F. NEW BUSINESS 1. Bill Nicklas Report on LED Lights, Chicken Ordinance, and electric charging stations. a. LED Lights: Mr. Nicklas provided Commission members the model number of the LED lighting fixture ComEd has installed on streetlights throughout the City. He also reviewed the manufacturer’s product specifications and explained the role the screen plays in diffusing and directing the lighting emitted. Ms. Kron inquired if the screen Mr. Nicklas spoke about was the same as the shielding apparatus she was concerned with. They both agreed they spoke of the same part. Mr. Nicklas also mentioned the lights include dimming capabilities. Ms. Kron stated Mr. Gaulrapp of ComEd revealed the current LED lights are not dimmable. Mr. Nicklas agreed to follow-up with Mr. Gaulrapp. b. Electric Charging Stations: Mr. Nicklas mentioned there may be an opportunity to use TIF finds to purchase a charging station for electric cars if the cost remained between $10,000 to $15,000. He will present the request to City Council in April and report back to the Commission. c. Backyard Chicken Ordinance: Mr. Nicklas announced he will bring the backyard chicken ordinance to City Council for consideration at the City Council meeting on April 22, 2019. 2. Plastic Bag Restriction Ordinance: Discussion Commission agreed to postpone further action on this item to allow for Illinois legislators to make their recommendation. 3. Police Interceptor Mr. Nicklas recommended Police Chief Lowery attend the next meeting to further discuss the City of Chicago’s recommendation to utilize the Ford Police Interceptor Utility. Ms. Shult agreed to conduct further research on this topic. 2 Citizen Environmental Commission March 7, 2019 Page 3 of 3 G. OLD BUSINESS 1. Logo Update Postponed to April 4, 2019 meeting. 2. Coal Tar Sealants Postponed to April 4, 2019 meeting. 3. Research of Energy companies to perform a citywide energy report Postponed to April 4, 2019 meeting. 3. Report on research into other energy companies Postponed to April 4, 2019 meeting. 4. Updates on other items discussed previously In response to comments by Bill Oleckno in an article published by the Mid-Week, Ms. Kron went on the record with an official statement, Exhibit A. Mr. Oleckno responded to Ms. Kron’s comments by going on the record with the comments detailed in Exhibit B. Chairman Kenney suggested further discussions on the April 4, 2019 meeting to allow time to revisit the ordinance draft and consider statements by Mr. Oleckno and Ms. Kron. Mr. Nicklas confirmed he would wait for the Commission to discuss the ordinance at the next meeting and wait for an update before going to City Council for consideration. H. ANNOUNCEMENTS Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, April 4, 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 3 EXHIBIT A EXHIBIT B