Environmental Advisory Council

EAC October 21, 2025 Minutes Members in Attendance: Grant Alger, Dan Ford, Dave Riedel, Steven Nelson, Jason Wood, Kirstyn Gudknecht, and Grant Rowe, Sustainability Coordinator. A guest, Maureen Loh, attended from New Britain Borough. Call to order: The meeting was called to order at 6:32 pm. Approval of Minutes, September 16, 2025: The minutes were approved as submitted. Reports:  DCAP: Following approval at the September 16, 2025, EAC meeting, there will be a joint EAC-Planning Commission meeting on October 28, 2025, at 7:00 pm. Steve will present the Doylestown Climate Action Plan (DCAP) at the meeting, and EAC members will be in attendance.  Outreach & Communications: o Farmer’s Market: The EAC hosted its last farmer’s market table of the year this month. It was decided to take a break from tabling for the rest of the year (2025) to resume next year (2026). EAC reviewed the success of the farmer’s market tabling. Steve mentioned that tabling often results in a split of interactions with both Doylestown Borough and non-Borough residents. Dan shared that one of the most successful tabling events was the joint EAC tabling session with Bucks County Conservation District. Grant A. mentioned that he feels tabling at the farmer’s market is a way to spread awareness. He also suggested a tabling collaboration with the Shade Tree Commission. o Website: The EAC discussed ways to update the Borough website. Grant A. created a document on the importance of native plants and the actions the Borough is currently taking. The goal is to add additional information on the website about native plants, including ordinances and tree-planting initiatives. Grant R. offered an overview of current Borough initiatives and answered questions regarding some of the Borough’s ongoing programs, including tree giveaways and a street tree planting program.  Park Habitat Enhancement: o Chapman Park Sign: Grant R. reviewed a draft educational sign for Chapman Park. Steve shared that the goal of the sign should be to clearly identify to park visitors that they are entering an ecosystem and to encourage them not to disturb wildlife. Dan suggested changing some of the animals listed on the sign, especially slower ones that cannot easily avoid people. Grant A. suggested adding a bird to the sign. Kirstyn agreed and suggested switching out the current bee graphic with a bird. Grant R. went over possible locations for this sign. Grant R. will work with Kirstyn to make edits and share the sign with EAC at a later meeting. o Park Enhancement Budget: Grant A. shared the draft budget document that Dan created for park enhancement. Grant R. shared that he submitted a park enhancement budget based mainly on Dan’s recommendations, including invasive species removal and bird and bot boxes. Steve asked if the EAC would need to collaborate with other committees, such as Environment and Recreation, to accomplish these goals. Grant R. will check into this further, but suggested that the focus for now is on the budget itself. Grant A. added that he has some community contacts who may be able to help as funding and projects are chosen for implementation.  Bird Town: Grant A. updated the EAC on Bird Town. He shared that there will be a virtual statewide Bird Town meeting in mid-November. Each Bird Town can submit two slides showcasing the work they have completed, and a few are chosen for highlighting. Grant A.’s two slides were selected last year. Grant A. also noted that the Borough of Doylestown will need to submit a report next year to maintain its Bird Town status.   Staff Report: o Solar Event: Grant R. reviewed the new Borough Hall rooftop solar. He informed everyone that the solar installer is interested in hosting a “ribbon-cutting” event for the solar. After the conversation, EAC decided to promote solar at the 2026 Earth Day event it plans to hold. Exact Solar can table at the Earth Day program. o Green Points Incentive Program: Grant R. also discussed updates to the Green Points Incentive program, explaining some formatting changes, changes due to updated building codes, and some new incentives inspired by the International Green Construction Code. Steve made a motion for the Borough Council to adopt the updated Green Points Incentive Program. Grant A. seconded the motion. Old/New Business:  Dan brought up homeowner associations (HOAs) and their connection with Doylestown Borough and sustainability. EAC discussed the rules HOAs set and potential ways to begin connecting with HOAs and sharing beneficial sustainability information. Steve shared that he will be a new member of the Planning Commission. Grant A. brought up the “leave the leaves” initiative, a program in which Doylestown Borough promotes the benefits of leaving leaves on one’s lawn. Grant R. informed the EAC that an updated post will be made to the Borough website regarding the program. Dan shared that he would stay a member of EAC until at least the end of the year.  A community attendee, Maureen Lou, introduced herself as a Borough Council member for New Britain Borough and as the chair of their new EAC. She wanted to attend to learn more about how Environmental Advisory Councils operate. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:31 pm. Respectfully Submitted by: Erika Fellman Meeting Minutes Secretary