Environmental Citizen's Committee Meeting

Regular Meeting Environmental Citizens Committee March 23, 2023 A Regular Meeting of the Environmental Citizens Committee was held on Thursday, March 23, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. in the Municipal Building at 300 West Thirteen Mile Road, Madison Heights, Michigan. Present: Chairman Salley and Members: Ms. Bartleman (arrived @ 10:10 a.m.), Ms. Fox, Mr. Klepacki, Ms. Porter, and Councilor Rohrbach (arrived @ 10:10 a.m.) Absent: Mr. Theodoroff Also Present: Interim Director of Public Services/Deputy Director of Public Services Ballantine and Deputy City Clerk Boucher 23-13. Additions to the Agenda Motion by Mr. Klepacki, seconded by Ms. Porter, to add in unfinished business and before Arbor Day Celebration: Garden Grant, Plant Workshop and Plant Sale. Yeas: Fox, Klepacki, Porter, and Salley Nays: None Absent: Bartleman, Rohrbach, and Theodoroff Motion Carried. 23-14. Minutes Motion by Mr. Klepacki, seconded by Ms. Porter, to adopt the minutes from the Regular Meeting of January 12, 2023, as printed. Yeas: Fox, Klepacki, Porter, and Salley Nays: None Absent: Bartleman, Rohrbach, and Theodoroff Motion Carried. 23-15. Meeting Open to the Public There were no members of the public wishing to speak. 23-16. Garden Grant Ms. Fox updated that four (4) applications were received, three (3) were from residents and one (1) was from a school district. There were expressed interest from another school, a church, and a resident. The 1 03-23-23 ECC Regular Meeting Environmental Citizens Committee March 23, 2023 grant was advertised through a newspaper, shared on different Madison Heights Facebook pages, and emailed to various community group lists such as Madison Heights Community Round Table, school districts and Bloom Project. 23-17. Plant Workshop Ms. Fox announced the Plant Workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at City Hall. Angela from Eastern Michigan Native Plants will offer a Native Plant 101 class and free native plant seeds will be available to the attendees. 23-18. Plant Sale Ms. Fox announced the Plant Sale will be held on Sunday, May 28, 2023, from 2 – 5 p.m. and she provided a checklist of volunteer opportunities for the event. Oakland County Parks will be available, and the Seed Library will be on display at the event. The Garden Grant deadline is April 2nd and the award will be announced at the City Council meeting on April 24th. Ms. Bartleman will have a compost information table courtesy of Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority (SOCWA) at the event. She will contact Audobon Bros as a vendor to participate in the event. Deputy Director of Public Services Ballantine advised the committee he will be out of the office from May 19th – May 30th and asked the committee to submit their request prior to these dates for the upcoming events. There will be a contact person in case the committee needs additional assistance. Deputy Director of Public Services Ballantine will provide a compost bin at the event. Councilor Rohrbach will work with the Arts Board to provide a craft table for the children. 23-19. Arbor Day Celebration Ms. Bartleman shared that Earth Day is Saturday, April 22, 2023. She volunteered to oversee the Arbor Day Celebration. Ms. Bartleman will provide informative handouts from SOCWA. Councilor Rohrbach informed that the Run for the Health of It 5K Walk/Run is Saturday, April 22, 2023. She suggests the grant award is announced during the Arbor Day Celebration and have signs made to 2 03-23-23 ECC Regular Meeting Environmental Citizens Committee March 23, 2023 direct attendees to all the Arbor Day stations. Instead of planting a tree, offer a free tree for the first ten (10) participants and include a brochure on how to plant your tree. Deputy Director of Public Services Ballantine advised that parking is permissible across the street at Red Oaks Waterpark. There won’t be any parking at the Nature Center and it’s discouraged for anyone to park in the neighborhood. The Nature Center and the green area nearby are available for set-up. Anyone interested in participating in the 5K can either register in person at DPS on Ajax or online. Deputy Director of Public Services Ballantine will revise a resolution for the Arbor Day Celebration at an upcoming City Council meeting in April. He shared that Corey Almas resigned from Madison Heights and is now the Director of Engineering at Bloomfield Township. Deputy Director of Public Services Ballantine received a promotion and Interim Director of Public Services. The Director of Public Services position was posted and closed last Monday. Mr. Klepacki volunteered to utilize his truck to transport the trees for the Arbor Day Celebration. 23-20. Arbor Day Celebration be in conjunction with the Run for the Health of It 5K Walk/Run on Saturday, April 22, 2023 Motion by Councilor Rohrbach, seconded by Ms. Fox, to approve the Arbor Day Celebration be in conjunction with the Run for the Health of It 5K Walk/Run on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Yeas: Bartleman, Fox, Klepacki, Porter, Rohrbach, and Salley Nays: None Absent: Theodoroff Motion Carried. 23-21. Allocate not to exceed $100 towards signs for the Arbor Day Celebration Motion by Councilor Rohrbach, seconded by Mr. Klepacki, to approve an allocation not to exceed $100 towards signs for the Arbor Day Celebration. Yeas: Bartleman, Fox, Klepacki, Porter, Rohrbach, and Salley Nays: None Absent: Theodoroff Motion Carried. 3 03-23-23 ECC Regular Meeting Environmental Citizens Committee March 23, 2023 23-22. Allocate not to exceed $100 reimbursement to Anthony Klepacki for transporting trees for the Arbor Day Celebration Motion by Ms. Fox, seconded by Councilor Rohrbach, to approve an allocation not to exceed $100 reimbursement to Anthony Klepacki for transporting trees for the Arbor Day Celebration. Yeas: Bartleman, Fox, Klepacki, Porter, Rohrbach, and Salley Nays: None Absent: Theodoroff Motion Carried. 23-23. Adjournment. There being no further business, Chair Salley adjourned the meeting at 11:45 a.m. The next meeting is Thursday, April 20, 2023, at 10 a.m. Phommady A. Boucher Deputy City Clerk 4 03-23-23 ECC