Environmental Citizen's Committee Meeting

Regular Meeting Environmental Citizens Committee Madison Heights, Michigan July 11, 2024 A Regular Meeting of the Environmental Citizens Committee was held on Thursday, July 11, 2024, at 10:00 AM at City Hall - Executive Conference Room, 300 W. 13 Mile Road, Madison Heights, MI 48071 Present: Chairman Salley and Members: Ms. Bartleman, Ms. Bowen, and Ms. Fox Absent: Ms. Porter and Councilor Rohrbach Also Present: Director of Public Services Ballantine. Chair Salley called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. ECC 12-24. Additions/Deletions Motion made by Ms. Fox, Seconded by Ms. Bowen, to add a discussion of future mini-grant opportunities under New Business. Voting Yea: Bartleman, Bowen, Fox, and Salley Motion Carried. ECC 13-24. Minutes Motion made by Ms. Bowen, Seconded by Ms. Bartleman, to adopt the minutes from the Regular Meeting of March 28. 2024 as presented. Voting Yea: Bartleman, Bowen, Fox, and Salley Motion Carried. ECC 14-24. Meeting Open to the Public No public were present who wished to speak. ECC 15-24. Financial Update - Escrow Account Director of Public Services Ballantine confirmed there's $13,706.51 in the escrow account. ECC 16-24. Part 115 Materials Management Plan Director of Public Services Ballantine provided a brief update on the Part 115 updates, and stated that he has been in attendance at several webinars regarding the changes. The plan is being managed at the County level, but they 1 Regular Meeting Environmental Citizens Committee Madison Heights, Michigan July 11, 2024 will be soliciting input from the cities, villages, and townships in the future. Ms. Bartleman provided information on a program in Kitchener, Ontario, which directly reflects the circular economy concept that is part of the plan. The website is circularmaterials.ca. Further discussion took place regarding the sale of GFL to Priority, and the Committee’s future involvement in the preparation of the solid waste bid, which will be taking place toward the first of the new year. ECC 17-24. Seed Library Ms. Fox provided an update, and stated that the Seed Library has been present at multiple events. Pots have been donated by Home Depot and added to the offerings. The Seed Library continues to see a lot of interest, and is staying consistently stocked through donations. Ms. Bartleman pointed out that the seed library and various plant-related events are also sparking discussion about the benefits of native plants, and that networking and having information to provide is crucial. ECC 18-24. Meeting with WildTypes Director of Public Services Ballantine provided an update. City Manager Marsh and himself did a walkaround at Civic Center Park with Bill from WildTypes. The meeting was extremely informative, and focused on the restoration/conversion of maintained turf areas to native prairie. No decisions have yet been made, but staff now has a great deal of helpful information to work with in future. ECC 19-24. 2024 Arbor Day Event General discussion took place regarding the event. The consensus was that ‘less is more’, and that information is much easier to receive and have people take away than having them unexpectedly win a full-sized tree or shrub. The event went well, and was well-received. ECC 20-24. New Business An open discussion ensued regarding the previous mini-grant opportunity, and the need to require grant recipients to provide an update regarding how the money was spent, and what was accomplished. Plans for a future opportunity also involve getting consent from the awardees to publish the reports. Discussion continued regarding the timing of the next opportunity, with more to be discussed at the next regularly scheduled meeting. 2 Regular Meeting Environmental Citizens Committee Madison Heights, Michigan July 11, 2024 ECC 21-24. Adjournment There being no further business, Chair Salley adjourned the meeting at 11:10 a.m. The next meeting is Thursday, October 10, 2024, at 10 a.m. Sean P. Ballantine Director of Public Services 3