Sustainable Madison Advisory Committee

Sustainable Madison Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes July 20, 2021 Due to the coronavirus outbreak, this meeting is being conducted on Zoom. Chairperson Kathleen Caccavale called the meeting to order at 1:36 P.M. STATEMENT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT: “In compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act, adequate notice of this meeting of the Sustainable Madison Advisory Committee (SMAC) Meeting was provided by transmitting a copy of the meeting notice to the Madison Eagle and Morris County Daily Record, posting a copy on the bulletin board at the main entrance of the Hartley Dodge Memorial, and filing a copy in the office of the Clerk. This notice was made available to members of the general public.” The following members acknowledged their presence: Kathleen Caccavale, Chairperson/Regular Member Peter Fried, Resident/Regular Member Lisa Jordan, Resident/Regular Member Angelique Devost, Resident/Regular Member John Hoover, Borough Council Liaison/Regular Member Judy Honohan, Shade Tree Commission Representative/Regular Member Joan Maccari, Resident/Regular Member Sarah Fischer, School Board Representative/Regular Member Marilyn Musielski, Resident/Regular Member Special Guest: Claire Whitcomb, Resident/Chair, Madison Environmental Commission The high school student intern who worked with Peter will present to the Board of Education about their work: it is accessible through YouTube online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BljKAcWe7vI. John provided an update on borough activities. The council passed Ordinance 30 which prohibits cannabis businesses within borough borders. Ordinance 31 was passed to include an environmental checklist for applications for construction projects. Funding was approved for the MRC trail project ($350K accessible trail). Michael Pellessier was designated borough Zoom coordinator. A resolution was passed for a recycling bin for clothing and textiles at the DPW. John recommended reading minutes on Rosenet to learn more about the environmental checklist: https://www.rosenet.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2316. Sarah provided a school report. Eco-benches resulting from the bottle caps to benches initiative have been delivered to Central Ave School. Superintendent Dan Ross and other administrators are working on district planning, including safe routes to school. Environmental considerations are a factor in purchasing cleaning materials. The school district is applying for an electric school bus for Madison. There is currently no school policy on idling, but development of a policy is under consideration and a notice encouraging good idling practices were sent to parents. Peter shared an example in Chatham where students brought flyers to parents to inform them about the importance of not idling. Action Item: Sarah will check on the Central Avenue school program where bottle caps were collected and report back. Marilyn, Kathi and the Madison Garden Club continue to collect caps and would like to find a place to submit them. Claire provided an update on Madison Environmental Commission activities. Friends of the Drew Forest table is scheduled for the farmers market. Java’s Compost installed a composting bin at the DPW, and during recycling center hours, for $20/month, individuals can drop off two buckets of compost per month (bin is password protected). This option is useful for apartment dwellers, and can handle compostable utensils. Volunteers are needed to assist with the Bottle Hill Day table(s) for MEC and SMAC on October 2. Peter provided an update on North Jersey Green monthly newspaper column: three columns have been published, three are being written (climate crisis, electric landscaping equipment, and another Drew forest article). Ideas are encouraged (e.g., rain gardens). Kathi provided an update on certification. In 2022, the ERI and conservation easement actions (inventory and care) are expiring and need to be updated. In addition, the non-expiring smoke- free action is being replaced with a new action that requires an ordinance. Looking for volunteers on the conservation easement action. Claire suggested the site plan volunteers might assist with this action. The action was completed in 2013, so the groundwork for this is available. Kathi continues to pursue the complete streets action in coordination with the town. We haven’t heard from Sustainable Jersey with official results, but if you look at approved actions, we have 750 points, with another 195 points that need revisions. We reviewed the lists of actions that need revisions. Marilyn volunteered to watch the webinar on Tobacco Free Community Designation (July 27, 2021, 10am). Sarah shared about a Morris Plains garden tour, which included school gardens (was a fundraiser for education). Rolling and new action items are as follows: Action Item: Joan will coordinate with MEC to encourage Green Vision Forum participants to present to the Chamber of Commerce (particularly the 2nd grade group promoting edible native species). Action Item: LED lights and heating systems in Hartley Dodge Memorial are the two key energy efficiency areas the town is working on. Peter Fried will ask Bob Vogel for more information about the key issues concerning heating in Hartley Dodge Memorial (Update: this action is in progress). Action Item: Peter Fried would like information on upcoming events in order to share information to the Madison Eagle. The next SMAC meeting will be on August 17 at 1:30 P.M. Zoom information can be found here. The meeting was adjourned at 2:36 P.M. Minutes respectfully submitted by Lisa Jordan.