Environmental Control Advisory Board Meeting

CITY OF NORMAN, OK ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING Development Center, Conference Room, 225 N. Webster Avenue, Norman, OK 73069 Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 5:30 PM MINUTES It is the policy of the City of Norman that no person or groups of persons shall on the grounds of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, place of birth, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, marital status, including marriage to a person of the same sex, disability, relation, or genetic information, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to discrimination in employment activities or in all programs, services, or activities administered by the City, its recipients, sub-recipients, and contractors. In the event of any comments, complaints, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, and auxiliary aids and services regarding accessibility or inclusion, please contact the ADA Technician at 405-366-5446, Relay Service: 711. To better serve you, five (5) business days' advance notice is preferred. ROLL CALL 1. PRESENT Board member Dane Heins Board member Debra Cretsinger Board member Inger Giuffrida Board member Lainey Phillips Board member Bob Nairn Board member Nathalie Rocher Board member Sara Bondy Board member Debbie Smith Board Member Eileen Grzybowski INTRODUCE NEW MEMBERS, GUESTS & STAFF New Members: Eileen Grzybowski Staff: Rachel Croft, Water Treatment Plant Manager Jerry Gates, Environmental Services Assistant Manager Alex Farrill, Stormwater Compliance Inspector ANNOUNCEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING - Wednesday, January 17, 2024 Page |1 Loudenback and Scovill are both out sick with the flu. MINUTES 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR THE NOVEMBER 15 & DECEMBER 13, 2023 MEETING Motion to approve November and December minutes made by Board member Phillips, Seconded by Board member Cretsinger. Voting Yea: Board member Heins, Board member Giuffrida, Board member Nairn, Board member Rocher, Board member Bondy, Board member Smith, Board Member Grzybowski DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. DISCUSS RECYCLING, PRESENTATION BY BRETT SCOVILL Tabled 4. DISCUSS EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES FOR 2024 Gates discussed the up and comings educational and outreach activities events calendar that was handed out. Some items that are not on the handout are: Freese & Nichols will do a lunch and nature base solution presentation. Nairn will be doing some public education. Vollmar will be doing a small solar site class sometime in the spring or summer. The City will be having an E-Waste event. 5. DISCUSS SPRING ACTIVITIES FOR GREEN NORMAN ECO MONTH Smith asked about the poster contest. Rachel informed them that it is in the works and should be voting on them in March. Croft also mentioned Water's Worth It month in July. Groups is interested in participating in the Earth Day Festival. Heins mentioned the Big Event with OU and asked for ideas. A clean-up event was mentioned by a few members. Nairn suggested Rock Creek Park to Prairie View, to William Morgan Park. That area needs a cleanup. Also, Brookhaven Creek headwaters. Talk to Parks Department and see if there are any other suggestions that they may have. Parking may be an issue with the Rock Creek Park. Will need to request a large number of volunteers to cover 3 parks. Another location was ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING - Wednesday, January 17, 2024 Page |2  discussed, WRF/Bratcher Miner Rd. Heins asked the group who would want to reach out to Parks and Gates volunteered. Heins asked if there were any other events that they wanted to participate in. Rocher inquired about the water shed clean up events. She was informed that the event was handled by Stormwater Quality and that one would be Lake Thunderbird in the Spring. Phillips suggested the Monarchs in the Park event. Heins asked about artful inlets, after further discussion it was decided that ECAB's help would not be necessary at this event. Smith asked if they knew which park they would be working in and it was mentioned that it would possibly be in Hall Park/Blue Thumb neighborhood parks. Rocher mentioned that they should do an educational outreach regarding recycling and asked if they could do schools. Croft mentioned that they would be attending an elementary school and that they might be able to have a few of them go with them and incorporate that in with it. Gates mentioned that they could get with Fertile Ground and get info on recyclable materials. Grzybowski mentioned a booth at the Well during the Farmers Market. QR code handouts were also discussed or raffling off a rain barrel. Grzybowski mentioned bringing back the big hazardous waste collection event because people miss it. Grzybowski also said that she was going to be doing an event that she wouldn't mind doing for educational outreach as well. It is an astronomy event in November that she has a presentation for. It is dealing with the light pollution and energy efficiency. Giuffrida suggested talking about solar power around the eclipse in April although no one would be available. Grzybowski mentioned the Lunar Sooners would be worth contacting to help with that. ACTION ITEMS 6. DISCUSSION AND/OR APPROVAL OF THE MAYORS CLIMATE PROTECTION AGREEMENT. Motion to approve the MCPA made by Board member Smith, Seconded by Board member Phillips. Voting Yea: Board member Heins, Board member Cretsinger, Board member Giuffrida, Board member Nairn, Board member Rocher, Board member Bondy, Board Member Grzybowski 7. DISCUSSION AND/OR APPROVAL OF NOMINEES FOR CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR FOR 2024 Smith nominated Heins for Chair. Motion made to approve Heins as nominee for Chair by Board member Phillips, Seconded by Board member Cretsinger. Voting Yea: Board member Heins, Board member Giuffrida, Board member Nairn, Board member Rocher, Board member Bondy, Board member Smith, Board Member Grzybowski ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING - Wednesday, January 17, 2024 Page |3  Phillips nominated Rocher for Vice Chair. Motion to approve Rocher as nominee for Vice Chair made by Board member Cretsinger, Seconded by Board member Bondy. Voting Yea: Board member Heins, Board member Giuffrida, Board member Nairn, Board member Rocher, Board member Phillips, Board member Smith, Board Member Grzybowski MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS Rocher mentioned that she is noticing the bright green lawns and thought that some door-to- door education might work. Phillips suggested starting out with sending out education information to the boards of the HOA's to get a conversation started hopefully with alternatives. Croft mentioned that she would like to include information about their sprinkler systems as well, in regards to freeze sensors and rain sensors required by ordinance. These sensors are not currently being required or inspected by City Permit/Inspection staff as they mentioned they are more concerned about them having backflow preventers. Giuffrida stated that she loves the educational side of it and that they should do it but has ECAB ever considered doing an ordinance for lawn management with pre-emergent. Grzybowski asked what ECAB was allowed to do with Social Media and Croft explained to her that the City of Norman has a communications officer who blasts things on social media and would likely be glad to post things for them as long as it doesn't interfere with other PSA's. Grzybowski stated that pre- COVID OU would do an entire Earth Month and asked if anyone knows if they are starting that again. Nairn informed them that the guy that used to run the program that headed the Earth Month at OU is no longer there and he doesn't know of anything that they have planned. Rocher suggested reaching out and collaborating with the Environmental Concerns Committee at OU to get some things in motion. Cretsinger suggested finding other people that are willing to take on that big of a task to coordinate it, being that it may be too big for ECAB to take on. Heins asked if they were wasting their time by doing all this education if there is an enforcement issue at hand. Nairn said that he's wondering if they should build a relationship with the ECC. Smith suggested inviting them to a meeting. After further discussion everyone is in agreeance that they need to start with the City in regards to implementation. Phillips suggested having the department heads read the MCPA and have a meeting with them and workout a guideline on things to discuss with them. Gates suggested a lunch with ECAB. QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC None ADJOURNMENT 8. TIME: 7:02 PM ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING - Wednesday, January 17, 2024 Page |4