Environmental Advisory Board Meeting

Ogden Dunes Environmental Advisory Board Minutes - 18 April 2023 Town Hall, 5:30 pm Attendees: Bianca Passo, Frank Lani, Carol Angarola, Vicky Albritton, Jon Lehman, and Susan Adams. Karl Krizmanic also attended. Review and Approve Agenda - No additions. Review and Accept Minutes from Previous Meeting - Sue moved and Jon seconded. Community Fund Grant - Karl told us that our grant application went through. We will have funding to continue our restoration work by controlling invasive plants and seeding native plants in Long Lake Marsh. Rail Safety Letter - Frank was congratulated on doing a great job writing this letter, which asked for better rail safety regulations given how close Ogden Dunes is to the tracks. Once it has been approved by the town council, it will be sent by the town to various Indiana politicians. Save the Dunes Pollution Prevention Roundtable update - No meeting this month. MONITORING NEARBY INDUSTRIES https://www.in.gov/idem/resources/lake-michigan-sites-of-interest/ Cleveland Cliffs Monthly water quality monitoring - Nothing to report US Steel Midwest Shoreline Sampling - Offline until May. Vicky noted one failed Daphnia/Ceriodaphnia test from earlier this year, but this was apparently not significant enough to cause serious concern. Something to keep an eye on. PreCoat Metals Violations Observed in February - Precoat has been emitting more VOC's (volatile organic compounds) than permitted. IDEM sent them a violation notice, but no response letter from Precoat has appeared in the VFC (Virtual File Cabinet) yet. Precoat did however apply for air permit changes to increase the amount of VOC's they are allowed to emit. Bianca noted that this will propel them into the category of a major source of air pollution. Jon crunched some numbers for us before the meeting and determined that the increase is not too worrisome as far as our health and safety goes. However, he added that 'changing permits should be the last-ditch effort and that fixing the problem should occur first.' Bianca asked whether we should comment on Precoats permit application and Bianca, Sue, Jon, and Vicky agreed to work on it. Residential lighting task force (Sue Adams) - Sue says we are still waiting for NIPSCO to put the shields up on the lamp posts--perhaps by April 24th. Sue reiterated the importance of continuing to educate people about light pollution. We should ask people to study their own property and consider whether their light shines unnecessarily and/or improperly. Does it shine into a neighbor's window all night? Does it shine upward at the sky? Does it shine outward rather than being directed downward at the ground where it's needed and where it will not cause troublesome glare? Are lights left on all night when motion-activated lights could be used instead? Could solar lights be used instead? Sue said she might be willing to visit people’s homes to help them assess their lighting situations. Frank said we should have a table at one of the Ogden Dunes community events and pass out educational pamphlets. In fact, having an event table would allow us to pass out information on light pollution, eliminating invasive species, planting native species, and recycling, among other topics. Perhaps we could hand out reusable grocery shopping bags too. Frank will work on the grocery back idea. Bird Town (status update) - We can't send in an application to become an official 'Bird Town' until we have met various guidelines for doing so. For instance, Ogden Dunes will need to designate a piece of land as a protected bird area. This needs to be chosen and cleared by the Town Council. Frank moved to create a Bird Town subcommittee, which he will lead. Vicky offered to join. National Invasive Species Awareness week Feb 2024 - Nothing to report. Septic Coordination Workgroup Report - There will be meetings in May. Beach Clean Up - The date is set for September 16th, 2023. Beach Water Quality Monitoring - Nothing to report. Recycling - Bianca and Frank discussed the best way to make a useful recycling flyer. Karl said that OD will have a new recycling dumpster and recycling site in town and the street department will need informational flyers as well. We brainstormed about what we would like to accomplish with this new 'recycling station'. We could have designated pick-up spots for plastic bags, furniture, or plastic garden pots. Although there are places to recycle these things in NW Indiana, a convenient in-town drop-off might inspire people to recycle more. Long Lake Marsh - Members are coordinating a volunteer day with Susan MiHalo and Carol Angarola in July & possibly September. New Members - Someone has expressed interest in joining. More next meeting. Other - Karl pointed out that the Women's Club is sponsoring the Earth Day clean-up on Stagecoach Road this year and asked if the ODEAB would like to help sponsor it next year. Yes, we would. Next Meeting in May The meeting was adjourned at 6:54. Minutes taken and submitted by Vicky Albritton