Green Tier Legacy Community Committee

1 AD HOC GREEN TIER LEGACY COMMUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 2 FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2026 3 (Approved) 4 5 1. Call to Order & Roll Call 6 The March 27, 2026 meeting of the Green Tier Legacy Community Committee was called to order by 7 Chairperson Louise Howson at 11:01 A.M. 8 9 Present: Louise Howson, Mary Smythe, Jill Wiebe. Excused: Lisa O’Hearn and Paula Anschutz. 10 11 Staff: Benjamin Andrews Village Administrator, Sarah Bertges Administrative Assistant 12 13 Others: Jake Gazlay 14 15 2. Approval of the Agenda 16 Motion to approve the agenda by Smythe, second by Wiebe. Motion carried – all ayes. 17 18 19 3. Approval of the Minutes March 4, 2026 20 Motion to approve the minutes by Wiebe, second by Smythe. Motion carried – all ayes. 21 22 4. Comments, Correspondence, and Concerns from the Public 23 Jake Gazlay introduced himself as a property owner at 2698 South Bay Shore Drive with a 24 background in landscape architecture and custom woodworking. He expressed strong interest in 25 green systems, technologies, and environmental sustainability, stating his desire to learn more about 26 the committee and contribute to future initiatives. 27 Smythe reported that Focus on Energy had extended their grant deadline, which she noted as 28 important correspondence related to Green Tier activities. 29 30 5. Discussion/Action Items 31 a. Work Session; Annual GTLC Report due March 31, 2026 32 Andrews provided background on the annual report preparation process. Staff compiled information 33 in a OneDrive document earlier in the month, with committee members invited to contribute 34 additional information by the 18th. The deadline was extended due to timing adjustments, and the 35 final document represents contributions from both staff and committee members. 36 Andrews emphasized this year's focus on establishing a good baseline for future submissions, noting 37 that any additional 2025 or 2026 activities not captured could be included in next year's report. He 38 acknowledged staff contributions from Erik and Megan. 39 Smythe thanked Andrews and staff for their significant work on the report, particularly noting the 40 effort required for new administration to complete this task within months of joining the village. 41 Andrews suggested that future strategic planning should identify specific objectives, responsible 42 parties, and action steps for 2026 activities. 43 44 b. Earth Day Activities; Door County Big Plant Planning 45 Howson reviewed progress on the May 9th tree giveaway event at Piggly Wiggly, confirming the 9 46 AM to 3 PM timeframe. She reported completion of several action items from the February meeting, 47 including venue confirmation and tree procurement coordination with Jeff for 180 trees at $600 48 cost. 49 The committee discussed tree tag design and printing logistics. Howson will coordinate with 50 Innovative Printing regarding card stock donation and printing of 180 tags, potentially using multiple 51 designs from Lisa's submissions. 1  Minutes of the March 31, 2026 Meeting of the Green Tier Legacy Community Committee - Aapproved 1 For event promotion, Andrews offered to create a simplified poster using Canva, focusing on 2 essential information (who, what, where, when) with clear call-to-action messaging. The committee 3 agreed the current poster design was too text-heavy and needed streamlining with Green Tier logo 4 inclusion. 5 Distribution planning identified key locations including banks, grocery stores, libraries, post offices, 6 and administration buildings. Committee members will divide distribution responsibilities, with 7 Howson handling Bailey's Harbor area and coordinating with SBAA for social media and bulletin 8 board posting. 9 Everyday is Earth Day Festival Participation: 10 Wiebe reported on Earth Day Festival opportunities at The Kress on April 25-26, particularly 11 Saturday's 9:30 AM to 1 PM activities. She discussed potential "seed bomb" making stations as a kid- 12 friendly activity, leveraging her early childhood education background to develop appropriate 13 programming with festival organizers. 14 The committee discussed signage needs for event identification, considering feather banner options 15 for future budget planning. For immediate needs, Andrews suggested using existing plastic sign 16 holders with 8.5x11 poster designs. 17 Budget Considerations: 18 Current budget status shows $2,500 allocated for 2026, with $600 committed for trees, leaving 19 approximately $1,900 available. Previous estimates for reusable bags totaled $3,000, requiring 20 additional budget consideration. 21 Smythe recalled successful voluntary donation collection during previous tree giveaways, suggesting 22 implementation of donation jar for community members wanting to contribute to environmental 23 activities. 24 25 c. Composting Facility Discussion 26 Howson provided updates on commercial food scrap pickup program development in coordination 27 with Jess from climate change coalition. Mike Schneider, former Clearing director, has volunteered 28 for weekly Wednesday pickups in Sister Bay. 29 Program Participants: 30 Confirmed participants include NWTC commercial kitchen, Analog Coffee, and Goose & Twigs. The 31 program is circling back with Al Johnson’s due to their high volume. Wild Tomato and Happy Coffee 32 have not yet committed, with Howson volunteering to follow up directly. 33 Discussions continue with Piggly Wiggly, though implementation faces challenges due to frequent 34 inspections and regulatory considerations. The new deli manager, Nick, is working with organizers 35 on potential participation. Northern Grill and Waterfront Restaurant have not yet been contacted, 36 with Howson volunteering to reach out. 37 Infrastructure Requirements: 38 The program requires 5-gallon buckets with screw-top lids at an estimated cost of $750. Additionally, 39 the village would need to provide approximately 10x10 foot storage space where Mike can rinse 40 buckets and store them inverted between pickup cycles. 41 Andrews agreed to consult with Erik regarding potential space availability in the parks building, 42 noting the need for consistent access timing coordination. 43 Funding Considerations: 44 The climate change coalition indicated potential mini-grant availability to cover Mike's compensation 45 and potentially half the bucket costs. This would require village contribution of approximately $375 46 for buckets. 47 Andrews suggested exploring business cost-sharing for bucket expenses, questioning whether 48 participating restaurants might contribute to equipment costs as part of program participation. 49 Committee members emphasized preference for maintaining no-cost program to maximize business 50 participation. Wiebe suggested starting with free program model and reassessing sustainability 51 options after establishing participation patterns. 2  Minutes of the March 31, 2026 Meeting of the Green Tier Legacy Community Committee - Aapproved 1 Program Timeline: 2 Memorial Day target launch date provides adequate preparation time. Implementation depends on 3 space availability confirmation and funding arrangement finalization. 4 5 d. Sustainability Policies Discussion 6 The committee discussed various sustainability policy initiatives, including cups and straws for village 7 events and sustainability standards for municipal projects. 8 Event Sustainability: 9 Wiebe reported on Door County Coalition (DDC) plans to pilot compostable cups at Belgian Days as a 10 trial program. The committee identified Marina Fest (Labor Day weekend) as the most viable Sister 11 Bay event for similar pilot implementation, involving vendor coordination and fire station 12 cooperation for pancake breakfast service. 13 Discussion noted that most Sister Bay events have limited beverage service complexity compared to 14 larger festivals, with concerts in the park primarily using canned beverages rather than cups. 15 Municipal Landscaping Policies: 16 Smythe referenced previous meeting discussion about developing sustainability policies for village 17 landscaping projects, particularly emphasizing native plantings and environmental considerations for 18 the new municipal building project. 19 20 6. Matters to be Placed on Future Agenda, Referred to a Committee, Official or Employee 21 Items identified for future agenda inclusion: 22 ● Strategic planning framework for 2026 Green Tier activities 23 ● Reusable bag procurement and design updates 24 ● Composting program implementation status 25 ● Sustainability policies for municipal landscaping and new building project 26 ● Tree canopy enhancement and reforestation initiatives 27 ● Updated budget request consideration for bags and composting equipment 28 29 7. Schedule Next Meeting 30 The next Green Tier Legacy Community Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, 31 2026 at 1:00 PM. 32 33 8. Adjournment 34 A motion was made by Smythe, second by Wiebe to adjourn the March 27, 2026 meeting of the 35 Green Tier Legacy Community Committee at 11:59 A.M. Motion carried – all ayes. 36 37 Respectfully submitted by Sarah Bertges, Administrative Assistant 3