Green Tier Legacy Community Committee

1 AD HOC GREEN TIER LEGACY COMMUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 2 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2026 3 (Approved As Amended) 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 Administrator Andrews at 3:05 P.M. 8 Motion by O'Hearn to nominate Smythe as temporary chair, second by Wiebe. Motion carried – all 9 ayes. 10 11 Present: Mary Smythe, Jill Wiebe, Lisa O’Hearn, and delayed members joining later in the meeting; 12 Paula Anschutz and Louise Howson. 13 14 Staff: Benjamin Andrews Village Administrator, Sarah Bertges Administrative Assistant and Erik 15 Linczmaier Parks & Streets Director. 16 17 2. Approval of the Agenda 18 Andrews requested amending the agenda to move item 5c (Composting Program Implementation 19 Status) to first position in the discussion items to accommodate Erik's schedule. 20 Motion by Wiebe to approve the agenda as amended, second by O'Hearn. Motion carried- all ayes. 21 22 3. Approval of the Minutes – March 27, 2026 23 Motion by Wiebe to accept the minutes as written, second by Smythe. Motion carried-all ayes. 24 25 4. Comments, Correspondence, and Concerns from the Public 26 No members of the public were present. Smythe noted communication regarding the Green Tier 27 Legacy Communities quarterly member meeting held on Monday, March 30, 2026, which was 28 included in the meeting packet. 29 30 5. Discussion/Action Items 31 32 c. Composting Program Implementation Status 33 Andrews provided background on the composting program discussion from the previous meeting, 34 noting that a volunteer third party would collect specialized buckets from restaurants throughout 35 Sister Bay. The inquiry was whether the parks building could provide storage space and washing 36 capacity for approximately 25-50 buckets. 37 Erik from Parks Department discussed storage and cleaning logistics. Key concerns identified 38 included: 39 ● Need for indoor storage of clean buckets (approximately 10x10 space required) 40 ● Water access limitations at community gardens during winter months 41 ● Drainage concerns about organic waste in floor drain systems at parks facility 42 ● Alternative storage possibilities at Logerquist property 43 Howson explained the program details: participating restaurants include NWTC, Analog, Goose and 44 Twigs, potentially The Pig, Al Johnson’s, Zero Sum, and Northern Grill. The program would operate 45 year-round on a limited basis, with lighter activity during winter months. 46 Smythe suggested exploring whether Mighty Winds Farm could assist with bucket cleaning and 47 storage. Cost sharing was discussed, with Climate Change Coalition of Door County agreeing to fund 48 half of the bucket costs ($15 each for 50 buckets) and volunteer coordinator Mike Schneider's 49 stipend. 50 Linczmaier and Howson agreed to arrange a site visit with Schneider to evaluate storage options at 51 both the community gardens and Logerquist property, considering seasonal water availability and 52 cleaning logistics. 1  Minutes of the April 22, 2026 Meeting of the Green Tier Legacy Community Committee – Approved As Amended 1 2 a. Strategic Planning Framework For 2026 Green Tier Activities 3 Andrews presented a framework for strategic planning to organize the committee's annual goals and 4 activities. The process would involve identifying major goals, establishing objectives, setting 5 priorities and timelines, and assigning responsibilities. Andrews suggested this could be 6 accomplished through a workshop format using brainstorming methods. 7 O'Hearn noted the committee had attempted similar planning efforts previously with limited 8 success. Discussion focused on the need for an in-person workshop session to effectively develop 9 the strategic plan. 10 Smythe emphasized the importance of understanding sustainability priorities from Destination Door 11 County and Sister Bay Advancement to align efforts. Howson offered to provide DDC's updated 12 strategic plan and suggested coordinating with the Climate Change Coalition. 13 The committee agreed to schedule a separate in-person workshop meeting to develop the strategic 14 framework, covering activities from June 2026 through June 2027. 15 Motion by Wiebe to restore Howson as committee chair, second by Anschutz. Motion carried- all 16 ayes. 17 18 b. Reusable Bag Procurement and Design Updates 19 O'Hearn reported on bag procurement pricing from August 2024: $1.86 each for 1,000 pieces (12" x 20 13.5" x 7" recycled PET bags) with 3-4 month production timeline from Thailand. She noted the need 21 to update pricing before proceeding. 22 Anschutz suggested incorporating the bag initiative into a broader plastic awareness campaign, 23 including development of restaurant resource sheets. She indicated Ryan's donated design was 24 abstract rather than Sister Bay-specific and recommended considering more locally-themed artwork. 25 Discussion addressed material concerns, with Smythe questioning the use of recycled PET plastic 26 given the committee's sustainability mission. Alternatives discussed included canvas bags, though 27 cost implications were noted. Wiebe suggested researching Egg Harbor's canvas bag sourcing as a 28 comparison. 29 The committee agreed to bring various bag samples to the in-person workshop for evaluation and to 30 finalize decisions on material, design, and procurement approach. 31 32 d. Sustainability Policies for Municipal Landscaping and New Building Project 33 Andrews reported that the RFP for the new administrative building had been approved and would 34 be issued soon. The committee's sustainability input would be provided to the selected architectural 35 firm, including energy efficiency measures, solar panel readiness, and native landscaping 36 considerations. 37 Anschutz raised the possibility of incorporating rain barrel and water catchment systems, noting the 38 absence of such provisions in current village code. Smythe discussed potential county regulations 39 requiring on-site stormwater management and the importance of permeable surfaces. 40 Howson noted the village's existing efforts on energy-efficient lighting and dark sky-friendly street 41 lighting. The committee's recommendations will be forwarded as part of the building design process. 42 43 e. Updated Budget Request Consideration for Bags and Composting Equipment 44 Howson outlined the current budget status: $2,500 allocated for 2026, with approximately $600 45 spent on plants, leaving $1,900. Additional costs include $350-400 for composting buckets (split with 46 Climate Change Coalition), leaving approximately $1,500. 47 Discussion focused on requesting additional funds for the bag procurement project. Andrews noted 48 the request could be submitted to the finance committee as an unbudgeted item up to a specified 49 amount. 50 Based on comparison to the previous year's $5,000 budget (of which only $495 was spent), the 51 committee agreed to request up to $3,500 in additional funding, bringing the total potential budget 52 to $6,000. 2  Minutes of the April 22, 2026 Meeting of the Green Tier Legacy Community Committee – Approved As Amended 1 By consensus, Green Tier Committee Members agreed to request up to $3,500 in additional funding 2 from village reserves for the Green Tier Legacy Community Committee, to be submitted to the 3 finance committee. 4 5 6. Matters to be Placed on Future Agenda, Referred to a Committee, Official, or Employee 6 7 a. Tree Canopy Enhancement and Reforestation Initiatives 8 Howson reported that four new hardwood trees have been ordered for planting in the waterfront 9 park area north of village hall, scheduled for planting within the next month or two. These trees will 10 contribute to future canopy coverage over the street area. 11 12 b. Protecting Night Skies from Light Pollution 13 Discussion referenced recent concerns about Sister Bay's impact on Newport State Park's Dark Sky 14 designation. The committee has previously implemented stringent outdoor commercial lighting 15 requirements. 16 Smythe suggested the committee could assist businesses in transitioning to appropriate LED colors 17 and fixtures that direct light downward rather than outward. She noted successful light reduction 18 experiments at Woodcrest Village. 19 Options for public education were discussed, including developing informational materials for 20 homeowners and business owners. Howson noted Egg Harbor's success with sustainability-focused 21 newsletters and suggested similar communication strategies for Sister Bay. 22 23 Additional Item: Tree Giveaway Planning (Saturday May 9) 24 Detailed planning was conducted for the upcoming tree giveaway event: 25 ● Location: Piggly Wiggly, 9 AM to 3 PM 26 ● Trees: 180 trees (10 trays of 18) in four species, stored at Jeff's residence 27 ● Staffing: Two shifts -8-11:30 AM (Wiebe, Anschutz) and 11:30-3 PM (Smythe, Howson and 28 neighbor. 29 ● Materials needed: Tags, informational handouts, tables, promotional materials 30 ● SBA promotional support confirmed 31 Anschutz will coordinate tree pickup logistics. O'Hearn will redesign tree tags featuring the Green 32 Tier logo and environmental messaging. Howson will obtain informational handouts from the 33 Climate Change Coalition regarding tree care and planting instructions. 34 35 Meeting Schedule 36 Two meetings were scheduled: 37 ● Regular meeting: Wednesday, May 20 at 1:00 PM via Zoom 38 ● In-person strategic planning workshop: Wednesday, May 27 at 10:00 AM in the small conference 39 room at the fire station. 40 41 7. Adjournment 42 A motion was made by Smythe, second by O’Hearn to adjourn the April 22, 2026 meeting of the 43 Green Tier Legacy Community Committee at 4:51 P.M. Motion carried – all ayes. 44 45 Respectfully submitted by Sarah Bertges, Administrative Assistant 46 3