Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission

Memorandum TO: Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commissioners FROM: _______________________________________________________________________ Andrew D. DeCanniere, Commissioner, Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission DATE: February 13, 2022 SUBJECT: January 25, 2022 Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission (SEAC) Meeting Minutes Meeting was called to order at 7:03 PM. Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, this meeting was held virtually. Members of the public who wish to comment as to an item on the published agenda must submit their question in writing to Elizabeth.Zimmerman@skokie.org and all properly submitted statements or questions will be presented to Commission members and made part of the record. Written comments may also be submitted by email to citizencomments@skokie.org or by mail to Village of Skokie, 5127 Oakton St., Skokie, IL 60077, or via the Village’s drop box located by the public entry. The meeting was streamed live at www.youtube.com/user/thevillageofskokie. A recording of this meeting may also be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvPQxiE0VDM. Present: Chairman Jennifer Grossman, Commissioners Christopher Buccola, Andrew DeCanniere, Michael Gershbein, Lisa Gotkin, Trustee Liaison Khem Khoeun, Trustee Liaison Ralph Klein, Alma Likic, Olivia Mahoney, Jim McNelis, Rick Moskovitz, Emily Okallau, Robert Render, Charles Saxe, Director of Public Works / Staff Liaison Max Slankard, Assistant to the Public Works Director / Staff Liaison Liz Zimmerman Also Present: Lori Kaplan, Skokie resident and former Village of Skokie employee Absent: None I. Approval of November meeting minutes Minutes from the November 30, 2021 meeting of the Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission were unanimously approved. II. Old Business a. Final Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Report Staff Liaison Zimmerman mentioned how we all saw the presentation at the November 2021 meeting. Delta did follow-up, and they were able to get some better Nicor Gas data, which proved to be to the Village’s advantage. Skokie is doing a little bit better than had initially been thought. So, they did run those numbers again. Commissioners should Page 1 of 13 all have received the report. Everyone at the Village level has been reviewing how to move forward with the GHG Inventory, incorporating some of the recommendations into the budget. The Village will be going out for an RFP (Request for Proposal) for the next version of the Skokie Environmental Sustainability Plan, and the strategies from the GHG Inventory will be incorporated into that plan. Commissioner Okallau stated that, at the moment, there do not seem to be a lot of actionable items that the Village is committing to. However, she went on to say that she thinks that is going to come from the next version of the Environmental Sustainability Plan. That’s sort of the next step — that is, to incorporate it into a Village plan for actionable items. Staff Liaison Zimmerman stated there were strategies outlined. Some of those are further along on the agenda. Village operations weren’t a huge portion of the emissions. She said that she thinks that we will be looking to the Environmental Sustainability Plan to provide the Village with recommendations when it comes to the Village-wide aspect. Staff Liaison Slankard stated that there is an executive meeting with directors of various departments held monthly. He said that he presented the GHG Inventory to the Village’s executive staff at the most recent staff meeting. It was an overview of the same information with which we have been presented. They did discuss some of the preliminary strategies that Delta has developed. They mostly talked about the Village operation components, but they did talk about some of the initial community strategies that Delta had contemplated. That was intended as an overview for the rest of the Village departments to start thinking about what their likely roles may be in this, and about what some of their responses to that might be. Commissioner Render stated that he had missed the November meeting, and inquired as to whether there had been any discussion about reducing refuse pickup to once per week as a way to reduce emissions. Commissioner McNelis inquired as to whether the GHG Inventory will be updated on an ongoing basis. Staff Liaison Zimmerman said that Delta had mentioned every three to five years. She thinks that it will be something that is checked in on, following some sort of recommended schedule, in order to determine how we are doing as a Village. b. Endorsement of Climate Action Plan for the Chicagoland Region - Status Update Staff Liaison Zimmerman stated that, during our November meeting, Commissioners did vote to go ahead and support the regional plan. One of the reasons we were waiting just a little bit was that we wanted to see our own data come in, so that it matched those regional goals, which it did. A lot of these greenhouse gas reports and climate action plans are obviously very similar. Therefore, we feel very confident in supporting this Page 2 of 13  plan. It is definitely on the radar, and the Village will be moving forward with endorsing this plan. Commissioner Saxe asked when we anticipate the climate plan resolution to be taken up by the Village Board. Staff Liaison Zimmerman stated that there is no firm date as of yet. There has been a lot of focus on working on the budget, and then the results on the PowerPoint have also taken up quite a bit of time. It really is just a matter of fitting it in. She said she’d anticipate that it would be taken up by the Village Board in the next four to six weeks or thereabout. c. Recycling and Refuse Audit Results - Presentation Staff Liaison Zimmerman presented the results of the Recycling and Refuse Audits, including methodology and the results of these analyses / studies. Commissioners also had an opportunity to discuss these studies, and to have any questions that may have arisen answered. Among the conclusions of the study were the fact that the data indicates further consideration could be given to reducing service frequency to once per week. 85% of single-family households already have enough toter capacity to transition to once-per- week refuse service (2-4 unit residential buildings require further study), and 61% of households could transition to bi-weekly recycling with their current toter sizes. There could be an uptick in recycling service if refuse service is reduced. Educational opportunities identified in the contamination studies. Priorities include: not to bag recycling, the importance of recycling, transparency of this data as a motivational tool, wish-cycling. Curbside recycling collection decreased if collected during second refuse pick-up. This is expected to become a non-issue if refuse were service once weekly. Contamination in the alley was not worse than curbside, although this could change with a pay-as-you-throw system. There is not an inverse relationship between recycling and refuse. If recycling increases, that does not mean refuse will decrease. Some data supported the opposite (that recycling increases when refuse decreases), indicating a need for education on reduced consumption. We should consider boots-on-the-ground messaging via cart tags or stickers: place “how to” recycling stickers on carts that are missing this feature (carts older than five years old). III. New Business a. Skokie’s Spring Greening It was reiterated that Spring Greening will be held on Sunday, April 3rd from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Westfield Old Orchard. Vendors are coming back, and they are looking for volunteers to staff the event. b. Sustainability Plan Update Staff Liaison Zimmerman stated that, as she mentioned, she will be writing the Request for Proposals (RFP) soon. Commissioners will have the opportunity to review the RFP and weigh in on it. Page 3 of 13 Commissioner Saxe inquired as to what the timeline for this might be. Staff Liaison Zimmerman stated that her goal is to wrap things up so that they align with the new budget year, when there is funding for this. She said it will take her a couple of weeks to write the RFP, and it will take a couple of weeks for it to be advertised. At that point, the proposals that come in will then have to be evaluated. Afterwards, it will have to go to the Village Board, which could take a couple of weeks. However, it is thought that we’ll have the consultant selected by April, and be ready to have them start on it with the May 1st timeline. Commissioner Saxe inquired whether there would be interest, on our part, in getting started on other aspects of the process of creating the new Environmental Sustainability Plan prior to that time. He suggested we could perhaps solicit community input, and have other conversations on the topic. Staff Liaison Zimmerman said that will be part of the RFP. Soliciting community input will be part of the process of creating the next Skokie Environmental Sustainability Plan. Commissioner Okallau asked whether we will involve the others in the Village, such as the Park District, the schools, etc. Staff Liaison Zimmerman stated that has not been considered to-date. However, they are open to such discussions. Some schools might have their own plan. It’s something that could be looked into. She did say she felt that it could slow the process down, but if it is felt to be worth it, we can certainly consider including them. c. Village Fleet Update - charging stations, EV’s, ComEd Grant Opportunity Staff Liaison Slankard talked about a recent tour of Madison, Wisconsin’s Fleet Services. He stated that the visit/tour of the facility had been suggested by Joy Rifkin, who recently came to work with Lakeshore Recycling Systems and who worked with Staff Liaison Zimmerman on the recycling study. She suggested they take a trip up to Madison, Wisconsin and take a tour of their automotive maintenance facility, and have a meeting with their Fleet Services Director who, like Joy, also worked for New York City. He worked for their fleet maintenance operation. The facility in Madison is a LEED Gold facility that opened only two to three years ago. He further stated that it is quite an impressive facility, and said that it proved to be an inspiring trip and presentation. The presentation is also available to Commissioners, if they are interested in viewing it themselves. He proceeded to present some information regarding the facility in Madison, as well as the City’s fleet/operations. Among the highlights are an electric fire truck, manufactured by Pierce (also located in Wisconsin). Skokie’s Fire Department has been long-time operators of Pierce fire apparatus. The City of Madison operates the only Pierce electric fire truck currently Page 4 of 13 in service. One of the other points of interest depicted in the presentation is a soy tire, which is a police pursuit-graded tire manufactured by Goodyear. Solar panels that are located all over the roof power the facility. The facility is also equipped with solar paneled electric vehicle charging stations. Other features of interest include a solar wall, and a fiber-optic tube that provides lighting in the facility’s hallways from the roof. The City’s Police Department is running all of the hybrid Ford Interceptors. Skokie is getting ready to purchase its first hybrid Ford Interceptor model. Skokie’s vehicle, however, will be run in the Public Works fleet so they can be the “guinea pig” for the Police Department, testing the vehicle. That said, they look forward to being able to add this type of vehicle to the Skokie Police fleet. The Skokie Police Department has been receptive to the idea of adding electric vehicles to their fleet. The only hesitancy stems from the experiences of some local police departments here, with respect to the Ford Hybrid Interceptor. When Ford introduced the model, there were some concerns with that first model year. In speaking with the individuals that they met with in Madison, they did acknowledge that there probably were some first model year issues with that particular piece of equipment. However, they have had good luck with it since then. Staff Liaison Slankard also said that the Village is allocating money in this upcoming fiscal year’s budget for some additional charging station infrastructure, as well as attempting to obtain grant funding to support that, through a ComEd grant program. Grant applications for that are due on March 25th. The Village will be submitting for funding under that. He proceeded to talk about New York’s Department of Sanitation and how they purchased electric garbage trucks. They use a Mack garbage truck. The Village met with a Mack representative regarding their electric garbage truck model, yesterday. As we may recall, he had previously mentioned the Village had conversations with Battle Motor Corporation (who bought Crane Carrier Motor Corporation, who the Village has typically purchased garbage trucks from), about potentially having a slot in an upcoming production run to purchase one of their garbage trucks. The Village is contemplating the possibility of doing future business with Mack for the same product. New York City is buying eight more of the Mack trucks. They have some in operation in their fleet. The Village has been told that those units can operate for about six hours before they require a recharge. As would be expected, in a heavy truck like that, that’s a challenging operating environment — it’s a cold-weather environment, which does have an impact on how long the batteries can operate. In addition, it’s obviously pulling a lot of weight, which also has an impact on how long the battery can operate. That said, as we can see from our own cellphones, battery technology is evolving rapidly. It was a very promising meeting. He added that they are aware that there is a bill in the legislature in Illinois that would provide $200,000 in grant funding for purchasers of Class VII and Class VIII vehicles — provided that, if you’re a purchaser of an electric vehicle, you are scrapping a Diesel- powered vehicle when you purchase the electric vehicle. That bill was introduced fairly recently. It is currently uncertain as to whether it will go anywhere or not, but the information regarding this bill has been passed along to some contacts in Springfield, so that they can monitor the goings on and, hopefully, are able to exert some influence as appropriate in order to nudge that toward passage. It could certainly be helpful with those Page 5 of 13  two vehicle acquisitions, because they can be expensive vehicles. As a point of reference, the Village spends about $265,000 to $275,000 for the run-of-the-mill yellow garbage trucks that you see throughout Skokie. The cost of the Mack unit, if you had to purchase it, would be about $600,000. That said, the Village does continue to pursue various opportunities. Commissioner McNelis said he had seen some articles about fuel-cell powered garbage trucks, which would be an alternative to a battery. He wondered whether that is an option that the Village has explored. Staff Liaison Slankard stated that he has not seen all that much about fuel-cell powered vehicles as of yet and asked that, if Commissioner McNelis has seen anything in that regard, he send that information along to him. Commissioner McNelis said he would send him the information he came across. IV. Next Meeting - Presidents Day conflict with Council Chambers Chairman Grossman noted that our next meeting, as regularly scheduled, is slated to be held on Tuesday, February 22nd. However, due to the Presidents’ Day holiday, the Village Board is meeting on Tuesday as well, rather than their usual meeting date of Monday, February 21st. Therefore, our option is to meet on Wednesday, February 23rd, or to push back our meeting back one week to Tuesday, March 1st. If everyone could email Staff Liaison Zimmerman as to what their preference for an alternative meeting date would be, we will select the date that has the most votes. Staff Liaison Zimmerman stated she could send out a Doodle poll instead, and people can cast their vote (as to their preferred alternative meeting date) via that poll. Update: Commissioners have since weighed in via the aforementioned Doodle poll, indicating whether they would prefer to meet on February 23rd or March 1st. On February 9th, Commissioners received an email from Staff Liaison Zimmerman, confirming that February 23rd has been selected as the preferred alternative meeting date. As such, the next meeting of the SEAC will occur on Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 7:00 PM. V. Other Business Chairman Grossman stated that she is certain that we all have seen the public comments we have received over the last few days. They were forwarded to all Commissioners by Staff Liaison Zimmerman. It’s rare that we we receive any public comments, which are directed specifically at this Commission. All of the public comments were about the Carvana tower that is proposed to be built on Woods Drive. Obviously, there is a lot of public interest in this. Though we were not asked for our opinion, that doesn’t mean that we don’t have any. With the way things are currently written/structured, when the Plan Commission makes decisions — even though there are sustainability implications — the SEAC does not have a role. That said, she did note that she has had discussions with Commissioners who did want to have a further conversation about this matter. Page 6 of 13 Staff Liaison Slankard stated that he and Chairman Grossman spoke yesterday and earlier today. As has been said, there have been a number of public comments that have been received with respect to the Carvana matter. He also spoke with Matt Brandmeyer (Director of Community Development) and John Lockerby (Village Manager) with respect to Carvana. It is anticipated that the Carvana matter will go to the Village Board at the February 7th meeting. With respect to that, the Village has been meeting with representatives from Carvana. The status of those discussions at this point is that Carvana now proposes to install markers on the glass between 60’ and 65’ on all sides of the building. As he understands it, when the matter went through the Plan Commission, they had committed to installing the markers to 54’ or 54’ 10”. So, they have agreed to extend the markers higher up the building on all sides. Carvana is also proposing to turn off the lights on three sides of the four-sided structure, which would exclude the east side, from 1:00 AM until daylight, during the spring and fall migratory seasons. He noted, reading from the reference materials that he was provided, that this seems to follow the standard that is recommended by the Chicago Audubon Society, with respect to turning the lights out after 11:00 PM during migration program in Chicago. Matt also sent some reference materials from the City of Portland along, which were from Portland, Oregon’s Department of Planning and Sustainability. It seems to suggest that the most critical zone for applying these types of window treatments, similar to what Carvana is proposing to install, is the building elevation from 0’ to 60’. The spacing that is referred to for the window treatment also appears to be consistent with what is described in the Portland reference material. Commissioner DeCanniere stated that while it is positive that this sort of dialogue between the Village of Skokie and Carvana seems to be ongoing, he has serious reservations about the structure. Even though Carvana seems to view this as an ideal location, he does not think that the site is suited for this kind of structure — particularly as it is to be built adjacent to Harms Woods, where it can have an increased impact on wildlife. In addition, it is adjacent to a residential structure, which could be setting a bad precedent. You also have the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center right there. He feels that, for that reason as well, this site is an odd choice. He said he would think that you would want to have more of an environment that is conducive to reflection and introspection — an environment that is more peaceful and more quiet. While he understands that this location is viewed as desirable by Carvana, as it is a high-visibility location, he does not feel that the location is right for the community, the surrounding properties, and the forest preserve. If it is built, he would hope that it is built in accordance with best practices, respecting wildlife. However, even taking the concessions into account, he would not be pleased if this structure were to be constructed there. Commissioner Gotkin concurred with the statements made by Commissioner DeCanniere. She stated that Staff Liaison Slankard had mentioned it follows the Chicago Audubon Society’s recommendations. However, she noted that there was a letter was sent by Judy Pollock, President of the Chicago Audubon Society, and it seemed as though they have some concerns. So, she is wondering where Staff Liaison Slankard obtained that information from, and asked if someone could pull up the letter we received. She went on to ask how we know that it follows the Chicago Audubon Society’s recommendations, given that one of the letters expressing concern about the project came from the President of the Chicago Audubon Society. Page 7 of 13 Staff Liaison Slankard stated he is not certain as to the source. He was simply reading from/ referring to the attachment that Matt provided to him this afternoon, which seems to come from the Chicago Audubon Society’s webpage. Commissioner Okallau stated that she thinks there’s a question of existing buildings and minimum actions to contribute to this, when you have existing buildings. In a place like Downtown Chicago, there are a lot of tall buildings with a lot of glass. If you can get those properties to come together — especially in areas in which there are office buildings, not residential ones — then turning the lights off in those structures will probably address a percentage of bird strikes during those hours. That’s likely where that’s coming from. It’s different when it comes to a new development, which has an opportunity to make different choices upfront, as opposed to existing buildings. You’re sort of retrofitting those existing buildings, so you’re adhering to best practices moving forward, without demolishing those structures. Chairman Grossman stated that those existing buildings in Downtown Chicago also serve very different purposes than the proposed Carvana tower, which is essentially a very tall billboard / advertisement. You would still be able to sell used cars out of a single-story or two-story structure. Most used car dealerships are one or two-story structures. Commissioner Saxe stated that he has many problems with the Carvana proposal. From a sustainability perspective, he believes that as was the case with the Amazon development, it shows how flat-footed we are as a Commission and as a Village. It is shocking that with a major resource (the Harms Flatwoods Forest Preserve) and two high-value developments located within that area (the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center and Optima Old Orchard Woods condominium complex), we are looking at a car vending machine being built on that site, and we are completely unprepared to even have an informed discussion about it — regardless of our feelings about the appropriateness of locating that structure on that site, or whether we would support Carvana or not. He went on to say that he feels we need to be more proactive when it comes to sustainability in the planning process. There are instruments we can use to do this, in the form of the Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Region and the Greenest Region Compact. He stated that he would like for people to take a look at that, so that we can get ahead of this and start evaluating these things. Furthermore, he also said that Skokie’s Comprehensive Plan, which is frequently cited in rationalizing some of the approvals of these developments, was adopted in 2003, which means that it is using data from the last century. The world has changed a lot in that time, and we are well past due in terms of having a more up-to-date vision of what we can do in Skokie, and what the optimal path forward may be. Given the current climate conditions, and the environmental situation both globally and locally, we ought to make a more concerted effort to consider environmental concerns. As this case points out, he said he also thinks that we need to consider where Skokie is, and the Village’s relationship to the local ecology of the area. The Carvana tower is just a big billboard. When he considers the value proposition of that area, it does not add value to the area whatsoever. Commissioner DeCanniere noted that among the public comments we received, one comment came from a retired real estate developer who seemed to share those feelings. He also seemed Page 8 of 13 to feel as though using the site in this way is not the best or highest use of this parcel of land. Commissioner DeCanniere stated that he agrees with that assessment. Furthermore, he stated that he really does not feel that putting this huge glass billboard — which will be located adjacent to a forest preserve, and adjacent to a residential structure, and near the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center — is a good idea. In terms of the overall character of the neighborhood, he also believes that there are legitimate concerns that the character of the neighborhood could be substantially altered by the addition of this structure. He stated that if it were up to him, knowing what he knows at the present time, he would cast a vote against the Carvana tower. Commissioner Buccola stated that he completely concurs with what Commissioner Saxe said, in terms of how this has played out. There were some residents who have spoken with him about this issue, and they were concerned, and had voiced their displeasure with how this whole thing has been handled — especially when it comes to the site. He stated that he also is not a fan of the whole proposal because of the tower’s use of blue lighting. He said it is terrible aesthetically and that when he is driving down the highway, one of the last things he wants is something that would interfere with one’s vision — particularly around a curve, where there are enough accidents as it is. The other question, in his mind, is what we would do if Carvana went out-of- business. What use is this building in the future? It just seems that there are a lot of questions. Commissioner Okallau stated that, to pick up on what Commissioner Buccola was saying, once the structure goes up it is permanently up. It is not very common that things get demolished. It would have been preferable, if it were to be built, that it would have been built in an area where it would be more likely to be repurposed. That would have been a better fit for it. Another concern is that Staff Liaison Slankard stated that they agreed to turn off the lighting during migratory season, however she thinks that we need to hold them to a much higher standard. They should be willing to do it year-round. If turning the lights off doesn’t matter to them during those few months, then it should not matter for the rest of the year. She stated that it is appalling that this has gotten this far. She said that we are now in a stage where we need to be looking at the health of the entire community, instead of just allowing this business to essentially make money off of the backs of the well-being of the community. She says she is sure that there are areas of Skokie in which this tower could be much more successful — though she does not feel that it needs to be as tall as it is. If it is going to have this much of a negative impact on the community, then allowing a business to come in and make money off of our well-being is not appropriate, especially in 2022. Skokie resident Lori Kaplan addressed the Commission. She stated that she spent 17 years working as an Animal Control Officer for the Village of Skokie, and that she has picked up more dead birds than she cares to remember. She remarked that it is heartening to hear us speak so vehemently and logically regarding the inappropriateness of this structure in this location. One thing that is unique about the structure is that it is a glass box. Birds coming from any direction, and at any height, will look right through it. If this monstrosity must be built, it should be built with extraordinary bird-strike mitigations. The American Bird Conservancy says that the building should have 100% coverage (window markers should be used on 100% of the structure), and even that does not address all of the issues. Carvana is trying to get away with doing the least that they can do on a structure that is altogether inappropriate. She thanked the Page 9 of 13 Commission for their passion regarding this issue, and stated that she hopes that the people of Skokie can get the message through to the Board of Trustees. This structure is a bad idea. Commissioner McNelis stated that while all of these comments may be logical and reasonable, his inquired what our responsibility and authority is here, in this matter. He went on to say that he asks because the public comments all seem to suggest that our Commission should reject the project. However, do we have the authority to do so? Commissioner DeCanniere interjected, stating that he thinks that, in many cases, the emails seem not to suggest that we ought to reject the Carvana project ourselves. Rather, seeing as we are an advisory Commission, the suggestion made by many seems to be that we ought to advise the Mayor and Board of Trustees to reject the project. It seems that is what they are requesting of us. We were not involved in the whole conversation from the beginning — which is something that we should make clear. Obviously, we now have been brought into the conversation regarding this project. He went on to say that he would argue that, as an advisory Commission, we do have the opportunity to make our position clear — both as individuals and as a Commission. If there is a project that bothers us, because of the environmental impact that it could have, he certainly feels as though we could most certainly say something. Chairman Grossman stated there have been times in the past when we have, on our own, felt a certain way about a certain issue, and we want to make our position known. This goes to the long-standing issues we’ve had. We are advising the Trustees and the Mayor, but are we advising them when we want to do so, or only when they solicit our advice? We clearly have not been solicited for our advice. They’re not looking for anything formal, or even informal. Obviously, as residents of Skokie, we have the ability to assert our opinions — which is not to say that we shouldn’t state how we feel as a Commission. Even without having any kind of vote, or putting something in writing, this is all out there for everybody to see. There’s clearly a consensus here, amongst us. Commissioner Gershbein stated that even if there is a consensus, he would still feel uncomfortable going to the Village, particularly as they have been looking at this for a long time, and sent it to another Commission to consider certain outstanding issues. Then we would come in, based upon our fifteen minutes of discussion. We could certainly present the emails we’ve received to the Village Board. However, he feels that we would be coming in at the last minute. We’re saying that we are against the project for a whole lot reasons, some of which are environmental. Perhaps we ought to have been consulted at an appropriate time — when it got sent back to the Planning Commission, for example. However, as is stands, we would be coming into the process at the last minute. Therefore, he would be hesitant to come in with anything, other than as individuals or else just to say that perhaps we need to look at this further. Chairman Grossman stated she feels as though we are highlighting some of the issues that have been touched upon, but which have heretofore perhaps not been addressed adequately. Birds aside, it is surprising that they would leave the lights on at all, as it is such a waste of energy as well. Page 10 of 13 Commissioner Gershbein said that the issues with the Carvana project are being addressed and are being responded to. The matter got sent back to the Plan Commission and Carvana made concessions. We may not feel that it is enough. If we were to do anything as a Commission, he said he would think that we ought to raise environmental concerns, and stress that those issues need to be looked at, and that this Commission needs to be involved. Commissioner Gotkin stated we have our two Trustee Liaisons with us tonight. Perhaps we can hear more as to whether they want to hear from us, or what they may be thinking. Trustee Liaison Khoeun stated that they are present, at tonight’s meeting, hearing our comments and feedback. She said they’ve still yet to receive the report from the Plan Commission, so that is something they are waiting for, to see what the final report looks like. These are all things that they are taking into consideration, as they continue to view public feedback on the issue. Trustee Liaison Klein stated that the issue is changing daily, with concessions and adjustments. As Trustee Liaison Khoeun said, it would not be proper for them to speak about this, as they still do not have all of the information. Commissioner Gotkin asked whether Trustee Liaisons Khoeun and Klein have access to the letters we received. Trustee Liaison Klein confirmed they do. He stated they received 400 to 500 letters. Commissioner Okallau said she understands the situation is very fluid, but inquired as to whether there would be an impact if the Commission were to draft a formal letter to the Mayor and Board of Trustees. She asked whether it would impact their review of this project, assuming we were to do that — or is it not in accordance with the process, and would it therefore be disregarded? Trustee Liaison Klein said that people from all over are weighing in. If the Commission wanted to weigh in, he sees nothing wrong with it. Trustee Liaison Khoeun said she feels that there is a separate conversation to be had in terms of the role of SEAC and the whole process, which is ongoing. If the Commission wants to submit a comment, then that’s for the Commission to decide. If the SEAC submitted a comment, it would be received by the Village Board as well, as part of their consideration of the Carvana project. Commissioner DeCanniere stated that while he can perhaps understand not wanting to step on another Commission’s toes, in this case he feels as though there is a need for us to weigh in. That’s why he wrote in and made his feelings known. He went on to suggest that we, as a Commission, may want to draft a letter to the Mayor and Board of Trustees, stating our position on the Carvana project. He noted that he had discussed this with Commissioner Saxe as well, and feels it would be entirely appropriate for the Commission to draft some sort of letter to the Mayor and Board of Trustees, taking an official position on this matter. Commissioner Saxe stated that he wanted to build on what Commissioner Gershbein said regarding coming into the conversation rather late. To him, that’s precisely what the issue is. We are so ill-prepared to have this conversation — not only as a Commission, but he feels the Page 11 of 13 Village was ill-prepared. To him, that’s the larger issue. The Carvana tower is obviously a very controversial proposal, and will generate a response by the very nature of it. However, there could be other proposals that result in a more divided conversation, and yet we don’t really have a framework for effectively evaluating (or having constructive discourse about) the environmental or sustainability implications. That is a real deficiency that he said he’d like to see us work on as a Commission. He would like to see the Village make addressing this a priority as well. Commissioner McNelis said he feels severely uninformed on the topic, because it hasn’t been part of our Commission discussion. Commissioner Gershbein stated that he looked at an article about the issue having been kicked back to the Plan Commission, and he feels that the time at which the SEAC could have and should have been brought in was when the Carvana project was sent back to the Plan Commission to evaluate/address the outstanding issues— at least for one of the four particular issues that they were tasked with looking at further. Commissioner Okallau said she agrees we need to have a broader discussion about our ability to weigh in on environmental and sustainability issues, as they pertain to developments and re- developments that go before the Village Board. That way, we can be prepared and provide informed statements. In the meantime, she sees no harm in the Commission considering drafting a formal statement to submit to the Board of Trustees. She understands some on the Commission feel uninformed. Obviously, this is something we would need to vote on. However, she’d submit a motion to submit a formal statement to the Trustees. Staff Liaison Slankard stated, and Commissioner McNelis reiterated, that we cannot vote on any item that is not on the agenda, as no notice as been provided. Commissioner Saxe suggested that people can make comments as individuals, citing the fact that they are members of the Commssion, and could include our concerns about not being effectively involved, so that we could have some input into the conversation. Commissioner DeCanniere stated that he did submit comments to the Mayor and Board of Trustees on two separate occasions, citing his concerns over the potential environmental impact of the Carvana structure, the proposed location of the structure, etc., urging them to reject the project so that it does not move forward. Staff Liaison Slankard said that he thought that was certainly appropriate. He knows for certain that it has been done in other instances, regarding other matters. Chairman Grossman said that given that the Carvana project will likely be voted on at the next Village Board meeting, we would not be able to do anything about it during our Commission's next meeting. Therefore, submitting letters as individuals is seemingly our best option. Page 12 of 13 Commissioner Gotkin asked whether, if the vote is delayed, we could put this on our agenda for our next meeting. Could we make sure its on our agenda for next month, just in case the matter has not been voted upon? Staff Liaison Slankard stated it certainly is possible. The matter is slated to go before the board on February 7th. However, that can change. If it were not heard at the February 7th meeting, and if the Commission were of the mind to put it on the agenda, we could certainly add it to the agenda for our next meeting. VI. Public Comments / Adjournment Numerous public comments were received in opposition to the proposed Carvana car vending machine, which would be constructed on Woods Drive. The following emails were received from the public: Janelle J., Gina Femali, Bonnie Hernandez, Julie Winsberg, Michael Graff, Joab Oberlander, Sharon Kutta, Colleen McVeigh, Nancy & Laurence Lewis, Patricia Rolfs, Nava Phillips, Pamela Ryan, Judy Pollock, Jean Gramm, Candida Abramson, Cassi Saari, Joanne Kalnitz, Katherine France, Maria Vasich, Leslie Shad, Susan Blehart, Howard Rieger, Brian Dodge, Laura Marmash, Karen Gibson, Pamela Sloan, Sara Jones, Ken Walczak, Paul Swanson, Trisha Rich, Aviva Stein, Linda Waycie, Pauline Roth, Sarah Miller, Teri Radke, Nina Hill, Lori Kaplan, Rhetta Jack, Cathy Bloome, Peter and Ann Grant, Kathleen O’Neil, Doris A. Schubert, Robyn Mericle, Dennis Clarke, Eleonora di Liscia, Katie Zaba, Catherine Catellani, Charles Johannsen, Bob Fisher, Lisa Collins, Denise Sandoval, Bob Hostettler, Beth and Scott Brewer, Beth Hinchsliff, Valerie Veneziano, Marjorie Isaacson, Jeanie Ramsey, Lisa Musgrave, Nicole Pearson, Gayle Anderson, Donnie Dann, Richard Katz, Sarah Hendershot, Kelly Bauer, Nancy Degnan, Suzanne Pierce, Leslie Lepeska, Don Tadish, Woody Goss, Valerie Krejcie, Marya S. King, Lisette Zaid, Linda Henderson, Kimberly Kosmatka, Henrietta Saunders, James Hebson, Cindy Bush, Marianne Tadish, Maida Lamell, Arden Davidson, Mark Jusko, Linda LaBuda, Lori Catalan, Jim Kirk, Elizabeth Kinney, Elizabeth Hopp-Peters, Betsy Leibson, Joyce Wandel, Matthew Shirrell, Lauren Marquez-Viso, Kat Neary, Anonymous (January 24, 2022 at 10:52 AM, email address provided only), Julie Rand, Nancy Halliday, Kurt Peters, John McAuley, Sharon Heil, Carrie Goodale, Reigan Massey, Paul Swanson, Patricia Rich, Annette Prince / Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, Ellen Smatlak, Mira Barbir, Jo Ellyn and Carl Brisch, Naomi Leighton, Katherine Spencer, Grace Broderick, Annette B. Huizenga, Bryan Lenz / American Bird Conservancy, Daniel Klem, Jr., Ph.D., D.Sc. / Muhlenberg College, Bradley Hayes / Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Christine Sheppard, Ph.D. / American Bird Conservancy, Benjamin Cox / Friends of the Forest Preserves, Jeanne Gang, FAIA / Studio Gang, Richard Friedman, Charlotte Adelman, Janice M. Zeller, Verna Todd, Tamar Rubin, Kimberly Polka, River Kerstetter, Elyse Fischground, Olivia Mahoney, Lauren Frame, Jenny Kendler, Sandra Urban, Peter Corona, Lauren Kostas There being no further business, Commissioner Moskovitz made a motion to adjourn the meeting, which was seconded by Commissioner Okallau. Meeting adjourned at 9:37 PM. Page 13 of 13