Sustainability Commission

Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes June 21st, 2023 Attendees: Mark Graf, Nathan Inks, Jonathan Matthews, Alexis Richards, Dr. Kelley Skillin, Michael Tabbert, Cassidy Beaupre Absent Speakers may be referred to by initials. Speech attributed to speakers is paraphrased unless quoted. City Council, Department of Public Works, Green For Life, Sterling Heights, and Sterling Heights Sustainability Commission may be abbreviated as CC, DPW, GFL, SH, and SHSC, respectively. Call to Order - 6:03pm Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call - Mark Graf, Nathan Inks, Jonathan Matthews, Dr. Kelley Skillin, Mike Tabbert Also in Attendance: ● Alexis Richards - Planner II ● Cassidy Beaupre - Sustainability Intern Approval of Agenda Motion: Graf Support: Dr. Skillin Ayes: Graf, Inks, Matthews, Dr. Skillin, Tabbert. Approval of Minutes from 5/17/23 Motion: Graf Support: Dr. Skillin Ayes: Graf, Inks, Matthews, Skillin, Tabbert Considerations Correspondence - None. Committee Reports R^3 Committee Mr. Matthews indicated that there were no new issues being presented to the Committee. He wanted Ms. Richards to update him on the recycling RFP timeline. Ms. Richards said the RFP deadline was extended until June 13th. She will continue to keep the Committee updated. Green Energy Committee Mr. Tabbert requested more information on EV chargers on the SH website. Ms. Richards said State Electric would maintain and implement these throughout the City’s parks. State Electric would be compensated by GM. Inks indicated the desire to have a discussion with their liaison to talk about what would happen once the 5-year lease ends. Inks would like for the City Council to look at and discuss the use of solar panels in Sterling Heights. Ms. Richards talks about drafting ordinance for solar panels. Mr. Graf indicates that solar flowers might be an important item to consider. Mr. Inks believes wind power should also be taken into consideration. Ms. Beaupre is researching current best practices on wind turbines. A presentation on this will be given at the July meeting. Stormwater and Wetlands Committee Mr. Inks states the current possible impervious surface ordinance that is reaching council by August. He shows concern for grandfathering. Old Business EV Charging Master Plan Ms. Richards explained how the moratorium would allow more research on EV charging station policies. She believes SHSC should take initiative, Mr. Inks suggests it might be useful to create an EV committee. Run on the Rec Recap Around 40 of the 60 saplings were distributed in the 2 hours. Rodent Extermination Update Ms. Richards and Ms. Beaupre have found that “Rodenticide” is the commonly used poison for eliminating rats. While researching possible alternative, Ms. Beaupre found that other options are exceptionally expensive. SHSC Expansion Update Ms. Richards will introduce the plan at the July 18 meeting and adopt it on August 1st. Tree Inventory Ms. Richards presents a document about the Street Tree and Park Tree Inventory. SHSC discusses some vocabulary then displays some statistics on diversity needs. Mr. Inks shows concern about maintenance and possible damage to sidewalks. There is a possibility DPW will create a brochure on street tree care and also include water bags with the sapling. SHSC believes residents should be getting notice on receiving new street trees. Ms. Richards will follow up with DPW with these concerns. Mr. Graf expresses that TreeKeeper should be listed under the Tree Inventory. Natural Meadows Mr. Inks spoke with Councilman Yanez to create a Natural Meadows committee. Dr. Skillin says there is an opportunity with pollinators.org with an application due by July 20th for the projects to be completed in Fall 2023 or Spring 2024. New Business Intern Introduction Cassidy Beaupre joins SH for the summer. Her favorite tree is a Weeping Willow. LED Street Light Maintenance Mr. Inks expresses concern for the delamination of lights at Dodge Park, other municipalities are experiencing this issue. Ms. Richards explains that DTE should be replacing these, however, with longer summer days, it takes longer for the problem to become prevalent. SHSC discusses the recent project to replace street lights ICLEI Presentation 5 tools - ClearPath for emissions management - GHG Contribution Analysis - Community Emissions Analysis - LEARN - Forest and Tree emissions mapping - ICLEI Community - Networking Platform - GHG Protocols - Guidance for Communities to Account for Carbon Emissions The SHSC discusses those tools. Memberships are $2,250, discounted 20% for a 4-year membership. At this time, there is no current plan to warrant the need for these costs. Ms. Richards explains that it would be important for SHSC to identify how ICLEI would be utilized under the upcoming MLUP rework. Mr. Inks believes a grant search on Wade Trim is high priority and should be discussed next month. Citizen Participation No citizens participated at this time. Motion to Adjourn at 8:40pm Motion: Matthews Support: Tabbert Ayes: Graf, Inks, Matthews, Skillin, Tabbert