Environmental, Forestry, & Sustainability Commission

Village of Winnetka Environmental, Forestry, & Sustainability Commission Meeting June 10, 2026 at 7:00 PM Winnetka Village Hall Council Chambers - 510 Green Bay Road AGENDA 1. Introduction & Chair's Remarks 2. Public Comments 3. Review and Approval of Minutes a. EFSC May 13 Meeting Minutes 4. Old Business Updates 5. New Business a. Solar Power Hour event planning b. Mid-year assessment c. Village updates 6. Communications 7. Committee/Staff Reports 8. Open Forum 9. Adjournment NOTICE All agenda materials are available at villageofwinnetka.org (Government > Council Information > Agenda Packets & Minutes); the Reference Desk at the Winnetka Library; or in the Manager’s Office at Village Hall (2nd floor). The Village of Winnetka, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, requests that all persons with disabilities who require certain accommodations to allow them to observe and/or participate in this meeting or have questions about the accessibility of the meeting or facilities, contact the Village ADA Coordinator, at 510 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, Illinois 60093, 847-716-3543; T.D.D. 847-501-6041. Page 1 of 4  WINNETKA ENVIRONMENTAL FORESTRY, AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES May 13, 2026 A record of a legally convened meeting of the Environmental and Forestry Commission of the Village of Winnetka, which was held in the Council Chambers at Village Hall, 510 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, Illinois, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Call to Order: Chair Eck called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Voting Members present: Chair Peter Eck and Commissioners Dave Varca, King Poor, Ben Dietz, Gregory Frezados, and Liz Kunkle. Members absent: Tim Ring. A quorum of presently appointed members was present. Village Council Representative absent: Kim Handler. Student Representative Present: Scarlett Harper. Student Representative Absent: Louisa Hernandez. Staff Liaison present: Elyse Steiner. 1) Introduction & Chair’s Remarks: 2) Public Comment: NONE. 3) Review and Approval of Minutes a) Approval of the April Regular Meeting Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Varca, seconded by Commissioner Eck to approve the minutes as presented. AYES: ECK, DIETZ, VARCA, FREZADOS, KUNKLE, POOR. NAYS: NONE ABSENT: RING 4) New Business Updates: a) Bryan Lammers presentation Mr. Lammers shared information about Glencoe’s Buckthorn pickup program to encourage removal on private property. The Village has been educating and informing residents to participate. Around 80 households per session have contributed. The Chainsaw Gang has been active at the Ash St plot and further north on the Green Bay Trail. There is a new mural planned for the Oak St overpass with fundraising and designs currently underway. Trail Day is scheduled for the last Saturday in July. Page 2 of 4  Glencoe is considering revising its tree ordinance to increase the cost of removing mature trees. b) Forester Andrew Lueck and Assistant Forester Colette Copic presentation Andrew gave an update on the state of trees and tree care on Village property and rights- of-way. Unhealthy trees are removed and replaced with younger, healthy trees from a variety of appropriate species. There is a new landscape contract in place with some new/ changes in services. The department has surveyed Buckthorn policies and incentives in neighboring communities and is evaluating alternatives for Winnetka. Free pickup for residents is being given serious consideration. Other possible approaches could be to share removal costs or provide an alternative, replacement plant. c) Solar Day/Solar Open House Plans are moving along. Tim and Elyse met with representatives of Switch Together. Switch Together is open to attending/participating in the solar event being planned for the fall. More work needs to be done to solidify the date, location, and attendees. d) Climate Action Plan The Climate Action Plan is still on the Village Council agenda for June 16. A draft will be distributed to EFSC members and Trustees in advance. 5) Communications: 6) Commission/Staff Reports: Upcoming events: Children’s Fair with guest appearance from LOOP. Volunteers are invited to help out. The Farmers’ Market opens soon and EFSC members will be asked to staff Village Corner again this year. Scott Meyers is taking over for Kim Handler on scheduling. Some topics to engage with residents include Buckthorn removal and the Solar Open House. Elyse reported that April’s partnership with Eco Ship collected 600 gallons of packaging material and 52 boxes that were diverted from recycling/ landfill. Wilmette is piloting a Bike Bus to encourage biking to school. Leaders make it fun and safe for kids to ride their bikes in a group and parents to skip the long, polluting drop-off lines. Maybe Winnetka could find some parent leaders to create its own Bike Bus. Page 3 of 4 7) Open Forum: 8) Adjournment: There being no further business, Chair Eck asked for a motion to adjourn which was moved by Commissioner Kunkle and seconded by Commissioner Poor. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote; the meeting adjourned at 8:58 p.m. Page 4 of 4