HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-10-20 ENR Minutes
October 20, 2014 Environmental and Natural Resources Commission Meeting Minutes 1 MINUTES CITY OF MAPLEWOOD ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION 7:00 p.m., Monday,
October 20, 2014 Council Chambers, City Hall 1830 County Road B East 1. CALL TO ORDER A meeting of the Environmental and Natural Resources (ENR) Commission was called to order
at 7:05 p.m. by Chair Palzer. 2. ROLL CALL Randee Edmundson, Commissioner Present Deborah Fideldy, Commissioner Absent Mollie Miller, Commissioner Present Ann Palzer,
Chair Present Tom Sinn, Commissioner Present Dale Trippler, Vice Chair Absent Ginny Yingling, Commissioner Absent Staff Present Shann Finwall, Environmental
Planner 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Edmundson moved to approve the agenda as submitted. Seconded by Commissioner Miller. Ayes – All The motion passed. 4.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES The ENR Commission minutes for September 15, 2014, were tabled until the November meeting due to a lack of quorum of commission members who were present at the
September meeting. 5. NEW BUSINESS a. New Member Orientation i. Environmental Planner Finwall introduced the two new ENR Commission members, Mollie Miller and Tom Sinn and
went over the new member orientation material. b. Maplewood GreenCorps Host Site i. Environmental Planner Finwall Joe Ballandby, Minnesota GreenCorps Member, to the commission.
ii. Joe Ballandby introduced himself and described his role with Minnesota GreenCorps. He is an Air Quality Corps Member doing service in Maplewood to
October 20, 2014 Environmental and Natural Resources Commission Meeting Minutes 2 help the City meet its energy goals. His service runs from October 2014 through August 2015.
Joe will be back before the ENR Commission in November with details on the new Partners in Energy project the City will be undertaking with their energy partner, Xcel Energy.
c. Resolution of Appreciation for Commissioners Johannessen and Schafer i. Environmental Planner Finwall read the resolutions of appreciation for former ENR Commission members Judith
Johannessen and Cindy Schafer. Commissioner Edmundson moved to approve the resolution of appreciation for Judith Johannessen. Seconded by Commissioner Miller. Ayes – All
Commissioner Edmundson moved to approve the resolution of appreciation for Cindy Schafer. Seconded by Commissioner Sinn. Ayes – All The motions both passed. 6. UNFINISHED
BUSINESS a. Tree Ordinance i. Environmental Planner Finwall gave the update on the changes to the tree ordinance which included creating a second Standards document and pulling
items from the ordinance that pertain to actions that need to be taken by an applicant into the document. Having a separate standards document will allow City staff to update standards
as procedures change. The Commission reviewed the updated document and stated it was easier to read. The Commission recommended bringing the tree ordinance, standards, and updated
environmental ordinance back in October for final approval when more of the members would be present. 7. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS None present. 8. COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS
a. Plastic Bag Ban – Commissioner Yingling asked that a Star Tribune article on California’s ban on plastic bags be included in the packet. Commissioner Yingling was not present
during the meeting but Environmental Planner Finwall stated that the review of environmental issues related to plastic bags was one of the Commissions’ 2014 goals. She suggested the
Commission continue to discuss regulation or educational opportunities for plastic bags during their goal setting meeting in January 2015.
October 20, 2014 Environmental and Natural Resources Commission Meeting Minutes 3 9. STAFF PRESENTATIONS a. Markham Pond Draw Down i. Environmental Planner Finwall gave
a brief report on the Ramsey-Washington Watershed District’s draw down of Markham Pond to continue to study the carp population in the waterway and how they affect water quality.
b. Bee Friendly City i. Environmental Planner Finwall gave a brief report on Stillwater’s efforts to become a Bee Friendly city. The City of Shoreview currently has such a policy,
which restricts the use of neonicotinoids pesticides within the City including City operations and on private land. c. Maplewood Nature Center Programs i. Environmental Planner
Finwall presented the upcoming Nature Center Programs. For more information contact the Maplewood Nature Center at (651) 249-2170. 10. ADJOURNMENT Chair Palzer adjourned the
meeting at 8:05 p.m.