THIS IS JOHN SARVER, LET ME CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER.
[1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER]
[00:00:04]
FIRST THING ON OUR AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA AND THE CONSENT AGENDA.[2. APPROVAL OF/ ADDITIONS TO AGENDA and CONSENT AGENDA]
AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S A NUMBER OF INFORMATION THAT'S COMPILED THAT HE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT BEFORE. SO WE'RE KIND OF AGREEING TO THAT.ALL THOSE THINGS, I GUESS, ARE FINE.
BUT THE ONLY THING I WOULD HAVE TO MENTION IS THAT UNDER THE NEW COMMISSIONERS WILL BE TALKING ABOUT MAKING AN APPOINTMENT TO THE LAND PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD.
THE STUDENTS HAVE TO BE REAPPOINTED ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
SO IT WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT THAT.
WE HAD AN APPLICATION FROM [INAUDIBLE] GRAHAM.
HE'S NOT HERE TONIGHT, SO I GUESS THAT WILL BE POSTPONED TO A FUTURE MEETING.
BUT ARE THERE ANY OTHER ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA? OK, CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA? SO MOVED. CAN I GET A SECOND? OK, DID YOU CATCH THAT LEROY? I'M GOING TO CHECK THE REWIND.
OK. THIS IS A MAN WHO LEARNED FROM EXPERIENCE.
OK. ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE AGENDA.
[3. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES]
THAT'S OUR LAST MEETING WAS A WHILE AGO.BUT DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS TO THE MINUTES? HEARING NONE WOULD SOMEBODY LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION? MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
OK, CAN I HAVE A SECOND? OK, THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES.
I DON'T SEE ANY OF THE PUBLIC HERE, SO I GUESS WE'LL PROCEED.
CAN I JUST MENTION IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS SINCE THIS IS A NEW FORMAT, YOU FEEL FREE TO LET US KNOW IF WE NEED TO DO ANYTHING WITH THE MICS OR THANK YOU.
OK, MOVING ON TO NEW AND OLD BUSINESS, WE HAD QUITE A BIT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT OUR GOALS
[5.A. 2022 Goals]
FOR THIS YEAR AND IT WAS INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKET.AND BUT WE NEVER ACTUALLY APPROVED THE GOALS.
AND SO I'D LIKE TO GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE GOALS.
AND THEN A SECOND AND THEN OF COURSE, WE CAN HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION OF THE GOALS.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR BOTH PACKET, BUT I WAS LOOKING AT FOR THE [INAUDIBLE] COMMITTEE.
THEY DON'T REFLECT THE GOALS THAT WE HAD IN THE LATEST DOCUMENT, BUT WE'RE A LOT THAT WAS ONLINE, SO.
CAN WE ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE PROBABLY MORE DETAILED GOALS? CORRECT. OK.
I MEAN, THERE'S QUITE WE HAVE QUITE A FEW GOALS AND PARTS.
OK. WOULD IT BE EASY FOR YOU TO SUMMARIZE THEM OR IS IT IT WOULD TAKE QUITE A WHILE? LEROY. WELL, I WAS JUST SUGGESTING IF WE CAN COME UP WITH A GENERAL SUMMARY, KEEP IN REGULAR, YOU KNOW, WE CAN EXPAND ON THEM AS WE GO AND HAVE SUPPORT DOCUMENTS AND THEY CAN CONTINUE TO EVOLVE DURING THE YEAR.
OTHERWISE, WE CAN INCLUDE THE LONGER LIST HERE.
IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER TO ME.
YEAH, I'M FINE WITH SUMMARIZING, I'M JUST NOT SURE I'M PREPARED TO.
I NEED A REFERENCE BACK TO OUR GOALS, WHICH I CAN PULL UP RIGHT NOW IF YOU WANT ME TO OR.
WELL, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, BECAUSE WE CAN ADD THE NEXT MEETING, JUST AMEND THE GOALS, WE CAN DO THAT AT ANY TIME BECAUSE IT PROBABLY BE HELPFUL FOR LEROY TO BE ABLE TO SEND THEM OUT IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT MEETING.
AND THEN AT THAT TIME, WE CAN PUT IT ON THE AGENDA AND DISCUSS IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, I ASSUME, APPROVE IT.
IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE EXISTING DESCRIPTION THAT'S INCONSISTENT WITH YOUR PRESENT GOALS? NO, THERE'S NOTHING THAT'S INCONSISTENT.
I'D SAY IF I WAS GOING TO ADD SOMETHING THAT, LIKE I SAID, I WOULD NEED TO KIND OF REFERENCE, BUT WE DEFINITELY HAVE A GOAL FOCUSED ON INCREASING GLEANING IN THE TOWNSHIP.
SO THAT IS ONE THING THAT'S NOT CALLED OUT IN HERE THAT IF WE WERE SUMMARIZING, I THINK SHOULD BE.
OK, LET'S ADD THAT IN AT THIS TIME, IT'S EASY ENOUGH TO DO BEFORE WE ACTUALLY HAVE A MOTION. SO WHY DON'T YOU KIND OF TELL US THE WORDING FOR THAT GOAL? WELL, WE CAN JUST GO WITH YES IN INCREASING.
[00:05:06]
CLEANING OPPORTUNITIES. YEAH.INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF FOOD THAT'S GLEANED WITHIN THE TOWNSHIP.
YEP. OK, SO THAT IS MODIFIED TO WHAT YOU'VE GOT IN FRONT OF YOU.
CONSIDERING THAT MODIFICATION, WOULD ANYBODY LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE GOALS FOR 2022 OR DID WE ALREADY DO THAT? I WILL DO THAT.
I'LL MAKE THE MOTION, BUT WE'RE STILL HAVING DISCUSSION RIGHT AFTER THAT.
OH YEAH, WHAT? WE NEED A SECOND AND THEN DISCUSSION.
BILL IS THE SECOND, OK DISCUSSION ABOUT OUR GOALS.
YEAH. AGAIN, JUST ONE THING TO POSSIBLY ADD.
AT THE DECEMBER MEETING, I RAISED THE ISSUE OF MAYBE FORMALLY INCORPORATING THE IDEA OF THE TOWNSHIP ONCE AGAIN PARTICIPATING IN THE MICHIGAN GREEN COMMUNITIES CHALLENGE.
AND I WONDER IF WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ADD THAT UNDER OTHER PERHAPS SO IT'S PART OF THE GOALS. WELL, IN CONSIDERING YOU MADE THE MOTION, YOU CAN MAKE THAT A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT.
I WILL SO DO THAT, RIGHT? YEAH. OTHER DISCUSSION.
OK, BILL, IF I MISSED THIS, PLEASE.
NEVER MIND. OK, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS IN DISCUSSION? COURTNEY.
DO WE EXPECT TO PRESENT OUR GOALS AT THE COMMISSION'S JOINT MEETING OR SHOULD THERE BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO ASK FOR US TO PRESENT OUR GOALS TO THE BOARD? WELL, I THINK IN THE PAST WE'VE THAT'S BEEN PART OF THAT JOINT MEETING OF ALL THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE MAJOR PURPOSES OF THAT MEETING, WHICH IS HAD BEEN SCHEDULED HERE. DO YOU KNOW? IT HAS FOR I DON'T KNOW, I WANT TO SAY, THE END OF APRIL.
OK. YEAH. A LOT OF MEETINGS COMING UP.
BUT I WANT TO SAY THE END OF APRIL, SO WE HAVE SOME TIME.
OTHER QUESTIONS UH ISSUES? IT LOOKS LIKE WE'LL HAVE IT ON THE THE AGENDA FOR THE NEXT MEETING TO TALK IN MORE SPECIFICS ABOUT THE FOOD AND COMPOSTING, CAUSE I ASSUME THAT YOU DO WANT TO BRING IT UP AT THE NEXT MEETING TO KIND OF HAVE MORE SPECIFICS IN OUR GOAL STATEMENT.
I WANT I WOULD LIKE TO COMPARE THE SPECIFICS WITH THE AMENDED.
I DON'T THINK WE NEED ALL OF THE SPECIFICS.
WE CAN. I THINK IT'S FINE TO HAVE AN OVERVIEW IN HERE, BUT I DO WANT TO TAKE ANOTHER COMPARISON AT WHAT WE HAD VERSUS WHAT WERE WHAT THE OVERVIEW IS HERE.
OK. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS DISCUSSION BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE? OK. AND ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE THE GOALS FOR THIS COMING YEAR.
OK. ARE THERE ANY OPPOSED? OK, ANY ABSTENTIONS? OK, WELL, LET'S SEE WHAT LAND EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN KENDRA, DO YOU WANT TO GIVE US AN
[5.B. Wetland Educational Campaign]
UPDATE? YES, I WILL.OK, WELL, I'M GOING TO START BY SAYING WE'RE DOING SOME REALLY EXCITING THINGS.
SO LET ME JUST TAKE YOU DOWN MEMORY LANE FOR JUST A MOMENT.
SO WE DEVELOPED A WETLAND BROCHURE, WHICH I HAVE SOME HERE.
FOLKS HAVE NOT ACTUALLY SEEN THESE IN PERSON.
SO WE DID THIS IN OCTOBER OF 2020, AND I PRESENTED IT AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MEETING IN NOVEMBER OF 2020.
AND THEN I BECAME ON THE COMMISSION IN MARCH OF 2021, AND THEN WE STARTED THIS WETLAND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN AND SO LAST YEAR, YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, WE MET VIA ZOOM AND TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE WETLANDS AND TRUSTEE ONE WISINSKI GOT SUPPORT FROM THE BOARD FOR US TO CREATE THIS WETLAND EDUCATION PROGRAM.
AND I'M REALLY PLEASED THAT STARTED OUT JUST A FEW OF US WITH TRUSTEE WISINSKI AND WITH LEROY AND WITH EMMA CAMPBELL AND MYSELF.
AND THEN WE ENDED ON BRANDY FROM COMMUNICATIONS, AND NOW WE'RE UP TO 10 PEOPLE ON OUR IN
[00:10:06]
OUR GROUP. AND SO LAST YEAR WE SENT OUT THE WETLAND BROCHURE TO FOLKS IN THAT LIVE ADJACENT OR ON WETLANDS IN THE COMMUNITY, ALONG WITH THE WETLAND LETTER EXPLAINING THE WETLAND ORDINANCE. AND NOW WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS BUILD BACK THE BUFFER CAMPAIGN, WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO LOOK AT LOOKING AT NOT ONLY INCREASING BUFFER SIZES, LOOKING AT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT.AND SO WE'RE PARTNERING WITH THE HARRIS NATURE CENTER FOR THEIR NATIVE PLANT SALE TO HELP INCREASE THE SALES AND KIND OF HAVE A WIN WIN WIN, WIN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, WIN FOR THE RESIDENT, WIN FOR THE HARRIS NATURE CENTER.
AND THEY HAVE A NATIVE PLANT SALE THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE ACTUAL DATE OF IT IS MAY 7TH, BUT THE PRE-ORDER IS UP TO THROUGH THROUGH THAT DATE.
SO BY THE END OF APRIL AND THE CLASS IS ON MARCH 22ND.
SECOND, AND I'M VERY PLEASED TO SAY THAT THAT CLASS IS FULL.
AND SO NOW WE HAVE A WAITING LIST FOR THAT.
AND BECAUSE THAT CLASS IS FULL, IT WILL PLAY ON HOMETV FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS IN APRIL SO THAT FOLKS CAN GET EDUCATED ON NATIVE PLANTS AND HOW TO CREATE FRIENDLY GARDENS IN THEIR YARD BUFFERS AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.
AND I JUST WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE FOLKS THAT ARE ON BOARD WITH US AND HELPING OUT SO TRUSTEE WISINSKI AND LEROY AND EMMA CAMPBELL AND BRANDY YATES FROM COMMUNICATIONS AND PAIGE [INAUDIBLE] FROM MSU EXTENSION AND BETTY SIEGEL FROM WILD ONES AND ROB WELCH FROM WILD ONES AND BRUCE PIPERS, WHO'S ALSO ATTENDS THE GREEN DIALOGUE AND IS A WETLAND ENTHUSIAST AND PART OF THE [INAUDIBLE] POOL.
SO WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE HAVING WETLAND WALKS EVERY THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH.
IN FACT, EMMA JUST HAD ONE BEFORE THIS MEETING TODAY, AND WE'RE HAVING LOTS OF FOLKS ATTEND THOSE. I WAS ABLE TO STOP BY THERE TODAY, AND THERE WAS AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE WHEN I STOPPED BY AND WHEN WE HAD THEM A MONTH AGO WHEN THE WEATHER WAS TERRIBLE OUTSIDE.
THERE WAS, I THINK WE HAD FOURTEEN FOLKS AND IT WAS RAINING AND RAINING AND RAINING.
AND EVEN AFTER WALKING THROUGH AND HER EDUCATION, THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WERE AFTERWARDS WERE ASKING HER QUESTIONS.
SO IT'S JUST REALLY, REALLY EXCITING THAT WE'RE HAVING SO MUCH SUCCESS HERE.
AND SO I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE INVOLVED.
AND I'M, YOU KNOW, AS I'M ON LAND PRESERVATION AND THEN ON HERE, I'M KIND OF LIKE TRYING TO COORDINATE BETWEEN THE TWO, THE BOARD AND THE COMMISSION AND WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND TALKING WITH FOLKS FROM LAKE LANSING ADVISORY BOARD AND OTHER WITH THE PARK COMMISSION. AND SO JUST TRYING TO BRIDGE THE GAPS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ALL THESE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS BECAUSE WE ALL TOUCH THE WETLANDS AND STAFF HAVING MULTIPLE STAFF DEPARTMENTS TOO. SO WE'RE JUST I'M REALLY, REALLY PLEASED WITH THE PROGRESS AND JUST I FORGOT TO MENTION THIS. SO FOR THE NATIVE PLANT SALE TOO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME SAMPLE PLANT DESIGNS THAT PEOPLE CAN DO IN THEIR YARDS.
AND EMMA IS CREATING A PLANT GUIDE THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE SO PEOPLE CAN SEE WHAT PLANTS LOOK LIKE AND ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BE ALL THAT INFORMATION WILL BE OUT HERE SHORTLY.
SO LET ME SEE WHAT ELSE AM I FORGETTING? WE'RE LOOKING AT HAVING RESENDING THE WETLAND LETTER, AND THEN ONE THING THAT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT IN THIS GOT BROUGHT UP AT GREEN DIALOGUE AT ONE POINT AS THAT PESTICIDES CHEMICALS, WE NEED THOSE TO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN A 20-FOOT BUFFER, CERTAINLY AROUND WETLANDS, BUT ANY WATER BODY, I BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A STATE LAW PARTICULARLY RELATED TO THE PHOSPHOROUS THAT'S LIKE 15 FEET, IF I'M CORRECT ABOUT THAT.
SO SOMEHOW I WAS GOING TO ASK FOLKS IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO GET THAT WORD OUT.
SO IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEAS ABOUT THAT, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THEM AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING I FORGOT LEROY OR COURTNEY OR ANYONE ELSE.
YES, I WAS GOING TO ASK FOR A COUPLE OF THOSE HANDOUTS.
I THINK I COULD DO A PRESENTATION TO LIKE A COUPLE OF MY SCIENCE CLASSES AT SCHOOL.
HERE'S A BROCHURE RIGHT HERE, AND THEN I WANT TO ALSO SHOW THIS AGAIN THE WETLAND [INAUDIBLE] ARE THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AND LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL FIRE THAT I'M [INAUDIBLE] SO.
AND SHE'S ALSO DOING [INAUDIBLE] SIDE ECOLOGY AND [INAUDIBLE] POOL DISCOVERY STARTS IN MARCH AND MARCH 20TH TOO.
I JUST HAD AN IDEA. SO IT'S CORRECT THAT FOR HOMEOWNERS THAT LIVE ON WETLANDS, THERE'S SOMETHING ON THERE.
[00:15:01]
IS THAT THEIR TAX DOCUMENTS OR WHAT SO DOES THAT? AND DOES THAT GO OUT TO EVERYONE? OR IS THAT ONLY PEOPLE THAT LIVE ON WETLANDS? EVERYONE I'M PRETTY SURE.I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THERE WAS I MEAN, WE COULD INCLUDE PERHAPS ON ON SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND I KNOW THAT JUST WENT OUT, BUT INCLUDE SOME INFORMATION ALSO ABOUT THE ORDINANCES YOU SPOKE OF.
ALTHOUGH, YOU KNOW, I DO I APPLAUD THE EFFORT OF GETTING THAT IN, AND I WONDER IF WE'RE NOT ALERTING PEOPLE SPECIFICALLY THAT THEY'RE ON WETLANDS.
IS THAT WELL, I GUESS THAT'S A QUESTION FOR YOU.
IS THAT AN ISSUE? DO PEOPLE TYPICALLY KNOW IF THEY'RE ON WETLANDS OR NOT? I AM GUESSING THAT SOME DO, AND SOME DON'T.
I THINK THERE'S A PROBLEM AND THAT'S WHERE THE EDUCATION IS KIND OF IMPORTANT.
WHERE WE HAD THE STUDENT, I FORGOT TO MENTION THIS EARLIER ABOUT THIS.
LIKE THE STUDENTS, THE GO AHEAD.
OH, OK, YEAH, HAVE ASKED US TO DO THAT.
SO LIKE THE STUDENT, LIKE YOU WERE [INAUDIBLE] THE STUDENTS DID A PRESENTATION LAST YEAR IN JULY OF LAST YEAR AND YOU KNOW ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF WETLANDS.
SO IT'S VERY DIFFICULT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SOME PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF AND SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT.
AND I THINK THE WHOLE POINT OF HAVING THIS WETLAND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN IS TO HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, WHAT THEY ARE, THE PURPOSE THAT THEY SERVE, YOU KNOW, LIKE CLEANING WATER AND HELPING WITH FLOODING AND ALL THAT DIFFERENT KINDS OF THINGS.
BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S UNFORTUNATE, LIKE WITH THIS THING RIGHT HERE LIKE THIS IS PRETTY, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF US KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS, BUT A LOT OF THE AVERAGE HOMEOWNER, DO THEY KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS? I THINK IT'S QUESTIONABLE.
SO THAT'S WHERE THE HOPEFULLY THE EDUCATION CAN HOPEFULLY CHANGE THAT OVER TIME.
I GUESS I WAS JUST WONDERING IF IT WAS POSSIBLE TO BE MORE TARGETED ON SOMETHING LIKE THAT, AND I DON'T KNOW WHO MIGHT HAVE THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION OF IF THE TOWNSHIP KNOWS WHICH RESIDENCES ARE IN FACT ON WETLANDS, COULD WE COULD PART OF THAT EDUCATION BE ALERTING FOLKS LIKE, HEY, YOU ARE ON A WETLAND? AND THEN THESE ORDINANCES PERTAIN TO YOU BECAUSE OF THAT? RIGHT. AND THAT'S WHAT THE LETTER THAT WENT OUT IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR.
THE LETTER, ALONG WITH THE BROCHURE, WENT TO THOSE FOLKS.
OK, SO BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THAT SHOULD HAPPEN AGAIN, LIKE THE SPRINGTIME TOO LIKE, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEAR FUTURE BECAUSE WHO REMEMBERS WHAT WENT OUT IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
OK, YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THE WORK ON THIS IMPORTANT.
ANY OTHER QUESTION, CONCERNS ALRIGHTY? THANK YOU. WELL, THERE'S CERTAINLY THERE'S A LOT GOING ON, THANK YOU, KENDRA.
OK, MOVING ALONG TO LEROY, WILL YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE GREEN GRANTS?
[5.C. Green Grants]
YOU LIKE OR I CAN GIVE AN OVERVIEW AND YOU CAN ADD IN.OK. WE RECEIVED SO FAR FIVE PROPOSALS FOR GREEN GRANTS OKEMOS LIBRARY.
OKEMOS [INAUDIBLE] AGAIN, HASLETT COMMUNITY CHURCH, OKEMOS PUBLIC MONTESSORI AND MURMURS FROM HASLETT HIGH SCHOOL THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO MEET THIS WEEK, BUT THERE THEY'LL BE MEETING LATER THIS WEEK.
AND SO WE MAY GET ANOTHER PROPOSAL FROM THEM.
BUT THE TOTAL OF THE GRANTS WAS MORE THAN WE HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED.
SO WE OUR COMMITTEE, WHICH INCLUDED KENDRA AND COURTNEY AND JOHN AND I MET AND JUST DISCUSSED HOW WE MIGHT MOVE FORWARD AND PROVIDE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF SUPPORT THAT WE CAN GIVEN THE CURRENT BUDGET.
THESE PROJECTS INCLUDED POLLINATOR GARDEN, JUST NATIVE GARDENS.
[INAUDIBLE] WANTED TO PROPOSED A CAMPUS BARNYARD AND OKEMOS PUBLIC MONTESSORI IS PROPOSING A BUTTERFLY GARDEN, ALL USING NATIVE PLANTS.
SO IT'S MUCH IN LINE WITH SOME OF OUR GOALS FROM THE WETLAND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN, AND I THINK IT'LL BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE SOME OF THOSE CONCEPTS THAT KENDRA WAS MENTIONING AS THESE PROJECTS UNFOLD.
THE NOTICE FROM HASLETT HIGH SCHOOL CAME IN LATER THIS AFTERNOON, SO WE HAVEN'T REALLY TALKED ABOUT AS A TEAM ABOUT ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL PROPOSAL.
BUT IN THE DISCUSSION I HAD BRIEFLY BEFORE THE MEETING, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO PROCEED WITH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS TOTALING TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS AND THEN WITH THE HOPE THAT IF WE DO GET ANOTHER PROPOSAL IN THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GO BACK TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND LOOK FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THAT.
[00:20:06]
I'M NOT SUPER OPTIMISTIC, BUT BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN BASED ON MY COMMUNICATIONS, IT'S BEEN A LACK OF COMMUNICATION WITH THIS GROUP AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT SOMETHING WILL COME THROUGH. BUT I'M JUST I WOULD RATHER PROCEED WITH THESE OTHER PROJECTS.WE KNOW THAT THERE'S ENERGY MOVING FORWARD.
THERE'S A PLAN AND WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING YET FROM HASLETT, SO WE WANTED TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS.
DO YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING TO THAT? AS PART OF THE COMMITTEE, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT REVIEWING THE APPLICATIONS THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, ALL IN LINE, LIKE YOU SAID, LEROY ALL IN LINE WITH OUR GOALS.
WE COULDN'T NECESSARILY FUND EVERYBODY AT 100 PERCENT, BUT I FEEL THAT WE'VE GOTTEN PRETTY CLOSE AND BE ABLE TO FUND ALL THE APPLICANTS.
AND I'M JUST EXCITED THAT THERE'S BEEN SO MANY APPLICANTS.
I MEAN, IT'S ALREADY IT'S ALREADY INCREASED TWO-FOLD SINCE LAST YEAR.
TO SPEAK TO TO BUDGET ABOUT REQUESTING ADDITIONAL FUNDS, CERTAINLY WILLING TO DO THAT.
ONCE A BUDGET IS APPROVED AND APPROPRIATED, IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET ADDITIONAL FUNDS.
SO WE CAN WE CAN ASK AND MAYBE THERE'S ADDITIONAL FUNDS, BUT I THINK GOING FORWARD NEXT YEAR, WE WANT TO CONSIDER MAYBE ASKING FOR MORE FUNDS UPFRONT.
GIVEN THAT THERE'S SUCCESS AND MAYBE WE WANT TO PROVIDE SOME SORT OF REPORT TO THE BOARD OR REPORT TO MANAGEMENT THAT IT'S BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE ADDITIONAL FUNDS.
I THINK IT KIND OF DAWNS ON ME THAT AND WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE WHETHER HASLETT WILL COME IN WITH THIS PROPOSAL OR HOW GOOD IT WILL BE, EITHER.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IF THEY DO COME IN, CERTAINLY, AND IT'S A GOOD PROPOSAL, IT COULD BE A CANDIDATE. IF WE CAN'T GET FUNDING FOR THIS YEAR, IT COULD BE A CANDIDATE FOR FUNDING FOR NEXT YEAR'S GREEN GRANTS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE MORE TIME YOU HAVE TO KIND OF THINK ABOUT AND PLAN SOMETHING, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A BAD THING BECAUSE WE DO WANT PEOPLE TO GET STARTED EARLY THIS YEAR AND KIND OF, YOU KNOW, GET IT DONE.
THOSE FOUR WHO ALREADY SUBMITTED OBVIOUSLY HAVE PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO THAT.
I THINK. SO I HAD AN ADDITIONAL THOUGHT, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WOULD FIT IN WITH THE GREEN GRANTS OR WITH SOMETHING ELSE, BUT FOR NEXT YEAR, IF WE'RE CONSIDERING ADDITIONAL FUNDING, THE FOOD FOOD WASTE GROUP IS REALLY INTERESTED IN DOING SOME WORK WITH SCHOOLS AROUND FOOD WASTE, WHETHER THAT BE GLEANING OR COMPOSTING.
SO LIKE I SAID, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT COULD FIT WITHIN THE CURRENT GREEN GRANTS OR IF THAT COULD BE AN ADDITIONAL REQUEST TO DO SOME GRANTS TO SCHOOLS THAT ARE AROUND, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE FOOD ASPECTS AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT OF OUR FOOD AND OUR FOOD SYSTEM AND OUR FOOD WASTE. I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT.
SO WE SAW WE WERE GIVEN PRESENTATIONS ON THE LAST TWO, I GUESS JUST TWO OF THE GRANTS, RIGHT? ARE THOSE RECORDED AND AVAILABLE ON THE WEB OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? THOSE ARE SO THOSE REPORTS CAN, YOU KNOW, CAN SERVE AS INSPIRATION FOR.
FUTURE GRANTEES, OK? I JUST I HAVEN'T TUNED INTO THE DETAILS OF HOW THAT [INAUDIBLE].
WHEN THEY MADE THE REQUEST, BUT THEY DID INVITE US TO SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONES SO THAT YOU CAN BE BETTER HEARD ON TV.
WELL, WAS THAT HEARD WELL ENOUGH? I CAN ASK IT AGAIN IF YOU WANT.
[INAUDIBLE] LEROY OR ANYONE ELSE CAN EVEN REMIND ME WHEN THE DEADLINE IS OR WAS FOR SUBMITTING THOSE PROPOSALS? WE ASKED FOR, I THINK IT WAS FEBRUARY 15TH WAS SUGGESTED GUIDELINE, BUT NOT CAST IN STONE WITH THE IDEA THAT WE WOULD GIVE PRIORITY TO THOSE APPLICANTS THAT CAME IN ON TIME.
SO. YOU KNOW, SO I GUESS, CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN WHERE HASLETT HIGH SCHOOL IS ADDED AT THIS POINT THAT THEY SUBMIT AN INITIAL INTEREST OR NOT? OK. I ASKED THEM A COUPLE OF TIMES.
THEY DO HAVE AN ACTIVE CLIMATE CHANGE CLUB.
I PRESENTED TO THEM TWICE AND I GET THE SENSE THAT THEY'RE PRETTY BUSY JUST SURVIVING IN SCHOOL AND THEY MEET AT SEVEN A.M., WHICH IS A CHALLENGE.
[00:25:01]
NO, BECAUSE I JUST FEEL LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY MEET AT SEVEN A.M.INDICATES THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TIME AFTER SCHOOL.
BUT THEY HAVE MENTIONED THAT THERE IS A COURTYARD THAT THEY WOULD LOVE TO DO SOMETHING IN.
SO SIMILAR TO HASLETT MIDDLE SCHOOL.
I THINK THERE'S A THERE WAS RIGHT FOR AN OPPORTUNITY, AND I LOVE THE IDEA OF SPENDING A LITTLE MORE TIME PLANNING THIS YEAR BECAUSE SUMMER IS ALMOST UPON US.
AND SCHOOL'S OUT. AND SO OFFERING OUR SUPPORT, NOT NECESSARILY FINANCIALLY, BUT WITH SOME IDEAS AND JUST GETTING THEM GETTING THE MOMENTUM GOING AND TELLING THEM ABOUT FUNDING POSSIBILITIES FOR NEXT YEAR MIGHT BE VERY ENCOURAGING TO THEM AND ALSO PUT THEM AT EASE.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO COME UP WITH A FULL FLEDGED PLAN RIGHT AWAY.
[INAUDIBLE] CHURCH I WOULD JUST SPEAK TO [INAUDIBLE] IN OUR HASLETT HIGH SCHOOL. SO FOR ME TO PROPOSE TO THE BOARD ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR NEXT YEAR, WHICH I THINK IS PROBABLY OUR BEST BET WHEN IT COMES TO HASLETT HIGH SCHOOL AND MAYBE OUR FOOD PROGRAM TO DEVELOP MAYBE FOR ME, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE AN ASK, RIGHT? SO IF I'M, YOU KNOW, PRESENT IT AND HAVE SOME DATA BEHIND IT ON.
HERE'S WHAT WE'VE PROVIDED IN THE PAST, AND HERE'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR FUTURE TYPES OF PROJECTS. WOULD WE CONSIDER THIS AMOUNT? SO THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR ME, GIVEN THAT I AGAIN, I THINK IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO AMEND THE BUDGET THIS YEAR GIVING COVID AND AND A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED.
BUT I THINK PREPARING FOR NEXT YEAR, IT'LL BE HERE BEFORE WE KNOW IT.
SO I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO MAKE THAT ASK.
SO I GUESS OUR NEXT STEP IS TO CONSIDER THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION, I'M NOT SURE I HAVE A CLEAR IDEA.
I HEARD THAT THERE WERE MORE FUNDS REQUESTED THAN AVAILABLE.
DOES THE COMMITTEE HAVE A SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATION FOR US THIS EVENING? WE HAD COME UP WITH HASLETT COMMUNITY CHURCH SUGGESTED THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
THEY HAD, THEY'D IDENTIFIED ABOUT FOURTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS MATCH, SO THEIR TOTAL PROPOSAL WAS ABOUT THREE-SIX HUNDRED SIX HUNDRED.
OKEMOS LIBRARY HAD SUGGESTED A RANGE OF NINE HUNDRED TO THIRTEEN HUNDRED ROUGHLY.
WE SUGGESTED A THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE OKEMOS LIBRARY.
OKEMOS PUBLIC MONTESSORI WE SUGGESTED THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS OUT OF I BELIEVE THEY REQUESTED THREE THOUSAND AND THEN[INAUDIBLE] REQUESTED THIRTY SIX EIGHTEEN.
WE SUGGESTED THREE THOUSAND AND THEN OUR PLAN WAS TO JUST MAKE THAT OFFER TO THEM AND THEN ASK FOR A REVISED BUDGET.
AND THEN ASSUMING THEY ACCEPT THAT OFFER, WE PROCEED WITH THAT RECOMMENDATION.
IF THAT MAKES SENSE, I CAN PASS AROUND THE LITTLE SPREADSHEET AND KIND OF THE SCORING SYSTEM, IF YOU'D LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT THAT.
IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT TRICKY.
SO YOU SAID SOME OF THE APPLICANTS HAVE PROPOSED SIGNIFICANT MATCHES AND OTHERS HAVEN'T.
YEAH. HASLETT COMMUNITY CHURCH, I BELIEVE IT WAS A CASH MATCH.
A COUPLE OF THE OTHERS HAD A LABOR MATCH LIKE, BUT IT WASN'T REALLY QUANTIFIED SPECIFICALLY THAT I RECALL.
YEAH. ONE THING TO NOTE, TOO, IS THAT THE TWO THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING FOR FULL FUNDING WERE THE TWO THAT SCORED THE HIGHEST.
THEY ALL SCORED WELL, BUT THE TWO THAT ARE BEING RECOMMENDED FOR KIND OF REDUCED FUNDING SCORED A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE THE TOP TWO.
THE TOP TWO WERE OKEMOS, PUBLIC MONTESSORI AND THE LIBRARY.
WELL, ALL SOUNDS QUITE REASONABLE IN THE INTEREST OF TRANSPARENCY, IT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE IDEAL TO HAVE A FORMAL RECOMMENDATION WITH SOME OF THAT INFORMATION IN IT, SO EVERYBODY WHO'S APPLIED UNDERSTANDS THE REQUESTS THAT WERE MADE AND THE GRANTS THAT ARE BEING OFFERED.
AND I DON'T WANT TO SLOW THINGS DOWN WITH BUREAUCRATIC RED TAPE, BUT I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THINGS TRANSPARENTLY.
[00:30:05]
ARE ANY OF THE PROJECTS NEEDING TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE NEXT BEFORE OUR NEXT MEETING ? I WOULD SAY IT WOULD INCREASE THE PROBABILITY THAT THEY WOULD GET THE PROJECTS DONE THIS YEAR IF WE GIVE THEM THE BLESSING TO MOVE ON.PART OF THE THING THAT HELD US UP AND WHY YOU DIDN'T SEE THE WHOLE SCORING THING IN THE PACKET, ALTHOUGH I THINK THERE WAS A LINK TO THE PAGE IN THE PACKET WAS THAT WE WERE WE WERE HOPING TO GET A FINAL PROPOSAL FROM HASLETT HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH THEY SAID THEY WOULD PROVIDE BY EARLY LAST WEEK, AND THEY DIDN'T.
SO WE HAD TO KIND OF ASSEMBLE INFORMALLY TO MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION BEFORE THIS MEETING.
AND THAT LINK WOULD BE IN THE PACKET UNDER ITEM 5C.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS ACTUALLY IN THERE AND.
YOU KNOW, ONE WAY TO PROCEED TO IS THAT FOR TWO OF THE GRANT APPLICANTS, WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING. I DON'T THINK WE'VE GONE BACK TO THEM YET.
WE'RE GOING TO ASK THEM TO KIND OF LOOK AT THE ISSUE OF REDUCED FUNDING.
DOES THAT AFFECT THE PROJECT AT ALL? SO I'M GUESSING THAT I DON'T THINK THAT'S BEEN DONE YET, RIGHT LEROY? I'M SORRY. YOU HAVEN'T GONE BACK TO THE TWO ABOUT THE REDUCED FUNDING YET, HAVE YOU? NO. YEAH. SO MAYBE IT MIGHT SLOW THINGS DOWN A LITTLE, BUT WE STILL HAVE THAT STEP TO DO TOO. SO MAYBE WE SHOULD GO BACK TO THOSE TWO APPLICANTS AND SAY, OK, YOU CAN.
CAN YOU DO THE PROJECT, YOU KNOW, WITH THE REDUCED AMOUNT? AND, YOU KNOW, DOES IT AFFECT ANY PART OF THE PROJECT AND THEN COME BACK TO THE FULL COMMISSION AT THE NEXT MEETING AND KIND OF MAKE IT OFFICIAL? I THINK YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH ALL FOUR GRANTEES THAT THE SELECTION COMMITTEE HAS BEEN FAVORABLY REVIEWED, ALL THEIR PROPOSALS, AND THAT WE WILL BE BRINGING IT TO THE FULL ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION NEXT MONTH, EARLY NEXT MONTH.
AND SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEND THEM A SIGNAL THINGS ARE LOOKING REALLY GOOD, SO THINGS DON'T SLOW DOWN. BUT THEN WE DO.
I THINK WHAT BILL SUGGESTED, WHICH IS A GREAT IDEA, IS, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF MAKE IT REAL CLEAR WHAT THE DECISION WAS VERY TRANSPARENT.
I THINK THAT'S YEAH, GO AHEAD.
YEAH, I GUESS I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT IT SEEMS LIKE THE NEXT STEP SHOULD BE TO PROPOSE TO THE GROUPS THAT DON'T HAVE FULL FUNDING, THAT THEY DON'T HAVE FULL FUNDING BECAUSE IT'S POSSIBLE THAT MAYBE THIS YEAR ISN'T THE BEST TIME TO START THOSE PROJECTS, LIKE IF THEY AREN'T ABLE TO DO THE PROJECT WITHOUT FULL FUNDING, THEN THEY DON'T DO THE PROJECT.
THEN WE GIVE FULL FUNDING TO THE OTHER GROUP OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT THEN MAYBE NEXT YEAR WOULD BE BETTER.
AND I GUESS ALSO, I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOUR CRITERIA WAS, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IS LIKE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PROJECT, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE ARE PROJECTS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL SPECIFICALLY THAT WERE STARTED, AND WE'RE REALLY GREAT IDEAS BUT NOT MAINTAINED.
SO I THINK ANOTHER THING MAYBE TO THINK ABOUT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY IS WHICH PROJECTS HAVE THE GREATEST CHANCE OF SUSTAINED SUCCESS AND IF THEY DON'T HAVE THAT YET, MAYBE SAYING, HEY, COME BACK NEXT YEAR WHILE YOU HAVE UNTIL YOU HAVE A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE. WELL, I WAS JUST GOING ON THAT, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE THERE HAS BEEN A SCORING AND THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION, AT LEAST FOR FULL FUNDING FOR THIS FIRST FOUR PROJECTS. I MEAN, I AGREE WITH BEING TRANSPARENT.
BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF THAT HAS BEEN EXPLAINED OF HOW WE GOT THERE AND WE COULD PUT THAT WE COULD PRESENT THAT FURTHER AT THE NEXT MEETING WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, I JUST HATE TO SLOW DOWN, LIKE IF WE ALREADY HAVE THE DECISION REALLY AND WE ALREADY HAVE THE THINKING AND THE SCORING AND ALL OF THAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED.
I HATE TO SLOW SOMEBODY DOWN FOUR WEEKS.
KENDRA? WELL, I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA TO, YOU KNOW, BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT HOW WE SCORED LIKE AND WHAT THE CRITERIA WAS, RIGHT, SO.
AND SO I THINK THAT THAT'S FAIR AND I THINK COMMUNICATING BACK.
SO YES, WE'RE LOOKING AT YOUR PROJECT AND YOU KNOW THAT AND ASKING, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE I WANT TO MAKE SURE LIKE WHAT [INAUDIBLE] WAS SAYING IS ABOUT, LIKE MAKING SURE THAT THESE ARE SUSTAINABLE, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE HAVING ALL NATIVE PLANTS.
IF THERE'S PLANTS BEING PLANTED THAT WE'RE NOT HAVING ANY BASES BY, YOU KNOW, ERROR OR SOMETHING. SO I THINK THAT WE CAN COMMUNICATE BACK AND THEN ALSO IT KEEPS IT GOING.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL.
SO IF PEOPLE REALLY WANT TO DO THAT PROJECTS, I THINK THEY'LL CONTINUE ONWARD.
[00:35:03]
SO THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS.AND OH, I'M SORRY, I WANT TO SAY MORE THING.
SORRY, BUT JUST TO SO THAT THE CRITERIA IS CLEAR, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE WE HAD, YOU KNOW WHAT THE CRITERIA IS SO THAT FOR FUTURE PROJECTS, WE'RE USING THE SAME KIND OF CRITERIA. SO PEOPLE KNOW WHEN THEY'RE APPLYING WHAT THE CRITERIA LOOKS LIKE TO THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL. WE KIND OF JUST DEVELOP THAT ONE THIS TIME.
I DON'T THINK WE HAD TO DO THAT LAST YEAR UNLESS IT WAS ALREADY DEVELOPED AND WE USE THAT ONE. BUT I THINK MOSTLY LEROY KIND OF DEVELOPED THE YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE DIFFERENT CRITERIA. AND THEN WE SCORED IT BASED ON THAT CRITERIA AND THE CRITERIA WERE EDUCATIONAL IMPACT, ECOLOGICAL IMPACT AND CLARITY.
AND I THOUGHT TOO THAT THAT PRETTY MUCH COVERED THE IMPORTANT MATTERS RELATED TO THE CONTENT. YEAH, A LOT OF GOOD COMMENTS SO FAR.
I JUST WONDERED KIND OF LISTENING TO OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAK IF THERE IS ANY ROOM FOR MIDDLE GROUND, IF IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO GO AHEAD AND APPROVE THE TWO THAT ARE RECOMMENDED FOR FULL FUNDING AND THEN HAVE A SECONDARY VOTE NEXT MEETING FOR THE OTHER TWO. BUT I AGREE WITH BILL AND OTHERS THAT TRANSPARENCY IS IMPORTANT.
WE NEED TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION OUT THERE.
BUT I JUST WONDERED IF THERE WAS POSSIBLY ROOM FOR MIDDLE GROUND TO AT LEAST GET TWO OF THEM STARTED ON THEIR PROJECTS.
JUST SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
I WORK FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES, AND I ISSUE GRANTS AND ALSO RECEIVE GRANTS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, FROM THE STATE.
AND WITHIN THAT GRANT PERIOD, WE PROPOSE AND OR PEOPLE PROPOSE TO US AND WE CAN ACCEPT, BUT THEN WE HAVE A NEGOTIATION PERIOD.
SO THE NEGOTIATION PERIOD COULD BE, FOR EXAMPLE, KENDRA, YOU'RE SAYING, WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PLANT YOU'RE PROPOSING ARE ACTUALLY NATIVE? OR WE ARE GOING TO PROPOSE TO GIVE YOU THREE THOUSAND AS OPPOSED TO THREE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED? CAN YOU REISSUE A PLAN AND OR A BUDGET THAT CAN ACCOMMODATE THAT? EXCUSE ME. SO I'M WONDERING KIND OF SIMILAR.
I THINK TRANSPARENCY IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND KIND OF SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, TOM LIKE WE THAT NEGOTIATION PERIOD COULD BE PART OF OUR GRANT AWARDING PROCESS.
SO WE CAN SAY YOU'VE BEEN AWARDED THIS GRANT, BUT WE HAVE THIS NEGOTIATION PERIOD BEFORE WE ACTUALLY APPROPRIATE THE FUNDS.
I'M JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE.
IT'S IT'S WORKED FOR US FEDERALLY AND AT A STATE LEVEL.
YEAH. WELL, I COULD RECOMMEND A SIMILAR MIDDLE GROUND OFTENTIMES WHEN APPLICATIONS COME TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION, THE STANDARD PRACTICE IS NOT TO FORMALLY ACT AT THAT FIRST CONSIDERATION OF AN APPLICATION.
BUT THE PLANNING COMMISSION WILL OFTEN THEN TAKE A STRAW POLL TO GIVE THE APPLICANT AND STAFF A CLEAR SIGN THAT THE COMMISSION HOW THE COMMISSION IS FEELING ABOUT THE PROPOSAL, THE APPLICATION AS IT STANDS.
AND THAT GIVES THE STAFF AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH THE APPLICANT AND SAY, WELL, THESE WERE SOME CONCERNS AND THESE ARE SOME THINGS.
BUT WE, YOU KNOW, IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYBODY'S SUPPORTIVE.
COULD YOU MAKE A MOTION TO THAT EFFECT TO KIND OF.
TYPICALLY, THAT'S THAT'S NOT ON THE BASIS OF A MOTION.
SIMPLY, THE CHAIR ASKS FOR A STRAW POLL, GIVEN WHAT YOU'VE HEARD FROM STAFF TONIGHT ON THE SUMMARY OF THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION.
ARE YOU INCLINED TO SUPPORT THIS RECOMMENDATION FROM THE COMMITTEE? AND AS LONG, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY IF EVERYBODY SAYS YES, THEN YOU KNOW THAT THE STAFF HAS THE GREEN LIGHT TO GO AND ENTER THAT NEGOTIATION PHASE BEFORE YOU MAKE A FINAL DETERMINATION. I WOULD GUESS TOO THAT THAT SOUNDS LIKE THAT STRONG SENDS A STRONG MESSAGE TO THE APPLICANTS THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE LOOKING PRETTY GOOD AND THAT THEY SHOULD COULD PROCEED WITH, YOU KNOW, SOME CONFIDENCE.
WELL, YOU KNOW, SOME OF YOU HAVE SUGGESTED OTHER WAYS OF DOING IT.
YOU KNOW, WE CAN ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO, YOU KNOW, APPROVE TWO OF THE THE TWO HIGHEST SCORING PROPOSALS WE CAN I COULD GET A MOTION TO ACCEPT ALL FOUR PROPOSALS, BUT CONTINGENT ON SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATIONS.
OR I COULD JUST DO WHAT BILL SUGGESTED, WHICH IS JUST GET A SENSE FOR WHAT EVERYBODY
[00:40:04]
THINKS AND THEN HAVE LEROY GO BACK TO THE APPLICANTS AND KIND OF SEND A STRONG MESSAGE THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE LOOKING GOOD, BUT WE HAVE SOME NEGOTIATIONS TO DO.DOES ANYBODY WANT TO MAKE A MOTION IF YOU DON'T WANT TO MAKE A MOTION? I'LL DO WHAT BILL SUGGESTED.
I WOULD MAKE A MOTION TO ACCEPT ALL OF THEM CONTINGENT ON A NEGOTIATION PERIOD.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? I'LL SECOND IT. OK, OK.
OK, I'LL PROPOSE TO THE MOTION.
DO WE HAVE ANY ABSTENTIONS? OK? DID YOU RECORD THAT RIGHT? YEAH. OK. IT'S A GOOD THING.
WE TELEVISE THESE THINGS, RIGHT? OK. OK.
[5.D. 5-Year Review: Climate Sustainability Plan Review & Update]
MOVING ON TO THE FIVE YEAR REVIEW OF THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN, I HAD SENT OUT A KIND OF AN IDEA FOR HOW TO PROCEED.AND LET ME JUST KIND OF THROW THAT OUT AGAIN.
ONE WAY IS TO THINK ABOUT DIFFERENT A COUPLE OF PHASES.
THE FIRST PHASE WOULD BE TO ASK THE GROUPS THAT THE COMMITTEES THAT KIND OF DIRECTLY RELATE TO US, THE ENERGY TEAM, THE GREEN TEAM, THE WETLAND COMMITTEE, THE FOOD TO COMPOSTING COMMITTEE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE TO KIND OF REVIEW THE PLANS AND THEN COME BACK TO THE COMMISSION FOR DISCUSSION AND THEN APPROVE OF WHAT I WOULD CALL A FIRST DRAFT. AND THEN AFTER THAT WAS DONE, GO OUT TO ALL THE OTHER BODIES THAT SHOULD BE CONSULTED THE PLANNING COMMISSION, THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS STAFF AND GET THEIR INPUT.
OK, THEN COME BACK TO THE COMMISSION AGAIN AND KIND OF DO A FINAL DRAFT AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SUBMIT IT TO THE TOWNSHIP BOARD FOR THEIR REVIEW AND APPROVAL.
HOPEFULLY, THE OTHER I'VE MENTIONED A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS AND THAT I'D LET'S DISCUSS WHAT KIND OF A BASIC PROCESS FOR DOING THIS REVIEW.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO TAKE QUITE A BIT OF WORK, AND WE WANT TO KIND OF THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE BEST STEPS I WOULD VOLUNTEER TO BE THE THE EDITOR FOR THE DIFFERENT ENERGY SECTIONS. BUT WE REALLY NEED VOLUNTEERS TO EDIT THE OTHER SECTIONS BECAUSE IT'LL BECOME A COMMENTS COMING IN FROM DIFFERENT GROUPS.
AND WE NEED SOMEBODY WHO CAN KIND OF TAKE ALL THAT INFORMATION AND KIND OF DO SOME WORDSMITHING AND COME UP WITH KIND OF A DRAFT DOCUMENT THAT READS WELL AND INCLUDES THE COMMENTS THAT ARE CONSIDERED KIND OF GOOD COMMENTS OR THINGS THAT SHOULD BE IN THERE.
SO WE NEED EDITORS FOR THE WATER SECTION, THE TRANSPORTATION SECTION, RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT IN MANY OTHER NEWS SECTIONS.
OK, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO IF YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO DO THAT, FEEL FREE TO KIND OF MENTION THAT TONIGHT.
BUT I DON'T THINK WE'LL WANT TO COMPLETELY RELY ON LEROY TO DO ALL THE THE EDITING.
THE OTHER THING I'LL JUST THROW OUT TOO AND THEN OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION IS VALERIE IS I THINK AND OTHER PEOPLE HAVE MENTIONED HAVING A TEAM OF OUTSIDE EXPERTS.
OK, THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST US.
AND I THINK WITH RESPECT TO THIS CLIMATE PLAN REVIEW, I THINK WE SHOULD USE THAT KIND OF PROCESS. THE PERSON THAT IMMEDIATELY COMES TO MIND IS SUSAN [INAUDIBLE].
IF SHE HAD THE TIME TO ASK HER TO REVIEW THE THE WATER PART OF THE PLAN, AND THERE MAY BE OTHER PEOPLE THAT YOU KNOW, THAT ARE KIND OF EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD THAT MIGHT BE WILLING TO GIVE IT A READ AND GIVE US FEEDBACK.
I THINK THAT COULD BE VERY HELPFUL AS PART OF THE PROCESS.
SO LET ME END THERE AND JUST, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THAT PHASE THING.
THE OTHER OPTION, OF COURSE, IS JUST KIND OF LIKE AT THIS POINT, SEND OUT THE EXISTING PLAN TO ALL THE DIFFERENT GROUPS AND SAY, HEY, WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK BY JUNE 30TH OR WHATEVER. SO WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO PROCEED? BILL.
I THINK YOU STARTED IT OFF BY SAYING THAT YOU HAD SENT SOMETHING OUT ABOUT THE PROCESS, AND I'M TRYING TO RECALL THAT COMMUNICATION.
WELL, IT'S NOT LIKE A HALF PAGE DOCUMENT WHICH VERY BRIEFLY OUTLINED WHAT I SUGGESTED JUST NOW ABOUT DOING IT IN DIFFERENT PHASES.
YEAH. IT ISN'T IN THE EXISTING PACKAGE BECAUSE, YEAH, IT'S JUST A PHASED APPROACH AS OPPOSED TO LET'S JUST ASK EVERYBODY TO KIND OF REVIEW THE PLAN AND GIVE US COMMENTS BECAUSE THE ONE, IF WE ASK EVERYBODY TO DO IT RIGHT FROM THE START, THINGS MIGHT GO
[00:45:05]
QUICKER. THE OTHER WAY MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, MORE THOUGHTFUL.I DON'T KNOW. YOU KNOW, BUT ANYWAY, WHATEVER THIS IS MY THINKING, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BRAINSTORMING. WELL, I REMEMBER AT ONE POINT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT LIKE EACH MONTH, WE'LL TAKE A TOPIC TO WRITE.
SO ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT LIKE, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, I'D BE HAPPY TO WORK ON WATER AND I'VE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH SUSAN, SO THAT WOULD BE FINE.
YOU KNOW, SO THAT WE EACH KIND OF LOOK AT OUR AREA AND THEN WE PRESENT IT TO THE GROUP, YOU KNOW, AND THEN EACH MONTH WE TAKE A TOPIC LIKE WE HAD TALKED ABOUT OR ARE WE TALKING ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT THINGS? WELL, THAT WAS SUGGESTED BY MY BILL I BELIEVE.
AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA, TOO.
AS PART OF THE WHOLE PROCESS, WE COULD FOCUS IN ON AN AREA FOR EACH MEETING.
AND IF THE APPROPRIATE TEAM, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S WETLAND ENERGY KIND OF DONE SOME PRELIMINARY WORK, THAT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE DISCUSSION.
BUT WE CAN HAVE SOME JUST BRAINSTORMING BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION TOO WHEN YOU KNOW THAT COULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
I'M OPEN TO ANY OF THE ABOVE, BUT I GUESS I WAS UNDER THE SAME IMPRESSION AS KENDRA IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO KIND OF ONE AREA EACH MEETING.
SO I WAS KIND OF UNDER THE THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WERE FOCUSING ON THE ENERGY SECTION TONIGHT. BUT YOU KNOW, IF OTHER IDEAS MAKE MORE SENSE, I'M OPEN TO THAT AS WELL.
BUT WE'LL SEE WHAT I'M SUGGESTING TOO RELATES MORE TO HOW WE RELATE TO ALL THE CONSTITUENCIES IN THE TOWNSHIP BECAUSE THE ALL THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND STUFF, BECAUSE WHEN WE DID THE FIRST PLAN, WE DID MAKE AN EFFORT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO GO OUT TO THE DIFFERENT GROUPS TO GET THEIR FEEDBACK.
AND THAT WAS HELPFUL, I THINK, BECAUSE IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE STAFF AND DIFFERENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ABOUT WHAT WAS IN THE PLAN.
AND, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH A LOT OF THEM DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF FEEDBACK, AT LEAST THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO KNOW THERE'S A PLAN AND WHAT KIND OF IN THERE.
SO THAT'S LEROY [INAUDIBLE] OF THE MASTER PLAN.
AND WOULD IT MAKE SENSE TO THINK ABOUT PIGGYBACKING WITH THAT [INAUDIBLE]? THERE IS NOT A DETAILED SCHEDULE FOR THE MASTER PLAN THAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED.
THE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING HAS HAS INFORMED PLANNING COMMISSION THAT HE EXPECTS THE MASTER PLAN PROCESS TO BE DONE INTERNALLY.
IN OTHER WORDS, WITHOUT A CONSULTANT IN A LONG PROCESS THAT WAS FOLLOWED LAST LAST TIME AROUND. AND MY SENSE IS THAT TOWNSHIP BOARD AGREES WITH THAT APPROACH.
I BELIEVE THAT STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT IT BE UPDATED EVERY FIVE YEARS, BUT ISN'T SUPER ENFORCED ON THAT.
BUT I THINK THE INTENTION IS TO GET IT DONE IN 2022.
BUT I HAVE NOT HEARD A DEADLINE WITHIN THE YEAR TO GET THAT DONE.
I DO THINK IT MAKES SENSE FOR THE TWO TO BE COORDINATED, AND IN SOME COMMUNITIES YOU WOULDN'T HAVE A SEPARATE MASTER PLAN, SUSTAINABILITY PLAN, PARKS PLAN, TRANSPORTATION PLAN. BUT IT ALSO DOES HAPPEN THAT WAY AND THERE ARE GOODS AND BADS ON BOTH.
I THINK WE WILL NATURALLY BY VIRTUE OF OUR LIAISONS WITH THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, COORDINATE WITH THEM.
BUT I DID FIND THE YOUR SUGGESTION IN THE JANUARY PACKET, AND I THINK IT MAKES MORE SENSE THAN THE KIND OF MONTH BY MONTH THING THAT I HAD ORIGINALLY COME UP WITH.
I THINK IT MAKES SENSE FOR US TO HAVE A GOOD IDEA AS A COMMISSION OF WHAT WE WOULD ENVISION SEEING IN A REVISED PLAN BEFORE WE TAKE IT TO OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS SO THAT WE'RE NOT JUST SPIT BALLING, WE'VE GOT AN IDEA OF WHAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE AND THEN WE'RE GETTING FEEDBACK ON SOME THINGS.
SO I THINK WHAT WHAT YOU'VE PROPOSED IS REALLY REASONABLE.
I LIKE IT. [INAUDIBLE] I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO PROCEED, WE COULD,
[00:50:01]
UH, PUT ENERGY.YOU KNOW, WE COULD PUT ENERGY ON THE AGENDA FOR THE THE NEXT MEETING UNLESS SOMEBODY'S INVOLVED IN ONE OF THE OTHER AREAS WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT TOPIC.
I THINK THE IT'S ENOUGH HAS HAPPENED IN THE ENERGY AREA.
IT'D BE GOOD TO BRAINSTORM IT, AND I THINK THE ENERGY TEAM MIGHT COME BACK WITH SOME IDEAS OF THEIR OWN.
BUT WHAT SHOULD BE CHANGED IN THOSE SECTIONS SO WHAT DOES EVERYBODY THINK ABOUT BILL'S IDEA? [INAUDIBLE].
OH MY. OK. I ALSO WOULD ARGUE, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO INCREASINGLY FIND CONSIDERABLE OVERLAP IN THESE AREAS, RIGHT? IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT AND YOU WANT TO CONSIDER ORGANICS, ONCE YOU GET INTO COMPOSTING AND ANAEROBIC DIGESTION, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU'RE BLEEDING INTO THE ENERGY SIDE.
AND IN MANY OF THESE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE CONNECTING WITH WATER.
SO THOSE BOUNDARIES ARE GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT FLUID, BUT STILL HAVING SOME STRUCTURE TO IT. SO WE'RE NOT ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT EVERYTHING IN IT.
I'VE GOT A QUESTION TO THE FOOD TO COMPOSTING GROUP.
I'M KIND OF ASSUMING THAT THAT GETS INCORPORATED IN THE WASTE MANAGEMENT RECYCLING AREA.
IS THAT CORRECT? CURRENTLY IS, BUT WE DO HAVE AN OBJECTIVE ON ORGANICS.
THERE CURRENTLY, IT CURRENTLY IS.
AND I THINK MOST THINGS FIT THERE, BUT NOT EVERYTHING.
I MEAN, MAYBE IT'S HAVING THE WASTE MANAGEMENT AND THEN THE FOOD SECTION RIGHT AFTER IT SO THAT THEY CAN KIND OF GO INTO ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME THERE ARE SOME POTENTIAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AROUND GOOD FOOD PROCUREMENT, WHICH IS REALLY ABOUT MORE ABOUT HOW THE FOOD THAT IS PROCURED WITHIN THE TOWNSHIP HAS, YOU KNOW, CAN HAVE VASTLY DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT.
THAT'S NOT ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT OR THE KIND OF THE BACK END OF OF THE, I WANT TO SAY THE BACK END BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF ALL A CIRCLE ANYWAY, BUT THE FOOD WASTE AND OF THE CHAIN. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE MOST LIKELY WE'LL HAVE A NEW SECTION IN THE PLAN.
OK? DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER IDEAS OF SOMETHING THAT WE KIND OF MISSED FIRST TIME AROUND WITH RESPECT TO KIND OF AN AREA? IS THERE SOMETHING? I MEAN, MOST THINGS FALL WITHIN THOSE FIRST FOUR THAT WE HAD, BUT JUST KIND OF NED.
IN A WAY IT FALLS UNDER THE ENERGY CATEGORY, BUT THERE'S NOT AT LEAST I DON'T SEE AND MAYBE I HAVEN'T READ IT CAREFULLY ENOUGH, BUT I FEEL AS THOUGH IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO HAVE TO BE MORE EXPLICIT ABOUT EMISSIONS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUR COMMUNITY'S ACTIVITIES AND MAYBE EVEN INVENTORY THEM IN SOME WAY IN THE PROCESS OF TALKING ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY. BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, COMPOSTING, FOR EXAMPLE, IS SOMETHING THAT RELEASES METHANE. AND OF COURSE, METHANE IS A TWENTY FIVE TIMES WORSE THAN CO2 ON A PER MOLECULE BASIS AS A GREENHOUSE GAS.
THESE ARE ALL THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.
I'M NOT SAYING THIS SHOULD BE A SEPARATE SECTION, BUT I'M SORT OF IF WE'RE TRYING TO IMPROVE OUR VARIOUS BEHAVIORS, I GUESS WHAT I'M ASKING IS I WOULD CONSIDER THAT TO BE ONE OF THE IMPORTANT METRICS, AND I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW TO INCORPORATE THAT IN THE DISCUSSION. THAT'S AN EXCELLENT ISSUE, TOO.
YOU KNOW, MOST COMMUNITIES THAT DO THESE CLIMATE ACTION PLANS OR WHATEVER THEY CALL IT, START OUT BY DOING A GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY AND THAT WAS DISCUSSED BY THE ENERGY TEAM.
AND WE DIDN'T DO IT BASICALLY BECAUSE IT WAS TOO MUCH WORK, JUST TO BE HONEST, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE WERE BASICALLY A RELATIVELY SMALL GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS WITH LEROY HELP.
SO I MEAN, THAT'S YOU KNOW, WHEN THE CITY OF ANN ARBOR DOES, OF COURSE, THE CITY OF ANN ARBOR'S PLAN WAS LIKE 130 PAGES OR SOMETHING, AND WE USED EAST LANSING BECAUSE THERE WERE 30 AS OUR MODEL, YOU KNOW, SO THAT.
BUT I MEAN, YOU MAKE AN EXCELLENT POINT.
AND YOU KNOW, IF WE COULD FIND AN EASY WAY OR SOME WAY TO DO A GAS GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY, I THINK THERE WOULD BE MAYBE THERE'S A STUDENT AT MSU THAT WOULD LIKE TO DO A PROJECT. I MEAN, BILL.
MAYBE WE MIGHT THINK OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE DOCUMENT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY SO THAT THERE ARE KIND OF THESE ACTION AREAS WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE WE HAVE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WE'RE TRYING TO MEET, AND THERE COULD BE ANOTHER SECTION THAT'S ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE
[00:55:04]
IMPACTS OF THOSE CHANGES.OH RIGHT. SO RATHER THAN HAVING WITHIN ENERGY RECYCLING TRANSPORTATION, WHAT ARE YOUR GREENHOUSE THAT THERE'S ANOTHER SECTION THAT SAYS THESE ARE THE KINDS OF BIGGER PICTURE IMPLICATIONS IN TERMS OF EMISSIONS OR IN TERMS OF SOCIAL OR ECONOMIC OR EQUITY IMPACTS.
SO WE HAVE AN ALL SECTIONS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE.
YOU COULD ALSO HAVE AN ALL SECTIONS GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
YEAH, YOU KNOW, THE ONE THING FOR US TO CONSIDER, TOO, AND I KIND OF FORGET WHAT WAS IN THE ORIGINAL PLAN.
I THINK THERE WAS AN ASPIRATIONAL GOAL THAT WE WOULD BECOME CARBON FREE, MAYBE BY 2050.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT MADE IT IN THE PLAN OR NOT, YOU KNOW? SO THAT'S SOMETHING FOR US TO CONSIDER AS WE TALK ABOUT GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORIES.
IF THAT'S IN THE PLAN, WE STILL LIKE IT.
HOW DO WE PHRASE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE GOVERNOR HAS BASICALLY MADE A COMMITMENT THAT THE STATE OF MICHIGAN WILL BE CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2050.
DO WE WANT TO MAKE THAT COMMITMENT? SOME COMMUNITIES LIKE ANN ARBOR, I THINK, HAVE PICKED A MAYBE EVEN 2030, CERTAINLY 2040.
BUT IT, YOU KNOW, IT DOES HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR HOW AMBITIOUS WE'RE TRYING TO BE.
AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST A THAT'S MORE OF A PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION THAN ANYTHING BUT ANNA. YES, BILL, I LIKE YOUR IDEA.
IN TERMS OF THE STRUCTURE, I WILL ADMIT IT'S BEEN A LITTLE WHILE SINCE I'VE LOOKED AT THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN, BUT I THINK IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO HAVE KIND OF IMPACT, BUT ALSO SETTING SETTING THOSE BROADER GOALS AS YOU SPOKE OF [INAUDIBLE] IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, MAYBE OUR GOAL IS TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS OR TO BE CARBON NEUTRAL.
BUT WHAT ARE THESE BIG PICTURE GOALS? AND THEN RECOGNIZING THAT LIKE WITHIN ALL OF OUR SECTIONS, THEY ARE CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS SOME OF THESE BIG PICTURE GOALS, RIGHT? BECAUSE I THINK IN TERMS OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE DISCUSSED, A LOT OF A LOT OF THE FOOD WORK IS ALSO CONCERNED, YOU KNOW, REDUCING FOOD WASTE, THAT'S ALL ABOUT REDUCING OUR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, RIGHT? SO I THINK A LOT LIKE PROBABLY IF WE LOOKED AT OUR VARIOUS SECTIONS AND WHAT WHAT WERE SAYING OUR OBJECTIVES ARE WITHIN OUR SECTIONS, THEY PROBABLY ALL ALL END UP FITTING INTO A HANDFUL OF LARGER GOALS FOR THE TOWNSHIP.
SO CAN WE LAY THOSE OUT IN FRONT? AND THEN SOME OF SOME EDUCATION AROUND, IF WE IF WE MOVE THESE METRICS, LIKE WHAT IS THE IMPACT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR OUR COMMUNITY? I THINK THAT COULD BE A REALLY SMART WAY TO LAY IT OUT AND THEN ALSO TO SPEAK UP AT THE FRONT ABOUT HOW THESE ARE INTERSECTING ISSUES.
WE ARE PRESENTING THEM AS SEPARATE CATEGORIES, BUT THEY REALLY ARE A PART OF A OF A WHOLE PICTURE THAT THAT FITS TOGETHER.
YEAH, YOU DO HAVE A COMMENT? [INADUIBLE] SOMEONE MENTIONED STUDENT INVOLVEMENT? WE MAY HAVE ACCESS TO A [INAUDIBLE] STUDENT GRADUATE STUDENT AND I BELIEVE IT'S APRIL AND MAY THAT POTENTIALLY COULD BE WORKING WITH US ON EITHER WETLAND EDUCATION OR HELPING REFINE OUR CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY GOALS OR BOTH.
THERE'S A THERE ARE GOING TO BE A BAND OF SEVERAL STUDENTS WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES AROUND THE STATE, SO THERE'S ALSO AN EFFORT TO NETWORK WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT ARE DOING SIMILAR TYPES OF THINGS.
SO I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF OTHER EXAMPLES LIKE WE WE GLEANED FROM EAST LANSING AND ANN ARBOR.
WHEN WE ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED OUR PLAN, WE'RE GOING TO SEE OTHER EXAMPLES.
WE MIGHT EVEN COLLABORATE SHARING RESOURCES.
MAYBE, MAYBE IT MAKES MORE SENSE TO DO A CLIMATE INVENTORY REGIONALLY RATHER THAN EACH OF US TRYING TO DO OUR OWN THING.
SO ANYWAY, I'M JUST MENTIONING A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT MIGHT WEIGH IN THIS.
OKAY. COURTNEY, I WOULD 100 PERCENT SUPPORT THAT.
GENERALLY, WE TEND TO STAY SILOED IN JUST RECENTLY.
ARE WE WORKING TO WORK ON A REGIONAL BASIS WITH EAST LANSING AND LANSING AND WILLIAMSTOWN TOWNSHIP TO MAKE A BIGGER IMPACT? I FEEL THAT ON A REGIONAL BASIS THAT IS WITH MANY ISSUES, BUT SPECIFICALLY WITH WITH CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY.
AND HOW DOES THAT LOOK? I'M NOT SURE, BUT YOU SAID THAT YOU INITIALLY ESTABLISHED A
[01:00:01]
SUSTAINABILITY PLAN BASED ON ANN ARBOR'S.WE MODELED THAT AFTER EAST LANSING, WHICH WAS THREE HUNDRED PAGES SMALLER THAN ANN ARBOR'S. SO [INAUDIBLE] OURS.
BUT YEAH, I WOULD SUPPORT THAT.
YEAH, LOOK AT DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? OK, OK. BUT.
ANNA. MY OWN. PROBABLY [INAUDIBLE].
I'M SURE I'LL HAVE OTHER COMMENTS.
BUT IN TERMS OF THE GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY, JUST SOMETHING THAT I WANT TO THROW OUT THERE FOR EVERYONE IS YOU CONSIDER THE VARIOUS SECTIONS THAT YOU'RE WORKING ON.
I KNOW THAT BECAUSE THE FOOD SECTION IS A NEW ONE, WE HAVE STARTED TALKING ABOUT IT AND SOME OF THE OBJECTIVES OR THE ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR SECTION ARE ABOUT GETTING SOME OF THAT BASELINE INFORMATION.
SO THAT IS I MEAN, EVEN IF WE DON'T HAVE A GREEN HORSE GREEN, WE DON'T HAVE THAT A GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY PRIOR TO THE CLIMATE PLAN WE COULD HAVE WE COULD PUT IN, YOU KNOW, AN OBJECTIVE THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE COMMITTING TO INVESTIGATE OPPORTUNITIES TO LOOK AT THAT, LOOK AT THIS ON A REGIONAL BASIS, YOU KNOW, SO THAT WE KNOW THAT WE WANT TO START TALKING TO OUR NEIGHBORS AND IDENTIFYING HOW WE MIGHT GET THERE. AND HOPEFULLY THEN WE HAVE THE GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY DONE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, RIGHT? SO IT COULD BE A FIRST STEP.
AND THAT'S A GOOD POINT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE RATHER THAN THINK IN TERMS THAT WE HAVE TO DO THE WHOLE THING WE CAN DO, LIKE DOING THE ENERGY PART IS ACTUALLY PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. SO THAT'S EASILY DONE.
BUT DOING EVERYTHING TRANSPORTATION AND FOOD AND EVERYTHING ELSE, WATER, IT GETS OBVIOUSLY MORE COMPLICATED.
SO MAYBE, YEAH, WE SHOULD THINK IN TERMS OF WHATEVER WE CAN DO, LET'S DO IT.
OTHER THOUGHTS, COMMENTS? QUESTIONS FOR LEROY WHEN YOU WERE MENTIONING GRADUATE STUDENTS, WAS THAT PART OF THE CATALYST COMMUNITIES PROGRAM? YEAH, THERE IS A LOT GOING ON AND IN THE LANSING AREA AND AROUND THE STATE, AROUND THE COUNTRY, AROUND THE WORLD, SO THERE'S PLENTY OF KIND OF RESOURCES AND EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION. BUT I THINK MANY OTHER FURTHER COMMENTS.
I THINK WE HAVE A GENERAL GAME PLAN.
AND I WONDER IF NED OR BILL, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO TALK TO SUSAN ABOUT MAYBE HELPING US OUT IS WITH THE WATER PARK? WHAT'S THAT? I TALKED WITH HER LAST NIGHT. OH, SUSAN [INAUDIBLE], OK? ABOUT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN? WELL, NOT NECESSARILY, BUT I WAS THINKING OF ASKING HER TO REVIEW THE WATER SECTION OF THE PLAN AND GIVE US SOME FEEDBACK.
WELL, I'D LIKE TO CERTAINLY TALK TO THEM ABOUT THAT.
ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE MOVE ON? SO JUST FOR CLARIFICATION.
SO ARE WE LEAVING IT THAT EACH OF OUR INDIVIDUAL GROUPS ARE WORKING ON OUR INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS? YES.
AND WHAT'S THE TIME FRAME THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE THOSE UPDATED AND KIND OF READY FOR REVIEW BY THE COMMISSION AS A WHOLE? AND THEN YOU WANT TO SEND IT OUT TO OTHERS TO REVIEW TOO.
AND THEN WE'VE GOT TO HAVE IT ALL COMPLETED BY THE TIME THE PLANNING COMMISSION LOOKS AT IT. SO IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A PRETTY TIGHT TIMEFRAME.
WELL, I DON'T KNOW. I JUST I'M ASSUMING IT'LL LAST THE WHOLE YEAR, OK? YOU KNOW THAT BECAUSE EVERYBODY WILL BE KIND OF WORKING ON DIFFERENT SCHEDULES.
AND SO AND I'M NOT SURE, WILL THE PLANNING COMMISSION ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE PLAN AND KIND OF REVIEW IT AND PROVIDE COMMENTS AND BECAUSE THEY'RE SO BUSY WITH THE MASTER PLAN, IS THAT REALISTIC TO THINK THAT THEY'RE GOING TO KIND OF DIGEST IT AND? [LAUGHTER] I SAY, DO YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT BETWEEN NOW AND APRIL? IT DEPENDS ON THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN IS INCORPORATED IN THE MASTER PLAN.
IN THE LAST UPDATE OF THE MASTER PLAN, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE TOWNSHIP BOARD ADOPTED BY REFERENCE THE TOWNSHIP'S PATHWAY PLAN BECAUSE THE BOARD HAS ALREADY APPROVED THAT AND THAT THEN BECOMES PART OF THE MASTER PLAN ITSELF.
THE THAT UPDATE ALSO INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THE OLD GREEN SPACE PLAN.
[01:05:06]
BUT UNLESS I'M MISTAKEN, IT DIDN'T INCORPORATE THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN BECAUSE THEY WERE GOING ON AT THE SAME TIME, AND IT WAS.INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE BY THE TOWNSHIP BOARD.
I LOOKED EARLIER AND DIDN'T SEE IT, BUT MAYBE I MISSED IT.
BUT IF WE WANTED THE MORE OPPORTUNITY THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAS TO REVIEW THE DETAILS OF THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN, THE STRONGER ITS ADOPTION WILL BE.
YEAH. WELL, I THINK TO YOU, BRING UP SOMETHING, WHICH I THINK IS THE REAL WORLD, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S IS AN EXAMPLE WHERE THEY'LL KIND OF GO THROUGH SOME SECTIONS VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE THEY WON'T SEE THEM AS RELEVANT TO THE BUSINESS THEY HAVE TO DO. AND THERE MAY BE PARTS OF THE PLAN THAT THEY KIND OF FOCUS IN ON THAT.
HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED HERE? AND THAT'S PROBABLY TRUE FOR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS STAFF AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER PEOPLE. THEY'LL KIND OF ZERO IN ON THINGS THAT THEY CONSIDER GERMANE TO WHATEVER THEIR ACTIVITY IS OR THEIR JOB.
SO I GUESS NOBODY OUT THERE IS GOING TO IN DETAIL REVIEW THE WHOLE PLAN EXCEPT US, YOU KNOW? WELL, I GUARANTEE YOU THE PLANNING STAFF WILL REVIEW EVERY SINGLE DETAIL.
COMMISSION MAY BE MORE SELECTIVE.
SO I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I HAD JUST SUGGESTED THAT, WELL, ONE STEP TO KIND OF GET BETTER CLARIFICATION ON THIS IS, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT WERE KIND OF ON THAT RELATE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
WHY DON'T YOU AT YOUR NEXT MEETING, BRING UP THE ISSUE OF, YOU KNOW, WHEN WOULD YOU HAVE TIME TO LOOK AT THE PLAN? AND YOU KNOW, HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE? AND THAT WOULD MAYBE AND THEN IN APRIL, COME BACK AND KIND OF SEE WHERE EVERYBODY'S AT BECAUSE I KNOW THE ENERGY TEAM DISCUSSED IT AND BECAUSE WE'RE DOING [INAUDIBLE] MERIDIAN, IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT WE WOULDN'T EVEN START TALKING ABOUT IT UNTIL MAY.
AND YOU KNOW, WHO KNOWS HOW MANY MEETINGS IT'LL TAKE FOR US TO LOOK AT THE ENERGY PARTS? SO, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK ANYTHING REAL QUICK IS GOING TO HAPPEN, AND I DON'T THINK IT HAS TO. ACTUALLY, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO HARD AND FAST DEADLINE THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE IT DONE BY A CERTAIN DATE.
EVEN THE MASTER PLAN COULD BE APPROVED AND WE COULD BE MOVING ALONG ON THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. MAYBE A LITTLE SLOWER.
IT WOULD BE BETTER IF IT ALL FITS TOGETHER.
COURTNEY, THANK YOU, BILL, FOR THAT THAT'S THAT WAS HELPFUL.
SO WE HAVE THE MASTER PLAN HAPPENING.
I KNOW AT THE BOARD LEVEL AND AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FORM BASED CODE. WE JUST ADOPTED THE NEW MEPD PODS.
SO THE MULTI-USE CODE AND THEN I'M WONDERING, THOUGH, GIVEN LIKE YOU SAID, PEOPLE WILL BE FOCUSED ON WHAT'S GERMANE TO THEM.
I KNOW AS A BOARD MEMBER I WOULD DO THAT UNLESS I HAD MORE INFORMATION.
SO I'M WONDERING IF IT ISN'T IMPERATIVE THAT WE COME UP WITH OUR PLAN AND THEN PRESENT IT TO, I FEEL, THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THEN THE BOARD JUST TO SEE IF NOTHING ELSE TO TO PROVIDE INFORMATION WHILE PEOPLE ARE MAKING DECISIONS, YOU KNOW, AND REMIND THEM THAT WE'RE HERE, THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONS HERE AND WE'RE HERE FOR A REASON AND THIS IS THE WORK WE'RE DOING.
I SAY THAT AS A BOARD MEMBER AND AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER.
BUT YEAH, I'M WONDERING IF THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WE WANT TO CONSIDER AND THAT DOES PUT SOME TIMELINES ON THINGS TO DO.
YEAH. WELL, AND ACTUALLY, MAYBE THAT'S WHAT I WAS SUGGESTING ABOUT THESE PHASES WOULD HAVE A PHASE ONE, WHICH IS BASICALLY US IN THE DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT WORK UNDER US AND THEN COME UP WITH A DRAFT THAT CAN BE SENT OUT TO FOLKS THAT'S, YOU KNOW, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS OR OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE STILL OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS, BUT IT WOULD BE SOMEWHAT A NOT A FINAL DRAFT TO SEMIFINAL DRAFT.
YEAH. AND I DON'T, I GUESS, AND I'M JUST I GUESS NEXT MEETING, WE CAN GET FEEDBACK FROM ALL THE GROUPS WHAT'S FEASIBLE.
BUT TO ME, IT'D BE NICE IF WE COULD TO HAVE THAT FINAL DRAFT, LET'S SAY, BY JULY 1ST.
I DON'T KNOW. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURE.
I'M CLEARLY WHO'S SUPPOSED TO BE LEADING EACH AREA.
IS EVERYONE ELSE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT WHO'S SUPPOSED TO BE LEADING EACH AREA LIKE ARE WE
[01:10:05]
SPLITTING UP THE PLAN OR WE LIKE, HOW ARE WE DOING? I'M PRETTY CONFUSED AT THIS POINT.YEAH. WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, I GUESS, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT THERE'S NOBODY THAT'S WELL, OK.
HOW TO THINK ABOUT THIS? OK, WE HAVE AN ENERGY TEAM.
WE HAVE A GREEN TEAM THAT DEALS A LOT WITH RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT.
WE HAVE A WETLANDS EDUCATION COMMITTEE, BUT WE REALLY DON'T HAVE A WATER TEAM PER SAY.
SO WHO LOOKS, FOR EXAMPLE, AT THE THE WATER PART OF THE PLAN, WHO LOOKS AT THE TRANSPORTATION PART OF THE PLAN BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A TRANSPORTATION TEAM, YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY WE HAVE A TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION TO GO TO.
THE ENERGY TEAM WILL LOOK AT ELECTRIC VEHICLES AS PART OF THE TRANSPORTATION PART OF THE PLAN. SO WE HAVE SOME GAPS.
BUT THEN AGAIN, WE HAVE PEOPLE LIKE SUSAN MASTEN, WHO'S AN EXPERT ON WATER.
WE'VE GOT SOME FOLKS ON THE COMMISSION HERE WHO HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE WITH ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION. SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP EXPERTISE WITHIN THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND IN THE GROUPS THAT WORK WITH US.
SO DO WE WANT TO DECIDE THEN IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE SOME OBVIOUS ONES FOR A FEW OF THEM.
BUT DO WE DO WE WANT TO DECIDE THEN WHO'S GOING TO DO THE WATER AND THE TRANSPORTATION AT THIS MEETING? SO I'LL SAY THAT'S MY FIRST POINT.
MY SECOND POINT IS IF WE WANT TO DRAFT BY JULY, THEN WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO DO MORE THAN ONE SECTION PER MEETING OR WE WON'T GET THROUGH THEM ALL.
WELL, MAYBE WE WON'T MAKE IT BY JULY 1ST, BUT AH YEAH YEAH I MEAN, THAT'S YEAH, I THINK YOU DREAM TEAM, THE ENERGY TEAM ARE FAIRLY OBVIOUS.
WE HAD TALKED ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION HELPING US WITH TRANSPORTATION, BUT WE NEVER REALLY GOT A WHOLE LOT OF INPUT FROM THEM OTHER THAN FROM BILL, WHO WAS ON THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION. I THINK IT'S LOGICAL THAT THE WATER THE WETLAND EDUCATION TEAM HANDLES THE WATER AND THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND ANYBODY, OTHER EXPERTS THAT WE CAN BRING INTO THAT.
IS THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT, I THINK IS...
WELL, THE THE FOOD TEAM WILL DO THE NEW FOOD SECTION AND THEN WE'RE ALSO HAPPY TO WORK WITH THE GREEN TEAM ON SOME OF THE ON THE I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE CAN ON WHAT WE'RE THINKING IN TERMS OF WASTE, WHICH WILL PROBABLY GO IN THE FOOD SECTION, BUT I THINK COORDINATION WILL BE IMPORTANT. MM HMM. YEAH.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE WETLAND EDUCATION COMMITTEE, I MEAN, YOU SEEM LIKE YOU'RE FOCUSED ON SOMETHING VERY SPECIFIC.
IS THAT GROUP INTERESTED IN TAKING ON KIND OF THE WHOLE WATER SECTION OF THE PLAN? OR IS THAT KIND OF OUTSIDE OF YOUR MAYBE EXPERTISE? I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT OR OK FLOODING.
RIGHT. SO IT'S NOT JUST WETLANDS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, ALL THESE NATIVE PLANTS AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.
AND WE'LL CERTAINLY WOULD LOVE TO HELP SUSAN AND OTHER FOLKS.
IT IS NOT JUST WETLANDS, IT'S LOOKING AT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT.
AND I ARE YOU ON STORMWATER MANAGEMENT? THANK YOU, KENDRA. YEAH. SO I AM OUR BOARD LIAISON FOR THE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT BOARD WITH TRI-COUNTY, SO I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE A GOOD FIT FOR OUR TEAM GIVEN THERE'S NOT ANOTHER TEAM. OK? AND OF COURSE, PULL IN SOME EXPERTS LIKE SUSAN AND SOME OTHERS.
SO YEAH, I FEEL LIKE IT COULD BE A GOOD FIT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'VE GOT WATER COVER, WE'VE GOT ENERGY COVERED, WE'VE GOT RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT COVERED.
TRANSPORTATION, THOUGH, IS STILL KIND OF ALTHOUGH YEAH.
WELL, WHEN YOU SAY WE HAVE RECYCLED PROPERLY OR ARE WE THINKING THAT THE GOOD ORGANICS IS PART OF RECYCLING AND IS THAT GROUP INTERESTED IN THE BROADER RECYCLING? WELL, THE GREEN TEAM TOO YEAH, THE TWO GROUPS, YEAH.
WOULD BOTH BE LOOKING AT THAT PART OF THE PLAN IS WHEN I [INAUDIBLE].
I GUESS THAT WAS MY QUESTION BECAUSE I KNOW ANNA AND VALERIE HAVE DONE SOME WORK ALREADY IN PUTTING SOME WORDING DOWN FOR THE FOOD ISSUE.
BUT CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, WEREN'T YOU DOING THAT AS PART OF THE EXISTING RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT SECTION? I CAN. NO, TOTALLY SEPARATE.
I WOULD. I'D SAY THAT WE'VE PUT SOME WORDS DOWN AND SOME IDEAS DOWN, BUT IT COULD GO IN
[01:15:02]
DIFFERENT SECTIONS.MY INCLINATION AT THIS POINT WOULD BE TO DO A SECTION THAT GOES RIGHT AFTER THE WASTE SECTION THAT SPECIFICALLY TALKS ABOUT WASTE AND FOOD, BUT WE COULD FIGURE THAT OUT.
BUT LIKE I SAID EARLIER, SOME OF IT DOESN'T FIT IN THE WASTE SECTION SO.
WILL FOLKS BE COMFORTABLE WITH THE LITTLE DOCUMENT AND JUST GOING AT IT, I MEAN, IF YOU'VE GOT COMMENTS FOR A SECTION, YOU CAN ADD COMMENTS TO A SECTION.
ANYONE CAN KIND OF OPEN IT UP TO, BUT WITH A GENERAL SENSE THAT THE WETLAND EDUCATION TEAM WILL HELP IT WITH WATER AND WITH THE GROUNDWATER.
EXPERTS, GREEN TEAM AND FOOD WILL WORK ON THE WASTE RECYCLING SECTION.
FOOD TEAM WILL WORK ON THE FOOD SECTOR.
ENERGY TEAM AND WITH GOOGLE DOCUMENT WE CAN TRACK WHO'S DOING EDITS TO I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN GET STARTED RIGHT AWAY.
YEAH, WE NEED TO DEFINE SOME KIND OF TIMELINE, YOU KNOW, OR AT LEAST TIME, YOU KNOW, ASPIRATIONAL TIMETABLE BECAUSE OTHERWISE, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S WAITING FOR EVERYBODY ELSE TO COMMENT, AND I'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF DOCUMENTS LIKE THAT.
SURE WE ALL HAVE. I THINK, WAS CRITICAL IS THAT WE HAVE TO IDENTIFY FOR EACH OF THE SECTIONS, AN INDIVIDUAL THAT'S GOING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR BEING THE EDITOR BASICALLY, UNLESS LEROY IS VOLUNTEERING TO DO ALL THAT.
I'M SUGGESTING A GOOGLE DOCUMENT WHERE WE CAN ALL BE EDITORS OF THAT, WELL, THAT CAN WORK TO KIND OF GET YOU SOMEWHERE, RIGHT? BUT SOME HAVE AN OVERALL EDITOR.
SOMEBODY HAS TO DO THE OVERALL KIND OF EDITING TO KIND OF MAKE IT READABLE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE SOME OF THE COMMENTS MAKE CONFLICTS WITH EACH OTHER, RIGHT? SO THAT'S, I THINK, IMPORTANT.
YEAH, THAT APPROACH CAN BE WORKABLE AT THE COMMITTEE LEVEL.
BUT ONCE YOU MAKE THAT DOCUMENT AVAILABLE TO A QUORUM, YOU'RE GOING TO RUN INTO TROUBLE.
WE CAN'T DELIBERATE AS A PUBLIC BODY ON A GOOGLE DOC THAT'S NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
A FOOD COMPOSTING COMMITTEE CAN DO THAT, AN ENERGY TEAM A GREEN TEAM CAN DO THAT.
BUT WE CAN'T, AS A COMMISSION, DELIBERATE OVER A POLICY.
THAT'S NOT THOSE DELIBERATIONS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
I'M SORRY TO BE A STICKLER ON TRANSPARENCY, BUT NOW I THINK THAT APPROACH CAN WORK AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T INVOLVE A QUORUM.
[INAUDIBLE] SEPARATE GOOGLE DOCUMENTS.
OK. AND IS THERE ANY ISSUE WITH YOU'RE NOT A MEMBER OF THE ENERGY TEAM? CAN YOU STILL COMMENT ON THE ENERGY TEAM SECTION? THINK IF IT'S AVAILABLE TO A QUORUM AND A QUORUM IS DELIBERATING IN A GOOGLE DOC YOU'RE ON? SO WE HAVE TO HAVE SECTIONS FOR EACH TEAM THAT THEY COULD.
OK. YEAH, THAT'S WHY THE COMMISSION'S ORDINANCE LANGUAGE HAS STUDY GROUPS AND STUDY GROUPS ARE SUBGROUPS OF THE COMMISSION THAT CAN DELIBERATE.
AND THESE STUDY GROUPS THAT WERE TEAMS, GROUPS, WHATEVER ARE, IN MY VIEW, IDEALLY COMPOSED OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT NECESSARILY MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS, BUT WE JUST NEED TO BE CAREFUL OF DELIBERATING AS A QUORUM.
IS THERE ANY PROBLEM IF WE HAVE A TEAM OR A COMMITTEE THAT HAS A CERTAIN NUMBER OF COMMISSIONERS? OR ISN'T THAT A BIG DEAL? AS LONG AS IT'S NOT A QUORUM.
OK, IN THE QUORUM IS THERE'S NINE OF US, SO A MAJORITY OF US.
OK, SO WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SO WE HAVE YOUR DIFFERENT COMMISSIONS WORKING, BUT WE CAN INCLUDE ALL OF THOSE COMMISSIONS, LET'S SAY SUBMITTERS IN A PACKET THAT'S PUBLIC AND WE COULD ALL LOOK AT THEM, JOHN LAKE AS A GROUP SO WE CAN LOOK AT.
I'D LIKE TO SEE EVERYBODY ELSE'S WORK.
AND SO THEN IT WOULD BE PUBLIC.
SO IT'D HAVE TO BE LIKE, YOU'RE SAYING A COMMISSION LEVEL WE ALL SUBMIT TO LEROY.
HERE'S OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EDITS OR WHATEVER.
AND THEN IF WE DO THAT IN A PACKET, EVERYBODY CAN REVIEW AND PROVIDE COMMENT AT THE NEXT MEETING. RIGHT? THINKING BACK ABOUT THE QUESTION OF TIMING, YOU KNOW, IF WE TAKE UP A TOPIC AT EACH MEETING, SO WE GOT APRIL, MAY, JUNE, LET'S SEE APRIL, MAY, JUNE, JULY, THAT KIND OF TAKES CARE OF FOUR AREAS.
I THINK THAT KIND OF COVERS US.
SO MAYBE WE COULD THINK IN TERMS OF HAVING A DRAFT DOCUMENT THAT THE COMMISSION CAN REVIEW ALL PORTIONS IN AUGUST.
IS THAT JUST TRYING TO GET A TIMELINE? ANNA, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT?
[01:20:03]
I DID, WHAT WAS IT? [LAUGHING] I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS, BUT I WILL SAY THAT THE FOOD GROUP HAS I LIKE THESE IDEAS IN TERMS OF BEING TRANSPARENCY, AND IF WE'RE DOING ONE AT A MEETING, THEN PERHAPS THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING ONE.WE CAN HAVE THAT LANGUAGE IN THE PACKET AND I'LL DISCUSS AND I'LL SAY THAT THE FOOD GROUP HAS ALREADY DRAFTED A LOT OF OURS.
SO IF YOU WANT TO PUT US UP SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, EARLIER IN THE MONTH AGENDA.
JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE FOR PLANNING.
OK, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO APRIL? SURE. OK, GOOD.
THAT'S WHAT WE'LL DO. WE'LL DO FOOD COMPOSTING IN APRIL AND THEN AND WE'LL GET BACK FROM ALL THE DIFFERENT GROUPS. I GUESS THERE'S SUGGESTIONS ABOUT HOW QUICKLY THEY CAN KIND OF REVIEW THEIR PORTIONS AND PARTS AND KIND OF GET BACK TO THE COMMISSION.
I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THIS UP BILL TO KEEP US ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW.
WELL, I GUESS THAT IS THE ONE QUESTION IN TERMS OF HOW FINALIZED DO WE WANT IT TO BE BY THE TIME WE'RE PRESENTING? I MEAN, I THINK LIKE THE FOOD GROUP, WE HAVE A WE HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT IT ALL LOOKS LIKE.
WE CERTAINLY DON'T HAVE LIKE A FINALIZED NARRATIVE AT THIS POINT IS THAT...
I THINK IT'S PERFECTLY APPROPRIATE TO BRING THE DRAFT FOR CONSIDERATION TO THE COMMISSION AND THE PUBLIC AND HASH IT OUT.
YOU DON'T WANT TO BRING THE POLISH THING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO DIE ON THE HILL FOR.
YOU KNOW, AND I HAD SUGGESTED AUGUST FOR KIND OF LOOKING AT THE WHOLE DOCUMENT.
IF THAT WORKS OUT REALISTICALLY, THEN YOU'RE NOT, BOY, YOU'RE COMING UP WITH SOMETHING THAT YOU THEN SEND OUT TO ALL THE OTHER GROUPS, THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.
AND BEFORE THAT'S DONE, YOU NEED TO HAVE THE WHOLE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION LOOK AT THE FINAL PRODUCT, WHICH IS PROBABLY THE SEPTEMBER MEETING.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO TAKE US A WHILE TO REALLY DO THIS THE RIGHT WAY, AND I DON'T PERSONALLY SEE A PROBLEM WITH US TAKING OUR TIME.
I DO THINK THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER TO BE EARLY THAN LATE BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF SORT OF PHILOSOPHICAL SHAPING OF THE BIGGER PICTURE EMBODIED IN THIS IN THE VERY FACT THAT WE HAVE A CLIMATE PLAN AND SO FORTH.
AND I THINK THAT AS THE MASTER PLAN EVOLVES, IT WOULD BE NICE TO MAYBE NOT HAVE A PERFECTLY POLISHED THING.
BUT BUT YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT CONTAINS SIGNIFICANT SUBSTANCE OF WHAT'S GOING TO BE PRESENTED RATHER THAN SOMETHING THAT'S SORT OF ARRIVES AT THE LAST MINUTE AND GETS PATCHED INTO THAT THE HOLE THAT'S LEFT FOR IT, SO TO SPEAK.
AND I JUST MY EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW, HAVING BEEN AT MSU FOR FAR TOO LONG IS IF YOU ARTICULATE YOUR POSITION, YOUR GOALS AND SO FORTH RELATIVELY EARLY, THEY OFTEN HELP TO SHAPE THE BIGGER DIALOG.
AND SO ANYWAY, I FOR THAT REASON, I WOULD ENCOURAGE OUR TRYING TO BE MORE FORWARD THAN THAN RELAXING TOO MUCH ABOUT IT.
THE TROUBLE IS, SUMMER COMES AND THEN IT'S HARD TO GET THINGS DONE BECAUSE PEOPLE GET SCATTERED AND WELL, I GUESS, AND EVERY TEAM SHOULD BE ASKING THEMSELVES THE QUESTION HOW SOON CAN WE GET THIS DONE? EXACTLY. YOU KNOW, SO THE GREEN TEAM AND WETLANDS, ALL THE VARIOUS TEAMS NEED TO KIND OF ASK THEMSELVES THAT QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S LIKE I SAID, WE THE ENERGY TEAMS WAS TALKING ABOUT NOT STARTING UNTIL MAY. SO I GUESS THE NEXT MEETING WE HAVE, WE SHOULD DISCUSS, OK, WE STARTED IN MAY.
CAN WE GET DONE BY THE BY JUNE OR JULY OR, YOU KNOW, AND MOVE IT ALONG? SO. BUT THAT'S I KNOW ALL THESE GROUPS ARE INVOLVED IN LOTS OF ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S NOT LIKE THEY COULD STOP DOING EVERYTHING AND JUST FOCUS IN ON THIS. SO, YOU KNOW, WELL, THEN THE OTHER THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD, WHICH I SEEM TO RAISE IT, ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THESE MEETINGS IS CAN WE CHEAT? AND, YOU KNOW, BORROW DOCUMENTS FROM OTHER TOWNS AND CITIES AND COMMUNITIES THAT WE ADMIRE? AND I MEAN, WE DON'T REALLY SOMETIMES WE WELL, I DON'T THINK WE'RE PARTICULARLY BAD ABOUT IT. BUT SOMETIMES PEOPLE GET SORT OF STUCK TRYING TO REINVENT THE WHEEL WHEN THEY REALLY DON'T HAVE TO. SOMEBODY ARTICULATED MANY OF THESE THINGS VERY WELL OR CAN COME UP WITH PRACTICES OR, YOU KNOW, ET CETERA.
AND THERE'S NO REASON FOR US NOT TO REACH OUT AS MUCH AS WE CAN AND LEARN WHAT WE CAN FROM OTHER MODELS.
THAT'S WHAT WE DID THE FIRST TIME.
YOU KNOW, THE BECAUSE THE ENERGY TEAM REALLY DID DIDN'T HAVE ANY EXPERTISE ON WATER OR
[01:25:02]
TRANSPORTATION PER SAY OR RECYCLING.BUT THROUGH THE COMMENT PROCESS, WE GOT SOME REFINEMENTS.
AND YEAH, ANYBODY WHO'S KIND OF THINKING, OH, WE NEED A NEW AREA TO KIND OF PLUG IN, THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO IS KIND OF SEE WHAT EAST LANSING HAS ANN ARBOR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S PROBABLY IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, 20 OR MORE CLIMATE ACTION PLANS ALREADY THAT WE CAN BORROW FROM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE MORE.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF THEM.
SOME OF THEM, THOUGH, ARE PRETTY BIG CITIES THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY EASY TO KIND OF MAKE RELEVANT TO US. BUT STILL, THE LANGUAGE MIGHT BE GOOD AND SOME OF THE IDEAS.
SO YEAH, I THINK WE HAVE A PLAN.
OTHER FURTHER THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS QUESTIONS? THE STATE OF MICHIGAN HAD THEIR PLAN THAT THEY CAME OUT WITH CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN TO, IN THE LAST, WHAT, TWO MONTHS, MAYBE OR SO? YEP, THE STATE HAS A DRAFT PLAN.
THEY'VE BEEN ASKING FOR COMMENTS, AND THEY DID ACTUALLY EXTEND COMMENTS UNTIL MARCH 14 IF ANYONE STILL WANTS TO COMMENT.
OK. DO WE? LET'S MOVE ALONG TO SILVERLEAF DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSION, WHO'S AVAILABLE TO TALK ABOUT IT,
[5.E. Silverleaf Development Discussion]
I GUESS, BILL OR NOT? NO. OK. LEROY.WELL, I TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT.
OK? THE PLANNING COMMISSION BASICALLY APPROVED.
IS IT THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT OR THE [LAUGHING] THERE'S A MEMO IN IN YOUR PACKET, WHICH YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN, BUT THEY BRIAN AGREED TO TAKE ANY COMMENTS THAT WE HAVE TONIGHT AND INCLUDE THEM IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE DEVELOPER.
YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN THIS PAST OUR GOALS.
A LITTLE MEMO FROM BRIAN, WHICH HE MENTIONS THE SUP 2221, WAS ON THE AGENDA FOR THE 28TH OF FEBRUARY AND THAT WAS APPROVED.
SO REALLY THERE WERE THERE WAS A DETERMINATION THAT WETLANDS WERE NOT SEVERELY IMPACTED, MINIMALLY IMPACTED.
THAT WAS CONFIRMED BY ELISE TRIPP, OUR WETLAND CONSULTANT.
SO WE REALLY, AS FAR AS THE WETLAND RELATED COMMENTS.
WE REALLY DON'T HAVE TO TO ADDRESS THOSE LEGALLY.
WE DO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, HOWEVER, TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS.
AND JUST IN FAMILIARIZING MYSELF WITH THIS PROJECT, THERE'S ALREADY BEEN HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.
THERE WAS A HUNDRED PLUS PAGE NATURAL FEATURES INVENTORY.
IT'S A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT, SO IT'S IT'S A LITTLE MORE ECOLOGICALLY FRIENDLY THAN A TRADITIONAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
JUST IN IT'S MORE COMPACT DEVELOPMENT.
THERE'S MORE OPEN SPACE PRESERVATION.
THERE'S A LOT OF EFFORT THAT WENT INTO ENGINEERING THE STORMWATER AND RETAINING STORMWATER ON SITE.
SO IN MANY CASES, IT'S KIND OF A MODEL PROJECT.
TWENTY TWO ACRES WAS OF THE LAND WAS DEVOTED TOWARDS A LAND PRESERVATION PROPERTY.
AND JUST RESEARCHING THE DEVELOPER, I WAS WONDERING WHO IS MAYBERRY? WHAT DO THEY STAND FOR? ARE THEY ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY? THEY ARE LOCAL, BASED IN EAST LANSING.
THEY'RE TOP NEWS STORY ON THEIR ENERGY STAR CERTIFYING ALL NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS.
SO, I MEAN, THIS IS JUST ME TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF WHAT COULD WE POSSIBLY SAY ABOUT THIS PROJECT? WHAT COULD WE OFFER ANY USEFUL COMMENTARY? AND IT STRIKES ME THAT THIS PROJECT HAS A LOT GOING WITH IT.
SO WE CAN POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, LIFT UP SOME OF THOSE QUALITIES THAT IT ALREADY HAS.
IT ALSO BROUGHT ABOUT THE THOUGHT TO ME THAT WE WE OFTEN COME IN AT THE AT THE 11TH HOUR ON THESE PROJECTS.
PROJECTS ARE ALREADY PLANNED OUT, IF ALL THE DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE.
AND YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE REALLY DO TO STOP SOMETHING? SO I THINK IT MIGHT BE USEFUL FOR US TO HAVE A MORE IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE CAN BE MORE PROACTIVE BEFORE, YOU KNOW, THE 11TH INNING OR WHATEVER IT IS WHERE WE CAN MAKE A FEW COMMENTS, BUT THEY REALLY DON'T HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT.
THE OTHER THING IS WE POTENTIALLY COULD COULD OFFER SOME ADVICE TO THE DEVELOPER ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ALREADY DEVELOPING THROUGH THE WETLAND EDUCATION TEAM.
YOU KNOW, HERE'S SOME NATIVE PLANT SUPPLIERS.
[01:30:02]
WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO SOME CREATIVE LANDSCAPING, MAYBE ADD SOME SIGNAGE TO PROTECT THE BUFFER AREAS OR THE OTHER HISTORIC TREES, OR IF THERE'S OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES THAT SHOULD BE HIGHLIGHTED.AND THEN WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS AT OUR SEVERAL OF THE GREEN DIALOGS.
HOW DO YOU MAKE A CATCH BASIN MORE ECO FRIENDLY AND MAINTAINABLE? AND WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE AN ANSWER TO THAT, BUT WE COULD ENGAGE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER DEVELOPERS THAT ARE TRYING TO DO KIND OF CREATIVE THINGS ON THEIR PROPERTIES AND MAYBE ASK THEM WHERE WE CAN OFFER OUR ASSISTANCE AND THEN OFFER WHILE OFFERING THE RESOURCES THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY DEVELOPING.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
I WAS JUST KIND OF STRUGGLING BECAUSE BRYAN TOLD ME HE COULDN'T MAKE THE MEETING TONIGHT, BUT HE HAS INVITED FURTHER INPUT FROM US.
SO I TRIED TO WRITE UP SOMETHING JUST TO GET MY THOUGHTS ON PAPER.
I'VE GOT A FEW OTHER IDEAS HERE THAT COULD SOME SHORT TERM SUMMER LONG TERM, BUT I'LL JUST OPEN IT UP FOR Q&A.
PROBABLY SHOULDN'T PASS THIS AROUND, BUT GO AHEAD.
SO, I'M JUST CURIOUS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN ATTENDING ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MEETINGS SINCE OCTOBER OF 2020, AND I HAVE YET TO SEE A WETLAND USE PERMIT.
AND PER THE CODE, THAT'S NOT HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO.
CAN ANYONE PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS? AND IS THIS WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE PACKET? BECAUSE I'M SEEING THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE SITE PLAN, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT I'VE SEEN THE SITE PLAN.
I DON'T SEE IT AS PART OF THE PACKET.
SO I THINK IT'S GOOD QUESTIONS TO BE ASKING ABOUT HOW DO THESE PROJECTS? MAYBE BILL CAN ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS LIKE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IS SUPPOSED TO PLAY A ROLE IN IT. YET WE GET HERE WITH YOU'RE SAYING AT THE 11TH INNING.
SO CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND? I'LL DO MY BEST.
WHEN AN APPLICANT FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT PRESENTS A PLAN THAT TOWNSHIP STAFF AND THE TOWNSHIP CONSULTANTS DETERMINE WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON A WETLAND, THEN THAT TRIGGERS THE REQUIREMENT FOR A WETLAND USE PERMIT.
IN MANY INSTANCES, THE APPLICANT, ONCE THEY'RE AWARE THAT THERE ARE WETLANDS ON THEIR PROPERTY AND HAS THOSE WETLANDS DELIMITED, THEY WILL TAKE EFFORTS TO DESIGN A PLAN THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE A WETLAND USE PERMIT.
IN SOME CASES, THAT MEANS AVOIDING ANY IMPACT AT ALL.
AND IN OTHER CASES, THAT MEANS ONLY CREATING IMPACTS IN A BUFFER.
AND IN THE INSTANCE WHERE A PLAN IS PRESENTED THAT PRESENTS IMPACTS IN A BUFFER, THEN THE APPLICANT MAY CHOOSE TO SEEK A VARIANCE FROM THE ZONING ORDINANCE THAT REQUIRES AVOIDING IMPACTS IN A WETLAND BUFFER AND THAT DECISION.
IS TAKEN TO THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS AS A VARIANCE FROM THE REQUIREMENT THAT YOU NOT ONLY DON'T IMPACT A WETLAND DIRECTLY, BUT THAT YOU ALSO DON'T IMPACT THE BUFFER.
AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE THERE HAVE BEEN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS MORE APPLICATIONS FOR VARIANCES FROM THE BUFFER REQUIREMENT THAN THERE HAVE BEEN FOR ACTUAL WETLAND USE PERMITS.
DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? I GUESS YES, IT DOES HELP.
IT HELPS ME ANSWER THE QUESTION.
SO I THINK THAT IN GENERAL, LIKE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL AND MAYBE WE CAN DO THIS THROUGH THIS WETLAND EDUCATION OR JUST TO HELP HELP THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, BECAUSE I HAD A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING HOW THINGS END UP AT ZDA INSTEAD OF HERE FIRST.
SO THAT'S BEEN CONFUSING TO ME.
I COULD ALSO ADD THAT PART OF THE DISCUSSION OF SUP 22021 THE BENNETT HOLDINGS
[01:35:01]
SUP AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION INVOLVED CONSIDERATION OF IMPACTS OF PRIOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA AND RESIDENTS SUGGESTING THAT DEVELOPMENTS PRIOR TO THE ONE CURRENTLY BEING PROPOSED MAY HAVE CAUSED SOME IMPACTS ON DRAINAGE AND THAT THE CURRENT PLAN IS BEING DEVELOPED IN A WAY THAT NOT ONLY MANAGES THE INCREASED STORMWATER RUNOFF EXPECTED FROM THE DEVELOPMENT, BUT ALSO HELPS ADDRESS ANY PRIOR PROBLEMS. AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION, AS PART OF ITS APPROVAL OF THE SUP, INCLUDED A CONDITION THAT NO CONSTRUCTION ON THE PROPERTY IS ALLOWED UNTIL THE INGHAM COUNTY DRAIN COMMISSIONER ISSUES DRAINAGE AND SITE PLAN APPROVAL.AND I BELIEVE THAT'S BECAUSE THE PLANNING COMMISSION BELIEVES THAT THE DRAIN COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE IS BEING VERY PROACTIVE IN TRYING TO SOLVE NOT ONLY FUTURE PROBLEMS BUT ANY HISTORICAL PROBLEMS, AND THERE ARE NATIVE SEED MIXES PLANNED FOR ALL THE DETENTION BASINS.
SO WITH RESPECT TO US, INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS AND THE COMMENTS THAT WILL GO VERY QUICKLY TO THE DEVELOPER.
DO YOU KNOW WHEN THOSE COMMENTS ARE GOING TO GO? IF WE GET SOMETHING TO THEM BY FRIDAY, THAT WOULD BE GOOD.
OK? SO I THINK WE HAVE, I'VE GOT TWO QUESTIONS.
I GUESS ONE IS, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE IN THE COMMENTS THAT WOULD GO OUT, LET'S SAY, BY FRIDAY? AND THEN THEN THERE'S ALSO LEROY SUGGESTION, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME OR AT ANY TIME, REALLY, WE CAN APPROACH THE DEVELOPER AND SAY, WE'RE WORKING ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES AND WE HAVE SOME RESOURCES.
AND IF IT CAN BE HELPFUL TO US, YOU KNOW, WE'D LOVE TO KIND OF WORK WITH YOU, WHICH IS, I THINK THERE'S NO HARM IN THAT, THAT KIND OF KIND OF MAKE THAT OFFER TO THE DEVELOPER.
AND THAT COULD BE DONE THIS WEEK, NEXT WEEK, WHATEVER.
THERE MAY BE OTHER DEVELOPERS, WE MAY WANT TO BRING INTO THAT.
SURE. YEAH. BUT AGAIN, LET ME ASK THE QUESTION, IS THERE ANY COMMENTS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE COMMENTS THAT ARE GOING OUT BY FRIDAY? ANY YEAH.
I DON'T HAVE A COMMENT. I GUESS I'M JUST UNCLEAR WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THE COMMENTS ARE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY'VE ALREADY HAVE A PLAN AND THEY'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH IT.
OH, OK. TO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN ABREAST OF THIS FOR A WHILE AND WE DO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE COMMENTS.
SO THEY'RE SORT OF DOING US A FAVOR AND SAYING, WELL, WE'LL HOLD OUT.
IF YOU'VE GOT ANY COMMENTS, WE WILL SHARE THOSE.
AND HOPEFULLY, DEVELOPERS PAY ATTENTION TO COMMENTS FROM THE TOWNSHIP.
YEAH. WELL, I GUESS JUST TO CLARIFY, I KIND OF SKIMMED LEROY'S ONE PAGER HERE AS OTHERS HAVE BEEN TALKING.
SO WOULD IT BE THE THE INTENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION TO APPROVE THIS DOCUMENT TO GO OUT BY FRIDAY? IS THAT THE GOAL OR IS THIS STRICTLY A STAFF DRIVEN ISSUE? OR ARE WE ESSENTIALLY VOTING ON THIS AT THIS POINT? I COULD DISTRIBUTE IT ELECTRONICALLY AND I'D BE WILLING TO STREAMLINE THIS, MAYBE COME UP WITH A FEW BULLETS TO SHARE IF WHATEVER YOUR PURPOSE IS.
I JUST HAD A LOT OF THOUGHTS AND THIS IS SORT OF AN 11TH HOUR SPEWING.
AND LIKE JOHN SAYS, SOME OF IT WE CAN ALWAYS TALK TO DEVELOPERS, WE CAN ALWAYS SHARE SOME AND BOUNCE AROUND SOME OF THESE LONGER TERM IDEAS.
AS FAR AS SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS, I LIKE THE IDEA OF MAYBE ARTICULATING SOME OF THE THINGS WE NOTICE THAT WERE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ABOUT THE PROJECT AND THEN MAYBE SOME OF THE STUFF WE'VE ALREADY DEVELOPED OR WE ARE DEVELOPING THROUGH THE WETLAND EDUCATION TEAM.
WE COULD WE COULD SHARE SOME OF THAT IF IF IT'S YOU, WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO.
YEAH, IT DOES SEEM LIKE THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD COMMENTS HERE, ALTHOUGH I DON'T THINK THE PUBLIC HAS HAD ACCESS TO THIS AT THIS POINT, WHICH GOES BACK TO THE TRANSPARENCY ISSUE.
BUT YEAH, I'M NOT SURE WHERE WE GO FROM HERE WITH A VERY QUICK DEADLINE OF FRIDAY.
YEAH. BUT DO YOU KNOW THE THE MY UNDERSTANDING TOO IS SINCE THE PUBLIC IS
[01:40:10]
INVITED TO THIS COMMISSION MEETING, IN A SENSE, THEY HAVE ACCESS TO ANYTHING WE DISCUSS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOTICED AND YOU KNOW, SO NOT THAT WORKS IN THE REAL WORLD, BUT WE DON'T, I DON'T THINK, HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT ONCE WE DO THINGS AS A COMMISSION, WE'RE KIND OF COVERED WITH RESPECT TO PUBLIC INPUT AND AT LEAST IN A FORMAL SENSE.BUT I THINK THE MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION IS, DO WE WANT JUST LEROY TO MAYBE SEND OUT SOME COMMENTS TO THE DEVELOPER TO KIND OF INDICATE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME RESOURCES? WOULD THE COMMISSIONERS LIKE TO KIND OF LOOK AT WHAT LEROY HAS WRITTEN DOWN AND MAKE SOME COMMENTS BEFORE THAT GOES OUT? BECAUSE I DON'T THINK REALLY IT'S NECESSARILY HAS TO GO OUT BY FRIDAY.
IT CAN GO OUT NEXT WEEK OR WHATEVER.
BUT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KIND OF REVIEW WHAT LEROY HAS AND THEN KIND OF MAKE SOME COMMENTS BEFORE WE SENDS IT OUT? WHAT'S YOUR PREFERENCE? YEAH, I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF COMMUNICATING WITH AN APPLICANT AT THIS POINT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU DON'T THINK IT SERVES ANY USEFUL PURPOSE.
I STRUGGLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT PURPOSE IT WOULD SERVE.
OK. THE IDEA OF THINKING ABOUT THE PROCESS THAT TOWNSHIP UNDERGOES AND FINDING WAYS THAT WE CAN HAVE INPUT ON A PROCESS PRIOR TO AN APPROVED APPLICATION MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
THE IDEA IS OF BEING PROACTIVE, MAKE A LOT OF SENSE PROVIDING FEEDBACK TO AN APPLICANT WHOSE APPLICATION HAS BEEN APPROVED, ESPECIALLY WHEN SOME OF THE ITEMS, NATIVE SEED SUPPLIERS AND SUCH ARE ALREADY PART OF THE APPROVED APPLICATION.
IT. WE'RE BASICALLY TOO LATE, AT LEAST WITH RESPECT TO THIS.
IT'S ALREADY BEEN APPROVED WITH THAT CONDITION.
SO WHAT'S THE POINT? I THINK IT'S PERHAPS BETTER FOR US TO FOCUS OUR ENERGIES ON SEEING ARE THERE ASPECTS OF THAT APPROVED PLAN THAT WE WISH HAD BEEN DIFFERENT AND SEEING HOW WE CAN AMEND OUR ORDINANCE TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THINGS ARE DIFFERENT IN THE FUTURE.
I MEAN, IF PROJECTS ARE GETTING APPROVED THAT WE DON'T THINK THAT WE THINK COULD BE BETTER THAN LET'S AMEND THE RULES BY WHICH THEY'RE APPROVED RATHER THAN TRYING TO TAKE A BITE OF THE APPLE AFTER THE LEFT THE STORE.
YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST GOING TO AGREE WITH THAT AND WITH WITH OUR LIMITED TIME THAT WE THINK THROUGH, YEAH, HOW DO WE BE PROACTIVE? I, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THERE'S WAYS WE CAN DO THAT.
BUT YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT'S A IT SHOULD BE ON A TABLE FOR DISCUSSION, ANOTHER MEETING.
YEAH AND I THINK WE'LL NEED A BILL TO GIVE US SOME ADVICE BECAUSE HE'S OBVIOUSLY FAMILIAR WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION PROCESSES.
YOU KNOW, AT WHAT POINT CAN WE BEST HAVE AN IMPACT EARLIER, THE BETTER.
OK. ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE MOVE ON? OK, MOVING ON TO NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS FOR CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR, I'M NOT RUNNING FOR
[5.F. Nominations and Elections (Chair and Vice Chair)]
CHAIR AGAIN. AND YOU KNOW, YOU CAN NOMINATE SOMEBODY ELSE, YOU CAN NOMINATE YOURSELF.SO LET ME OPEN IT UP FOR NOMINATIONS FOR CHAIR.
FIRST OF ALL, WE SHOULD SAY, JOHN HAS DONE AN INCREDIBLY GOOD JOB.[APPLAUSE] AND SECONDLY, CAN WE TWIST YOUR ARM TO GO AHEAD AND RUN AGAIN? NO, THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE.
I'VE BEEN CHAIR FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS NOW, I BELIEVE, AND I'M READY TO PASS THE GAVEL.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE'S OUR GAVEL HERE? WELL, LET ME THROW OUT A NOMINATION FOR KENDRA FOR CHAIR.
SIR, THANK YOU, BUT I WILL BE FINE.
I WILL NOMINATE BILL MCCONNELL.
KENDRA DECLINES AND NOMINATES BILL.
[01:45:03]
BILL, WILL YOU ACCEPT THE NOMINATION? I'M WILLING TO SERVE IF THERE'S ANYBODY ELSE WHO'S INTERESTED AND WANTS TO DO IT.I WOULD REALLY PREFER THAT SOMEONE WHO HASN'T HAD A CHANCE BEFORE TAKE ON THE ROLE.
CAN I ASK WHAT ALL THE ROLE INVOLVES? OH, WELL, YOU WERE CHAIR LONGER THAN I WAS.
WELL, MORE RECENTLY, CHAIR THAN ME.
THAT'S TRUE. I WOULD JUST A VERY SIMPLE DESCRIPTION, I THINK IS OBVIOUSLY YOU CHAIR THE MEETINGS OK.
AND THEN WE HAVE A LOT OF ACTIVITY GOING ON WITH VARIOUS GROUPS AND COMMITTEES AND STUFF.
AND YOU KNOW HOW ACTIVE A CHAIR WANTS TO BE IN THE DIFFERENT GROUPS.
I THINK REALLY, IT'S NOT A MANDATORY REQUIREMENT.
IT'S UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL WITH RESPECT TO THEIR INVOLVEMENT AND ARE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES.
SO, YOU KNOW, AT A MINIMUM, OBVIOUSLY, YOU'RE YOU'RE CHAIRING MEETINGS AND REPRESENTING THE COMMISSION AT CERTAIN MEETINGS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A MEETING OF THE JOINT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS WHERE THEY REPORT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
SO THE CHAIR ATTENDS THAT MEETING, YOU KNOW, SO IT CAN BE SOMEWHAT FOCUSED OR IT CAN BE VERY BROAD, DEPENDING ON THE INDIVIDUAL.
I DON'T KNOW, BILL, WHY DON'T YOU ADD IN SOMETHING? I'M SURE YOU CAN ELABORATE.
I WOULD ADD TO THAT THAT IN PRACTICE, THE TOWNSHIP PROVIDES STAFF TO SUPPORT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AND THE STAFF PERSON IS REALLY SUPPORTING THE CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION.
SO THE SETTING OF AGENDAS IS A CHAIR'S RESPONSIBILITY.
THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY ALWAYS ADOPTED AS THE CHAIR HAS SUGGESTED.
BY ORDINANCE THE CHAIR ALSO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO CREATE STUDY GROUPS AND APPOINT LEADERS OF THOSE STUDY GROUPS.
SO THOSE ARE ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES THAT FALL WITHIN THE CHAIR'S PURVIEW.
WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT ARE THERE SUFFICIENT BUSINESS TO WARRANT HOLDING A MEETING OR WHETHER THERE ARE WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT SHOULD PRECLUDE A MEETING? AGAIN, RESPONSIBILITY OF OF THE CHAIR AND FORMAL COMMUNICATION WITH OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND PARTICULARLY WITH A SUPERVISOR ARE ALSO PART OF THE CHAIR'S RESPONSIBILITY. SO LET'S SEE, THERE'S ALSO A REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE LOCALLY GROWN ORGANIC FOOD AT EVERY MEETING.
NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT THAT ONE.
THAT'S A NEW REQUIREMENT UNDER.
YOU DID OR DIDN'T ACCEPT THE NOMINATION.
YOU KIND OF. BUT THEN WE WENT TO ANNA, WHO WAS SEEMED TO BE CONSIDERING.
WELL, LET ME LET ME FINISH MY THOUGHT.
OK. I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA TO HAVE THE CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION ROTATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT PUTTING SOMEONE IN THE POSITION OF RESPONSIBILITY THAT ISN'T YET COMFORTABLE IN IT. SO IF I WERE TO ACT AS CHAIR, MY INTENTION WOULD BE TO HAVE A VERY ACTIVE VICE CHAIR WHO COULD NOT ONLY CHAIR MEETINGS WHEN I COULDN'T ATTEND, BUT ALSO COULD CHAIR MEETINGS WHEN THERE ARE PORTIONS OF THE AGENDA THAT I WANTED TO ADDRESS SUBSTANTIVELY AND NOT AS CHAIR AND HAND THE GAVEL TO A CO-CHAIR WHO COULD RUN THE MEETINGS DURING THOSE TIMES.
AND I COULD PARTICIPATE AS A COMMISSIONER AND PERHAPS GIVE THAT PERSON SOME OPPORTUNITY TO SIT IN THE IN THE SEAT WITHOUT ALWAYS HAVING TO BE ON THE SPOT.
OK, WELL, LET ME JUST TO CLARIFY, DID YOU ACCEPT THE NOMINATION? [LAUGHING] I'M TRYING TO EXPRESS MY CONDITIONS, MY TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
I WANT A STRONG CO-CHAIR MY GOODNESS.
WELL, THAT THAT WILL REMAIN WELL.
THAT'LL BE NEXT ON THE AGENDA.
BUT FIRST, WE HAVE TO ELECT A CHAIR.
I WOULD JUST SAY THAT I WOULD BE WILLING TO BE A CO-CHAIR VICE CHAIR.
I WOULD LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO.
THAT WOULD BE NEXT ON THE AGENDA.
HE WAS TALKING THE CO-CHAIR SITUATION.
[01:50:01]
THAT'S MORE MY COMFORT LEVEL.YEAH, YEAH. I THINK BILL'S DESCRIBING SOMETHING THAT'S NOT FORMALLY CO-CHAIRS, BUT IN REALITY BECOMES ALMOST CO-CHAIRS.
IS THAT AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION? YEAH, YEAH.
SO OK. ANY NOMINATIONS FOR CHAIR BILL, HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH DISCUSSION AND YOU'VE KIND OF NOBODY'S OBJECTING TO YOUR CONDITIONS, I DON'T THINK IS ANYBODY OBJECTING TO HIS CONDITIONS? WE DON'T NEED A SECOND, BUT THAT'S FINE.
THAT KIND OF MOVES THE PROCESS ALONG.
SO, SO YOU ACCEPT, I TAKE IT, BILL.
OK? ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS FOR CHAIR? OK. ALL IN FAVOR OF HAVING BILL BE CHAIR.
JUST PLEASE RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND.
IS ANYBODY OPPOSED? DO WE HAVE ANY ABSTENTIONS? OK, MOVING ON TO VICE CHAIR.
THANK YOU, BILL. WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONTINUED SERVICE BECAUSE JUST BEFORE WE GET INTO VICE CHAIR, HOW YOU WERE CHAIR A WHILE BACK FOR QUITE A WHILE, AS I RECALL.
DO YOU REMEMBER HOW MANY YEARS? THREE, FOUR, FIVE? I DON'T KNOW. I WAS CHAIR FOR ABOUT FIVE.
[INAUDIBLE] ANYWAY, OK? I SECOND HIS MOTION.
IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE I CAN'T REMEMBER.
WELL, KENDRICK, YOU NOMINATE YOURSELF.
OTHER NOMINATIONS FOR VICE CHAIR.
SO ANA, YOU'VE BEEN VICE CHAIR FOR FOR THIS PERIOD.
SO HOW HAVE YOU ENJOYED THAT? I'VE ENJOYED IT, AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO KEEP DOING IT, BUT I'M ALSO HAPPY TO TURN THAT OVER TO KENDRA.
THAT'S I MEAN, NOT THAT IT'S TURNING OVER BECAUSE WE'RE RE-VOTING, BUT.
PASSING OF THE SMALLER GAVEL, YEAH.
DO I HEAR ANY MORE NOMINATIONS FOR VICE CHAIR? OK? ALL IN FAVOR OF KENDRA AS BEING ELECTED AS VICE CHAIR.
PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. OK? ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? OK, WELL, THANK YOU FOR BOTH BILL AND KENDRA FOR SERVING, FOR AGREEING TO SERVE.
IT'S APPRECIATED, AND I WOULD ECHO BILL'S THOUGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, I DO THINK THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR POSITIONS IT'S IT'S HELPFUL TO ROTATE THOSE AROUND AND NOT HAVE SOMEBODY JUST BE CHAIR FOREVER.
NEW COMMISSIONER APPOINTMENT OPENINGS.
[5.G. New Commissioners Appointments/Openings]
WE HAVE A COUPLE OF ITEMS TO DISCUSS.ONE IS THE APPOINTMENT OF A ONE OF US TO THE LAND PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD, WHICH IS PRESENTLY HELD BY KENDRA.
AND SO I GUESS I WOULD NOMINATE KENDRA FOR THAT POSITION AND ASK IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE IN THAT ROLE. YES, PLEASE.
I THINK I HEARD YES. RIGHT? YES. OK. IS THERE ANYBODY? YEAH, I SUPPORT THE NOMINATION.
ARE YOU SUPPORTING THE NOMINATION? OK? IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WHO HAS ANY INTEREST IN THAT APPOINTMENT? YOU CAN ARM WRESTLE KENDRA IF YOU DESIRE.
ALL IN FAVOR OF APPOINTING KENDRA AS OUR REPRESENTATIVE TO THE LAND PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND OK.
NOW THE I DON'T BELIEVE THAT NEEDS TO BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
IS THAT CORRECT, LORI? THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING.
YEAH, YEAH. BUT I THINK COURTNEY, IF YOU COULD COMMUNICATE THE APPOINTMENT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
AND THEN IF IF I'M IN ERROR WITH RESPECT TO THAT, OF COURSE, THE BOARD CAN TAKE IT UP.
AND I THINK TO IT WOULD BE HELPFUL LEROY FOR YOU TO SEND A COMMUNICATION TO THE CLERK JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE UNDERSTANDS THE APPOINTMENT.
YEAH, OK. WE'RE ALSO NEED TO HAVE APPOINTMENTS FOR THE STUDENT POSITIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE FOR ONE YEAR APPOINTMENTS.
AND I BELIEVE, LUKA, YOU'RE INTERESTED IN BEING REAPPOINTED.
YEAH, DEFINITELY. IF YOU GUYS WOULD HAVE ME, OH NO.
BUT I CERTAINLY WOULD LIKE TO.
YES. DID YOU NOT KNOW YOU CAN GO AHEAD? AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, KENDRA.
AND ANY OTHER CANDIDATES FOR THE STUDENT POSITIONS.
OK. ALL IN FAVOR OF APPOINTING OR RECOMMENDING LUCA BE APPOINTED AS OUR STUDENT COMMISSIONER. RAISE YOUR HAND.
[01:55:03]
I'LL ABSTAIN. CONFLICT OF INTEREST? WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT BOTH AUDREY AND LUCA, IF YOU WOULD DO SO, KINDLY HELP RECRUIT OTHER PEOPLE. YEAH, DEFINITELY.
HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU WANT? YOU KNOW, I THINK, WELL, MY PERSONAL TASTE IS THE MORE THE BETTER I DO.
HOW MANY STUDENT POSITIONS DO WE HAVE? WELL, OFFICIALLY WE HAVE TWO.
HOWEVER, WE HAVE RECENTLY HAD ALTERNATES, WHICH I THINK IS A GOOD PROCESS.
AND SO THAT GETS STUDENTS INVOLVED IN THE COMMISSION AND HAVE SOME RESPONSIBILITIES.
IF WE JUST HAVE SOMEBODY WHO'S APPOINTED, LUCA WOULD BE APPOINTED AND I'D PREFER TO IF WE CAN FIND SOMEBODY FROM HASLETT TO HAVE SOMEBODY FROM HASLETT, BE THE OTHER APPOINTED STUDENT. BUT IN YOUR, YOU'RE GOING TO BE GONE.
SO ARE YOU ANY INTEREST IN BEING AN ALTERNATE OR IS THAT GOING TO BE YOU'RE GOING TO BE GOING, I WILL BE LIKE, REALLY FAR AWAY? OK, OK. BUT I WILL TRY AND I CAN TRY AND ASK PEOPLE FROM THAT.
I KNOW, OH, IT'S SUPER SUPER BECAUSE WE'RE VERY OPEN TO THE IDEA OF HAVING ALTERNATES AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN RECRUIT SOMEBODY FROM HASLETT, WHICH LEADS ME ACTUALLY TO THE ISSUE OF GRAHAM DIETRICH, WHO HAS COME BEFORE US AND ASKED TO BE CONSIDERED AS A STUDENT COMMISSIONER. AND I THINK WHEN THIS CAME UP BEFORE, I THINK TOM RAISED THE ISSUE OF HIM RUNNING FOR STATE REP, WHICH YEAH, WHICH I THINK IS A LEGITIMATE ISSUE.
AND I, AS I'VE JUST EXPRESSED TO, I THINK WE SHOULD ACTUALLY, RATHER THAN APPOINT SOMEBODY WHO'S A COLLEGE STUDENT TRYING TO GET SOMEBODY FROM HASLETT PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
BUT WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK ABOUT GRAHAM'S INTEREST IN BEING A STUDENT COMMISSIONER? I'M NOT SURE IF HE'S ACTUALLY COMMITTED TO RUNNING A STATE REP, BUT I'VE BEEN CONTACTED BY HIM IN THAT INTEREST, SO I THINK WE SHOULD PROBABLY MAKE SURE BEFORE BEFORE CONSIDERING THAT HE'S NOT RUNNING FOR A ANOTHER PUBLIC OFFICE.
MY THOUGHTS? I WAS JUST GOING TO ASK WHEN THAT WHEN THAT APPOINTMENT WOULD BE LIKE, WHEN'S THE FINAL DATE GOING TO BE ON THAT? SO LIKE WHEN WE WOULD APPOINT THE NEXT STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE? WELL, I BELIEVE THEIR CALENDAR YEAR APPOINTMENTS, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT CAN BE I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, YOU CAN RESIGN.
WE CAN APPOINT ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL TO REPLACE YOU.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S YEAH, I WAS I WAS JUST GOING TO MENTION SO I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY FROM HASLETT AT THE TIME, BUT I DO LIKE AS A BACKUP, I DO HAVE SOMEBODY INTERESTED.
HE'S BEEN INTERESTED FOR GOOD SIX MONTHS NOW.
HE GOES TO [INAUDIBLE] AND HE'S IN MY GRADE TOO SO.
OK. SO JUST AS A BACKUP, BUT YEAH, HASLETT SCHOOLS WOULD PROBABLY BE PREFERRED.
AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE HAVING SOME OKEMOS REPS.
YEAH, WE'RE VERY INTERESTED IN HAVING SOME ALTERNATE ALTERNATES THAT CAN KIND OF SUPPORT YOU AND GET INVOLVED.
OK, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT, BILL, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THOSE POSITIONS STARTED OFF AS YOUTH POSITIONS AND I UNDERSTOOD THE ROLE OF THOSE TO BE TO INVITE PARTICIPATION OF FOLKS WHO WOULDN'T QUALIFY TO SERVE AS COMMISSIONERS ARE SO REGARDLESS OF STUDENT STATUS.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IF A RESIDENT OF THE TOWNSHIP WHO IS QUALIFIED TO SERVE AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL, AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER WANTS TO SERVE WELL, THEN LET'S GET THEM ON BOARD AS A COMMISSIONER.
AND THE ONLY REASON WE HAVE STUDENT YOUTH REPRESENTATIVES MEMBERS IS TO ACCOMMODATE FOLKS WHO WOULDN'T NORMALLY SERVE AS COMMISSIONERS.
BUT THAT'S A VERY HELPFUL CLARIFICATION.
AND I GUESS I'M THINKING AND I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE ALL THINKING, TOO, IS THAT LEROY SHOULD COMMUNICATE TO GRAHAM SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH RESPECT TO HIM BEING APPOINTED AS A STUDENT COMMISSIONER BECAUSE HE SPECIFICALLY ASKED TO BE CONSIDERED TO BE A STUDENT COMMISSIONER, RIGHT? HE'S INTERESTED IN BEING ON THE COMMISSION.
HE DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY SAY, BUT HE IS A STUDENT, SO HE POTENTIALLY COULD BE ELIGIBLE AS A STUDENT COMMISSIONER. OK, OK.
BUT I THINK A NUMBER OF ISSUES HAVE BEEN RAISED ABOUT A COLLEGE STUDENT FILLING ONE OF THOSE TWO SPOTS. SO I GUESS I WOULD JUST ADD TO THAT THAT IF HE WANTS TO GET INVOLVED WITH ANY OF OUR SUBCOMMITTEES, IT'S WELCOME TO DO THAT IF THAT'S ASSUMING EVERYONE'S OPEN
[02:00:05]
TO THAT CONCEPT.I MEAN, THERE'S NO REASON YOU CAN'T PARTICIPATE IN SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING AND NOT BE AN OFFICIAL COMMISSIONER.
AND I BELIEVE LUKE IS GOING TO NEED TO BE APPOINTED BY THE SUPERVISOR AND THEN WE ACTUALLY, YEAH, HE'S BEEN APPOINTED CHAIR.
WE JUST HE HASN'T BEEN SWORN IN BY CLARK GUTHRIE YET.
OK, SUPER. WELL, WE'RE UP TO A TIMELY ENVIRONMENTAL TOPICS.
[5.H. Timely Environmental Topics]
ANY TOPICS THAT WE'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT.OK. UM, I'M NOT SURE WE TALKED ABOUT COMMISSIONING COMMITTEE DIALOG, I'M NOT SURE WHAT
[5.I. Commission/Committee Dialogue]
MAYBE FALLS UNDER THAT TOPIC.LEROY DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING SPECIFIC THAT YOU WANTED TO COVER UNDER THAT? AH, NOTHING AT THE MOMENT.
OK, WELL, LET'S WE HAVE THIS OUR LAST ITEM, COMMISSIONER AND STAFF NEWS, AND LET'S KIND
[6. COMMISSIONER & STAFF NEWS ]
OF QUICKLY GO AROUND THE TABLE AND GIVE EVERYBODY AN OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF GIVE US AN UPDATE. LIKE AN UPDATE ON OUR LIKE ON THE FOOD WORK [INAUDIBLE] WE'RE DOING OR WHAT? WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO.YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WASN'T ALREADY IN THE UPDATE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN PROVIDED. SO THE IDEA OF THE DOING THE STAFF AND THE COMMISSIONER UPDATE CONSENT AGENDA THAT WAS VERIZON LIKE, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH EVERY LITTLE PIECE, BUT IF THERE'S HIGHLIGHTS. YEAH, YOU KNOW, I THINK VALERIE WAS VERY THOROUGH AND SUBMITTING FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR THE AGENDA.
THE ONLY OTHER PIECE THAT WASN'T ON THE AGENDA AS WE HAVE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS, LIKE I HAVE MENTIONED EARLIER, AROUND GOOD FOOD PROCUREMENT EFFORTS.
AND ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE TOWNSHIP TO WORK WITH INSTITUTIONS THAT PROCURE MORE FOOD THAN, SAY, TOWNSHIPS OR CITIES IN GENERAL GENERALLY DO NOT PROCURE MUCH FOOD ON THEIR OWN? BUT ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES TO INCENTIVIZE OR EDUCATE OR SUPPORT TOWNSHIP INSTITUTIONS, WHICH WOULD PROBABLY PRIMARILY BE SCHOOLS TO HAVE MORE WHAT I'LL CALL GOOD FOOD PROCUREMENT, WHICH TENDS TO BE BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, VALUED WORKFORCE, ANIMAL WELFARE, NUTRITION, LOCAL ECONOMY.
SO, YOU KNOW, GOOD FOOD IS IS A BROAD CONCEPT, OF COURSE.
AND BUT IT CROSSES OVER WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IN TERMS OF THE , ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OF THE FOOD PROCURED WITHIN INSTITUTIONS IN THE TOWNSHIP.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER PART OF THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING LATELY THAT HAVE JUST STARTED WITHIN WITHIN THE FOOD GROUP.
SO I PASS. OK, I'LL PASS AS WELL, I THINK THE UPDATE COVERED WHAT WERE THE GREEN TEAM IN PARTICULAR HAS BEEN WORKING ON AND IN A COVERED THE FOOD GROUP, SO I WILL PASS. SO I WAS LATE WITH MY BROWNFIELD SUMMARY.
WE DID HAVE A BROWNFIELD MEETING ON THURSDAY, 10 DAYS AGO, WHATEVER IT IS.
WELL, ALMOST TWO WEEKS AGO, AND IT WAS THE VERY FIRST IN-PERSON MEETING IN THIS ROOM THAT I'VE BEEN IN IN TWO YEARS.
AND WHAT DID WE TALK ABOUT? WE TALKED ABOUT THE OKEMOS VILLAGE PROJECT.
THE PLAN WAS LAID OUT IN SUBSTANTIAL DETAIL, BUT THE ACTUAL CONSIDERATION OF IT BY THE BROWNFIELD AUTHORITY IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT MEETING.
SO THIS IS SORT OF OUR INFORMATIONAL SESSION.
AND THE OTHER THING WE DID WAS SIGN A CONTRACT FOR THE CONSULTANT TO ASSESS THAT PROJECT.
AND ALSO, I GUESS THAT'S THE ONLY PROJECT THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT.
SO WE IT'S A FUNNY THING WE HAVE THIS CONSULTANT, TRITERRA WHO IN FOR THAT PROJECT AND OTHER PROJECTS HAS BEEN THE TOWNSHIP'S CONSULTANT, BUT THEY ARE THE CONSULTANT FOR THE DEVELOPER ON THE PINE VILLAGE PROJECT, WHICH IS A WHOLE OTHER THING THAT'S GOING ON OR ACTUALLY NOT REALLY GOING VERY FAR RIGHT NOW ANYWAY.
THE PLANS FOR BUILDING IN THE OKEMOS VILLAGE, AT LEAST AT THE MOMENT, ARE ARTICULATED AS
[02:05:05]
HAVING AS BEING ON THE BOOKS FOR SORT OF FALLISH OF TWENTY TWENTY TWO, HOPING TO BE DONE AROUND TWENTY TWENTY FOUR.AS WE'VE SEEN ALREADY, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS ARE SOMEWHAT UNPREDICTABLE, SO THAT'S WHERE THE STORY IS RIGHT NOW.
ONE OTHER COMMENT WE JUST GOT SOLAR PANELS ON OUR HOUSE.
THE LAST MEETING OF THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION HAD AS ITS MAIN ITEM OF BUSINESS CONSIDERATION OF MDOT'S PLANS FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF FORTY THREE GRAND RIVER.
AND AS I'VE REPORTED PREVIOUSLY, MDOT TOOK THE REQUEST OF THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION AND THE CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY TO INCLUDE NEW PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES ON GRAND RIVER IN ITS RECONSTRUCTION PLAN AND AS PRESENTED AT THE PUBLIC MEETING THAT INVOLVES PEDESTRIAN REFUGE ISLANDS AT THREE CROSSING POINTS CAMPUS VILLAGE APARTMENTS JUST EAST OF THE RAILROAD CROSSING.
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS AT THE TOP OF THE HILL BY DUSTY'S AND WHAT USED TO BE MERRILL FORD AND ANOTHER IN BETWEEN MYER AND MCDONALD'S.
AND THERE HAS BEEN SOME CONCERNS RAISED WITH ESPECIALLY THE THIRD OF THOSE IN TERMS OF ITS IMPACT ON THE USE OF THE CENTER TURN LANE IN THAT AREA.
THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION IS SEEKING WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST PROTECTIVE STRUCTURE POSSIBLE. IN OTHER WORDS, ACTUALLY PROVIDING SOME PHYSICAL PROTECTION BEYOND A CURB TO PEDESTRIANS CROSSING AT THOSE LOCATIONS.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE OUTCOME OF THAT IS THAT IF THERE'S SUFFICIENT USE OF THE PEDESTRIAN REFUGE ISLANDS WHEN THEY'RE INSTALLED, AFTER THEY'RE INSTALLED, THAT THERE COULD BE A WARRANT FOR SOME SIGNALIZATION OF THOSE BASICALLY A PUSH BUTTON ACTIVATED SIGNAL THAT WOULD ALERT DRIVERS THAT SOMEONE IS ATTEMPTING TO CROSS THE ROAD AT THAT POINT. ONE OF THOSE, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR, WAS INSTALLED ON HAGEDORN ROAD AT SHAW LANE AT NORTH SHAW. THERE'S A VERY BUSY CROSSING THERE AND A RAPID FLASH BEACON WAS INSTALLED THERE AND PROMPTLY RUN OVER.
BUT IT'S PRESUMABLY THEY'LL PUT IT BACK UP AGAIN.
NO, IT'S IN THE MIDDLE. IT WAS ON ITS ON ITS SIDE.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN A SNOWPLOW.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN A BIG WIND.
BUT I'M PRETTY SURE IT WASN'T THE TRAIN THAT FORGOT ALL THOSE POWER POLES BECAUSE THEY WENT THE OTHER WAY.
AND THERE WAS ALSO AN UPDATE AT THAT MEETING ABOUT THE ACQUISITION OF EASEMENTS FOR THE LAKE LANSING TO THE MSU, TO LAKE LANSING PATHWAY.
AND THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN DILIGENTLY APPROACHING LANDOWNERS TO GET THE EASEMENTS REQUIRED TO BUILD THAT PATHWAY, AND IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'VE MADE GREAT PROGRESS.
FIRST OFF, CONGRATULATIONS TO CHAIR MCCONNELL, VICE CHAIR, GRASSESCHI, AND THANK YOU FOR SERVING ALL OF OUR COMMISSIONERS, BUT A COUPLE UPDATES.
ONE IS AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR FOR APPOINTING THAT OUR COMMISSIONER GRASSESCHI TOA LAND PREZ. I WAS RECENTLY APPOINTED AS A BOARD LIAISON TO THE LAND PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD AS WELL, SO I WILL, I THINK IT'LL BE CONSISTENT.
WE'RE WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WAS APPOINTED BECAUSE WE ARE, LET'S SAY, DOWN TWO TRUSTEES RIGHT NOW. SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A BOARD OF FOUR.
AND FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW AND A LOT PROBABLY DO, BUT WE HAVE APPOINTED OUR SUPERVISOR PRO TEM NOW SUPERVISOR HERRING JACKSON.
SO PATRICIA HERRING JACKSON'S, NOW OUR APPOINTED SUPERVISOR, BUT THAT LEAVES US WITH TWO TRUSTEE POSITIONS OPEN.
SO WE HAVE MORE ON THE SEARCH FOR TRUSTEES.
THE POSITION HAS BEEN POSTED AND WE'LL CLOSE FRIDAY, MARCH 4TH.
MARCH 8TH, THE COMMITTEE WILL REVIEW THE APPLICATIONS AND WE WILL INTERVIEW IN A POINT ON
[02:10:07]
MARCH 15TH.THERE'S A VERY SMALL TIME FRAME OF FORTY FIVE DAYS FOR A BOARD TO APPOINT COMMISSIONERS AND OR BOARD MEMBERS.
IF NOT, THE COUNTY CLERK WILL APPOINT THOSE PARTICULAR POSITIONS, SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE COULD DO THAT INTERNALLY AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, PLEASE APPLY IF YOU FEEL WILLING.
AND ALSO WITH THAT, SOME OF THE THE BOARD LIAISONS MAY CHANGE ONCE WE GET NEW COMMISSIONERS IN. SO I PREFER TO KEEP ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND LIMB PRESERVATION, BUT WE HAVE TO SHARE, WE HAVE TO SHARE THE GOOD ONES TOO.
SO THE ONLY OTHER THING IS I ALREADY HEARD BACK FROM DIRECTOR SCHMIDT, WHO I ASKED IF WOULD BE WILLING TO TALK WITH ME ABOUT INCLUDING OR JUST DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OR THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN IN RELATION TO THE MASTER PLAN. AND HE WAS MORE THAN WILLING.
SO, CHAIR MCCONNELL, I ADDED YOU TO THE EMAIL TO SEE IF IN FACT, YOU WANTED TO BE A PART OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE. SO. WELL, JUST BRIEFLY, YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN THE ARTICLE GREEN GAZETTE ABOUT THE EVENT ON SATURDAY.
TOM WAS THERE, AUDREY WAS THERE.
BILL WAS THERE ATTENDING A SHOWING UP AS WORM BIN AND IT WAS SUPER COLD, BUT IT WAS VERY FULFILLING. WE HAD A LOT OF GOOD NETWORKING.
LET AUDREY TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT SHE DID THERE, BUT IT WAS NICE TO CONNECT THE EARTH CLUB WITH MSU RECYCLING AND WE KICKED OFF OUR COMPOST BIN SALE AND WE ALSO GOT THE THE DEBUT DELIVERY OF THE LEE HAMMOND, THE HAMMOND FARMS COMPOSTING RECEPTACLES.
SO THANKS YOU GUYS FOR HELPING OUT WITH THAT AND JUST MAKING IT RELATIVELY SUCCESSFUL.
WE DIDN'T GET A LOT OF POTS AND PANS, BUT WE GOT A LOT OF NETWORKING AND GOOD VIBES.
YES, I REALLY ENJOYED THAT EVENT.
IT WAS REALLY NICE TO BE IN PERSON WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE SHARING SOME OF THE SAME KIND OF PROJECTS. WE SOLD TWO SHIRTS TO KATIE, WHO WAS OUR TABLE MATE FROM MSU UPCYCLING, AND SHE SEEMS LIKE SHE'S IT SEEMS LIKE SHE'S DOING A LOT OF COOL STUFF AND IT WAS REALLY COOL TO HEAR ABOUT.
I'M KIND OF HOPING THAT WE CAN DO SOME KIND OF EARTH CLUB EVENT WHERE WE HAVE A MEETING AND WE DO SOME OF THE CRAFTS THAT SHE SELLS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT FOR FUN.
AND THEN ALSO, WE'RE HOPING TO START MODIFYING THE CHIEFS LOGO CLOTHING SOON, BECAUSE AFTER THIS EVENT ON SATURDAY, WE KIND OF DEBUTED SOME OF OUR UPCYCLED CLOTHING THAT WE HAD AS DONATIONS. BUT I'M HOPING TO STEER THE SUSTAINABLE FASHION COMMITTEE IN THE DIRECTION OF FIXING UP THIS STUFF.
AND THEN AND WE'RE THINKING SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT OF MAKING CAT MATS OUT OF SOME OF THE SWEATSHIRTS FOR ANIMAL SHELTERS.
AND THEN ALSO WE HAVE A TREE PLANTING EVENT THAT I WILL EMAIL MORE ABOUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BECAUSE I NEED TO PROMOTE IT, BECAUSE IT IS IT NEEDS SOME MORE PROMOTION.
IT'S A FINE IDEA, BUT IT JUST NEEDS MORE PASSION.
BRIEFLY, I DIDN'T SAY JOHN DID A GREAT JOB ON AT THE GREEN DIALOG THIS MORNING, AND THERE'S A RECORDING OF HIS PRESENTATION ON SOLAR EYE'S MERIDIAN.
I DON'T WANT TO STEAL YOUR THUNDER, BUT I WANTED TO GIVE YOU JUST TELL FOLKS THAT THAT RECORDING IS AVAILABLE. AND TODAY WE ALSO DID A WALK THROUGH WITH SOLAR CONTRACTORS FOR OUR NEXT SOLAR SYSTEM ARRAY.
THE CARPORTS, HOPEFULLY AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING, AND TOMORROW WE'RE HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT OUR RECYCLING CENTER WITH BRING DAN UP TO SPEED AND MEET WITH TREVOR AND SOME FOLKS FROM SOME POTENTIAL CONSULTANTS THAT HAVE BEEN HELPING WITH REVISIONS AT THE RECYCLING CENTER. SO OR I GET A SOLARIZE MERIDIAN HOST ORIENTATION ON MONDAY EVENING, AND THAT'S THAT WAS RECORDED.
AND SO I'VE ALREADY SENT THE LINK TO BILL BECAUSE HE HAD SOMEBODY IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD WHO MIGHT CONSIDER BEING A MEETING HOST.
AND SO IF ANY OF YOU AH KNOW OF SOMEBODY OR MAYBE YOURSELF OR WANT TO COORDINATE IS GOING TO BE A MEETING HOST, YOU KNOW THAT ORIENTATION IS AVAILABLE TO FOR YOU OR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW. AND THEN AFTER THEY LOOK AT THE VIDEO, WHICH IS ABOUT AN HOUR, YOU KNOW, I COULD
[02:15:03]
SET UP A ONE ON ONE WITH THEM TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT THEY HAVE BECAUSE AT THE PRESENT TIME, WE HAVE EIGHT MEETINGS PLANNED.THE FIRST ONE MARCH, TWENTY FIRST, WHICH I'LL DO VIRTUALLY.
AND THEN WE HAVE SOME IN-PERSON MEETINGS AND OTHER VIRTUAL MEETINGS PLANNED IN APRIL AND AND WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE THROUGH THE YEAR.
SO I THINK WITH SOLARIZE MERIDIAN, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, THE KIND OF A MEETING TO INFORM YOUR NEIGHBORS ABOUT SOLAR ENERGY AND WHAT'S INVOLVED AND ALSO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A GROUP DISCOUNT. I THINK WE'RE OFF TO A GOOD START.
SO WE'LL KIND OF SEE AND THAT'S THAT'S IT FOR ME.
AND LET'S SEE ANYTHING OTHER PUBLIC REMARKS BEFORE WE ADJOURN.
CAN I GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN? KENDRA, SECOND BY NED? ALL IN FAVOR OF ADJOURNING PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
OK, ANY OPPOSED? THANK YOU SO MUCH, JOHN.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.