[1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER]
[00:00:04]
>> GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. I LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ON APRIL 6.
>> SORRY, MAY 4TH. [LAUGHTER] I'VE GOT THE WRONG PATH IN FRONT OF ME. MAY 4TH.
THANK YOU. MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU.
[LAUGHTER] NORMALLY AT THIS POINT IN THE MEETING, WE WOULD ENTERTAIN PUBLIC REMARKS AND I SEE NO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WITH US THIS EVENING.
MOVING ALONG TO APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA.
[3. APPROVAL AGENDA]
WE HAD AN AGENDA IN THE PACKET THAT I HAD SUGGESTED A COUPLE OF AMENDMENTS TO, WHICH BASICALLY WAS TO UNDER ITEM NEW BUSINESS, THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.FIRST LOOK AT THE DRAFT OUTLINE THAT I CIRCULATED AND THEN WE DISCUSS THE RESPONSIBILITIES LISTED THERE.
MAKE SURE WE GOT ALL THE PEOPLE WE KNOW WHO'S WORKING ON WHAT.
THEN TO FOCUS THE REST OF THAT DISCUSSION ON THE PROGRESS BEING MADE BY THE ENERGY TEAM ON THEIR PORTION OF THE PLAN.
IF NO ONE HAS ANY OBJECTION TO THAT AMENDMENT TO THE AGENDA THAT WAS CIRCULATED OR ANY FURTHER CHANGES, ADDITIONS, DELETIONS, CORRECTIONS.
HEARING NONE. THE AGENDA IS APPROVED AS AMENDED.
I'VE BEEN HAVING SENIOR MOMENTS FOR THE LAST WEEK AND THIS DOES LOOK LIKE THE RIGHT MINUTES THAT WE'RE APPROVING FROM THE MARCH 2ND MEETING.
[4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
SKIPPING OF THE APRIL MEETING WAS GOT IN THE WAY OF MY RECOLLECTIONS.ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT MINUTES FROM MARCH 2ND?
>> I GOT EXTRA COPIES OF THE MINUTES.
>> I HAD A COUPLE OF NIGGLING THINGS WHILE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING THEM OVER.
I DO THIS JUST TO PROVE THAT SOMEBODY'S ACTUALLY READING THEM AND THEY'RE GOOD.
THE LAST ITEM ON THE FIRST PAGE IS LISTED AS CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN, THAT'S FINE.
THE FIRST ITEM ON THE SECOND PAGE IS SILVER LEAF.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY MORE APPROPRIATE TO LIST THAT AS A REPORT FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION LIAISON.
IN THE SECOND SENTENCE OF THE SECOND PARAGRAPH, APPARENTLY, I KNOW AN AWFUL LOT MORE ABOUT THE COSTS OF WETLAND USE PERMITS THAN I ACTUALLY DO.
[LAUGHTER] BUT MY GUESS IS THAT WAS INFORMATION FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT ABOUT $3,000-$7,000 PERMIT COST.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT CAME FROM.
SINCE I'M NOT SURE IT'S ACCURATE, I'M SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH IT.
>> I'M TRYING TO RECALL, BUT WAS SOMEBODY FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION ACTUALLY HERE AT THAT MEETING? [NOISE] I FELT MAYBE THE PREVIOUS MEETING.
>> [INAUDIBLE] TO ADDRESS KENDRA'S QUESTION ABOUT WHY MORE PEOPLE DON'T GO THROUGH WETLAND USER PERMITS.
IT CAUSES SOMETHING LIKE I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS THAT HIGH AND THAT'S WHY WE CLOSELY TO SEE THE HIGH LARGE FINDING DEVELOPERS.
>> SO, THAT'S THE INFORMATION YOU ARE CONVEYING?
>> YEAH. ABSOLUTELY WE CAN PROVE IT.
>> IF WE COULD JUST THEN SAY WHEN A WETLAND USE PERMIT MAY REQUIRED AND HARVEY ADDED THE COST NUMBERS?
>> COULD WE JUST SEE A NOTE FROM HARVEY I THINK [INAUDIBLE].
>> ANY OTHER CHANGES ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO CLEAR UP.
>> UNDER GREEN GRANTS? IT IS NOT TRUE THAT ALL THE GRANTS ALIGNED WITH WETLAND RULES.
SO, I ASKED TO STRIKE THAT STATEMENT.
I THINK THAT ALSO IN THAT CONVERSATION, I REMEMBER BILL ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT TRANSPARENCY AND TERM AGREEMENT.
THAT WE SHOULD HAVE SOME MORE TRANSPARENCY IN HOW WE SCORED THINGS.
WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SCORE THAT WE USE.
SO I JUST WONDER IF WE SHOULD NOTE THAT WE'RE TALKING ON TRANSPARENCY.
ALSO, THERE WAS A MOTION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SUGGESTED CHANGES OF PEOPLE USING NATIVE PLANTINGS IN
[00:05:03]
THERE WITH THE GREEN GRANTS AND THEN IT WAS NOT UNANIMOUS BECAUSE BILL DISSENTED FROM VOTING ON THAT.I MEAN, VOTING WITH THE GREEN GRANTS.
I HAVE MORE. I DON'T HAVE IT RIGHT NOW.
>> WELL, MY GUESS IS THAT UNLESS YOU'VE GOT SPECIFIC LANGUAGE TO INSERT THIS EVENING, MAYBE THE BEST THING WOULD BE TO SUBMIT THOSE TO STAFF AND WE CAN LOOK OVER A REVISED VERSION NEXT TIME?
>> YEAH. SURE. CERTAINLY IN NOMINATION AND ELECTIONS, I HAVE CHANGES THERE AS WELL.
THAT WE NEED TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT JOHN NOMINATED ME TO LAND PRESERVATION AND BILL SECONDED THAT, IT MEANS UNANIMOUSLY ELECTED AND THEN HOW LUCA WAS NOMINATED AS WELL.
THAT NEEDS TO BE CLEARLY STATED.
THAT HAS TO BE POURED INTO THE CLERK THAT CHAIR SERVER COULD ASKED THAT STAMP FORWARD THAT TO THE CLERK.
>> OKAY. WHAT'S EVERYONE THINKING, DO WE WANT TO GO THROUGH THESE AND TRY TO FIX THEM THIS EVENING OR MAYBE GET THOSE COMMENTS TO STAFF AND SEE THEM IN A REVISED VERSION FOR NEXT TIME? I'M SEEING NODDING HEADS FOR THE SECOND OPTION.
>> PARLIAMENTARY FOR LACK OF A MOTION, THE MINUTES WON'T BE CONSIDERED FOR APPROVAL THIS EVENING.
>> I CAN SEND A WORD VERSION TOO THAT WILL BE HELPFUL SO YOU CAN EDIT DIRECTLY AND TRACK CHANGES AND SEE THOSE CHANGES MORE EASILY. DOES THAT SOUND GOOD?
>> YEAH. I WOULD JUST URGE THAT THOSE BE SENT TO STAFF SO WE DON'T START DELIBERATING ONLINE ABOUT CHANGES TO THE MINUTES.
SO IF YOU'VE GOT PROPOSED CHANGES, PLEASE JUST PUT THEM IN AND TRACK CHANGES IN WORD AND SEND THEM TO STAFF AND I'LL PUT MINE IN THERE AS WELL SO WE GET CLEAR LANGUAGE.
>> MOVING THEN TO NEW BUSINESS, ITEM 5A.
[5.A. Climate Sustainability Plan Update]
I BELIEVE THIS HARD COPY HAS ON THE BACK PAGE.MY ATTEMPT TO REORGANIZE THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN, WHICH WAS IN THE PACKET.
THE MAIN CHANGE REALLY THAT I WAS TRYING TO AFFECT IS, I FELT LIKE THE TRANSPORTATION SECTION WAS HANGING OUT THERE ON ITS OWN LAST TIME AROUND AND MOST OF THE STUFF THAT'S IN THAT TRANSPORTATION SECTION IS REALLY ABOUT ENERGY REDUCTION.
SO HAVING ENERGY BEING DOWN THERE ON ITS OWN OR TRANSPORTATION BEING DOWN ON ITS OWN DIDN'T MAKE AS MUCH SENSE.
SO TALKING WITH THE ENERGY TEAM, WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE TO AT LEAST THIS TIME AROUND STICK THAT UP IN TRANSPORTATION.
SO THE WAY THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD BE READ IS NOT THAT IN THE ENERGY LINE, THERE'S THREE SUB-LINES THERE, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLES, ENERGY TEAM AND TRANSPORTATION.
THOSE DON'T ALIGN WITH THE NAMES.
THOSE ARE JUST GROUPS THAT I'M AWARE OF THAT HAVE SOMETHING TO A TOPIC, A THING TO DO AND THEN THE LIST OF NAMES IS THE PERSON I SEE AS THE TEAM LEAD AND IN BOLD.
OTHER TEAM MEMBERS WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMISSION OR OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND THEN IN THE ITALICIZED BOLD ART, TOWNSHIP STAFF WHOSE RESPONSIBILITIES FEEL TO ME LIKE THEY ALIGN WITH THAT SECTION AND THEN FINALLY, SOME EXTERNAL EXPERTS IN THE REGULAR ITALICS.
DOES EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND THE WAY THAT'S WORKING? MY GOAL IN DOING THIS WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW WHO'S GOT RESPONSIBILITY FOR WORKING ON WHAT BITS AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY'S ON THE SAME PAGE.
THE OTHER MAIN SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE THAT IS HERE THAT DIFFERENT FROM THE EXISTING CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN IS BROADENING OF THE WATER SECTION.
LAST TIME, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT STORM-WATER, BUT WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE ANY SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WITH IT AND WE DIDN'T HAVE SOME OF THE OTHER WATER SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES, WATER SUPPLY, GROUNDWATER, OTHER THINGS.
IT SEEMED TO ME PRETTY CLOSELY CONNECTED TO WETLANDS.
[NOISE] SO, I'M SUGGESTING THAT WE EXPAND THAT WATER SECTION BIT FROM WHERE IT WAS BEFORE.
[00:10:02]
THEN FINALLY IN SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLING THAT WE ADDRESS LAST TIME, WE HAD MORE FOCUS ON THE INORGANIC RECYCLING STREAM AND WE HAD A BRIEF MENTION OF THE ORGANICS AND NOW WE'VE GOT A WHOLE TEAM WORKING ON THAT AND THERE'S A WHOLE LOT MORE AND THEY'RE DEVELOPING SPECIFIC TARGETS FOR FOOD WASTE DIVERSION AND COMPOSTING AND MAYBE EVEN ANAEROBIC DIGESTION, WHO KNOWS? THAT'S MY PROPOSAL FOR AN OUTLINE AND A SET OF RESPONSIBILITIES.I'M SURE I'VE MADE LOTS OF MISTAKES AND PROBABLY OFFENDED A COUPLE OF PEOPLE.
WE ALSO HAVE THE OPTION OF ASSIGNING RESPONSIBILITY FOR SMALLER SECTIONS BUT I WOULD BE MOST COMFORTABLE LEADING THE EFFORT IF I HAD ONE GO-TO PERSON FOR EACH OF THE THREE SECTIONS, WHO COULD ORGANIZE THOSE GROUPS AND REPORT BACK TO THIS BODY.
[NOISE] COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, REACTIONS?
>> SEEMS LIKE A GOOD PLAN TO ME.
THANK YOU, BOB. OUTLINED IT WELL.
THE ONE THING I WOULD ADD IS, I THINK WE'RE MISSING ONE PERSON, THE GREEN TEAM AND SARAH ALLEN SHOULD ALSO BE INCLUDED ON THAT TEAM.
[BACKGROUND] DID YOU SAY YOU WANT TO BE ON THE ENERGY TEAM?
>> ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS SINCE WE ORIGINALLY WROTE THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN IS THAT WE DID HAVE AN ENERGY TEAM THAT SPARKED THE WHOLE THING BECAUSE THEY WERE COMING UP WITH THIS CLIMATE PLAN THAT WAS MAINLY ABOUT ENERGY AND WE SAID, "HEY, WHY DON'T WE DO SOME STUFF".
AT THAT TIME WE DIDN'T HAVE A GROUP WORKING ON WATER.
WE HAD THE RECYCLING STUFF BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE A GROUP LIKE WE'VE GOTTEN NOW WITH SO MUCH INTEREST IN THE ORGANIC.
THAT'S WHY I'VE LISTED THOSE TEAMS THERE.
BUT THE ENERGY TEAM, THE WETLAND EDUCATION TEAM, AND THE FOOD COMPOSTING CONTINUUM TEAM ARE ALL OPERATIONAL AND GOING.
I THINK THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH ALL OPEN TO WHOEVER WANTS TO JOIN.
I DON'T REMEMBER ANY MEMBERSHIP RULES SO DIDN'T WANT TO MISS THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE TEAMS WHO HAVE GOT OTHER THINGS GOING ON THEN REVISING THIS PLAN BUT OBVIOUSLY THEY SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN IT. YEAH, PLEASE.
>> I THINK THIS IS A GOOD PLAN.
MY REACTION FROM MY PERSPECTIVE ON THE FOOD DECOMPOSE TEAM IS THAT RIGHT NOW, AND I GUESS FOR THE PLAN WHERE WE'RE REALLY ARE FOCUSED ON ORGANIC WASTE MANAGEMENT, SO I THINK THAT FITS.
I KNOW THIS IS A FIVE-YEAR PLAN.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AT SOME POINT EXPANDING EVEN BEYOND THAT.
CERTAINLY OUR FOOD SYSTEM HAS WATER IMPLICATIONS AND ENERGY IMPLICATIONS.
I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A SUGGESTION OTHER THAN POTENTIALLY DOING A FOOD SECTION THAT WOULD WEAVE IT BROADER.
BUT IF IN FACT OUR TARGETS ARE, WHICH SO FAR I BELIEVE, THEY SEEM TO BE OUR ALL ORGANIC WASTE MANAGEMENT THEN MAYBE WE LEAVE IT THERE.
VAL, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE FURTHER THOUGHTS.
>> YEAH. THE GOALS WE PUT TOGETHER, IT'S PROBABLY BEEN A COUPLE OF MONTHS NOW THAT WE HAD MAYBE EIGHT PERCENT SHAPED UP, INCLUDED SOME REFERENCES TO FOOD AND THEN THE GOVERNOR'S SUSTAINABILITY PLAN JUST CAME OUT AS BLASTER, WHATEVER THE FINAL STEP WAS.
THERE'S SOME REFERENCE TO FOOD IN THERE AS WELL.
MAYBE IT WAS GREEN COMMUNITIES, THE CHALLENGE.
>> YEAH. I THINK SOME LIGHT REFERENCES AND THE FOOD AND MAYBE CHANGING, TWEAKING A LITTLE BIT OR HOPING TO TWEAK A LITTLE BIT IN TERMS OF POLICIES OR MAYBE EVEN SOME ORDINANCES WOULD BE IN KEEPING.
>> I GUESS I JUST WONDER IF IT WOULD BE BETTER TO HAVE A FOOD SECTION, ENERGY, WATER, SOLID WASTE, FOOD, VERSUS IT ALL BEING UNDER WASTE MANAGEMENT AS IT IS BROADER THAN WASTE MANAGEMENT.
[00:15:14]
>> IN THE SENSE OF [INAUDIBLE].
>> I MEAN IN THE SENSE OF OUR FOOD SYSTEM HAS BROADER IMPLICATIONS THAN JUST THE GLEANING END OF IT OR THE FOOD CAPTURE OR COMPOSTING.
I MEAN OUR FOOD SYSTEM PRACTICES THAT HAVE IMPLICATIONS ABOUT ENERGY USED IN TRANSPORTATION, WATER.
THERE CAN BE CERTAIN RUNOFF WITH CERTAIN PRACTICES AND SYSTEMS. FOR INSTANCE, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IS ALIGNING WITH MICHIGAN'S GOOD FOOD CHARTER, WHICH IS MUCH BROADER THAN JUST THE WASTE MANAGEMENT END OF THINGS.
THAT MAKES ME, ALTHOUGH I THINK WE ARE GOING TO BE LARGELY FOCUSED ON THE ORGANIC WASTE MANAGEMENT END OF THINGS BECAUSE THAT'S THE BIGGEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK.
>> GLEANING AS WELL, FOOD RECAPTURE. IT'S PRE WASTE.
[LAUGHTER] IT'S PREVENTING WASTE.
>> SOME OF IT GETS INTO THE GOALS THAT WE MENTIONED, THE FEW THAT ARE IN THESE OTHER GUIDING LIGHT DOCUMENTS THAT EVERYBODY'S PUT SO MUCH WORK INTO, INCLUDING THE GOOD FOOD CHARTER.
THERE'S REFERENCES TO GROWING LOCALLY AND ALL THAT.
IT DOESN'T FIT IN ANYWHERE ELSE.
GRANTED, IT'S NOT A DIRECT HIT, THE USUAL MUNICIPAL SERVICES, BUT THE MESSAGE NEEDS TO BE PUT IN THERE SOMEWHERE, AND MAYBE SLIGHT CHANGES TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL GROWN AND ALL THAT.
YOU ARE PLANNING ON PROBABLY INTRODUCING DAN IN A MINUTE BUT MOST OF YOU KNOW, DAN OPSOMMER HAD A PUBLIC WORKS AND ASSISTANT CONTRACT MANAGER WHO HAS INTIMATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE BOARD AND MANY OF THE DEPARTMENTS IN THE TOWNSHIP AND HELPS RUN THE TOWNSHIP.
THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HEAR HIS PERSPECTIVE ON HOW WE MIGHT FRAME THIS SO THAT IT CAN IMPACT ON MANY LEVELS.
I THINK WE TEND TO GET FOCUSED ON THE MICRO AND HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP US FRAME OUR ENTIRE DOCUMENTS OR EVEN DEVELOP OUR DOCUMENT IN A WAY THAT IS MOST USEFUL AND ACCEPTED AND ENGAGING TO OTHER COMMISSIONS AND STAFF, ETC.
I'M NOT SURE I'M EXPLAINING THAT VERY WELL.
>> NO, YOU ARE. THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME THROUGH MY SPLIT STUMBLING HERE.
THANKS FOR COMING ALONG TONIGHT, DAN. I [LAUGHTER] APPRECIATE IT.
>> ABSOLUTELY. GLAD TO BE HERE.
DO I HAVE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS?
>> I THINK CERTAINLY WHEN WE GET TO THE ISSUE OF WHAT STAFF MIGHT HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO PARTICIPATE IN SOME OF THIS, YOUR INPUT IS GOING TO BE ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL BUT NOT LIMITED TO THAT, OF COURSE.
TO STAY ON THIS TOPIC FOR JUST A MINUTE, TWO THINGS I DIDN'T MAKE AS CLEAR AS I WANTED TO, THE INTRODUCTION.
I HAD A UNIVERSITY DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION THING ON MY MIND, A PLAN WHEN WRITING FOR MY OWN UNIT.
I THINK WHAT I REALLY MEANT TO SAY THERE WAS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.
I'M HOPING THAT WE HAVE A GOOD, STRONG INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT THAT SETS OUT SOME PRINCIPLES THAT WE WANT TO HOLD OURSELVES TO.
I THINK HOUSING SECURITY, FOOD SECURITY, AND OTHER ASPECTS THAT WE WILL DEFINITELY HAVE CLIMATE IMPLICATIONS.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO CALL THOSE OUT AT THE BEGINNING, AND THEN TO REVISIT THOSE TOPICS AS WE GO THROUGH THE SECTIONS OR THE PLAN, I WOULD EXPECT IN THE ENERGY SECTION, FOR INSTANCE, WE MIGHT TALK ABOUT, WELL, WHO CAN AFFORD TO PUT SOLAR ON THE ROOF AND WHO CAN'T.
I ALSO AGREE THAT LOOKING AT THIS ENERGY SUPPLY, WATER SUPPLY, AND SOLID WASTE, IT'S A NEGATIVE.
[LAUGHTER] AS YOU SAY, FOOD HAS CONNECTIONS TO SO MANY, THE ENERGY SIDE TO THE WATER SIDE AND TO THE LAYSIDE.
ONE THING WE MIGHT CONSIDER IS MAKING SURE THAT EACH OF THOSE SECTIONS ADDRESS THE FOOD RELATED IMPLICATIONS, ASPECTS, ISSUES RELATED TO THEM. THAT MAKES SENSE?
[00:20:10]
>> NO, NO, BUT WE CAN'T HAVE JUST ONE [LAUGHTER] LAUNDRY LIST AND THERE WILL BE BACK-AND-FORTH.
>> THE ENERGY TEAM MET AND DISCUSSED RENEWABLE ENERGY AND WE HAVE IT ON OUR SCHEDULE FOR THE NEXT MEETING WHICH IS COMING UP MAY 19TH, I BELIEVE, TO TALK ABOUT TRANSPORTATION.
THEN THE NEXT MEETING WOULD BE ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
BUT MOST LIKELY, WHEN THE ENERGY TEAM DISCUSSES TRANSPORTATION, WE'LL HAVE A REAL FOCUS ON THE ELECTRIC VEHICLES, AND I'M JUST WONDERING IF THERE'S A WAY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS PRACTICAL, TO GET THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION OR OTHER MORE BROADLY EXPERTISE AND TRANSPORTATION ISSUES [LAUGHTER] BECAUSE IT'S A LOT MORE THAN EVS WHAT COULD OR SHOULDN'T BE DONE, AND I KNOW THAT YOU AND ED AT DIFFERENT TIMES HAD BEEN LIAISON TO THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.
SO IS THERE A WAY MAYBE TO GET THEM INVOLVED EARLY IN THIS PROCESS?
>> ABSOLUTELY. JUST FOR A SECOND STAYING ON THE ENERGY TRANSPORTATION TOPIC, WE HEARD BEFORE THE TOWNSHIP WAS GOING TO LOOK INTERNALLY ABOUT THE REPORT THEY GOT FROM CONSUMERS ABOUT ELECTRIFYING THE FLEET AND THAT SOMETIME IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO, I THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO KNOW A LOT MORE ABOUT THE INTERNAL LOOK AT THAT FEASIBILITY OF DOING THAT, SO THAT PART WILL HELP.
BUT DEFINITELY REACHING OUT TO TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, REACHING OUT TO THE LAND PRESERVATION, REACHING OUT TO PLANNING, ALL OF THOSE LIAISONS ARE GOING TO BE IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT SAYING THINGS THAT OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS HAVE ALREADY SETTLED OR ARE NOT AWARE OF AND JUST TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE. SO YEAH.
>> YEAH, I JUST GOT FEEDBACK ON THAT, BECAUSE REALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION ACROSS BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND STAFF.
CERTAINLY, A BEGINNING STAGE OF THAT IS DOING SOME DEI TRAINING FOR SURE AND I KNOW THAT THE TOWNSHIP HAS SOME GOALS ON THAT AND I'M NOT SURE WHERE WE ARE AT IN THAT PROCESS, BUT STILL THAT WOULD BE A GOOD QUESTION WHERE THE TOWNSHIP IS IN THAT, AND THAT'S JUAN'S QUESTION.
THEN AS ANNA IS SAYING, I THINK THE SEVERAL DIFFERENT AREAS WEAVE INTO OTHER AREAS.
BUT HOW DO YOU ENCOMPASS AND LOOK AT IT ALTOGETHER? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TAKING THROUGH THE DIFFERENT TEAMS. BUT HOW DO WE HAVE THIS BE A TEAM APPROACH TO SAYING NOT ONLY OUR TEAM HERE, BUT ALL OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, LIAISONS, I CAN EASILY TAKE A SLIM PROCESS ON A PROBLEM, I ALREADY PLAN ON DOING THAT.
BUT HOW DO WE GET BUY-IN FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, BUY-IN FROM EVERYBODY ELSE, ALL THE OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS SO THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY ENACTED?
>> WELL, WE DO HAVE THOSE LIAISONS.
WE ESTABLISHED THOSE AND IT MIGHT HELP TO ENSURE THAT OUR AGENDA IS MOVING FORWARD OR PRETTY CLEAR ABOUT.
THIS MEETING WE'RE HOPING TO HEAR SOME FEEDBACK FROM.
IF WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS THIS EVENING, FOR INSTANCE, ON ENERGY, THERE ISN'T NECESSARILY ANOTHER OTHER THAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSULTED, AND WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT.
BUT I'M HOPING THAT AT OUR JUNE MEETING, WE CAN HEAR FROM THE OTHER TEAMS AND THEIR PLANS AND PROGRESS AND BUILDING IN THOSE CONNECTIONS TO THE OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AS PART OF THAT.
I THINK JUST BY VIRTUE OF THE LIAISON SYSTEM THAT THE TOWNSHIP HAS ADOPTED REALLY SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, WE BUY IN BECAUSE THE BOARD IS REPRESENTED.
COURTNEY COULDN'T BE WITH US TONIGHT, BUT SHE WILL BE PART OF THIS PROCESS PRETTY CLOSELY, AND CERTAINLY OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS HAVE BOARD LIAISON.
SO BY VIRTUE OF THAT NETWORK, I THINK WE'LL BE BUILDING THAT.
>> I DIDN'T REMEMBER EARLIER WHEN YOU ASKED BUT YEAH, I ALREADY DID MENTION THAT SHE HAD A CONFLICT TONIGHT.
>> WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING THIS TOWN ALONG THE MASTER PLAN.
>> WELL, FROM MY VIEW ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION, I'M SENSING THAT THE PLANNING DIRECTOR SEES THE REVISION OF THE MASTER PLAN TO BE LESS SUBSTANTIVE THAN IT WAS LAST TIME AROUND.
[00:25:04]
BECAUSE WE HAD THIS COUPLE OF YEARS WHERE EVERYBODY WAS HOLDING THEIR BREATH AND ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS WE WERE HOPING TO SEE FROM THAT MASTER PLAN GOT STALLED.BUT NOW THEY'RE MOVING FORWARD.
THE OPENNESS, THE PEAKERS, AT LEAST TWO OF THE PEAKERS HAVE ACTIVE APPLICATIONS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW THOSE PORTIONS OF THE MASTER PLAN MIGHT BE AMENDED AS A RESULT OF THE CURRENT APPLICATIONS AND THEIR PROGRESS.
BUT MY HOPE IS THAT UNLIKE THE LAST TIME AROUND, WE ACTUALLY GET THIS ADOPTED BY THE BOARD PRIOR TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION BRINGING THEIR MASTER PLAN TO THE BOARD SO THAT WE HAVE AN ADOPTED CLIMATE PLAN THAT CAN BE ADOPTED BY REFERENCE IN THE TOWNSHIP MASTER PLAN, WHICH WAS THE CASE FOR THE BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN PATHWAY PLAN BECAUSE THE BOARD APPROVES THAT, SO IT JUST GETS ADOPTED BY REFERENCE.
BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE THE CLIMATE PLAN AND DONE IN TIME LAST TIME AND THEY HAD SPENT SO LONG DOING IT THAT TIME.
[LAUGHTER] IS THAT YOUR SENSE, DAN, OF THE DYNAMICS OF THAT?
>> IN TERMS OF THE SCOPE OF THE UPDATE TO THE MASTER PLAN OR WHY SOME DOCUMENTS ARE ADOPTED BY REFERENCE? WHAT'S THE QUESTION SPECIFICALLY?
>> HAVE I GOT THE DETAILS RIGHT ON THE TIMING BEING THE CHALLENGE IN HAVING THE CLIMATE PLAN FORMALLY ADOPTED IN THE MASTER PLAN LAST TIME AROUND?
>> I THINK IT CAME THE MONTH AFTER.
>> THAT WAS 2015 THROUGH 2017, SO YOU'RE TESTING MY MEMORY THE LAST TIME AROUND.
>> JUST GENERALLY SPEAKING, I DON'T KNOW OFFHAND ON THE TIMING ISSUE BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, STATE LAW DICTATES THE PROCESS FOR UPDATING THE MASTER PLAN AND IT'S AN ARDUOUS PROCESS.
IT'S ACTUALLY BETTER TO ADOPT SOME THINGS BY REFERENCE.
FOR INSTANCE, MY DEPARTMENT UPDATES THE PATHWAY IN BICYCLE MASTER PLAN, AND I WOULD NOT WANT THAT TO BE AN ACTUAL COMPONENT OF THE MASTER PLAN BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GO TO PLANNING EVERY TIME I NEED TO PUT SOMETHING IN THAT.
THAT WOULD MAKE MY LIFE VERY DIFFICULT AND IF I DON'T HAVE IT IN THERE, IF WE'RE TRYING TO APPLY FOR COUNTY TRAILS AND PARKS MILLAGE MONEY AND WE COME UP WITH A NEW TRAIL CONCEPT, I'M GOING TO GET A VERY EVIL GLEAM FROM THE PLANNING DIRECTOR IF I COME TO HIM REGULARLY ASKING FOR HIM TO DO SOMETHING THAT'S DONE EVERY FIVE YEARS.
SO SOME DOCUMENTS, IT'S BETTER FOR THEM TO BE A LIVING AND BREATHING DOCUMENT IF YOU SEPARATE AND ADOPT BY REFERENCE.
BUT YEAH, THERE WERE NUMEROUS DOCUMENTS ADOPTED BY REFERENCE.
>> A LOT OF OUR SUBCOMMITTEE ACTIVITIES ARE EMERGING AND EVOLVING AS WE SPEAK.
I'M WONDERING IF WE MIGHT ADOPT SOME OF THESE DIFFERENT SECTIONS BY REFERENCE.
SO THE ENERGY TEAM'S AGENDA IS GOING TO BE CHANGING OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS.
WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO SIMPLIFY THIS PROCESS HERE BY ADOPTING BY REFERENCE THE AGENDAS THAT ARE ON THE FOOD COMPOST COMMITTEE, THE WETLAND EDUCATION TEAM, THE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION STUDY GROUP.
I'M JUST THINKING OUT LOUD, BUT SOME WAY TO SIMPLIFY THAT MAKES IT MORE ORGANIC AND BREATHABLE VERSUS US TRYING TO COME UP WITH EVERYTHING IN A DETAILED DOCUMENT THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE IN ANOTHER THREE MONTHS.
>> I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE GOING WITH THAT.
IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, WE CAN PROPOSE AN AMENDMENT REVISION TO THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN ANYTIME WE LIKE, AND IF IT'S A SMALL CHANGE, IT'S GOING TO GO TO THE BOARD AND WE'RE GOING TO SAY THAT'S FINE.
WE'RE GOING TO DO IT EVERY FIVE YEARS JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE REVISITING.
BUT THE NICE THING ABOUT HAVING IT ADOPTED BY REFERENCE IN THE MASTER PLAN, WE CAN KEEP CHANGING IT AND THE MASTER PLAN, IF IT'S GOING TO BE REVISED, IT'S GOT TO BE SENT TO ALL THE SURROUNDING JURISDICTIONS WITH 40 DAYS AND THEY'RE GOING TO GIVE COMMENTS AND PUBLIC HEARINGS.
>> BUT THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP JUST SAYS THE SPECIFIC COMPONENT OF THAT AND IT DOES THAT CHANGE UNLESS YOU GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS UNDER STATE LAW.
SO PLANNING CANNOT TAKE A CHANGE TO THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP TO THE BOARD OR THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
THAT LITERALLY HAS TO GO THROUGH THE ACTUAL MASTER PLANNING PROCESS.
THAT WOULD BE VERY ARDUOUS FOR, SAY, THE PATHWAY MASTER PLAN OR THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN ARE OTHER PLANS THAT WE WANT TO ADOPT BY REFERENCE.
[00:30:06]
>> YEAH. MY PREFERENCE WOULD BE TO STICK TO THE FIVE-YEAR REVISION AND IF WE HAVE INCIDENTAL CHANGES, THE NICE THING ABOUT THE WAY THE PLAN IS STRUCTURED AND FIVE-YEAR CLOCK ON IT IS THAT WE HAVE IN EACH SECTION A DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE AND THEN FUTURE OBJECTIVES.
THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH IN THERE, ESPECIALLY ON THE ENERGY SIDE WHERE THOSE THINGS GOT DONE OR THEY'RE CLOSE TO GETTING DONE.
THAT'S OUR CHANCE TO CELEBRATE AND SAY LOOK AT EVERYTHING WE GOT DONE.
HERE'S THE NEXT SET OF OBJECTIVES.
SO WE COULD UPDATE IT EVERY TIME WE PASS ONE OF THOSE OBJECTIVES, BUT IT'S NICE EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE TO LOOK BACK AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE GOT DONE.
ONLY BEEN FIVE YEARS, THERE'S SOLAR ARRAYS EVERYWHERE.
WE GOT ALL THESE ACTIVITIES GOING ON, ALL THIS STUFF IS GOING ON.
WRITE IN OBJECTIVE, IT SAYS CREATE A FOOD COMPOSTING GROUP, DO A FOOD AUDIT SCHOOL AND WILLIAMSON DID IT AND THOSE ARE ALREADY DONE.
I LEARNED THAT FROM MY DAD. WHEN YOU HAVE A TO-DO LIST, IS IT FAIR TO PUT STUFF ON THAT YOU'VE ALREADY DONE AND CROSS IT OFF AND GIVE YOURSELF CREDIT? [LAUGHTER]
>> IT'S JUST A PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION.
THERE WAS NO RIGHT ANSWER THERE.
>> CAN I ASK QUESTIONS [INAUDIBLE]?
>> ALL RIGHT. SO BILL, I'M LOOKING LIKE I'M GOING TO BE LEADING THE WATER GROUP.
OBVIOUSLY, I'M DOING THE WETLAND GROUP, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT AND THEN STORMWATER.
I WOULD BE HAVING SOME TALKS PERHAPS WITH DIAN'S DEPARTMENT ABOUT THAT AND GETTING INFORMATION OVER.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT?
>> YEAH. I BELIEVE THAT THE TOWNSHIP IS ALREADY REQUIRED TO DO A WHOLE BUNCH OF ENVIRONMENTAL THINGS.
WE DON'T BENCHMARK THOSE BECAUSE IT'S A DEPARTMENT THAT DOESN'T BUY ORDINANCE OR PROCEDURES.
[NOISE] BUT I THINK THERE'S SOME THINGS ABOUT MAYBE NOT SO MUCH STORMWATER BUT OTHER WATER QUALITY ISSUES.
IF WE WANTED TO LOOK AT GROUNDWATER AND GROUNDWATER SECURITY, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO GO TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT OR THE COUNTY FOR THAT RATHER THAN TOWNSHIP.
IF WE WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT ROADS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO TO THE ROAD DEPARTMENT TO GET THE NUMBERS FOR THAT, BUT WE DO HAVE GOOD INFORMATION ON THAT FROM OUR LOCAL MAP.
I'M NOT FAR ENOUGH ALONG IN KNOWING WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO TOWNSHIP DEPARTMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR WATER-RELATED ISSUES.
OBVIOUSLY, WE PARTICIPATE IN OUR WATER SUPPLY WITH THE EAST LANSING MERIDIAN THING.
WE SEND OUR WASTE WATER DOWN TO AN EAST LANSING PLANT THAT HAS A NEW DIGESTER IN IT.
IT'S GOING TO DO A WHOLE BUNCH OF COOL THINGS.
THOSE ARE ALREADY WELL-KNOWN TO TOWNSHIP [NOISE] STAFF, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE A TEAM WORKING ON THEM.
THAT'S WHY I WANTED DIAN TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION TO HELP US UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT WE ARE ALREADY DOING IN THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY DOMAIN THAT WE DIDN'T REALLY GET A LOT OF MENTION THE LAST TIME AROUND.
THE IDEA OF HAVING A LEAD THERE IS JUST WHEN WE SCHEDULE ONE OF THESE SECTIONS TO BE THE MAIN TOPIC OF DISCUSSION, I KNOW WHO'S ORGANIZING THAT DISCUSSION AS FAR AS WHO ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTES WHAT TO THAT DISCUSSION.
I CAN'T AFFORD TO BE TOO INVOLVED IN ALL OF THEM BECAUSE I JUST DON'T HAVE THE TIME WITH.
IT'S REALLY JUST A MATTER OF BEING THE PERSON WHO'S AT THE LEAD IN THAT DISCUSSION.
WHEN IT COMES TO SOLID WASTE BY THE WAY, I HAD A LIST OF GREEN TEAM MEMBERS AND THANKS FOR THE UPDATES ON THAT.
WHAT I WAS DOING WAS LOOKING AT THE REASON I PUT TOM DOWNSTAIRS BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY COMMISSIONER WHO I HAD A NAME FOR US AS BEING PART OF THE GREEN TEAM AND YOU'RE ALMOST ALWAYS GOING TO BE HERE SO I PUT YOUR NAME ON THAT.
[LAUGHTER] ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THAT?
>> YEAH, THAT'S FINE. I'M WILLING TO TAKE THE LEAD AND MAYBE WE CAN DRAG IN SOME OF THE OTHER GREEN TEAM MEMBERS AS WARRANT FOR FURTHER EXPLANATION BUT I'M HAPPY TO COORDINATE THAT.
>> THE GREEN TEAM, I THINK THAT NAME IS SO CONFUSING TO FOLKS LIKE WHAT THE GREEN TEAM ACTUALLY DOES.
MAYBE ORIGINALLY THE GREEN TEAM WAS THE RECYCLING TEAM AND MAYBE THAT'S WHAT I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW THE HISTORY OF IT, BUT I KNOW THAT SOME THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON, IT'S LIKE,
[00:35:01]
THAT'S PART OF THE GREEN TEAM I'M LIKE, THAT'S NOT PART OF THE GREEN TEAM BECAUSE I KNOW THE GREEN TEAM TO BE THIS LIST OF FOLKS THAT DO THESE THINGS IN HERE.I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THAT'S CONFUSING TO ANYONE ELSE.
I KNOW MORE OF THE HISTORY THAN YOU DO.
>> I HAVE THE SENSE THAT THE TWO UNOFFICIAL GROUPS THAT AROSE WERE THE ENERGY TEAM AND THE GREEN TEAM AND MY SENSES LIKE YOU THAT THE GREEN TEAM WAS, A LOT OF THEIR ACTIVITY AT THE TIME WAS FOCUSED ON RECYCLING INITIATIVES.
>> THAT'S STILL THE CASE, SO IT'S MOSTLY RECYCLING EVENTS.
THEY'RE CERTAINLY THE PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN FREE DIALOGUES AND GREEN IS PRETTY BROADLY.
YES, MOSTLY EVENTS WHICH IS EXPANDED INTO THE MARKETPLACE AS WELL AS THE TWO MAJOR EVENTS.
>> DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO CALL THE RECYCLING TEAM?
>> IT USED TO BE CALLED THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP CITIZENS RECYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
>> IT'S TRUE THAT PRIMARILY THE FOCUS IS ON RECYCLING, BUT I'M JUST THINKING LIKE OUR NEXT FOCUS IS RAIN BARRELS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE SO THAT'S NOT QUITE RECYCLING.
IT IS A LITTLE BIT BROADER THAN JUST RECYCLING.
>> SOME MORE OF THIS LEADING OLDER BETWEEN THINGS.
>> THANKS. YOU THINK OF THE GREEN TEAM AND RECYCLING AND YOU END UP WITH WORM BINS AND COMPOST BINS AND RAIN BARRELS AND SUDDENLY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT STORMWATER ON CAPTURE AND FOOD PRODUCTION AND IT'S A HOPELESS THING.
MIKE, I WAS A LITTLE BIT BIFURCATED HERE ON THE SOLID WASTE BECAUSE I LISTED BOWELS LEADING ON THE ORGANIC WASTE SIDE BECAUSE I SEE HERE AS ORGANIZING MOST OF THE ACTIVITIES IN THE FOOD COMPOSTING GROUP.
MAYBE IF YOU GUYS CAN CO-CHAIR THAT ONE IF THOSE ARE GOING TO BE A COMBINED SECTION.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THEM BOTH IN ONE TIME OR THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE AT THIS POINT RELATIVELY SEPARATE ACTIVITIES.
>> THEY HAVE BEEN ALTHOUGH AS YOU LOOK AT THE LIST OF NUMBERS OF THE TWO GROUPS, THERE IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF CROSSOVER BETWEEN THE TWO, THE SAME PEOPLE [LAUGHTER] BOTH GROUPS.
>> BUT IN TERMS OF FACILITATING OR LEADING A DISCUSSION OF ORGANIC WASTES, I'M ASSUMING YOU'D BE MORE FAMILIAR IF I LED THAT DISCUSSION.
YEAH. OKAY. LET'S MOVE ON IN TERMS OF AGENDA AND HOW WE RUN THOSE MEETINGS.
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON MISSING NAMES? THESE ARE NOT CONCRETE, THESE ARE JUST WHO THE PLAYERS SEEM TO BE THAT I'M AWARE OF.
>> YANNIS, IS A PRETTY BIG PLAYER IN THE WATER, THE MS4 ACTIVITIES.
HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY TIME NECESSARILY BUT HE WOULD BE A GOOD PERSON TO CHAT WITH. [OVERLAPPING]
>> I'M GOING TO ASK FOR A LITTLE BIT OF DESCRIPTION ABOUT MS4, I'M GOING TO ASK FOR IT FROM DAN.
>> IT'S WATER ADJUSTING AND TO BE HONEST IF YOU ASK YANNIS TO BE HERE AS WELL.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO PUT YANNIS AND I DOWN AND YOU CAN SEND EVERYTHING TO ME AND WE CAN COMPILE WHATEVER YOU NEED.
>> MY LITTLE BIT OF UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE OPERATE UNDER A COMBINED STORMWATER PERMIT WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WORKS.
CLIFF WALLS KNOWS IT INSIDE AND OUT AND I KNOW A LITTLE BIT AROUND THE EDGES.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE YANNIS ON THERE TO THE EXTENT THAT HE'S GOT TIME AVAILABLE AND MAKE SURE THAT THESE COPIED ON COMMUNICATIONS AND GET A CHANCE TO SEE AND READ THE FIRST DRAFTS AND NOT NECESSARILY TO COME AND BRAINSTORM, BUT MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT CONTRADICTING SOMETHING THAT HE'S ALREADY DOING OR DUPLICATING.
>>LAUREN AGREED TO [OVERLAPPING]
>> WE DON'T HAVE A COMBINED SYSTEM.
WE HAVE A SEPARATED SYSTEM BETWEEN SANITARY SEWER AND STORMWATER.
SO PREDOMINANTLY OUR STORMWATER IS MANAGED THROUGH THE COUNTY DRAIN SYSTEM.
[00:40:01]
>> I WAS THE SAYING THAT LAUREN, WHAT'S HER LAST NAME?
>> THANK YOU. YEAH, THAT SHE AGREED TO WORK ON THE CLIMATE STATE ON BILLY PLAYING ALONG WITH SUSAN MOSTYN AND THEN I KNOW COURTNEY SERVES ON THE GROUNDWATER [BACKGROUND] MANAGEMENT BOARD AND OBVIOUSLY WORKS FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND SOME WATER ISSUES TOO.
I'M HOPING SHE'LL BE ABLE TO WORK ON THAT.
>> I GUESS WE DON'T HAVE CLARITY ON THE DEI, ANYTHING SO WE JUST GOING TO [NOISE] [OVERLAPPING]
>> I CAN PROVIDE AN UPDATE IF YOU'D LIKE AN UPDATE ON DEI.
>>THAT IS ONE OF THE GOALS THAT THE BOARD LISTED FOR 2022.
IT'S BEEN ON THERE FOR AT LEAST THE PAST THREE YEARS, IF NOT THE PAST FOUR YEARS.
THE ACTUAL ACTION PLAN FOR THE DEI IS TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS TO PROVIDE TRAINING.
WE DID DO ONE TRAINING THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS.
WE WERE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT THIS JUST EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON.
OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF PROJECTS AND OPERATIONS, MELISSA MACY IS PROBABLY GOING TO GET WITH ABBY T. HOFF, WHO IS OUR HR DIRECTOR.
ABBY HAS BEEN WORKING ON ALL THE DEI INITIATIVES, BUT HER TIME BEING OUR ONLY FULL-TIME HR STAFF PERSON IS PRETTY CONSUMED WITH THE DAY-TO-DAY HR RESPONSIBILITIES.
WE WERE GOING TO HAVE MELISSA ASSIST HER IN PUTTING OUT IN THE NEXT TRAINING FOR THAT.
MELISSA IS WORKING ON AN UPDATE TO OUR 2015 PERSONNEL HANDBOOK.
WE'VE NOT UPDATED THAT IN SEVEN YEARS AND SO THE PERSONNEL HANDBOOK IS RECEIVING AN UPDATE THIS YEAR FROM THE VANTAGE POINT OF DEI.
THEN WE'RE ALSO ALWAYS JUST LOOKING FOR ANY OPPORTUNITY TO ENHANCE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION WITHIN THE TOWNSHIP SO ANY OF OUR POLICIES, PROCEDURES WHERE WE CAN MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS COULD BE ORDINANCE DRIVEN, IT COULD BE TERMINOLOGY THAT IS OUTDATED AND NOT UP TO MODERN STANDARDS AS IT RELATES TO DEI, IT COULD BE OUR PERSONAL HANDBOOK LANGUAGE USED IN THERE.
THEN I CAN TELL YOU BECAUSE I PERSONALLY HAD AN EXPERIENCE DEI RELATED YESTERDAY AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT OUR HR DIRECTOR IS ON TOP OF IT PROACTIVELY.
I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THAT STAFF MEMBER AND SO IT'S BEING TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY IN THE TOWNSHIP, BUT OUR HR DIRECTOR IS THE LEAD ON THAT AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET OUR NEWEST DIRECTOR ASSISTING HER IN THAT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF STAFF CAPACITY THERE IN HR.
>> I HAS SOME EXPERTISE IN DEI AND I ATTEND A LOT OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND I HAVE SOME EXPERTISE ENVIRONMENTALISTS.
I WONDER ABOUT ENTIRE STAFF EDUCATION ON THIS LIKE OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE DOING THAT.
I'M NOT SURE WHERE YOU GUYS ARE AT IN THAT END OF THINGS AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY A FIRST STEP.
>> YEAH, I FORGET THE EXACT SPECIFIC SON WHO ALL PARTICIPATED IN THE FIRST TRAINING SESSION THAT WAS HELD WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS.
I'LL HAVE TO GET THAT DATA FROM ABBY.
BUT THAT WAS THE FIRST OF WHAT WAS INTENDED TO BE MANY DEI TRAININGS FOR ALL STAFF.
>> OKAY. BECAUSE SOME COMMUNITIES ARE DOING 30 HOURS OF STAFF TRAINING.
>> I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S THE TOWNSHIP GOAL AS FAR AS NUMBER OF HOURS.
>> WE DO NOT HAVE A SPECIFIC METRIC GOAL.
>> HOPEFULLY, HAVING A LITTLE BIT ADDITIONAL STAFF CAPACITY.
WE WERE JUST TALKING TO MELISSA TODAY TO ONBOARD HER FOR DEI PURPOSES SO.
WE NEED TO HAVE HER SIT DOWN WITH ABBY THOUGH THAT WAS MELISSA, MANAGER WALSH, AND I TALKING ABOUT HAVING HER ASSISTANT IN THAT SO.
THE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN PRETTY DIFFICULT FOR ABBY.
WE HAD 11 STAFF POSITIONS THAT NEEDED TO BE FILLED LAST CALENDAR YEAR, NOW WE ARE FULLY STAFFED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
>> THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU DON'T EVEN NECESSARILY THINK OF THAT ARE DEI RELATED.
OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT DOES PARTICIPATE WITH CMH AND SO THEY COORDINATE WITH CMH IN THE FIELD AND THEY HAVE TABLETS TO DIRECTLY LINK PEOPLE TO SOCIAL WORKERS, POLICE AND FIRE TO GO THROUGH TRAINING FOR DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES INCLUDING AUTISM, AND THEY DO HAVE KITS.
[00:45:01]
THEY HAVE BACK-PACK KITS FOR SENSORY IN THE FIELD, SO IF THEY DO ENCOUNTER AN INDIVIDUAL WITH DISABILITIES IN THE FIELD, THEY ALSO HAVE A BOOK CLUB WHERE PARENTS CAN VOLUNTARILY SUBMIT INFORMATION ON THEIR CHILD WITH DISABILITIES.THERE'S LOTS OF THINGS THAT WE DON'T OFTEN EVEN AND THAT MANY OF THOSE THINGS ACTUALLY PREDATE THE MODERN PRESENT-DAY DEI MOVEMENT.
THE SOCIAL WORKER COMPONENT WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS RELATIVELY NEW.
THAT'S ABOUT 18 TO 24 MONTHS THAT THAT'S BEEN IN PLACE.
>> FORGIVE ME IF YOU SAID THIS.
IS THERE OR WILL THERE BE A TOWNSHIP TOP-LINE STATEMENT THAT WE CAN INCLUDE AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PLAN THAT WE CAN THEN ADD ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMPONENT TO? BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO TRY TO WRITE A DEI STATEMENT THAT THE BOARD IS GOING TO ADOPT ONE OR WE'RE ALREADY HAS.
>> I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THERE'S A MISSION STATEMENT.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, THE WAY THAT THE 2022 GOALS WERE WRITTEN, IT WAS WRITTEN FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH AN ACTION PLAN WHERE THERE ARE HEADINGS, AND SO FOR INSTANCE, DEI IS A HEADING.
THEN WITHIN THAT, THERE WERE THREE SPECIFIC GOALS TO ACHIEVE AND SO THE DIRECTOR'S WORK ON PRODUCING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE MANAGER TO PUT BEFORE THE BOARD ON AN ANNUAL BASIS SO THIS WILL BE REDONE IN THE FALL.
BUT THERE ISN'T NECESSARILY A MISSION STATEMENT THAT COULD JUST BE PLUGGED INTO THE DOCUMENT TODAY.
>> ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS ON THE STRUCTURE OUTLINE, RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PLAN? WELL, WE'LL TRY TO INCORPORATE.
I'LL CONNECT WITH THE ROY AND MAKE SURE WE CAPTURE AS MANY OF THOSE SUGGESTIONS AS POSSIBLE AND CIRCULATE A REVISED VERSION SO EVERYBODY'S KEEPING UP.
>> A LOT OF TIMES STRUCTURED THINGS LIKE THIS, THERE'LL BE A LAST SECTION THAT SAYS CROSS-CUTTING THAT POINTS OUT EXACTLY THE NON ORTHOGONALITY OF THESE THINGS, AND IT MIGHT BE WORKED WITH THAT EXPLICITLY, THAT AS A SECTION TO BE ARTICULATED.
JUST THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE LONG, BUT IT JUST ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THESE ARE NOT UNIQUE SEPARATE MODULES THAT WE'VE WHERE WE DON'T COMMUNICATE.
IT'S OBVIOUS TO US, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY OBVIOUS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION.
IT'D BE A COUPLE OF PARAGRAPHS.
>> OR IDEALLY A REALLY HELPFUL DIAGRAM.
>> LOTS OF ARROWS GOING WITH YOU.
>> IT'S ACTUALLY A MAP. [LAUGHTER]
>> I ACTUALLY FEELS TO ME LIKE SOMETHING THAT SHOULD ALSO BE UP AT THE FRONT.
SAY LOOK, WE'VE GOT THREE SECTIONS HERE.
WE DON'T PRETEND THAT THEY'RE ALL ORTHOGONAL.
>> THEN HAVING LAID THEM OUT THEN POINTING TO THE INTER CONNECTEDNESS. THAT'S ALL.
>> I'M WRITING YOUR NAME DOWN HERE IN BOLD [LAUGHTER] AS THE LEAD FOR THE CONCLUSION CONNECTIONS SECTION.
>> WOW, EVERYTHING'S CONNECTED.
>> SOMETHING LIKE THAT. MAYBE YOU COULD INCLUDE AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AT THE BEGINNING.
IT OUTLINES WHAT YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT.
>> SEE HOW CLEVER HE'S SUGGESTING A NEW SECTION, BUT HE'S ALREADY DONE AS A LEAD FOR ANOTHER ONE SO HE CAN.
[LAUGHTER] NO, I THINK AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IS GOOD.
I THINK THE CURRENT PLAN IS TO HALF A DOZEN PAGES OR SOMETHING, SO IT'S NOT ONEROUS, BUT IT'S MAINLY IN BULLET FORM.
BUT, YEAH WE CAN AS WE GO THROUGH IF IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GETTING LONG ENOUGH THAT AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IS WARRANTED. IT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA.
IF YOU JUST LEAVE IT AT THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, IS THAT NOT 99 PERCENT? WE'RE GOING TO READ. [LAUGHTER].
>> [INAUDIBLE] APPARENTLY SERIOUS ABOUT KEEPING OUR SECTIONS RELATIVELY CLEAR AND FOCUSED AND BRIEF, KNOWING THAT OUR PLANS ARE GOING TO BE EVOLVING AND WE HAVE A LOT MORE COMPLEXITY TO IT THEN SHOWS UP.
YEAH, I DON'T THINK WE'RE IN DANGER OF BEING VERBOSE.
[00:50:03]
I MEAN, WE HAD ONE PARAGRAPH AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH SECTION, SO THESE ARE OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE REST WAS JUST BULLET POINTS.BUT AS YOU WERE SAYING THAT, IT REMINDED ME THAT THE TOWNSHIP HAS ALSO MADE SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN TREE PLANTING, INVESTMENTS IN TREE PLANTING, AND I DON'T EVEN RECALL IF WE HAD A SECTION ABOUT THAT IN 2017 VERSION OR WHERE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN. HOW DO WE MISS THAT? << I DON'T THINK WE DID.
>> I COULD TRY TO SHOEHORN IT INTO ENERGY BECAUSE ITS CARBON SEQUESTRATION, BUT IT'S ALSO WETLAND RESTORATION, AND IT'S ALSO FOOD CROPS [OVERLAPPING].
>> ARE YOU ASKING WHETHER [INAUDIBLE]
>> CURRENT CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY.
>> DEPENDING ON HOW YOU INTERPRET THAT IF YOU GO TO PAGE 8, INCREASED TREE CANOPY THROUGHOUT THE TOWNSHIP IS ONE OF THE STRATEGIES FOR OBJECTIVE A2, EXPLORE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AND PARTNERSHIPS TO ACHIEVE ENERGY SAVINGS.
>> WE HAVE UNDER FLOODING TO PLANTS.
>> IT'S ALREADY THERE, I JUST FORGOTTEN WHERE THAT.
>> NOT SPECIFICALLY AS THE TOWNSHIP SHALL HAVE AN ANNUAL TREE PLANTING PROGRAM, BUT IT IS IN THERE.
>> RIGHT. WE COULD AT THIS POINT SAY THAT THE TOWNSHIP HEREBY COMMITS TO CONTINUE THAT TREE PLANTING UNTIL IT REACHES THIS CANOPY CLOSURE AND SEE IF WE CAN SOLVE THE BOARD ON THAT.
>> [INAUDIBLE] AN IDEA TO CONSIDER AT ONE POINT?
>> YEAH. THE TOUGH PART IS JUST TRYING TO RECONCILE OUR CURRENT TREE PROTECTION ORDINANCE AGAINST, AND UPDATE IT.
IT'S ALREADY IN THERE AND YOU HAVE TO WORK WITHIN IT.
BUT THE CONCEPT WAS IF A DEVELOPER TAKES DOWN SO MANY TREES THEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO EITHER PLANT A CERTAIN NUMBER OF SPECIES BUT A CERTAIN BEST STANDARD HEIGHT, I BELIEVE.
OR DID I GET THAT INVERSED? YEAH. YOU'D [NOISE] HAVE A TABLE, SO THERE'D BE A REPLACEMENT PROGRAM OR YOU WOULD PAY INTO THE TREEBANK AND THE TOWNSHIP COULD USE THE TREEBANK TO THEN PLANT TREES.
THE CURRENT ORDINANCE DOES REQUIRE A CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FACTOR ALREADY.
THE ORDINANCE IS COMPLEX, IT GOT TABLE THAN THEN COVID, AND THEN WE HAD TURNOVER IN OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
>> I CAN SAY FROM LAND FOR THE PATIENT STANDPOINT, FOLKS ARE INTERESTED IN THE TREE.
>> COOL. I SAW YOUR HANDS GO SIMULTANEOUSLY GO.
>> I WAS JUST GOING TO JUST MENTION IT NOT TO COMPLICATE LIFE, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SO MANY OVERLAPS WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT THAT I DON'T KNOW.
DO WE LIAISON WITH THEM NOW OR MIGHT SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE, MIGHT IT MAKE SENSE TO ESTABLISH SOME LITTLE MINI, SOMETHING PRIVATE?
>> I'M LIASONING WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AT WHAT THE WETLAND EDUCATION PLANT-NATIVE MERIDIAN, IT'S OKAY.
>> WE HAVE THAT CONNECTION EXISTING [OVERLAPPING] AT LEAST IN TERMS OF THE WEAPONS SIDE.
>> I MEAN, THERE'S OTHER ISSUES WITH [OVERLAPPING].
>> WITH THOSE TREES TOO AS PART OF LAND PRESERVATION, IF WE WANT IT, WE WANT TO WORK ON THE TREES AND PROTECTING TREES AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS AND PLANTING AND IAN MERIDIAN.
>> I MEAN, WE DISCUSSED THE GREEN BURIAL THING, WHICH I THINK SEVERAL OF US [OVERLAPPING] THINK IT'S VERY INTERESTING AND I GUESS THAT THE PAST I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT, BUT I KEEP HARPING IN THE ELECTRIC BIKES AS A WAY TO CALL IT TRANSPORTATION AND RECREATION AND [OVERLAPPING].
>> ENERGY AND TRANSPORTATION, YEAH?
>> [LAUGHTER] BUT THERE SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP THAT SOME PRE-PLANNING WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL ON OUTCOME.
>> IN MY UNDERSTANDING, ON THE ELECTRIFICATION SIDE IS A LOT OF IT IS VEHICLES, BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME EQUIPMENT, SOME PARKS EQUIPMENT THAT DPV OVER COPING COULD ALSO BE ELECTRIFIED.
THERE'S THOSE CONNECTIONS AS WELL, THERE'S ALL SORTS OF STUFF.
>> YEAH, WE HAVE THREE ELECTRIC MOWERS.
THE CHALLENGE IS THEIR BATTERY LIFE.
IF IT'S A DRY DAY, YOU'RE GOING TO BE OUT MOWING ALL DAY, IF IT'S A WET DAY, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE OUT MOWING AT ALL.
THEY ONLY LAST ABOUT 2-4 HOURS DEPENDING ON THE SPEED AND THE TEMPERATURE OF THAT DAY, THE TEMPERATURE OF THE NIGHT PROCEEDING.
>> I KNOW THAT'S TRUE [OVERLAPPING].
>> THAT SHOULD PILOTED THE SAME, I THINK THEY'RE CALLED THE GREEN MACHINES.
UNLESS YOU PILOTED THEM, AND SOLVE THEM.
BECAUSE THE BATTERY LIFE WASN'T QUITE READY
[00:55:04]
FOR MORE A COMMERCIAL USE LIKE PUBLIC WORKS, GROUNDS.>> YEAH, WE HAVE THE SAME MODELS.
BUT A LOT OF OUR DBW CREW REALLY PREFER THE PARKS CRUISE, AND GROUNDS CREW IS REALLY PREFER THE GAS.
STILL BECAUSE OF THE LIMITATIONS.
>> I KNOW THAT IT'S BEEN A TOPIC IN THE ENERGY TEAM DISCUSSIONS AND ROGERS HAD BEEN TESTING OUT A LOT OF THAT EQUIPMENT AT A RESIDENTIAL LEVEL.
WE WANT TO BE MINDFUL THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON TOWNSHIP OPERATIONS BUT ALSO LOOKING BEYOND.
THOSE ARE ALL GOOD CONNECTIONS.
>> I HAVE TWO SUGGESTIONS AND I DO THINK INSTEAD OF ORGANIC WASTE MANAGEMENT, WE SHOULD HAVE A FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SECTION.
I ALSO THINK WE SHOULD ADD CALLOUT WETLANDS, LIKE WETLANDS AND WATER, I DON'T MEAN TO BE PICKY ON THIS, BUT.
>> THOSE ARE TWO AREAS WHERE MAYBE THERE ARE MORE THAT WE SHOULD BE CALLING OUT.
I'M THINKING IF THESE ARE WAYS WE'RE GOING TO ORGANIZE IT, WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT AND KNOW WHERE OUR BIG AREAS OF ACTION.
I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD GET FOOD, OR A FOOD SYSTEM OUT OF LOOKING AT OH, HERE'S THE TOPIC, ORGANIC WASTE MANAGEMENT.
>>WETLANDS IS MORE WATER, BUT A TON OF WETLANDS WORK IN THIS COMMISSION.
I MEAN, IT'S VERY HEAVILY WETLANDS, BUT IF I JUST SAW WATER, IT JUST DOESN'T THAT DOESN'T READ TO ME.
LET'S TAKE THESE SECTION HEADINGS AS VERY FIRST CREWED SHORTHAND.
>> I EXPECT THEM TO EVOLVE WATER AS CRUDE.
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE IS INTERESTING.
FROM THE STANDPOINT THAT THERE IS ACTIVE AGRICULTURE AT SEVERAL SCALES IN THE TOWNSHIP, AND LOCAL PRODUCTION, THE FARMERS MARKET, THOSE ISSUES ARE CLIMATE ISSUES BY VIRTUE OF TRANSPORTATION, BY VIRTUE OF WATER, BY VIRTUE OF OTHER THINGS.
PERSONALLY I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH HAVING A FOOD FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SECTION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT ENCOMPASSES THOSE ISSUES AND FOCUSES ON RATHER THAN AROUND THE EDGES.
WE HAVE A LOT OF RECENTLY FORMER FARMLAND IN THE TOWNSHIP, AND PART OF THE BOARD'S POLICY HAS ENSHRINED IN THE MASTER PLAN IS TO TRY TO KEEP THOSE AREAS UNDEVELOPED BY DOING INFILL DEVELOPMENT FIRST.
ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF THAT IS, IF WE REACH A POINT WHERE WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE BUILT OUT, WE'VE GOT ENOUGH DEVELOPMENT, AND IT MAKES SENSE TO RETURN SOME OF THOSE AREAS TO PRODUCTION, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S WAYS TO DO THAT, AND THAT WE'RE ENCOURAGING IT.
I BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN PUT AN AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION EASEMENT ON A PIECE OF PROPERTY, AND PAY AGRICULTURAL TAXES FOR IT.
I THINK THERE'S LOTS OF WAYS THAT THAT CAN HAPPEN, AND I'M NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH THEM, BUT THEY'RE WORTH EXPLORING.
>> YEAH, THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT.
>> I BELIEVE THAT THE SANDER RESERVE WAS UNDER SOME AN EASEMENT, A ROLLING EASEMENT FOR MANY YEARS BEFORE IT WAS FINALLY DONATED TO THE TOWNSHIP AS A PART OF, I GUESS LAND.
I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S LAND PRESERVE EARTH TO PARK, BUT ANYWAY, THERE ARE MECHANISMS BY WHICH THOSE, AND DAN AND I HAD THIS DISCUSSION WHEN I TALKED TO A FARMER ASSESSOR A FEW YEARS AGO AND SAID YOU KNOW WHAT, ANY LAND IN TOWNSHIP ZONED AGRICULTURAL AND PAYING AGRICULTURAL TAX AND THEY KNOW DEVELOPMENT DEMAND IS TOO HIGH, AND THE HIGHEST AND BEST USE OF THOSE PROPERTIES IS [NOISE] DEVELOPMENT.
WE'RE GOING TO TAX IT AT THAT RATE.
BUT THERE MAY BE ALTERNATIVES OUT THERE THAT ARE WORTH EXPLORING FOR ENCOURAGING THE RETURN TO SOME OF THOSE LANDS TO PRODUCTION [OVERLAPPING] BUT ALSO THE [NOISE] COMMUNITY GARDEN PROGRAM THAT OPERATES.
I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY ON THAT EFFORT HERE.
[01:00:01]
>> WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT, YEAH.
>> WE'RE IN CENTER RADAR BECAUSE IT DEALS WITH GLEANING AND COMPOSTING.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF THIS REALLY THROWS A MONKEY WRENCH INTO THE WORKS BUT [LAUGHTER] MAYBE LOOKING, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT THIS.
MAYBE THERE NEEDS TO BE A COMMUNITY OR EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH BECAUSE THERE'S A BIT OF A COMPONENT IN ALL OF THESE, MAYBE NOT SO MUCH ENERGY, AND THEN THE WASTE OR SOMETHING WE'RE RECYCLING IN ADDITION TO FOOD AND AGRICULTURE.
JUST BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE THE GREEN TEAM, PRETTY MUCH THAT'S WHAT YOU DO, RIGHT? COMMUNITY AND EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH ME TO A LARGER SIZE.
>> THAT WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S REACHING EVERYONE.
>> ONE OF OUR GOALS, OF COURSE, IS EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH FOR THE RECYCLING PART.
>> I ABSOLUTELY AGREE THAT, I THINK WHEN WE GO THROUGH THE DETAILED BULLETS FROM THE EXISTING PLAN, WE'LL FIND THAT EDUCATION EFFORTS ARE CALLED OUT THERE [OVERLAPPING] AND WE DIDN'T GET AROUND TO LAST TIME IS BEING SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT SORT OF INVESTMENT WE'RE EXPECTING THE BOARD TO AUTHORIZE FOR THESE THINGS.
THE TREE PLANTING, WELL, TRUSTEE SAID, I THINK WE SHOULD DO THIS AND CONVINCED THE BOARD AND DID THE SOLAR INSTALLATIONS.
I THINK WE'RE A RESULT OF A FEASIBILITY STUDY SO THIS MAKES ECONOMIC SENSE.
WE DON'T HAVE VERY SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES FOR WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH IN THE EDUCATION REALM, AND WE DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC ASKS FOR RESOURCES TO BE DEVOTED TO THOSE THINGS.
COULD FALL UNDER AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN THAT COULD BE A LIVING DOCUMENT ADJACENT TO THIS.
IT SAYS THIS YEAR OUR ASK IS TO ATTACK THESE THINGS.
>> I THINK THAT'S A LOT OF ESTIMATE, SHE WAS IN THE BOUNDARIES AND SAY TO HAVE IN EACH SECTION MAYBE EDUCATION GOALS AND THEN WE DECIDE AS COMMISSION WHAT MAKES SENSE TO DO THIS YEAR AND ASK THE BOARD FOR RESOURCES TO DO AND HOW TO GO ABOUT DOING THAT.
>> WELL, WE'VE BEEN ON THIS TOPIC FOR AN HOUR, WHICH IS APPROACHING MY LIMIT FOR THESE CHAIRS SO IF WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE I MAY BE UP IN A BATTLE BUT DON'T TAKE OFFENSE, I'M JUST STRETCHING.
JOHN, GIVE US A LITTLE UPDATE ON WHAT THE ENERGY TEAM HAS BEEN THINKING IN TERMS OF SOME SECTIONS OF THE PLAN.
>> I CAN GIVE YOU. FROM OUR MEETING LAST MONTH I CAN GIVE YOU SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT WAS BEING TALKED ABOUT WITH RESPECT TO CHANGES.
LIKE BILL INDICATED EARLIER, ACTUALLY A LOT OF PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE SPECIFICALLY WITH RESPECT TO SOLAR ENERGY.
AS YOU KNOW IN THE PLAN THERE IS ALWAYS A SECTION AT THE BEGINNING ABOUT PAST AND CURRENT PROGRESS.
WE HAVE INCLUDED IN THE REVISION A MENTION OF THE FACT THAT THE ENERGY TEAM DID DO A EDUCATIONAL EFFORT BACK IN 2018 AND THAT HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON INSTALLATIONS IN THE TOWNSHIP IN 2019.
WE ARE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS IN THE COMMUNITY SENSE WITH RESPECT TO ROOFTOP SOLAR.
SOME OF IT'S GROUND MOUNT BUT A LOT OF IT IS JUST ON THE ROOFS.
THE OTHER REAL SUCCESS STORY IS, I THINK YOU ALL KNOW WE HAVE A GOAL OF 100 PERCENT FOR ELECTRICITY, RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS AND WE'RE ALREADY WAY PAST 50 PERCENT OF THE GOAL FOR ON-SITE SOLAR.
WE STARTED OUT IN 2018 WITH THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING BUT NOW WE HAVE THE SOUTH FIRE STATION MARKETPLACE ON THE GREEN, THE SERVICE CENTER AND SO THAT ALREADY HAS OVER 200 KILOWATTS.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS NOW, THE TOWNSHIP, OF GETTING A 40 KILOWATT SOLAR ARRAY FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING ON THE CARPORTS.
WE'VE BEEN MAKING VERY GOOD AND STEADY PROGRESS AND THAT IS BRIEFLY DESCRIBED IN THE PLAN LIKE BILL INDICATED.
[01:05:04]
WE WANT TO CELEBRATE OUR PROGRESS AND INDICATE IT'S MORE THAN JUST A PLAN, [LAUGHTER] WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING SOME OF THESE THINGS.WE HAVE THREE OBJECTIVES IN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTION.
ONE RELATES TO TOWNSHIP POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE ADDED AND THESE ARE PRETTY BROAD BUT THEY GIVE US A FRAMEWORK FOR WHAT THE ENERGY TEAM MIGHT DISCUSS IN THE FUTURE.
WE DID ADD ENCOURAGED POLICIES FOR ELECTRIFICATION OF BUILDINGS, VEHICLE FLEET, AND APPLIANCES SO THAT MORE RENEWABLE ENERGY CAN BE UTILIZED FOR ENERGY SINCE THE GRID IS INCREASINGLY GOING TO USING SOLAR AND WIND AND OTHER RENEWABLES.
IF WE CAN ELECTRIFY BUILDINGS, APPLIANCES, VEHICLES, THAT WILL ULTIMATELY MEAN THAT WE WERE USING RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR THOSE BUILDINGS AND VEHICLES AND APPLIANCES.
THE OTHER THING THAT WE PUT DOWN HERE IS TO ENCOURAGE POLICIES THAT WILL MAKE BUILDINGS SOLAR-READY, WHICH BASICALLY MEANS DOING SOME WIRING WORK TYPICALLY WITH NEW HOMES THAT WOULD MAKE IT VERY EASY IN ORDER TO PUT A SOLAR SYSTEM ON THE ROOF.
OUR SECOND STRATEGY IS TO INCREASE THE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY AT TOWNSHIP FACILITIES AND REALLY WE MADE NO CHANGES TO THAT.
[LAUGHTER] WE'RE DOING VERY WELL.
THEN OUR THIRD OBJECTIVE RELATES TO COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES.
EARLY, THE FIRST PLAN, WE HAD A GOAL THAT REALLY WASN'T VERY MEANINGFUL.
IT TALKED ABOUT PERCENTAGE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE COMMUNITY AND WE HAD A GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT THAT WOULD BE AND A GENERAL IDEA OF MAYBE WHAT WE SHOULD DO BUT REALLY IT WAS NOT A MEANINGFUL OBJECTIVE.
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT AND WE DECIDED THAT A GOOD WAY TO THINK IN TERMS OF A COMMUNITY GOAL IS TO THINK IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF SOLAR INSTALLATIONS IN THE TOWNSHIP.
AT THE PRESENT TIME IN 2021 WE HAVE 97 SOLAR SYSTEMS IN THE TOWNSHIP.
SOME ARE PRETTY SMALL, SOME ARE PRETTY BIG.
>> WE INCREASE THE TOWNSHIP'S ARRAYS?
>> YES. ANY COMMERCIAL AND SO TARGETS GOT 300 KILOWATTS SO THAT'S VERY BIG.
[NOISE] WE HAVE A SMALL SYSTEM AND SOME HOME THAT'S MIGHT BE THREE KILOWATTS.
BUT WE REALIZED THAT A BIG PART OF WHAT THE PLAN IS INVOLVED IS EDUCATION FOR THE COMMUNITY AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND AND MOST PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT KILOWATTS MEAN ANYWAY [LAUGHTER] AND SO WE DECIDED TO FOCUS IN ON SOLAR INSTALLATIONS.
THE GOAL WE CAME UP WITH IN THIS DRAFT PLAN IS TO GO FROM 97-250 BY 2025.
NOW THE OTHER THING WE ADDED IN IN THIS SECTION IS TO EDUCATE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS ABOUT SOLAR POWER AND ENCOURAGE LESS RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS THAT INHIBIT THE INSTALLATION OF SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS BECAUSE WE DO KNOW, AND I GUESS COURTNEY RECENTLY FOUND THIS OUT, THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS IN ANY COMMUNITY INCLUDING MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP THAT MAKE IT MAYBE EVEN IMPOSSIBLE OR VERY DIFFICULT TO PUT IN A SOLAR SYSTEM.
[LAUGHTER] NOW HOW EXACTLY WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT, AGAIN, REMAINS TO BE SEEN IN THE DETAILS BUT WE THOUGHT, THAT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD DO.
THAT'S HOW WE DEALT WITH THIS FIRST CUT AT MAKING CHANGES TO THE RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTION.
HOPING IN THIS GROUP YOU MAY HAVE OTHER IDEAS THAT WE CAN THROW INTO THE POT HERE OR THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT I'VE ACTUALLY SAID HERE BUT THERE'S A LOT WE COULD DO.
>> WELL, I THINK YOU'RE SELLING YOURSELF A LITTLE BIT SHORT ON THE EDUCATIONAL SIDE BECAUSE YOU'VE ALREADY LAUNCHED A PROGRAM SO I AGREE, AS WELL AS THE ENERGY TEAM MEETINGS THAT HAVE HAD SPEAKERS AND ALL OF THAT STUFF SO I'D URGE TO IN THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS PART THERE, AND IF YOU'VE GOT IDEAS ABOUT HOW YOU SEE SOLARIZED MERIDIAN PLAYING A PART IN THAT 97-250.
[01:10:05]
>> WELL, AND ACTUALLY WHERE WE ARE WITH SOLARIZE IS THAT WE'VE HAD TWO MEETINGS.
THESE ARE NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS.
[LAUGHTER] SHE'LL BE NUMBER 3, AND THEN WE HAVE A MEETING SCHEDULED IN JUNE AND ONE IN JULY SO WE'LL HAVE AT LEAST FIVE MEETINGS.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE REACHED, HOW MANY BUYS OCCUR, IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN.
IT WAS A PRETTY SMALL GROUP, 18, WE ENDED UP GETTING EIGHT PROPOSALS OUT.
OUT OF THE EIGHT THAT WERE SPECIFIC PROPOSALS THAT WERE DONE FOR HOMEOWNERS, WE ENDED UP WITH TWO BUYS.
NOW THE NEXT MEETING, WHICH WAS DONE BY ROGER EBERHARD, I BELIEVE HE HAD 32 PEOPLE SO HE HAD MUCH BETTER TURNOUT AND I THINK 11 PROPOSALS WERE SENT OUT AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THOSE WILL END UP RESULTING IN A BUY.
IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS BUT WE HAVE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT, [LAUGHTER] ASSUMING WE HAVE SOME SUCCESS THIS YEAR, THAT THAT MIGHT BE A PROGRAM WE MIGHT DO NEXT YEAR BUT PROBABLY MAKE SOME MODIFICATIONS.
IT'S AN ONGOING PROCESS. [LAUGHTER].
>> I THINK THERE'LL BE RESIDUAL BENEFITS.
IT'S JUST THERE ARE SO MUCH TO LEARN OF IT AND GET INTO IT.
YOU NEED YOUR TIME TO FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THEM.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THE ENERGY TEAM IS THAT JOHN TOOK WHAT WAS IN THE EXISTING PLAN, MADE SOME EDITS, AND THEN WE DISCUSSED IT ONLINE IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE WANT TO USE THAT AS A MODEL FOR THE OTHER TEAMS OR WORK GROUPS BUT PREPARING A ONE-PAGE OR A TWO-PAGE DOCUMENT THAT COULD BE DISCUSSED AS A GROUP AND THEN JUST GO THROUGH IT PARAGRAPH BY PARAGRAPH, WHAT'S MISSING.
THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL AND WE MIGHT CONSIDER THAT FOR SOME OF THE VARIOUS TEAM LEADERS TO USE THAT AS A MODEL.
BUT MAYBE THERE'S OTHER SUGGESTIONS ON, HOW DO YOU EDIT A GROUP DOCUMENT? WHAT'S COMFORTABLE FOR EACH GROUP MIGHT BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
>> YEAH. I THINK EACH OF THE GROUPS ALREADY HAS SOME COMMUNICATION MODES THAT THEY'RE FAMILIAR WITH AND I'M GOING TO LEAVE IT UP TO THOSE TEAM LEADS TO DECIDE HOW TO DO IT.
BUT ABSOLUTELY THE OBJECTIVE HERE IS TO COME UP WITH A RED LINE VERSION OF THIS PLAN, OF THE EXISTING PLAN THAT SAYS, THIS IS NO LONGER RELEVANT, WE WANT THIS TO BE IN THERE.
ULTIMATELY, YOU'VE GOT TO DO THAT POINT-BY-POINT.
>> I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WERE IN THE ORIGINAL PLAN WITH RESPECTIVE STRATEGIES IN THE DRAFT, BECAUSE WE THOUGHT IF WE HADN'T DONE THAT IN FIVE YEARS, THERE WAS NO REASON TO THINK WE'RE GOING TO DO IT IN THE NEXT FIVE.
THERE ARE THINGS I'M SURE YOU ALL FIND IN THE PLAN THAT YOU LOOK AT AND GO, MAYBE THAT'S NOT SUCH A GOOD IDEA.
>> YEAH. HOPEFULLY, OTHERWISE IT JUST GETS LONGER.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M THINKING OF AS YOU'RE TALKING IS THAT WHENEVER WE HAVE ONE OF THESE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, I TEND TO FIRST THINK OF THE VERY VALUABLE COMMUNITY TIME THAT'S INVESTED IN DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING THESE THINGS.
BUT ALL OF THE OUTREACH THAT WE DO THROUGH THE TOWNSHIP HAS REAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TOWNSHIP STAFF.
THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT ARE REALLY EASY TO JUST GET AN ANNOUNCEMENT OUT.
THERE'S OTHER THINGS IF IT'S A BROCHURE OR IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT GOES ON THE WEBSITE, THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE PROCEDURES FOR GETTING THAT STUFF DONE.
I KNOW AS WE GENERATE MORE AND MORE OF THAT STUFF, I FEEL WE'RE STARTING TO PUSH UP AGAINST THE BOUNDARIES OF THE STAFF TIME THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO THE COMMISSION.
I THINK MAKING THE EDUCATIONAL PART A STAND ALONE THING TOWARDS THE END THAT MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT MORE CLEAR WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS OF IMPLEMENTING THIS STUFF ARE GOING TO BE FOR THE TOWNSHIP AND STAFFING THAT THEY HAVE IS GOING TO HELP SO THAT WE DON'T SET OUR EXPECTATIONS IN A WAY THAT IT RESPONDS.
>> IT SOLARIZES, AN EXAMPLE THAT TOO, I THINK IT WAS A GOOD PARTNERSHIP BECAUSE THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT WAS FANTASTIC IN HELPING US WITH THE SOLARIZED PROGRAMMING.
THEY CONTINUE TO HELP WITH PROMOTING IT BUT ALSO THE VERY MODEL WAS BASED ON THE IDEA OF HAVING NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS AND THAT YOU'D HAVE A HOST WHO WOULD DO HIS OR HER OWN MARKETING.
[01:15:01]
WE WEREN'T JUST GOING TO THE TOWNSHIP STAFF AND SAY, OKAY, HERE'S ALL THE 20 THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO.PART OF WHAT THE ENERGY TEAM WAS DOING WORKING WITH NEIGHBORHOOD VOLUNTEERS IS GETTING THEM INVOLVED WITH DOING THEIR OWN MARKETING.
>> SPREAD THE WORD ON HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE.
>> MAYBE OVER THE FENCE OR EMAILS, FACEBOOK PAGES, WHATEVER LIKE, VAL, YOU'VE BEEN SPREADING THE WORD THROUGH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS?
>> YEAH. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
[INAUDIBLE] HELPED US DEVELOP A TWO MINUTE VIDEO ON WHAT SOLARIZED MEANT.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS AN EXTREMELY HELPFUL.
I THOUGHT IT WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL TO PULL IT TOGETHER AND IT WAS DONE SO WELL, ROGER DID IT.
MAYBE FOR OTHER INITIATIVES SHOULD CONSIDER THAT BECAUSE IT REALLY PUTS IT IN CONTEXT. VERY NICE.
>> YEAH. COMMUNICATION THAT I SEE ABOUT SOLARIZED MERIDIAN GREEN FACEBOOK PAGE, WHAT'S IT CALLED?
>> GREEN MERIDIAN. I DON'T RECALL THE ORIGINS OF THAT OR HOW IT'S MODERATED OR ANY TOWNSHIP POLICY ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
DAN, YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHTS ON WAYS THAT WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND WHAT CHANNELS WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US AND WHO MANAGES WHAT?
>> YEAH. THAT'S BRANDY AIDS THE COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AND HER TEAM AND THEY ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR IDEAS.
ONE IDEA THAT I WAS GOING TO BRING TO THEM WAS FROM A RESIDENT ON THE BENEFITS TO CLEANING OUT YOUR CURB AND GUTTER AND CLEAN OUT THE CULVERTS, SO THAT TRASH, WASTE AND YARD WASTE AND OTHER THINGS DON'T GET INTO THE DRAIN SYSTEM THEN INTO OUR WATERWAYS.
IF THERE'S IDEAS BREAKS DOWN INTO A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PRODUCE SPECIFIC INFORMATION DISSEMINATED OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE WEREN'T LIKE AN INTERN WHO WAS INTERNING AT HOME TV TO COVER MORE LIKE A NEWS STORY.
THOSE ARE THE TWO BUCKETS, GENERALLY SPEAKING, THAT YOU WOULD BREAK IT OUT INTO.
I WAS THINKING MORE ALONG THE LINES OF LIKE A NEW STORY, BUT THEY ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO IDEAS AND CONTENT OR THINGS THAT THEY CAN COVER AND THEY WOULD PROBABLY PUT IT IN THE QUEUE.
AT THE VERY LEAST, FOR THE INTERNS TO GIVE THEM STORY IDEAS.
>> THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM ISN'T QUITE AS LARGE AS IT USED TO BE WEEDED SCALE BACK THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT.
BUT WE STILL DO HAVE AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.
>> MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A BIG SCALING BACK OF THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT RESULTED FROM A RENEGOTIATION OF A CABLE CONTRACT, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
>> WELL, YEAH, THE PEG FEES ARE REVENUES THAT WE GET FROM COMCAST AND OTHER CABLE PROVIDERS.
THOSE ARE DWINDLING BASED ON PEOPLE CUTTING THE CABLE.
WHEN YOU UNSUBSCRIBE FROM COMCAST, YOU REDUCE PEG FEES, WHICH IS PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAMMING FEES.
PEG'S STANDS PUBLIC EDUCATION. CAN'T REMEMBER.
>> YEAH. WE ALSO HELP TO FIND CHANNEL 21 HOME TV THINGS IN THE ENTIRE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT.
IT WAS ALSO DUE IN PART TO REALLOCATING SOME OF OUR GENERAL FUND RESOURCES BY THE NEW ROAD PROGRAM.
WE DID NOT HAVE STAFFING EQUIPPED TO DO THE ENGINEERING FOR IT, SO WE DID UTILIZE SOME SAVINGS FROM THE GENERAL FUND FOR THE ENGINEERING FIRM THAT WE USE FOR THE NEW ROAD PROGRAM.
>> BUT IF IT'S SOMETHING SPECIFIC, LEROY AND I CAN WORK ON IT AND GET DRAFT STUFF PREPARED AND THEN BRING IT TO THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT AND THEY CAN IT MAKE SURE IT'S UP TO OUR BRAND STANDARDS UNDER OUR NEW BRANDING AND GET IT UP FOR US.
>> THIS TWO-MINUTE VIDEO I'M TALKING ABOUT THAT COULD BE USED EVERY YEAR.
IT'S JUST REALLY A NICE RESOURCE.
>> YES, A LOT OF SHELF LIFE [OVERLAPPING]
>> ARE YOU THINKING NEWS-ORIENTED LIKE A NEW STORY OR MORE PSA ORIENTED?
IF WE DO IT NEXT YEAR, YOU'RE WORKING VALID OR FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, IT SEEMS TO ME I PROVIDED TECHNOLOGY DOESN'T GO OFF IN SOME OTHER DIRECTION.
[01:20:07]
IF YOU WANT TO GIVE US SOME IDEAS AND A SCRIPT, WE CAN CERTAINLY WORK ON THAT.
THEN THE CRUSHING BECOMES WHO'S THE MESSENGER, WHO WANTS TO BE ON CAMERA? [LAUGHTER] NOT EVERYBODY RAISED THEIR HAND AT ONCE.
>> WELL, THERE'S AT LEAST THAT QUESTION OF WHO'S GOING TO BE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA, THERE'S ALSO THE QUESTION OF WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT AND BRANDING IS IMPORTANT.
WE GOT TO HAVE THAT CONSISTENT BRAND IN TERMS OF THE CONTENT, I'M COMING TO REALIZE HOW MUCH OF THESE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES WE'VE GOT GOING ON THAT ARE ORGANIC FROM THE TEAMS THAT GENERATED ALL THE ACTIVITY.
IT'S NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR TO ME WHO HAS WHAT RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEVELOPING WHICH EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND WHO SHOULD LOOK AT WHICH THINGS BEFORE THEY CIRCULATED SO IT FEELS LIKE HAVING SOME CLARITY ON HOW THOSE COMMUNICATIONS ORIGINATE AND GET DISSEMINATED IN ALL THESE REALMS. WHETHER IT'S SOLARIZED MERIDIAN OR THE FOOD COMPOSTING OR THE WETLAND EDUCATION OR ENERGY OR WHEREVER IT MIGHT BE.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS.
THE STRICTEST WAY TO DO THAT WOULD BE TO, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS HAS A EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN THAT WAS SUGGESTED RELATING TO STORM WATER, BUT SHE WAS ONE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, SO WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THAT BEFORE IT GOES OUT, FEELS HEAVY-HANDED TO ME AND NOT WORKABLE.
I'M SEARCHING FOR THOUGHTS ON THAT.
>> ONE OF THE THING WE DISCUSSED IN THIS STAFF MEETING WAS EAST LANSING PUBLIC WORKS HAS A NICE QUARTERLY OR ACTUALLY MIGHT BE MONTHLY BROCHURE IT GOES OUT HAS A LOT OF SIMILAR TOPICS TO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHETHER IT'S WATER QUALITY, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, MANAGING AND MAINTAINING OUR STORM DRAINS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP BETWEEN COMMUNITIES. IT'S NOT EXACTLY.
THERE MIGHT BE SOME OPPORTUNITY FOR REGIONAL COLLABORATION SOME OF THIS MESSAGING.
IT'S NOT EXACTLY ADDRESSING YOUR ISSUE, BUT I THINK IT'S NICE TO HAVE A REGULAR BROCHURE THAT GOES OUT IN A MONTHLY WATER BILL, FOR EXAMPLE.
IT HELPS PEOPLE MAKE THAT CONNECTION BETWEEN WATER, ENVIRONMENT, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, WETLAND PROTECTION, WHATEVER THE ISSUE IS PROMOTING.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE THOUGHTS ON THAT BUT JUST THIS ONE WAY TO ADDRESS THIS IDEA.
>> WELL, IF THE IDEA ORIGINATES EARLY ENOUGH, WE CAN PRODUCE A DRAFT AND BRING IT BACK TO THE BODY FOR INPUT AND FEEDBACK.
I TYPICALLY DO THAT WITH ITEMS BEFORE THE TOWNSHIP BOARD, FOR INSTANCE, OUR COMMUNITY SIGNAGE PLAN WILL BE IN FRONT OF THEM, NOT FOR A FORMAL VOTE, BUT JUST FOR A PUBLIC VETTING.
IF ANYBODY WANTS TO REVIEW THE PLAN AND PERHAPS CATCH ONE FINAL ITEM THAT HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED.
>> I WAS JUST WONDERING ABOUT PROTOCOLS.
WE HAVE DIFFERENT LEADS FOR TEAMS AND WHEN YOU HAVE LOTS OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, OR DIFFERENT COMMISSIONS OR DIFFERENT PEOPLE WORKING ON THINGS, HOW DOES THE COMMUNICATION TAKE PLACE SO THAT EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AND PEOPLE CAN HAVE INPUT BEFORE IT GOES OUT TO SAY THE COMMUNITY? I THINK THAT PART IS CERTAINLY FROM THE WETLAND TEAM.
I'M SEEING SOME ISSUES THERE WHERE I DON'T FEEL LIKE THERE'S SOME COMMUNICATION AND SOME THINGS ARE GOING OUT TO THE COMMUNITIES CERTAINLY WITHOUT ME BEING AWARE OF THAT AND I'M LEAVING IT.
WHAT KIND OF PROTOCOLS SHOULD WE PUT IN PLACE FOR SOME OF THOSE KINDS OF THINGS?
>> BILL AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY.
WHAT I WOULD DO SINCE WE HAVE SO MANY VOLUNTEER OR MORE ORGANIC DRIVEN GROUPS THAT ARE NOT FORMAL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS IN THE TOWNSHIP, WHAT I WOULD DO IS HAVE THEM JUST BE CONDUITS TO BRING IDEAS FORWARD TO AN ACTUAL BOARD AND COMMISSION, SAY THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, AND THEN HAVE IT ACTUALLY BE AN ACTION ITEM ON THE AGENDA AND BE SOMETHING THAT GETS APPROVED.
NOW IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE ITEM IS.
IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A BROCHURE THAT'S GOING TO GO OUT THERE COULD JUST BE A DISCUSSION ITEM, A DRAFT IS PRESENTED, INPUT IS GIVEN.
BUT THE BENEFIT OF HAVING AN ACTUAL BOARD OR COMMISSION VET IT AND MAKE MOTIONS IS,
[01:25:07]
LET'S SAY JOHN WANTS TO PROPOSE A MOTION TO AMEND PARAGRAPH 2, OR SENTENCE 2 BY STRIKING FOUR WORDS AND EVERY OTHER MEMBER OF THIS COMMISSION DOESN'T AGREE WITH JOHN, THAT WILL COME OUT.MORE DELIBERATIVE ACTION FROM THE COMMISSION CAN HELP AND ALSO HAVING A WETLAND EDUCATION STAFF BE REFERRED TO THIS BODY SO THAT THIS BODY CAN ACTUALLY TAKE FORMAL ACTION, I THINK HELPS CREATE CLEAR CONSENSUS.
STRAW POLLS, THE PLANNING COMMISSION DOES A VERY GOOD JOB OF TAKING STRAW POLLS.
THEY WON'T NECESSARILY VOTE, BUT A MEETING, PROCEEDING THEIR VOTE, THEY WILL TAKE A STRAW POLL, SAY IT'S A SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR A BUILDING GREATER THAN 25,000 SQUARE FEET.
THEY WILL TAKE A STRAW POLL TO GET AN INDICATION FOR STAFF AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THEY SHOULD PREPARE A RESOLUTION TO APPROVE OR REJECT.
STRAW POLLS CAN ALSO SERVE THE SAME PURPOSE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE A FORMAL VOTE.
THAT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO ACTUALLY IF ONE OF OUR GROUPS, OR ONE OF, WHETHER IT'S, GREEN TEAM OR ONE OF OUR LESS FORMAL GROUPS OR BODIES, IF THERE'S QUESTION AND CONSENSUS, REFER IT TO THIS BODY AND DO IT THROUGH ACTUAL DELIBERATIVE ORDER AS A BODY.
>> I FEEL LIKE THAT'S HOW WE DID THE PHOSPHORUS BROCHURE, WHICH IS WHAT I CAN REMEMBER BEST.
THAT TEAM CAME UP WITH A DRAFT AND THEY GOT A DESIGN AND THEY PUT IT AND WE LOOKED AT IT AND POKED OUT I DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE CHANGED THAT MUCH, BUT WE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT BEFORE IT WENT OUT THE DOOR.
>> NOT JUST ANYTHING, FOR EXAMPLE, THINGS THAT GO ON THE WEBSITE IN RELATIONSHIP TO OUR DIFFERENT PROGRAMS LIKE THAT.
WOULD IT GO TO THE TEAM FIRST AND THEN BRING IT TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION BEFORE IT WENT ON THE WEBSITE AS AN EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL OR AN INITIATIVE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
>> IS THERE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT KIND OF WEB CONTENT?
>> FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE WETLANDS, CERTAIN THINGS HAVE GONE ON THAT WEBSITE THAT HAVEN'T GONE TO THE WETLAND TEAM.
THERE HAVE BEEN INITIATIVES THAT HAVEN'T GONE TO THE WETLAND TEAM.
THERE'S DIFFERENT PROGRAMMING THAT HASN'T GONE TO THE WETLAND TEAM AND THAT WOULD BE THE APPROPRIATE WAY IT SEEMS TO ME TO GO TO THE WETLAND TEAM AND THEN PERHAPS TALK TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IF NECESSARY, SO THAT THERE IS JUST CONSISTENCY AND EVERYBODY'S WORKING TOGETHER IN THE SAME TEAM, OR IF THERE'S A MISTAKE, SOMEONE CATCHES IT BEFORE IT'S OUT IN A PUBLICATION.
>> I'M NOT SURE YOU WOULD EMPLOY.
I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU WOULD EMPLOY A DIFFERENT PROCEDURE FOR WEB CONTENT AND PRINTED CONTENT.
IT'S JUST CREATING A MECHANISM WHERE ANYTHING THAT ONE OF OUR TEAMS OR THE COMMISSION FEELS MIGHT NEED REVIEW GETS TO US.
IF YOU HAVE AN URGENT THING, LET'S CONTACT THE LANDSCAPERS BEFORE THEY START SPRAYING WITHIN OUR WETLANDS.
WAITING FOR US TO CANCEL A MEETING AND THEN MEETING MAYOR [LAUGHTER] BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL ON THAT.
AS WE IMPLEMENT THESE PROCEDURES, WE NEED TO BE COGNIZANT AND ALSO OF THE COSTS OF DELIBERATION, WHICH IS BE MORE DELIBERATE AND GOING A LITTLE BIT SLOWER AND PLANNING AHEAD A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.
I'M WONDERING, FOR INSTANCE, THE GREEN GAZETTE IS NOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION COMMUNICATIONS MEDIUM.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER HAD ANY INPUT ON MOST OF IT.
IT BUBBLES UP FROM THE TEAMS AND THE CONTENT IS PUT TOGETHER AND COMBINED BY STAFF AND THEN IT GOES OUT ONCE A MONTH.
>> IN OUR RECENT CHANGE, THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT HAS CREATED A TEMPLATE WHICH HAS BEEN SEMI FUNCTIONAL, BUT IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS.
>> I WONDER IF ONE APPROACH MIGHT BE TO TRY TO MORE EXPLICITLY LINK SECTIONS OF THE WEBSITE TO THE TEAMS THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING THAT CONTENT [OVERLAPPING] OR DEVELOPING THAT CONTENT OR REVIEWING THAT CONTENT.
THEN APPOINT PERSON THAT WE'VE FEEL HERE THAT CAN MAKE SURE THAT THOSE CONNECTIONS ARE MADE.
ALSO PREVIEW THE FACT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON THIS PLAN AND WE'RE REVISING IT, WE'RE LOOKING FOR INPUT.
[01:30:02]
EACH GOT HER OWN LITTLE NETWORKS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, BUT WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT REACH MORE BROADLY NOT JUST BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES, BUT THE COMMUNITY.I THINK LAST TIME WE ORGANIZED A FAIRLY GOOD SIZE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE INITIAL PLAN.
BUILDING THAT EXPECTATION IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THIS IS COMING ALONG AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR INPUT RATHER THAN, SOMETIME IN AUGUST, WE SAY, HEY ANYBODY HAVING COMMENT? TWO WEEKS.
>> I LIKE THAT IDEA. THERE IS LITTLE TENSION BETWEEN HAVING SOMETHING THAT'S NEWSWORTHY.
HOME TV SEES NEWSWORTHY STUFF AS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN SOMETHING THAT'S TAKEN A MONTH TO DEVELOP, BUT THEY CAN COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER.
I'M NOT EVEN SURE HOW THIS EVOLVED, MAYBE KENDRA KNOWS.
I DIDN'T SEE IT BEFORE IT WENT OUT WHICH IS FINE, IT'S COOL.
BUT I WOULD HAVE ALSO LIKED TO EDIT THE LATEST GREEN GAZETTE.
I DIDN'T SEE THE FINAL VERSION BEFORE I WENT OUT THROUGH HOME TV.
BUT THERE'S NEWSWORTHY WHICH HOME TVS ALWAYS FEELS LIKE THEY'RE TRYING TO KEEP UP.
THEN THERE'S STUFF THAT'S MORE LONGER-TERM LIKE SOLARIZED MERIDIAN VIDEO OR THE WETLAND INITIATIVE.
BUT I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF HAVING GREEN GAZETTE MAY FLOW ORGANICALLY FROM THE VARIOUS TEAMS.
>> YOU'RE MAKING ME REALIZE THAT NOWHERE ON THIS LIST THAT I MENTIONED ANYBODY MAKE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT.
HERE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND [LAUGHTER] WE'VE GOT A BIG GROUP OF PLAYERS MISSING FROM THE TABLE.
I KNOW THAT THEY'RE SHORT STAFFED AND ALL THAT.
>> THE BEST WAY TO UTILIZE THEM AS TO PREPARE THE CONTENT AND FOCUS HEAVILY ON THE SUBJECT MATTER AND THEN LET THEM DO A LITTLE BIT OF PROOFREADING AND CLEAN IT UP AND CONFIRM IT TO BRAND STANDARD.
[OVERLAPPING] A PRESS RELEASE ABOUT A WATER MAIN BREAK, I'M NOT GOING TO RELY ON THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT TO CATCH A TECHNICAL ERROR PERTAINING TO THE ACTUAL WATER SYSTEM.
SUBJECT MATTER SHOULD BE HANDLED BY STAFF SPECIFIC TO THAT AND THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS SPECIFIC TO THOSE ISSUES.
THEY'RE FINAL VETTING AND THEN THEY TRANSMIT, THEY SEND IT OUT AND DISSEMINATE.
>> YEAH. ABSOLUTELY. ON THE PROCEDURE SIDE, I AGREE TOTALLY.
I WAS THINKING MORE ON THE STRATEGIC SIDE IF WE AS A COMMISSION ARE TRYING TO BUILD AN EDUCATIONAL COMMUNICATION THING, LET'S MAKE SURE WE GOT THE FOLKS WHO ARE THE LAST LINK IN THAT CHAIN ARE INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING STAGES.
WE'VE DECIDED TO DO ALL THIS STUFF.
LET'S MAKE SURE WE'RE SETTING REASONABLE TARGETS GIVING THEM RESOURCES AND THE PROCEDURES THAT WE'VE GOT.
JOHN, THANK YOU FOR THAT SUMMARY OF WHERE THE ENERGY TEAM IS AT.
I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOU'VE GONE THROUGH AND REALLY LOOKED AT THE EXISTING PLAN AND THOUGHT ABOUT SPECIFIC CHANGES THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE.
LOOK FORWARD TO MORE ON THE TRANSPORTATION SIDE AFTER YOU'VE HAD A CHANCE TO HEAR FROM TOWNSHIPS REVIEW OF THAT FEASIBILITY STUDY.
ANYBODY FEEL LIKE THEY MIGHT BE READY TO DO A SIMILAR THING NEXT MONTH? FOOD COMPOSTING WETLANDS?
>> GREAT. IF YOU GUYS CAN BE OUR MAIN FEATURE ACT NEXT TIME AROUND, THAT'D BE GREAT.
ANYTHING FURTHER ON THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN? YES, JOHN.
>> WELL, THIS IS A HARD THING TO DO, BUT THE ENERGY TEAM STRUGGLES WITH THIS TOO, IS THAT TO COME ACTUALLY UP WITH SOME QUANTIFIABLE GOAL FOR CERTAIN AREAS, LIKE WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT WITH THE RENEWABLE ENERGY, ELECTRICITY, MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS, WE HAVE A NICE GOAL THAT CAN BE MEASURED.
I THINK WITH THE NEW ASSESSMENT DONE FOR THE FLEET, WE'LL PROBABLY BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING WITH THAT TOO.
NOW THE CONSUMERS ENERGY HAS DONE THAT ASSESSMENT FOR VEHICLE FLEET.
BEFORE THAT WE WERE JUST WHAT WAS REALISTIC WITH RESPECT TO CONVERTING VEHICLES TO ELECTRIC.
[01:35:04]
NOW WE'VE GOT SOME DATA THAT WOULD HELP THE TOWNSHIP COME UP WITH A REASONABLE GOAL.BUT I THINK I'D JUST ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO THINK IN THOSE TERMS THAT YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO IT FOR EVERY OBJECTIVE OR EVERY ACTIVITY BUT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, IF WE CAN SAY WE WANT TO DO X BY THIS YEAR, I THINK THAT MAKES IT MEANINGFUL.
>> ABSOLUTELY. GET SOME RUBBER ON THE ROAD.
MOVING TO REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.
[6. REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS]
I KNOW OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS I'VE TRIED OUT A SHORTENING OF THE REPORTS AND LIAISON SECTION OF THE MEETINGS.I UNDERSTAND THE REASON WHY WE WENT IN THAT DIRECTION.
PERSONALLY, MY PREFERENCE IS TO HEAR IT DIRECTLY FROM PEOPLE THE VERY LATEST AND GREATEST AND I HAVE NEVER GOTTEN AROUND TO SUBMITTING ANYTHING TO THAT SUMMARY AND MUCH LESS READING IT.
I'M SORRY. I'M INTERESTED IN EVERYBODY ELSE'S THOUGHTS.
CAN WE TRY SOME AN IN-BETWEEN RATHER THAN EVERYBODY REPORTING ON ANYTHING THAT THE BORDER COMMISSION WITH THEIR LIAISON TO DID, BEING PRETTY CLOSELY LIMITED TO THOSE THINGS THAT ARE DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
THEN RETURN TO LISTING THOSE SO THAT I CAN REMEMBER WHO'S WHAT[LAUGHTER].
AGAIN, IT'S NICE TO HAVE THE TEAM LEADS EXPLICIT HERE BECAUSE THEN I ALWAYS FIND THAT WHEN MY NAME IS ON AN AGENDA I PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY.
IF WE CAN GO BACK AND DO THAT FOR THE JUNE MEETING, I'D APPRECIATE IT.
HAVING SAID THAT, ANY LIAISONS FROM OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE WORK OF THE ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION? BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS SOMEHOW RELATED TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
>> I CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WETLAND TEAM BECAUSE IT GOES WITH NOT ONLY ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, LAND PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD, PARKS COMMISSIONING AND WORKING WITH THE PARKS COMMISSION AS WELL IN MANY DEPARTMENTS.
I WANT TO GIVE A BIG SHOUT OUT TO BRANDY AND THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM FOR PRIME MERIDIAN MAGAZINE.
THE WETLANDS MADE THE FRONT COVER AND WE HAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL PHOTO THAT'S OF DAVIS FOSTER PRESERVE.
THIS IS A WETLAND BUFFER RIGHT HERE, THEY DID A FANTASTIC JOB.
OTHER FOLKS HAVE SAID THINGS TO ME ABOUT THIS AND I'M JUST REALLY GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING.
OUR WETLAND WALKS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF FOLKS IN INTERESTS.
I JUST CAME FROM IT THIS EVENING AT DAVIS FOSTER PRESERVE.
THERE'S JUST MORE FOLKS BEING PART OF THE MARINE CONSERVATION CORPS GETTING OUT AND DOING SOME OF THE PRACTICAL WORK OUT IN THE PARKS AND PRESERVES AND JUST GETTING REALLY CONNECTED WITH NATURE.
WE HAD THE NATIVE PLANT CLASS THROUGH THE HARRIS NATURE CENTER AND THE NATIVE PLANT SALE IS ON THE SEVENTH ON SATURDAY AND HOME TV TAPE BURN, STEVEN'S DOING THE NATIVE PLANT CLASS.
WE HAD 107 PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY OF WATCH THAT CLASS.
I SPOKE WITH KEY THIS WEEK AND SHE SAID THAT MORE PEOPLE CONTINUE TO CALL THE HARRIS NATURE CENTER AND WANT THAT CLASS SO THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE NATIVE PLANT CLASSES.
THAT'S FANTASTIC. ADDITIONALLY, ONE OF MY TEAM MEMBERS, BETTY SIEGEL FROM WILD ONES, SHE COORDINATED A GARDENING WITH WETLAND BUFFERS AND DID A CLASS THROUGH MSU EXTENSION LAST WEDNESDAY AND THAT WAS TREMENDOUSLY SUCCESSFUL, AND THE CLASS WENT OVER BY A HALF AN HOUR, THAT'S HOW MUCH INTEREST THERE WAS IN THAT.
I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO BETTY FOR THAT.
LAURA WAS SHOWING THE NOTICE THAT WENT OUT TO THE CONTRACTORS ABOUT THE WETLAND ORDINANCE AND THAT WAS ABOUT A MONTH BEHIND SCHEDULE AND THAT WAS ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT AT OUR LAST WETLAND TEAM MEETING.
BRANDY PUT THAT TOGETHER, AND THE FOUR POINTS THAT WERE PUT ON THERE WERE DISCUSSED AT OUR LAST WETLAND TEAM MEETINGS.
THAT WENT OUT TO 33 CONTRACTORS THAT DO LAWN SERVICE IN INGHAM COUNTY.
THOSE HAVE ALL BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL.
>> MY NEIGHBOR WHO OWNS A LAWN SERVICE [INAUDIBLE] SAID, "HEY, I GOT THE WETLAND VERSION, DID YOU GET ONE OF THESE?" I SAID, NO I DON'T OWN A LAWN SERVICE SO YOU GOT THAT.
>> BUT THE NEXT PART THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR IS HOW WE GET THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THE PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE THAT USE LAWN SERVICES,
[01:40:01]
BUT THEN TO ALSO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE ADJACENT TO WETLANDS AS WELL. THANK YOU.>> ANY OTHER WORK GROUP OR LIAISON REPORTS, ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO GO TALK? GO TOM.
>> WELL, I GUESS THIS WOULD FALL UNDER THIS CATEGORY, BUT AS SOME OF YOUR ARE AWARE WE HAVE THE SPRING RATE CYCLING EVENT THIS PAST SATURDAY, AND NAMELY THE GREEN TEAM THAT PUT THAT ON.
WE HAD OVER 460 VEHICLES THAT WENT THROUGH THERE ON SATURDAY.
PRIMARILY WE WERE COLLECTING PAINT.
WE HAD HUNDREDS OF GALLONS OF PAINT THAT WERE COLLECTED.
ALSO COLLECTED METAL, OVER £15 THOUSAND OF METAL WAS COLLECTED.
WE COLLECTED PAPER FOR SHREDDING, WHICH INCLUDED, I THINK TEN GAILLARD WHICH AMOUNTED TO OVER £4,800 OF SHREDDED DOCUMENTS.
WE COLLECTED BICYCLES AS WELL.
ABOUT 75 BICYCLES WERE COLLECTED ON SATURDAY, MOST OF THOSE FOR REPAIR AND TO GET OUT TO KIDS THROUGH MSU.
WE ALSO COLLECTED EIGHT EGG CARTONS, DOZENS OF EGG CARTONS WERE COLLECTED.
OVERALL, I THINK IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL EVENT.
WE DO PLAN TO HOLD ANOTHER MAJOR EVENT THIS FALL ON OCTOBER 8TH TO FOCUS MORE ON ELECTRONICS AGAIN AS WE DID LAST YEAR.
I KNOW MANY OF THE PEOPLE HERE TONIGHT WERE AT THAT EVENT ON SATURDAY.
IF ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO OFFER COMMENTS, BUT I THINK IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE FALL EVENTS AND SOME EVENTS AT THE MARKET BETWEEN NOW AND THEN.
>> COLD GRAY DAY, BUT TONS OF VOLUNTEERS AND REALLY A LOT OF FUN.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE GROUP DOING THE BIKE COLLECTION WASN'T ALL SERIOUS, THEY WERE JUST FOOLING AROUND ALL DAY [LAUGHTER] RIDING SCOOTERS AND BIKES AND STUFF THERE WITH OTHERS.
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME I GO TO CHIPPEWA, I'M SURROUNDED BY A BUNCH OF STUDENTS VOLUNTEERING TO PLANT TREES OR HOLD METAL OR DO WHATEVER IT IS AND IT'S JUST WONDERFUL.
THANKS FOR THAT REPORT. ANYBODY ELSE?
>> [INAUDIBLE] THERE'S A NEW PROJECT COMING UP THAT WHILE YOU ON PLANNING HAVE ALREADY HEARD ABOUT IT.
BUT THERE'S A NEW PROPOSAL THAT'S BEING AT LEAST CONSIDERED FOR THE HAZLETT WHAT USED TO BE THE SUPERMARKET THERE AND THAT WHOLE RELATIVELY DEAD ZONE.
IT'S DEFINITELY GOING TO HAVE SOME WETLAND IMPLICATIONS AND SOME BROWNFIELD IMPLICATIONS, I THINK.
I'M NOT SO SURE ABOUT THE BROWNFIELD PART AS FAR AS THERE, I DON'T THINK THERE WAS A DRY CLEANER THERE, ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT I'M NOT SURE.
>> I THINK I HEARD SOMEBODY SAY THAT THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A DRY CLEANER THERE, SO THAT WILL COME UP.
THE APPLICATION THAT CAME TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION IS NOT AT A SITE PLAN STATE YET, BUT IT DID NOT INCLUDE ANY WETLAND IMPACTS.
THERE'S A LITTLE TAIL OF THAT PROPERTY THAT FOLLOWS ALONG IN URBAN AND THAT'S ALL GOING TO BE LEFT UNTOUCHED AND THAT'S WHERE ALL THE WETLANDS ARE.
THIS IS ALL UP ON THE TOP. SORRY. YEAH, I DO.
>> ONE IDEA THAT CAME TO MIND RELATIVE TO KENDRA'S REPORT, IT'S POSSIBLE, I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE, BUT I JUST SENT AN EMAIL OFF, OUR GIS PERSON MAY BE ABLE TO PULL A PARCEL LIST BASED ON THE WETLAND LAYER.
BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH OF THAT FUNCTIONALITY WOULD BE MANUAL, BUT WOULD BE A [OVERLAPPING]
>> I THINK [INAUDIBLE] DID THAT.
>> WHEN WE SET UP THE WETLAND LETTER IN BROCHURE, IT WAS LIKE 1,200 PEOPLE, I THINK, OR MAYBE 1,300 [INAUDIBLE] THAT.
[01:45:03]
>> BUT THIS WOULD BE A DIFFERENT.
THIS WOULD BE, I THINK ANOTHER REMINDER OF THE WETLAND LETTER, FOR SURE SHE GO OUT.
FOR EXAMPLE, JUST LIKE NOT KNOWING ON THE BUFFER AND NOT PUTTING CHEMICALS, JUST THE LANDSCAPING ONE THAT WE SENT OUT, PROBABLY A REMINDER.
>> I'M ACTUALLY ON THE MAILING LIST, WOULDN'T CHANGE.
>> MAILING LIST WOULD ACTUALLY BE THE SAME AS THEM.
IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO SEE GO OUT, WE CAN SEE THAT IT GOES OUT.
>> I THINK IT WAS TO THE VILLAGE APPLICATION, I GUESS THERE WAS A MENTION OF EV CHARGING.
I WAS WONDERING IS THAT BECOME ALMOST STANDARD FOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS OR IS THAT MORE LIKE AN EXCEPTION?
>> I WOULD HAVE TO DEFER TO THE PLANNING DIRECTOR ON THE DEGREE TO WHICH THAT'S SHIFTING.
WE CERTAINLY HAVE BUILT INCENTIVES INTO OUR ORDINANCE, ESPECIALLY FOR A MIXED USE PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT.
IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR WAIVERS FROM SETBACKS OR OTHER HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS, THE PLANNING COMMISSION DEVELOPED A LIST OF AMENITIES THAT ACCRUE POINTS THAT WAS ADOPTED BY THE BOARD, AND CHARGING STATIONS ARE ONE OF THE AMENITIES THAT CAN BE USED TO QUALIFY FOR A WAIVER FROM A RESTRICTION.
BUT IT ALSO FEELS INCREASINGLY LIKE THOSE ARE COMING TO THE TABLE ALREADY ANYWAY, BECAUSE ESPECIALLY THE DEVELOPERS SEEKING A HIGHER-END EITHER RESIDENT OR COMMERCIAL USER IS ALREADY THINKING IN THOSE TERMS. THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING.
>> THE STATE CONSTRUCTION CODE COMMISSION IS LOOKING AT REVISING THE STATE ENERGY CODE, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS TO MAKE ALL NEW RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, BOTH SOLAR READY AND EV READY AND I'M GUESSING THAT ACTUALLY WILL PASS THIS TIME AROUND.
PRETTY SOON I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A STATE REQUIREMENT THAT ALL NEW BUILDINGS WILL HAVE TO BE BOTH EV READY AND SOLAR READY.
THAT HASN'T HAPPENED YET BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE PUSHING THAT ISSUE.
>> ANOTHER REASON FOR THE PLAN TO BE A LIVING DOCUMENT BECAUSE AS THE STATE CHANGES AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO REFLECT THAT IN A PLAN IS NOT OUTDATED.
>> HOW DOES THAT WORK THOUGH FOR RENTAL PROPERTIES?
>> IN OTHER WORDS, ONCE WHATEVER, HAVE PEOPLE OCCUPYING A BUNCH OF APARTMENT BUILDINGS, YOU WOULD PRESUMABLY BE UP TO THE DEVELOPER TO THEN LATER INSTALL SOLAR PANELS.
>> FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION, THERE'D BE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF REQUIREMENT, CERTAIN NUMBER OF CHARGES, PURCHASING NUMBER OF PARKING STATIONS.
>> THE CHARGES PART [OVERLAPPING] TALKING ABOUT THE SOLAR PANELS AND SOLAR READY APART.
I GUESS I'M WONDERING WHAT THE POINT OF BEING READY IS IF YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO DO IT.
>> I THINK THE ISSUE WITH THAT IS THAT IF YOU THINK IN TERMS OF ACCOMMODATING THE WIRING, THE TIME OF NEW CONSTRUCTION, THE COST IS ALMOST INSIGNIFICANT AND IT'LL JUST MAKE IT EASIER, AND SO IT'S ALMOST A NINE COST ISSUE, WHETHER PEOPLE DO IT OR NOT, IT'S STILL A SMART THING TO DO AND IT ENCOURAGES SOLAR INSTALLATIONS LATER BECAUSE IT'S EASIER AND LESS EXPENSIVE.
>> PRICE COMES DOWN AND THE POWER GOES UP AND THE INCENTIVE CHANGES.
>> IN ADDITION FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO THE HASLETT VILLAGE SQUARE PROPOSAL, THAT PLANNING COMMISSION ALSO HELD A PUBLIC HEARING ON AN ADDITION TO THE BIGFORD BIRD HOUSE SENIOR LIVING FACILITY ON OKEMOS ROAD.
BASICALLY, THEY'RE PLANNING TO ENLARGE THEIR FACILITY FOR ENHANCED MEMORY CARE, WHICH IS A DEMAND THAT IS OUT THERE AND THEY WILL MEET IT EASILY.
IN ORDER TO GAIN THAT SPACE, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CAPTURE THEIR STORM WATER ONSITE, WHICH MEANS A DETENTION BASIN.
IN ORDER TO DO THAT, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO EXCAVATE SOME OF THE HILLSIDE JUST NORTH OF THERE WITH THAT OLD WHITE HOUSES, WHICH IS GOING TO BE DEMOLISHED, AND AS A RESULT OF DISCUSSIONS WE'VE HAD WITH DRAIN COMMISSIONER'S OFFICERS, I WAS SUGGESTING THAT WHEN IT COMES BACK, IT WOULD BE BEST IF THE PLANTING PLAN FOR THEIR DETENTION BASIN AND THAT HILLSIDE THEY HAVE TO CUT INCORPORATED WHATEVER THE DRAIN COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE THOUGHT IN TERMS OF VEGETATION WOULD BE MOST APPROPRIATE TO OPTIMIZE IT.
BY DEFAULT, THAT WOULD JUST BE SOLD IN GRASS SEED AND IT WOULD BE MOWED.
[01:50:04]
[NOISE] BUT IF YOU HAD TREES IN THERE, POTENTIALLY THEY COULD BOTH STABILIZE THE SLOPE AND INCREASE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION, AND HAVE LESS STORM WATER GOING DOWN THE PIPE AND I'M HOPING THAT COMES BACK POSITIVELY.>> REAL BRIEFLY, WE SOLD ABOUT 20 CAPITALS BANDS AND ABOUT 25 RAIN BARRELS THROUGH THE SALE, WHICH ENDED ON MONDAY.
WE'RE GOING TO BE DISTRIBUTING THOSE AT THE MARKET ON MAY 14TH.
WE NEED A COUPLE OF VOLUNTEERS TO HELP AT THAT.
OUR GREEN TEAM MEETS NEXT WEEK.
WE PROBABLY HAVEN'T COVERED, BUT IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED IN THAT.
WE'RE ALSO OPENING SOME MORE ADVANCED AT THE MARKET OVER THE SUMMER.
DO YOU HAVE IDEAS FOR THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO COLLECT? WE HAD A GREEN FAIR LAST YEAR WHICH WAS PRETTY SUCCESSFUL.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BIKES AND MEDICINES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
EMMA AGREED TO DO A WORKSHOP AT THE RAIN GARDEN.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING THIS RAIN GARDEN FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS AT THE CORNER OF BERTRAM, PARK LAKE.
EMMA JUST OFFERED TO ASSIST WITH THAT.
WE WANT TO RECRUIT VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH WEEDING AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE NOT WEEDING THE NON-NATIVES.
SOME OF YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THAT, BUT THAT'LL BE ON JUNE 7, 6:30, TUESDAY EVENING.
THE GREEN BURIAL WAS REALLY A HOT TOPIC.
THERE'S FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE THAT ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN LOOKING INTO OPTIONS IN THE TOWNSHIP.
SOMEBODY WHO WENT AROUND THE TABLE.
I'M NOT SURE WHERE THAT'S GOING TO GO, BUT GAVI, WAS ABLE TO BE A CONSULTANT FOR THAT, HOPEFULLY AND WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF GLENDALE NAVY THERE'S A QUITE A BIT OF INTEREST.
THE RECYCLING GRANT, WE'RE HOPING TO EXPAND OUR RECYCLING FACILITIES.
WE GOT A LARGE GRANT, QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS INTO THE STATE.
WE HAD COMPLETED A SURVEY AND THERE'S A LOT OF COMMUNITY INTEREST IN THAT EXPANDING RECYCLING, HAVING MORE CENTRALIZED LOCATION, DAN WAS REALLY HELPFUL IN ASSISTING WITH THAT GRANT APPLICATION AND PUTTING THAT PROJECT TOGETHER.
LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS. I THINK SOMEBODY MENTIONED THE EV DISCUSSION.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A REPEAT PERFORMANCE FROM ICF WHO CONTRACTED WITH CONSUMERS ENERGY TO DO THIS PRETTY EXTENSIVE STUDY OF ELECTRIFYING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE HERE IN TOWNSHIP OR IN VEHICLE FLEET AND CHARGING STATIONS.
SOME OF YOU HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THAT.
THOSE ARE THE MAIN THINGS I WANTED TO MENTION. YEAH.
>> THANK YOU. ON THE ISSUE OF GRANTS, I HAVE BEEN HEARING FROM THE FOOD COMPOSTING GROUP THAT OUR NEIGHBORS SEEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN GOING OUT THERE AND ATTRACTING RESOURCES FROM THE STATE AND OTHER SOURCES.
WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW WE MIGHT AVAIL OURSELVES OF THAT.
HAD DISCUSSION WITH DAN ON THIS TOPIC YESTERDAY AND MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THAT IS THAT I PERSONALLY SEE A LOT OF THE GRANT ACTIVITY HAPPENING IN PARKS AND I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE A CRACK STAFF OVER THERE THAT'S REALLY KNOWS HOW TO GET THE DNR MONIES AND THE OTHERS THE EAGLES AND SUCH.
SOME GRANT WRITING IS DONE OUT OF PUBLIC WORKS.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THAT GRANT FOR THE RECYCLING FACILITY, THAT PROPOSAL, THEY ACTUALLY BROUGHT IN SOME CONSULTANTS TO DO THIS DESIGN WORK AND HELP WITH THAT GRANT APPLICATION.
THE NEXT CYCLE IS THE ONE I KEEP HEARING ABOUT.
IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE TOO ONEROUS OR TOO COMPLICATED AND THERE'S ONE AROUND THE CORNER.
THE QUESTION IS, HOW DO WE UP OUR GAME AND GET SOME GRANTS FOR SOME OF THIS STUFF THAT WE'RE DOING IN THESE DOMAINS? I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION, BUT I'M PUTTING THE ISSUE ON THE TABLE.
I DON'T WANT TO GO INTO TOO MUCH DETAIL, I'D LOVE TO FINISH BY 9:00, BUT IF WE WANT TO FINISH ON THAT TOPIC.
>> I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT I'M SPLITTING A MEMBERSHIP NEXT WEEK WITH LEROY AT THE MICHIGAN RECYCLING COALITION.
THEY HAVE A GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP FOR A HALF-DAY SESSION. I DON'T KNOW.
[01:55:05]
I THINK I'M GOING TO THE DAY THAT MAYBE FERN DALE.THE FOOD TO COMPOSTING GROUP HAD IDENTIFIED THE FERN DALE OPERATION THAT HAD JUST KICKED OFF WITH A $10,000 GRANT FROM NEXT CYCLE.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S STILL OPEN YET.
I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT TODAY AND I COULDN'T, BUT THEY'RE GOING TO BE THERE NEXT WEEK AND I FIGURED I CAN TALK TO THEM.
>> DO I UNDERSTAND RIGHT THAT THE TOWNSHIP HAS A MEMBERSHIP THAT ALLOWS ONE PARTICIPANT AND YOU'RE PLAYING TAG TEAM. [OVERLAPPING]
>> I DON'T KNOW. I THINK LEROY DID SOME- [OVERLAPPING]
>> CARE COALITION, JUST GAVE US PERMISSION TO SPLIT IT BECAUSE I COULDN'T MAKE IT ALL THREE DAYS.
>> IF YOU WANT TO BE THERE ALL THREE DAYS IS IT LIKE A REGISTRATION FEE, IS THAT THE ISSUE?
>> YEAH, IT'S 300 BUCKS OR SOMETHING.
>> IS THAT SOMETHING WE MIGHT PASS THE TOWNSHIP TO COVER, THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
>> VALLERY WASN'T AVAILABLE ON THAT DAY.
>> I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS A COST ISSUE AND I KNOW THAT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIND FUNDS FOR ME TO ATTEND PLANNING RELATED EVENTS IN THE HOUSE.
IF THERE'S ISSUES LIKE THAT THAT COME UP, LET'S NOT BE BASHFUL ABOUT ASKING FOR THE REGISTRATION FEES.
>> YEAH. IT CAME UP LATE IN THE DISCUSSION AND ACTUALLY, WE JUST SORTED IT OUT LIKE A WEEK OR SO AGO.
YEAH. ANYWAY. YEAH, THERE COULD BE SOME GRANTS, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE TOWNSHIPS SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ASPIRATIONS ARE EXACTLY BUT I KNOW THE FERN DALE ONE, THEY HAVE A SUCCESSFUL SYSTEM WHERE THEY HAVE DROP-OFF LOCATIONS AT SEVERAL CITY-OWNED SITES WHICH ARE SOMEWHAT OVERSEEING SO THAT THEY DON'T GET MISUSED.
IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND THEY'RE ONE OF THE SPEAKERS AND ARE BEING TOUTED BY NEXT CYCLE AND EAGLE IS A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM THAT'S APPARENTLY EXPANDING NEXT YEAR AND THERE WILL BE DOING MORE WITHOUT THE GRANT.
HOWEVER THEY'RE DOING THAT. ANYWAY, THEY CAN REPORT ON THAT.
>> SAY 30 SECONDS ABOUT THE DEAL AT THE SCHOOL.
WE DID A RECYCLING AUDIT OF THE THREE LUNCH HOURS AT WILLIAMSON MIDDLE SCHOOL AND YEAH, IT WAS EVERYBODY GOT INTO IT, THE JANITORIAL STAFF AND THE KITCHEN STAFF AND WE'RE WEIGHING STAFF.
IT SEEMED TO BE AT SIMPLE PROCESS.
IT'S JUST THAT SCHOOLS DON'T HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO DO IT AND SO WE HAD THE VOLUNTEERS TO DO IT AND WE MET EARLIER TO GET EVERYBODY ON BOARD AND NOW HOPEFULLY THEY'LL FOLLOW THROUGH WITH MY GREEN MICHIGAN IS WHAT WE'RE PUSHING BECAUSE IF THEY NOW CAN GET THEIR TOTAL, THEIR NON-ORGANIC STUFF FROM GRANGER OR WHOEVER IT PICKS IT UP ONCE A WEEK INSTEAD OF THREE TIMES A WEEK WHICH THEY WERE DOING, AND THEN THEN SUPPLEMENT THE EXTRA SERVICE WITH MIGRAINE, MICHIGAN IT ACCOMPLISHES GETTING THAT STUFF COMPOSTED AND OUT OF THE LANDFILL AND MAKING GOOD RICH SOIL FOR OUR GARDENS AND STUFF.
WE CONSIDER THAT A WIN IF IT HAPPENS.
>> THAT'S TRUE. I ASSUME THAT STUFF WILL END UP IN SUSTAINABILITY PLAN AS TARGETS.
>> A COUPLE OF US ACTUALLY HAD MET WITH LIKE EIGHT GROCERS LAST WEEK TO FIND OUT WHERE THEY PUT THEIR SALAD OR THEIR ORGANIC AND WE'RE JUST GETTING THE RESULTS BACK AND REPORTING THAT TOO.
IF NOTHING ELSE, I THINK THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH IS JUST REALLY VALUABLE AND WE CAN USE THE CONTEXT FOR OTHER PURPOSES SUCH AS IN ENERGY.
ROB WAS TALKING ABOUT THE LOT OF BENEFITS TO CORPORATE USERS THAT THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT.
IF WE HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE, WE COULD SEND OFF AN E-MAIL AND SAY, HEY, YOU WANT TO TAG ONTO THIS ONETIME WEBINAR WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OR SOMETHING, I DON'T KNOW.
I KNOW SHE GOT SUCKED INTO THE MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY IS MOVING OUT OF THE DORM.
>> WE HAVE A PACK UP PITCHING PROGRAM WHERE THEY TRY TO ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO DONATE THINGS, FOOD ITEMS IS ONE OF THEM, BUT ALSO CLOTHING, AND FURNITURE, AND APPLIANCES, AND LOTS OF OTHER STUFF.
>> IF ANYBODY WANTS TO KEEP STUFF OUT OF MSU'S DUMPSTERS, LET ME KNOW.
I'LL SEND YOU A LINK TO THE SIGN-UP SHEET.
I'M GOING TO BE THERE TOMORROW.
IF ANYBODY HAS GOT A SPARE TIME THAT WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THAT, LET ME KNOW.
>> LEROY IS POINTING AT [INAUDIBLE]
>> I WANT TO GIVE IT ENOUGH DATA IN YOUR TREES.
>> [INAUDIBLE] TREES DELIVERED. BEFORE I CAME HERE, I DROPPED SOME OFFICE.
A FEW PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T COME PICK THEM UP,
[02:00:02]
BUT YEAH, WE PLANTED SOME TREES.I ALSO CONTACTED THE GROUNDS PERSON FOR THE HIGH-SCHOOL.
PLANTING TREES AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, I THINK IS A GOOD IDEA.
I'M THINKING THAT, THAT SOUNDS LIKE I'M HOPING THAT FUTURE CLUBS WILL BE ABLE TO PUSH MORE.
THERE'S A LOT OF OPEN SPACE AND HE SAID THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH NOT GETTING ENOUGH WATER, WHICH I DON'T THINK IS CORRECT.
>> CHAMPION OLDER CHIP, WIDELY ACCEPTED.
IT WAS PLANTED ON THAT SCHOOL PROPERTY AND HAVE THEM HAVE LUNCH TOGETHER.
>> [LAUGHTER] ANYTHING ELSE? WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO ADJOURN AND KENDRA, I'M ED SECONDARY BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE COULD.
[LAUGHTER] WITHOUT OBJECTION, THE COMMISSION IS ADJOURNED. THANK YOU, EVERYBODY.
>> THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.