Mar 05, 2025 Environmental Commission Meeting

[00:00:22]

IT'S ONE THING TO READ ABOUT THEM, BUT YOU KNOW, I DON'T GET THE CHANCE TO SEE ALL OF THEIR WORK IN ACTION.

SO, YOU SENSE THAT A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE ARE.

SOPHOMORE YEAR, YOU'LL SEE DIFFERENT THINGS. YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT POINT.

I JUST GOT THE THUMBS UP. OH. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY.

WELL, IN THAT CASE, I UNDERSTAND WE'RE JUST ABOUT TO GO LIVE AND OR MAYBE ALREADY ARE LIVE.

[1. CALL MEETING TOORDER]

MERIDIAN, MARCH 5TH, 2025. AND I GUESS WE DON'T TRADITIONALLY DO ROLL CALL, BUT I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. COULD STAFF HELP US WITH A ROLL CALL? YES, ABSOLUTELY.

OR WE COULD DISPENSE WITH THE FORMALITY BECAUSE I THINK EVERYBODY IS HERE.

SO, ARE WE MISSING ANYBODY? WE'RE ACTUALLY OVERFLOWING WITH SUBMISSIONS INDULGENCE.

MAYBE WE CAN FOREGO THE ROLL CALL. SO ALL MEMBERS PRESENT.

ALL MEMBERS PRESENT. THANK YOU. NORMALLY, AT THIS POINT IN THE MEETING, IF WE HAD A PRESENTATION LIKE OUR FAMED GREEN THEMES SERIES, THIS WOULD BE THE TIME WHERE WE WOULD HAVE THAT BEFORE WE MAKE THOSE POOR GUESTS SIT THROUGH ALL OF OUR PARLIAMENTARIAN ISMS. AND I'M HOPING THAT MAYBE WE CAN TALK ABOUT PRESENTATIONS LATER IN THE AGENDA.

BUT SINCE WE DON'T HAVE A PRESENTATION, WE'LL MOVE TO CITIZENS, ADDRESS AGENDA ITEMS. WE HAVE NO CITIZENS IN THE ROOM WITH US, SO WE MOVE TO APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA.

[5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA]

I DON'T KNOW YOUR FORMAL TITLE, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS YOU ARE AN ENGINEER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ALONG TONIGHT. THE FIRST ITEM OF NEW BUSINESS IS A FINANCIAL OVERVIEW OF GREEN GRANTS FROM 2021 TO 2024.

[6.A. Financial Overview of Green Grants, 2021-2024]

AND HAD EARLY ACCESS TO SOME OF THIS INFORMATION.

BUT DEPUTY MANAGER OPSOMER HAS KINDLY AGREED TO COME AND REVIEW IT WITH US THIS EVENING IN SOME DETAIL.

THANK YOU, CHAIR MCCONNELL AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION.

GREAT TO SEE YOU ALL THIS EVENING. SO BEFORE YOU AND IN YOUR PACKET IS A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF ALL THE GREEN GRANTS.

IT IS CHRONOLOGICAL FROM PRESENT DAY TO 2021, WHICH WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT THE TOWNSHIP CONDUCTED THE GREEN GRANTS PROGRAM.

YOU DO HAVE IN THIS COLUMN THE AMOUNT THAT WAS AWARDED UNDER THE ORIGINAL GRANT AGREEMENT, THE AMOUNT THAT WAS PAID OUT TO THE GRANT AWARDEE.

THE REMAINING FUNDS, WHICH WE ONLY HAVE OUTSTANDING FUNDS ON ANY OF THE GRANT AWARDS FOR THE 2024 GREEN GRANTS.

AND THEN LAST, THE PROJECT STATUS, WHETHER THAT IS IN PROGRESS OR INCOMPLETE OR SORRY, COMPLETED.

SO WE DO HAVE SOME SIX THAT ARE CURRENTLY STILL IN PROGRESS FOR THE 2024 GREEN GRANTS.

AT THIS TIME, ALL OF THE AWARDEES STILL PLAN TO COMPLETE THOSE PROJECTS IN 2025 AND SEEK THEIR FINAL REIMBURSEMENT UNDER THE GRANT AWARDS. AND JUST GOING TOWARDS THE BOTTOM, YOU CAN SEE THE TOTALS.

SO, WE HAVE ISSUED JUST UNDER 50,000 IN AWARDS.

WE HAVE EXPENDED JUST OVER 40,500 TO THE GRANT RECIPIENTS.

AND THEN WE HAVE JUST UNDER 9000 OUTSTANDING FOR THOSE SIX 2024 GREEN GRANT RECIPIENTS.

AND THEN IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER, I DID JUST KIND OF DO A CUMULATIVE DATA BY YEAR.

[00:05:06]

MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT COMMISSIONERS MAY HAVE ON THE FINANCIAL REVIEW OF THE GREEN GRANTS.

WHAT IS THE PLEASE? THANK YOU. CHAIR. WHAT IS THE TIMELINE THAT GRANT AWARDEES ARE GIVEN TO COMPLETE THEIR PROJECTS THAT THESE GREEN GRANTS GO TOWARDS? SO WE'RE FAIRLY FLEXIBLE CURRENTLY.

PERHAPS THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DISCUSS UNDER ITEM 6B2 IN THE FUTURE.

DO WE WANT TO PUT ANY REQUIREMENTS ON THEM RIGHT NOW.

OUR PLAN IS TO SIMPLY ROLL THE FUNDS FORWARD.

THE UNSPENT FUNDS FROM 2024, SO WE'LL ROLL THOSE FORWARD IN THE TOWNSHIP BOARD'S QUARTER ONE BUDGET AMENDMENTS.

SO RIGHT NOW, WE'RE NOT PLANNING ON PUTTING ANY TIME CONSTRAINTS ON THE RECIPIENTS.

ONE OF THE PROJECTS, THE PROJECT INVOLVING THE ROUNDABOUT AT PARK LAKE AND BERTRAM WOULD BE ONE OF THE MORE INTENSIVE PROJECTS. SO SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE. I CAN SEE WHERE THEY DIDN'T HAVE TIME OR WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TIME TO PROCURE EVERYTHING AND COMPLETE THE WORK IN 2024, BUT THAT IS A TOPIC THAT WE COULD DISCUSS FOR FUTURE AWARDS.

BUT RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE ANY FIRM TIMELINE IN THE AGREEMENT, TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE.

OKAY. I'M NOT PROPOSING ONE. I'M JUST CURIOUS.

AND OBVIOUSLY WITH YOU KNOW, OUR MICHIGAN WINTERS, IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO TELL WHEN WE DO OUTSIDE CAN BE DONE UNLESS EXTENSION GRANTED.

SO, WE DO HAVE A REQUIREMENT OF DECEMBER 30TH.

YES. OKAY. WE HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE SIX 2024 GREEN GRANT RECIPIENTS.

LEROY HARVEY HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH EACH OF THEM.

I DON'T KNOW THAT WE REQUESTED A WRITTEN EXTENSION.

BUT AGAIN, WITH THIS PROGRAM, WE'VE BEEN PRETTY FLEXIBLE WITH IT BEING A SMALL GRANT AWARD THAT'S VERY COMMUNITY BASED.

SO IT'S FAR LESS FORMAL THAN MOST GRANTS ARE.

BUT WE CAN DISCUSS THAT TONIGHT TO HOW WE WANT THIS TO LOOK IN 2025 AND FUTURE YEARS.

THANK YOU. YES, PLEASE. I'VE NOTICED THAT A LOT OF THE PRIOR GRANTS THAT HAVE BEEN AWARDED OR PROJECTS THAT ARE SPONSORED OR RELATED TO, TO SCHOOLS, BUT THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE NOT IN THE EVENT THAT IN THE FUTURE THE APPLICATIONS EXCEED THE AVAILABLE FUNDS. IS THERE ANY THOUGHT ON WHETHER OR NOT THERE WOULD BE PREFERENCE GIVEN TO SCHOOL RELATED PROJECTS, OR ARE THEY ALL GOING TO BE REVIEWED ON A ON? IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE RAPIDLY MOVING INTO AGENDA ITEM 6.B AND THAT'S A ONE OF THE KEY QUESTIONS IS WHAT ARE THE DEADLINES AND WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE GET BIGGER REQUESTS THAN WE'VE GOT FUNDS FOR.

AND LUCKILY, STAFF HAS DONE SOME HOMEWORK AND PROVIDED US WITH SOME SUGGESTIONS, OR AT LEAST SOME QUESTIONS THAT WE CAN ASK OURSELVES ABOUT.

YEAH, AND THESE WERE JUST SOME BROAD CATEGORIES OF TOPICS FOR AGENDA ITEM SIX B THAT I WAS THINKING WE COULD TALK THROUGH THIS EVENING.

YOU KNOW, WHICH ORGANIZATIONS DO WE WANT TO PERMIT TO APPLY? ARE THERE ANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE WANT TO LIMIT ACCESS TO THESE GRANT FUNDS? YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT HOAS AND SHOULD HOAS BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY? I KNOW THAT'S BEEN AT LEAST A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION AMONGST SOME.

SO WHICH ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE ELIGIBLE? WHICH TYPES OF PROJECTS SHOULD BE ELIGIBLE? SHOULD WE SCORE PROJECTS BASED ON CERTAIN CRITERIA WHERE WE WEIGHT, YOU KNOW, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY COMPONENTS HEAVIER THAN MAYBE PLACEMAKING COMPONENTS. AND I THINK IT'S HELPFUL, RIGHT, TO TALK IN CONTEXT OF CONCEPTUAL PROJECTS THAT MIGHT BE APPLIED FOR OR EVEN PAST PROJECTS LIKE ONE, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT CHAIR MCCONNELL AND I WERE DISCUSSING.

I KNOW THAT THE HASLETT BEAUTIFICATION ASSOCIATION, THEY HAVE AN EXISTING WELCOME SIGN TO HASLETT ON HASLETT ROAD, AND THE TOPIC CAME UP LAST YEAR WHERE THEY WERE INTERESTED IN PURSUING A SIGN ON HASLETT ROAD AT THE WEST END, OR SORRY, THE EAST END OF THE DOWNTOWN. THE EXISTING SIGN IS ON THE WEST SIDE KIND OF BY BAYONNE AVENUE AND HASLETT ROAD, JUST A LITTLE BIT EAST OF THE BAYONNE INTERSECTION.

SO TRAFFIC HEADING EASTBOUND DOES HAVE THAT ENTRANCE SIGN AS YOU KIND OF COME INTO WHAT WE TRADITIONALLY THINK OF AS DOWNTOWN HASLETT, BUT WESTBOUND TRAFFIC DOES NOT HAVE A SIMILAR SIGN.

THE HASLETT BEAUTIFICATION ASSOCIATION IS AT LEAST INTERESTED IN POSSIBLY APPLYING, BUT AN APPLICATION LIKE THAT,

[00:10:08]

IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE PLACE MAKING. BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE HASLETT BEAUTIFICATION ASSOCIATION OBVIOUSLY PRIDES ITSELF ON WHAT ARE ESSENTIALLY POLLINATOR GARDENS.

RIGHT. ALL THOSE BEDS AT LAKE LANSING AND MARSH ALONG HASLETT ROAD ARE MAINTAINED BY THEM.

AND EVEN THE ONES AT THE ENTRANCE TO LAKE LANSING PARK SOUTH.

A LOT OF TIMES, I THINK THE WORK THAT THE HASLETT BEAUTIFICATION ASSOCIATION DOES AT THE ENTRANCE TO LAKE LANSING PARK SOUTH GETS ATTRIBUTED TO THE COUNTY AND COUNTY GROUNDS MAINTENANCE OF THE PARK, WHEN IN FACT THOSE ARE ALL VOLUNTEERS WORKING OUT WITH THEIR OWN TOOLS, THEIR OWN LABOR, AND SOME IN-KIND DONATIONS FROM BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORT THEIR EFFORTS.

THANK YOU. THAT'S AN EXTREMELY USEFUL OVERVIEW.

I WANT TO HEAR FROM COMMISSIONER SARVER, WHO'S BEEN QUITE INVOLVED IN GREEN GRANTS FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

SO I'M REALLY INTERESTED TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS. IF I COULD ADD A FEW MORE BEFORE WE GO ON.

DO WE WANT TO PROVIDE FUNDING GUIDANCE TO APPLICANTS AND WHAT FORM WOULD THAT TAKE? RIGHT. COULD THIS BE LOTS OF THINGS BUT SO THAT WE DON'T SO PEOPLE ARE SCOPING THEIR PROJECTS SO THAT WE CAN SERVE MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS OR WE MIGHT CHOOSE TO DO FEWER, BIGGER OR MANY SMALLER.

BUT I THINK THAT'S A POLICY CHOICE WE WANT TO CHEW, CHEW CHOO.

BUT, JOHN, PLEASE. I THINK INITIALLY THE FIRST YEAR A MAJOR INTENT WAS TO FUND PROJECTS WITH SCHOOLS.

AND I THINK THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN A PRIORITY, BUT IT HAS LOOSENED ITSELF OUT WITH RESPECT TO ELIGIBILITY TO BASICALLY ANYBODY WHICH IS NOT A BAD THING. AND IT PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE PARTICIPATION AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROJECTS.

I WONDER THOUGH FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE PERSPECTIVE DAN, IS THERE ANY ISSUES WITH GIVING GRANTS TO BUSINESSES OR IS THAT A NON-ISSUE. BECAUSE I KNOW EVERYBODY'S BEEN KIND OF ELIGIBLE TO DATE.

I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES HAVING WORKED IN THE STATE, YOU KNOW, WE ONLY MADE NON-PROFITS AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, SCHOOLS ELIGIBLE FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF GRANTS.

AND I'M NOT SAYING NECESSARILY WE SHOULDN'T. I'M MORE CURIOUS ABOUT IS THERE ANY ISSUES FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE PERSPECTIVE? AND I GUESS THE SECOND QUESTION RELATED TO ADMINISTRATION.

I'VE ALWAYS HAD THE SENSE THAT MANAGING THESE GRANTS HASN'T BEEN A BURDEN ON STAFF, THAT IT'S GONE PRETTY WELL.

THEY'VE BEEN STRUCTURED TO BE RELATIVELY SIMPLE FOR BOTH THE TOWNSHIP AND THE GRANTEES.

AND I GUESS I'M JUST ASKING YOU IF THAT'S TRUE, IF THAT'S, YOU KNOW, CONFIRMATION.

YEAH. VERY GOOD QUESTION, JOHN. SO TO YOUR FIRST QUESTION, THE TOWNSHIP'S ONLY LEGAL OBLIGATION OR RESTRICTION IN TERMS OF WHAT WE CAN EXPEND THE FUNDS FOR IS THE GRANT RECIPIENT WOULD HAVE TO UTILIZE THOSE FUNDS FOR SOME KIND OF PUBLIC PURPOSE.

SO WHICH IS REALLY VERY BROAD, RIGHT. A ENTRANCE SIGN TO DOWNTOWN HASLETT CERTAINLY QUALIFIES AS A PUBLIC PURPOSE, DOING SOMETHING IN THE RIGHT OF WAY. IS GOING TO QUALIFY AS SERVING A PUBLIC PURPOSE.

HANDLING INVASIVE SPECIES, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THAT'S ON AN HOA PARCEL OR A PUBLICLY OWNED PARCEL.

WE'RE SERVING A PUBLIC PURPOSE. SO THAT'S YOUR YOUR MAIN LIMITATION THERE.

SO REALLY, I THINK ANYTHING THAT WOULD FALL OUTSIDE OF THAT IS PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT WE WOULDN'T WANT TO AWARD A GREEN GRANT FOR ANYWAY.

SO REALLY, I THINK IT COMES DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT TYPES OF PROJECTS WE WANT TO SUPPORT AND HOW WE WANT TO KIND OF PUT SOME GUARDRAILS ON THAT AND TO WHAT EXTENT WE WANT TO PUT SOME GUARDRAILS ON THAT.

SO AND AS A KIND OF A FOLLOW UP, I HEARD SOME MENTION THAT THE TOWNSHIP BOARD WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE INTERACTION WITH HOA'S, AND THAT, WHAT'S THE THINKING BEHIND THAT? I WOULD I KNOW THAT TRUSTEE LENTZ MADE MENTION OF THAT AT THE LAST MEETING, SO I WOULD LET THE BOARD SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES ON THAT.

BUT I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS. YEAH. HAPPY TO YOU KNOW, WHILE WE WERE OUT ALL CAMPAIGNING FOR THESE ELECTED POSITIONS, I THINK MANY OR I KNOW MANY OF US HEARD FROM RESIDENTS THAT THEY DIDN'T FEEL THAT THE BOARD WAS NECESSARILY REACHING THEM WHERE THEY'RE AT,

[00:15:04]

AND HOA OR WITH MERIDIAN BEING SO NEIGHBORHOOD FOCUSED RATHER THAN YOU KNOW, MAYBE A CITY THAT WOULD BE LIKE, OH, EVERYONE WEST OF THIS SIDE IS, YOU KNOW, OUR OWN IDENTITY.

YOU KNOW, WE REALLY WANT TO MEET PEOPLE, LIKE I SAID, WHERE THEY'RE AT. AND THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE A GREAT WAY TO DO THAT.

HOAS HAVE REGULAR MEETINGS, SO THERE IS ALREADY A STRUCTURE THAT WE CAN INTERACT WITH.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT WAS PROPOSED DURING OUR BOARD RETREAT IN DECEMBER, I BELIEVE.

APOLOGIES. IT WAS BROUGHT UP AS A YOU KNOW, THE BOARD WANTS TO DO MORE COMMUNICATION WITH RESIDENTS, AND THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO GO IN WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, RECREATING THE WHEEL, TRYING TO INSTITUTE NEW PROCESSES THAT DON'T ALREADY EXIST.

SO, YOU KNOW, AND AS SOMEONE WHO IS IN FAVOR OF THAT, WHILE NOT A MEMBER OF ANY HOA I CAN TELL YOU, I HEARD PERSONALLY THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL SOME IDENTITY AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

SO I THINK THAT WAS THE THOUGHT PROCESS. I HOPE THAT KIND OF CLARIFIED WHAT WE WERE THINKING AS A BOARD.

OKAY. YEAH. FEEL FREE TO ELABORATE, DAN, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE.

YEAH. AND JOHN, YOUR OTHER QUESTION WAS, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT THE GREEN GRANTS THEMSELVES WERE A BURDEN TO STAFF.

I DON'T BELIEVE THEY ARE. I THINK IN GENERAL.

RIGHT. THE TOWNSHIP BOARD GOALS HAVE BEEN CHANGING AND EVOLVING.

AND NOW THROUGH, YOU KNOW, SOME NATURAL ATTRITION THAT OCCURS WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION.

WE'RE KIND OF TRYING TO RESTRUCTURE. RIGHT. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BE STAFFING THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WITH A PROJECT ENGINEER AND TRYING TO CREATE MORE CAPACITY THROUGH A GENERAL FUND FUNDED PROJECT ENGINEER POSITION, SO THAT WE CAN PUT MORE RESOURCES BEHIND THE SOLAR EFFORTS THAT THE BOARD AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION HAVE PRIORITIZED. EV DESIGN AND A LOT OF THESE OTHER THINGS.

SO BUT THE GREEN GRANTS THEMSELVES ARE NOT THAT TIME CONSUMING OVERALL.

AND TO THE HOA DISCUSSION, THE ONE THING I WOULD JUST POINT OUT IS THAT IT IS FAIRLY COMMON IN THE TOWNSHIP TO HAVE PARCELS THAT ARE JUST DEDICATED AS HOA OPEN SPACE, SO THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY PRESERVED.

AND THERE'S NOTHING NECESSARILY SAYING THAT THE LAND HAS TO BE PRESERVED, BUT THAT REALLY IS THE INTENTION OF THE HOA IN THE END, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY. AND HERE'S AN EXAMPLE. THIS IS A CHIPPEWA WOODS.

SO THIS IS A GREEN ROAD RIGHT HERE. THIS IS HASLETT.

SO WE'RE JUST SOUTH OF THE FORK OF GREEN ROAD.

AND HASLETT. CHIPPEWA WOODS IS KIND OF THE SOUTH END OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.

BUT THEY OWN THIS PARCEL RIGHT HERE, FOR INSTANCE.

OBVIOUSLY WE HAD THE CREEK LANDING NEIGHBORHOOD.

THIS WAS ONE OF THE GREEN GRANT RECIPIENTS. SO THEY OWN ALL THIS OPEN SPACE AROUND THEIR CONDOMINIUM DEVELOPMENT.

SILVERSTONE ESTATES OFF OF POWELL ROAD. JUST TO GIVE A THIRD EXAMPLE.

RIGHT HERE THEY HAVE SEVERAL HOA PARCELS. SO BECAUSE THIS WAS A PUD.

AND SO WHEN THE PLANNING COMMISSION APPROVES A PUD, 50% OF THE LAND ACTUALLY HAS TO BE SET ASIDE FOR OPEN SPACE.

SO OUR ZONING ORDINANCE ACTUALLY KIND OF FORCES THIS ISSUE.

AND SO WE DO HAVE A LOT OF NEIGHBORHOODS WITH OPEN SPACE.

AND I GUESS IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW DOES A SEED INVESTMENT OF A GREEN GRANT GET THE HOA MORE INCLINED TO PAY PERHAPS HIGHER DUES TO MAINTAIN THE CONTROL OF THE INVASIVE SPECIES LONG TERM? YOU KNOW, IS OUR SEED INVESTMENT GOING TO BEAR FRUIT? IN A BIGGER SENSE, I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT THE SPIRIT BEHIND THAT GREEN GRANT AWARD WAS.

AND I THINK TIME WILL TELL WITH THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.

BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF HOAS WITH OPEN SPACE PARCELS.

NOT ALL OF THEM, BUT MANY. OTHER QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS ON THAT SPECIFIC TOPIC? WELL, WE CAN GET BACK TO THESE QUESTIONS, WHICH I THINK ARE GREAT QUESTIONS, AND WE DON'T HAVE TO GET THROUGH ALL OF THEM TONIGHT.

BUT IF WE'RE UP FOR IT WE CAN CONTINUE TO BRAINSTORM ON SOME OF THESE.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT UNDER 0.3, JOHN, HOW YOU FEEL THE PROCESS FOR EVALUATING THE PROJECTS HAS EVOLVED A LITTLE BIT OVER TIME? I THINK MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESS IS THE COMMITTEE MEETS AND KIND OF EVALUATES THE PROJECTS AND DEVELOPS SCORING.

THAT THEN COMES ATTACHED TO A RECOMMENDATION TO THE COMMISSION TO SUPPORT THOSE PROJECTS.

[00:20:04]

YEAH. THERE'S TO KEEP THINGS RELATIVELY STRAIGHTFORWARD, I GUESS IS ONE WAY TO PUT IT.

I THINK THERE'S JUST THREE SCORING CRITERIA. ONE HAS TO DO WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.

ONE HAS TO DO WITH THE OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY, WHICH WE, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS CAN BE DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS THAT PEOPLE REPLICATE.

AND THERE WAS CRITERIA ABOUT DO YOU HAVE A GOOD WORK PLAN? AND I MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN SOMETHING, BUT SO THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SPECIFIC CRITERIA, KIND OF BROAD CRITERIA.

AND THE SELECTION COMMITTEE HAS ALWAYS INDEPENDENTLY REVIEWED THE PROPOSALS AND SCORED THEM AND THEN HAD A DISCUSSION AND MADE A FINAL DECISION ON WHAT TO RECOMMEND.

AND WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT MANY APPLICATIONS OR PROPOSALS.

AND SO IT HASN'T BEEN A REALLY TOUGH TO KIND OF PICK WHO ARE THE WINNERS AND WHO ARE THE LOSERS.

BUT BUT THE PROCESS DOES INCLUDE AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW BY USUALLY THREE PEOPLE, MAYBE FOUR PEOPLE, A SCORING USING SOME BASIC CRITERIA. AND FROM MY EXPERIENCE ON THE COMMITTEE YOU KNOW, WE'VE WE'RE ALWAYS VERY COMFORTABLE THAT WHAT WE RECOMMENDED WERE GOOD PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THAT'S ALWAYS AN ISSUE, TOO. YOU KNOW, YOU COULD COME INTO YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE ENOUGH PROJECT GOOD PROJECTS.

AND THEN IT GETS KIND OF TRICKY TO SAY, NO, WE'RE NOT GOING TO FUND YOU, EVEN THOUGH WE HAD MONEY AVAILABLE.

BUT LUCKILY, WE'VE NEVER HAD THAT SITUATION AND WE'VE ONLY RECENTLY BEGUN TO HAVE A SITUATION WHERE WE'RE GETTING MORE REQUESTS THAN WE ACTUALLY HAD FUNDS.

SO, WE HAD TO HAVE SOME RESCISSIONS FROM THE STOLEN AWARD, BUT WITH A REDUCTION TO GET TO THE RATE.

THAT WAS GOING TO BE ONE OF MY QUESTIONS. HOW MANY HAVE YOU HAD TO TURN AWAY FROM THE APPLICATIONS THAT WERE SUBMITTED, IF ANY? I'M NOT AWARE OF US TURNING ANY AWAY.

I THINK WHAT'S HAPPENED, THOUGH THERE'S BEEN A DISCUSSION WITH LEROY HARVEY.

OKAY. BY POTENTIAL APPLICANTS TO KIND OF SEE WHAT THE SITUATION IS AND MAYBE HOW GOOD A FIT A PROJECT COULD BE.

AND THAT'S HELPFUL FOR BOTH THE TOWNSHIP AND THE POTENTIAL APPLICANT SO THAT THEY DON'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME.

NOT THAT THESE ARE HUGE PROPOSALS WORKING ON SOMETHING AND THEN GETTING TURNED DOWN.

SO I CAN'T ACTUALLY THINK OF A SITUATION WHERE WE AND I COULD HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT WE ACTUALLY DISCOURAGE SOMEBODY OR TURNED THEM DOWN. NO, THAT'S FINE, THANK YOU.

BECAUSE THAT CURIOUS QUESTION JUST MAKES ME LEAD TO LIKE, HOW MUCH EFFORT WE DO NEED TO PUT IN, YOU KNOW, GUARDRAILS AND TO REALLY FRAMING UP MORE OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO IF, YOU KNOW, MEET, DEMAND, THAT KIND OF THING SO WELL.

AND WHAT I WOULD EXPECT IS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, OVER TIME IT BECOMES BETTER KNOWN TO THE TOWNSHIP THAT THESE FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE. I THINK WE WILL FIND THAT THERE WILL BE MORE AND MORE DEMAND FOR THE DOLLARS, ESPECIALLY AS THE BUDGET HAS INCREASED.

SO I THINK THE THAT WHOLE ISSUE OF RANKING, TURNING FOLKS DOWN, MAYBE SOMETHING THAT BEING IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST OR, YOU KNOW CAN COME UP MAYBE IN THE, IN THE FUTURE, MAYBE, MAYBE FAIRLY QUICKLY, I DON'T KNOW. BECAUSE I COULD I LIKED DAN'S ANSWER ABOUT THE, THE BUSINESSES BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S A GOOD GUARDRAIL. ANYTHING HAS TO BE PROPOSED, HAS TO BE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST.

BUT I COULD IMAGINE HOW A NONPROFIT OR A BUSINESS MIGHT PROPOSE SOMETHING THAT THE COMMITTEE MIGHT DECIDE NOT TO SHARE.

THAT REALLY IS A PUBLIC INTEREST. IT MIGHT BE AN INTEREST FOR THE ORGANIZATION, BUT DOES IT SERVE THE TOWNSHIP? YEAH. AND IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS CORRECTLY, TYPICALLY MOST OF THAT CONVERSATION BETWEEN POTENTIAL APPLICANTS AND US IS THROUGH STAFF. SO THEY'RE DIRECTED TO CONTACT STAFF.

[00:25:02]

I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T REMEMBER THAT BEING SOMETHING CONSIDERED IN THE PROCESS.

YEAH. YOU'RE CORRECT. YEAH. AND THAT'S VERY TYPICAL OF MOST GRANTS IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOU PUTTING UP? YOU KNOW, AND I THINK WHEN WE SEE THE PICTURES OF PEOPLE BUILDING BUTTERFLY GARDENS, IT'S OBVIOUS.

BUT THERE MAY ALSO BE ACTUAL DOLLARS THAT ARE COMING TO THE PROJECT FROM THE APPLICANT BEYOND THE IN-KIND.

AND HOW DO YOU EVALUATE THAT? YEAH, ALMOST ALL THESE PROJECTS, RIGHT.

HAVE A PHYSICAL DIMENSION TO IT. THEY'RE MOSTLY PHYSICAL PROJECTS AS THERE HAS BEEN SOME EXCEPTIONS LIKE.

WELL, THE BOOK IS A GOOD, GOOD EXAMPLE OF AN EXCEPTION, BUT MOST OF THEM ARE RAIN GARDENS OR OTHER SORTS OF PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS TO A SCHOOL OR TO A CHURCH.

TOM. YEAH, IT'S JUST NOTING ON THE ACTUAL APPLICATION ITEM.

IT DOES TALK ABOUT MATCHING OR IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS ARE ENCOURAGED.

I DON'T THINK THEY'VE BEEN A REQUIREMENT, BUT I THINK AS YOU INDICATED, A LOT OF THEM DO PROVIDE VOLUNTARY YOU KNOW, MANPOWER AND THINGS TO GET THE PROJECTS DONE.

I MEAN, I LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT THE GRANT SUPPORT.

I THINK IT'S A GREAT, YOU KNOW, GREAT PROGRAM.

ONE THING I WAS THINKING ABOUT IS, YOU KNOW, WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT LIKE THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.

AND THERE ARE SOME OBJECTIVES IN THERE THAT RELATE TO SORT OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH, AND YOU KNOW, OTHER THINGS THAT. SO I WAS THINKING, MAYBE NOT THAT THESE PROJECTS HAVE TO BE, BUT THAT MAYBE WE COULD PUT SOMETHING IN THE IN THERE ABOUT SORT OF ENCOURAGING PEOPLE THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE SOME OF THIS GRANT PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY PROJECTS THAT WOULD HELP SUPPORT ACHIEVING SOME OF THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES IN, LIKE THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN OR THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE OR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER PLANS THAT ARE OUT THERE.

I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. TELL US WHICH OF OUR CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLANS THIS ADDRESSES THAT WILL HELP US, RIGHT. YEAH. OR MASTER PLAN. COULD IT BE HELPED? I'M JUST LOOKING AT THE APPLICATION THING. AND NUMBER FIVE ADDRESSES THE OUTREACH PLAN.

IF THERE WAS A LINK IN THERE TO THAT SUSTAINABILITY PLAN FOR SOMETHING TO MAKE IT EASY FOR PEOPLE TO CONNECT IT. AND THAT COULD BE A SCORING CRITERIA.

YOU KNOW, IF IT HELPS MEET ONE OF THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, YOU GET A POINT OR SOMETHING.

SO, I DON'T KNOW. ANYBODY WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM HAVE FURTHER THOUGHTS.

YOU KNOW DON'T HAVE TO TRY TO FLESH OUT SCORING CRITERIA A LITTLE BIT.

I'VE HEARD, TO MENTION THE WORK PLAN AND SOME OUTREACH COMPONENT, BUT DO WE WANT TO ADD A COUPLE OF BULLET POINTS THAT WOULD INCLUDE SCORING CRITERIA? AND THEN WHEN THE COMMITTEE REVIEWS THE APPLICATIONS, WE HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL STRUCTURE TO GO BY.

YEAH. SO, I WAS WONDERING MYSELF IF EDUCATION OR COMMUNITY EDUCATION.

EDUCATION WOULD BE A USEFUL CRITERIA.

I THINK IT SAYS YOUR PROPOSALS ARE EVALUATED BY THE GREEN GRANT COMMITTEE BASED ON EDUCATIONAL VALUE, ECOLOGICAL IMPACT AND CLARITY. IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE REFERRING TO? LIKE THE THREE THINGS THAT YOU GUYS USUALLY EVALUATE? YES. RIGHT. AND IF I SEEM TO REMEMBER THAT THEY WERE GIVEN EQUAL WEIGHT TO EACH OF THOSE THREE CRITERIA AND CLARITY. WAS THAT KIND OF WE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO AND WE BELIEVE YOU CAN PULL IT OFF. THANK YOU. I DESCRIBED IT AS WORK PLAN, BUT BASICALLY, YEAH, YOU KNOW, DO WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE HECK YOU'RE GOING TO DO? RIGHT. YEAH. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WE PRETTY MUCH HAVE THOSE.

[00:30:02]

IS THAT SOMEHOW SIMILAR TO A NUMBER I CAN GIVE TO AN EDUCATIONAL.

BUT I. I THINK THAT'S WHY WE CREATED A COMMITTEE SO THAT WE DIDN'T TRY TO DO IT AS AN ENTIRE COMMISSION EVERY TIME. AND WHAT I'M WONDERING IS IF IT MAKES SENSE TO TALK A BIT THIS EVENING AT LEAST, ABOUT WHO WOULD BE INTERESTED IN GETTING A LITTLE BIT MORE INVOLVED IN THIS KIND OF REDESIGN OF OUR APPLICATION AND SCORING CRITERIA AND MAYBE GET TOGETHER OFFLINE AND BRING US A PROPOSAL? YEAH. A RELATED NOTE, THE SUGGESTION ABOUT ALIGNMENT WITH THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. MAYBE THAT SHOULD BE A SCORING CRITERIA.

YEAH, YEAH. WHICH WOULD BE SEPARATE FROM POTENTIALLY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.

YEAH. THAT AT LEAST WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL THE POTENTIAL APPLICANTS TO LOOK AT THE PLAN AND SEE WHAT.

THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE A PLAN AND WHAT'S IN IT.

YEAH. SO YEAH. AND IF WE COULD GET A COMMITTEE ORGANIZED TO KIND OF WORK ON THAT ON A, ON A SMALLER GROUP BASIS DOESN'T REQUIRE PUBLIC NOTICE.

WE DON'T HAVE TO BE HERE. IT CAN BE ON ZOOM. IT CAN BE LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS.

MIGHT BE ABLE TO SCHEDULE TIME WITH STAFF TO DIG IN MORE ON SOME OF THIS STUFF, AND MAYBE EVEN LOOK AT SOME PAST APPLICATIONS AND GO, OH BOY, THAT'S HOW THEY GOT SCORED. AND HOW YOU KNOW, WOULD I DO THAT SAME THING? AND THEN BRING US A, DO WE I MEAN, WHAT HOW MUCH TIME HAVE WE GOT TO FIGURE THIS OUT? SO I'M THINKING WHAT WE'LL DO IS IN THE NEXT, LIKE, TWO WEEKS, COME UP WITH A FINAL APPLICATION.

SO POLISH UP THE APPLICATION MATERIALS, GET IT READY FOR RELEASE.

IS GET THE PRESS RELEASE READY. SO IN TWO WEEKS I'D LIKE TO GET IT OUT TO THE PUBLIC.

SO PERHAPS WE COULD HAVE IF WE COULD HAVE TWO COMMISSIONERS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING ON THE SUBCOMMITTEE, WE CAN HAVE THAT SUBCOMMITTEE HELP US FINALIZE EVERYTHING, GET IT PUBLISHED, AND THEN THAT SUBCOMMITTEE CAN CONTINUE ON TO THE REVIEW PROCESS.

AND NEXT MONTH, WE BRING FORWARD A SLATE OF APPLICANTS AND AWARD AMOUNTS TO RECOMMEND TO THE FULL ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.

SO THAT WAY WE'D BE RECOMMENDING, OR WE COULD GET AWARDS OUT FIRST WEEK OF APRIL, AND WE STILL ARE ROUGHLY ON OUR NORMAL SCHEDULE.

I'D BE HAPPY TO PARTICIPATE SINCE I HAVE SOME BACKGROUND.

I'VE GOT I'VE GOT TWO HANDS AND I THINK WE CAN HAVE UP TO FOUR AND NOT HAVE A QUORUM.

SO IF ANYBODY ELSE IS INTERESTED IN WORKING ON THIS, BUT I THINK HAVING TWO COMMISSIONERS AND SOME STAFF I THINK WILL GET US GREAT PROGRESS ON THIS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR AGREEING TO PARTICIPATE THAT.

THANK YOU, STAFF FOR PUTTING THOSE IDEAS IN FRONT OF US AND HELPING US THINK THROUGH HOW WE'RE GOING TO.

SO CAN I JUST QUICKLY ASK A QUESTION, JUST BECAUSE THE HASLETT SUSTAINABILITY CLUB IS HOPING TO APPLY FOR ONE FOR THIS YEAR? SOMEWHERE I READ AND I WAS TRYING TO FIND IT AGAIN.

SOMETHING ABOUT A MARCH 15TH DEADLINE, SO THAT WOULD NOT BE THE DEADLINE.

NO. WE WOULD. OKAY, WELL, WHEN THE SUBCOMMITTEE CONVENES HERE, HOPEFULLY NEXT WEEK.

ALL RIGHT. WE CAN TALK ABOUT A REASONABLE TIMELINE. I THINK WE'VE PUT THESE OUT FOR ABOUT 30 DAYS, SO WE MIGHT HAVE TO GET A LITTLE BIT TIGHTER THAN THAT IN ORDER TO GET THIS BEFORE YOU IN APRIL.

YEAH, BUT WE'LL TRY TO MAXIMIZE THAT NUMBER OF DAYS, 20 SOME ODD DAYS FOR AN APPLICATION WINDOW.

AND YOU GUYS BOTH AVAILABLE LIKE DURING BUSINESS HOURS.

I AM. THAT HELPS A LOT WITH SCHEDULING. YEAH, IT DEFINITELY HELPS FOR SCHEDULING.

YES. ANYTHING ELSE UNDER 2025? GREEN GRANTS. I DO HAVE A

[6.B. 2025 Green Grants]

BUT I THINK THAT NEEDS TO JUST GO ON THE APPLICATION AND THAT'LL GIVE.

WE CAN GIVE LIKE A PERCENTILE RANGE. RIGHT. SO WE CAN GIVE A RANGE THAT FALLS WITHIN THAT 30 TO 70 OR 4060 PERCENTILE.

OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE ALL THE DATA IN AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET.

SO, POP IN A COUPLE OF FORMULAS AND WE CAN SPIT OUT WHATEVER RANGE WE WANT, AND THEN WE LIST IT ON THE APPLICATION.

AND THAT CAN KIND OF TAKE THE SPACE OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT MR. HARVEY WAS HAVING IN THE PAST. OH, OKAY. YEAH.

I DIDN'T KNOW. LIKE IF WE HAVE A LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO SHOOT FOR GRANTS THAT ARE ABOUT THIS SIZE, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT ONE GRANT ONE PERSON.

[00:35:04]

OKAY. I THINK ONE THING THAT MAYBE HAS BEEN THAT WE HAVEN'T QUANTIFIED, BUT WE COULD TRY TO DO A BETTER JOB.

WE KNOW WE'RE WORKING WITH, BY AND LARGE VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS, OR EVEN IN THE SCHOOL SENSE, IT'S LARGELY A TEACHER VOLUNTEERING WITH STUDENTS TO KIND OF CARRY OUT THESE PROJECTS.

SO REALLY, WE'RE DEALING WITH VOLUNTEERS ALMOST ACROSS THE BOARD.

BUT WE COULD REVISE THE APPLICATION TO JUST TRY TO BETTER ENCOURAGE APPLICANTS TO TRY TO QUANTIFY THE IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS, BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS THAT WE'RE NOT QUANTIFYING. SO WE COULD TRY TO GET AT THAT A LITTLE BIT BETTER.

AND HAVE LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE HASLETT BEAUTIFICATION ASSOCIATION, I KNOW, FOR INSTANCE, WOULD DO A GOOD JOB OF QUANTIFYING THE PLANTINGS THAT ARE IN-KIND, QUANTIFYING THEIR LABOR AND JUST GIVING SOME VALUE TO THAT LABOR.

RIGHT. HOW MANY LABOR HOURS WENT INTO THIS. AND THEN AND PUTTING A REASONABLE PRICE TAG ON THE VALUE OF THAT LABOR.

RIGHT. YEAH. I THINK THAT'D BE GREAT. I ALSO DON'T WANT TO CREATE TOO MUCH WORK BECAUSE THESE ARE PRETTY SMALL GRANTS, TOO. SO, LIKE THE I MEAN, I KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO MANAGE GRANTS AND SO LIKE FOR SUCH A SMALL GRANT, LIKE WE DON'T WANT TO CREATE LIKE TOO MUCH OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN EITHER.

YEAH. I THINK THE IDEA OF GIVING A RANGE OF, OF PAST GRANT AWARDS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

I ALSO THINK THE IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS, BY SOME MEASURE, OF QUANTIFYING IN WHATEVER WAY, ALLOWS US TO ACTUALLY QUANTIFY THE OUTREACH THAT WE'RE GETTING DONE, BOTH TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS DIRECTLY AND ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE THEY TELL ABOUT IT.

SO I THINK THAT'S VERY USEFUL TO PLEASE. WAS THERE ANY COMMISSION CONSENSUS ON WHETHER OR NOT THERE SHOULD BE LIMITS TO ELIGIBILITY. FOR EXAMPLE, WE KIND OF TIPTOED AROUND WHETHER OR NOT PROFITS AND NONPROFITS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE ON AN EQUAL BASIS. IS THERE ANY FEELING ON THAT? WELL, I WAS SATISFIED WITH DAN'S ANSWER ABOUT THE PUBLIC PURPOSE, BUT IT'S. YEAH. YEAH, I WOULD ECHO THE PUBLIC PURPOSE POINT AS WELL.

BUT PERSONALLY, I DON'T THINK WE NECESSARILY WANT TO LIMIT THE TYPE OF ORGANIZATION THAT COULD APPLY, AT LEAST NOT AT THIS STAGE. I THINK WE THEY CAN BE WEEDED OUT THROUGH THE CRITERIA IF WE GET MORE APPLICANTS THAN WE HAVE MONEY FOR.

BUT I WOULD SAY LEAVE IT OPEN TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO APPLY.

THANK YOU. ALTERNATE VIEWS. YEAH, I CAN IMAGINE IF ONE WANTED TO GET REALLY COMPLEX, YOU COULD SAY, WELL, IF YOU'RE A REAL ESTATE COMPANY, WE EXPECT THAT MATCHING TO BE BIG, RIGHT? IF YOU'RE A MIDDLE SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF BODIES.

FINE. AND THAT WOULD BE KIND OF SOMEHOW ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE CRITERIA WEIGHTING RANKING PROCESS, I THINK MAYBE. SEEING NO FURTHER HANDS ON THAT TOPIC, LET'S THEN MOVE

[6.C. Resolution in Support of Meridian Township’s FY26 CDS Grant Application]

LET'S WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE'LL CREATE A NEW ITEM AFTER THIS ONE.

ON APPROVING THE MINUTES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT CATCH.

I HAVE SOME VERY NICE THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THE MINUTES. I WOULD HATE TO MISS THAT.

PLEASE. WHAT DO YOU GOT FOR US? ALL RIGHT. GREETINGS, EVERYONE.

MY NAME IS JACK HUGHES. AS BILL INTRODUCED ME, I'M A PROJECT ENGINEER FOR MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

YEAH. AND I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT OUR ITEM 6.C A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP'S FISCAL YEAR 2026 CDS GRANT APPLICATION.

SO THIS IS THE TOWNSHIP'S PROPOSAL TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING.

THIS FUNDING IS MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE OFFICE OF SENATOR GARY PETERS.

HE'S A MEMBER OF THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, WHICH IS IN CHARGE OF ALLOCATING FEDERAL FUNDING INTO SMALL MUNICIPAL PROJECTS.

THERE'S QUITE A FEW GUARDRAILS OR CRITERIA FOR THESE PROJECTS.

AND THEY NEED TO THEY'RE ONLY AVAILABLE TO MUNICIPALITIES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND THEY NEED TO HAVE A SIZABLE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITIES THEY'LL BE

[00:40:03]

THERE'S A LIST HERE OF NINE DIFFERENT KIND OF PROJECT PROPOSALS WE HAD.

IT WAS DETERMINED THAT SOLAR PROJECTS WOULD BE THE ONLY ELIGIBLE PROJECTS FOR THIS, THIS KIND OF FUNDING.

SO THE TOWNSHIP THEN STARTED TO LOOK AT WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST SOLAR PROJECT WE COULD TAKE ON AND UTILIZE THIS FUNDING.

SO A LITTLE HISTORY WE HAVE IN 2022, WE INSTALLED SOLAR PANELS ON THE CARPORTS FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING OVER HERE.

AND THIS IS ONE AREA WE, IT WOULD BE EASY TO EXPAND ON SINCE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS ALREADY THERE.

IT'S ALREADY CONNECTED TO THE GRID. THIS WOULD BE AN AREA WHERE ADDING NEW SOLAR TILES WOULD BE A VERY SIMPLE, I GUESS COMPARED TO DOING AN ENTIRELY NEW INSTALLATION SOMEWHERE.

WE ALSO LOOKED AT ALL OF OUR MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS OR ALL THE BUILDINGS WITHIN KIND OF TOWNSHIP GOVERNANCE.

OUR FIRE STATIONS, LIFT STATIONS, PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDINGS, ET CETERA.

CAME TO FIND THAT THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING IS UP THERE IN TERMS OF DEMAND, AND THE COST IT WOULD TAKE IN ORDER TO ENACT A SOLAR PROJECT IS ALSO QUITE HIGH ON THAT LIST. SO GETTING SOME FEDERAL FUNDING WOULD REALLY HELP SMOOTH THAT OVER.

THE BUILDING CURRENTLY, AS OF 2022, GENERATES ABOUT 18% OF ITS ELECTRICITY THROUGH THOSE SOLAR TILES AND WITH THIS PROPOSAL, WE'D BE LOOKING TO EXPAND THAT SYSTEM OUT TO COVER 100% OR A LITTLE MORE OF THAT BUILDING'S ENERGY USE.

THIS WOULD HELP US NOT ONLY IN THE SHORT TERM, BUT THIS WOULD ALSO HELP THE COMMUNITY WIDE GOAL OF MOVING TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AS A AS AN OVERALL GOAL WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. SO.

THERE IS A BIT OF A PRECEDENT FOR THIS AS WELL.

THERE HAS BEEN A SIMILARLY FUNDED PROJECT, ALSO A PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING THAT GOT SOLAR PANELS INSTALLED ON IT.

SO WE FEEL LIKE, AGAIN, OUT OF OUR CANDIDATES THAT WAS NARROWED DOWN TO SOLAR ONLY LOOKING AT OUR SOLAR OPTIONS, THIS ONE IS BOTH THE MOST PHYSICALLY FEASIBLE FOR US.

IT'D BE THE SIMPLEST TO IMPLEMENT, AND THERE'S ALREADY SOME PRECEDENT FOR SIMILAR PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN FUNDED THROUGH SIMILAR PROGRAMS. SO THAT'S OUR OVERVIEW HERE. GENERALLY, WE APPROACHED A COUPLE DIFFERENT COMPANIES, AND THE CURRENT DESIGN WE'RE LOOKING AT IS LOOKING TO BE ABOUT $400,000. SO THAT'S THE AMOUNT WE'D BE LOOKING TO APPLY FOR.

IT WOULD BE EXPECTED THAT THE TOWNSHIP WOULD HAVE TO MEET OR MATCH WHATEVER.

THE TOTAL PROJECT COST IS 50/50. SO, I'M ENCOURAGED TO KIND OF AIM A LITTLE HIGH THERE.

SO IF WITH THE BLESSING OF THE COMMISSION, THEN WE WOULD LIKE TO COMPLETE THIS RESOLUTION AND APPLY FOR THIS FUNDING.

THE DEADLINE IS MARCH 17TH, SO WE WILL NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO MEET AGAIN BEFORE THIS APPLICATION IS DUE.

SO WE WILL NEED AN ANSWER ON THIS RELATIVELY SHORTLY.

YEAH, I THINK THAT'S THE THANK YOU FOR THAT OVERVIEW.

IF YOU COULD SCROLL UP TO THE END OF THE STAFF REPORT JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE RIGHT THERE.

SURE. NOW THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION THAT'S THERE ON THE SCREEN.

ANY VOLUNTEERS? YES. CONSIDERING I WAS A PART OF IT LAST NIGHT AS WELL.

I MOVED TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP'S FISCAL YEAR 2026 CONGRESSIONAL CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING GRANT APPLICATION.

THANK YOU. IS THERE SUPPORT COMMISSIONER FRAIZER SUPPORTS? ANY DISCUSSION OF THIS PROPOSED PROJECT, THIS USE OF FUNDS.

I PRESUME THAT THE ENERGY TEAM IS KIND OF AWARE OF A LOT OF THIS STUFF AND INVOLVED.

YES. I'M THRILLED. THAT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO A SIZABLE PROJECT.

AND I'M OF COURSE, I'M AN OPTIMIST BY NATURE, BUT I THINK THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND A SPECIFIC GOAL RELATED TO RENEWABLE ENERGY THAT MAY HELP US WHEN IT'S BEING CONSIDERED BY CONGRESS.

SO I'M I THINK IT'S MARVELOUS AND I'M OPTIMISTIC.

AND YOU'RE ORGANIZING A PANCAKE BREAKFAST FOR THE 200 GRAND MATCHING.

TRUSTEE. DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? A LOT OF PAINTINGS. YEAH. I WANTED TO SAY THAT THE TOWNSHIP BOARD DID YOU KNOW, AGREE WITH THIS DECISION TO SUPPORT THIS LAST NIGHT AND A PRETTY LONG BOARD MEETING.

THIS WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WE ALL KIND OF WERE EXCITED TO SEE COME ACROSS OUR DESKS.

I DO WANT TO POINT OUT AND THERE IS MENTION THIS ON OUR SCREENS, BUT YOU KNOW, WITH THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN OF OBTAINING 50% OF ELECTRICITY USE FOR

[00:45:04]

CURRENTLY, WE ARE AT 28% OF ALL MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS COMING FROM.

EXCUSE ME RENEWABLE RESOURCES. THIS, IF APPROVED AND IMPLEMENTED, WOULD PUT US AT 53%.

SO WHILE YOU'RE BEHIND THAT 25 GOAL, WE WILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, THIS WOULD BE A SIZABLE CHUNK OF THAT ENERGY RESOURCE THAT THE TOWNSHIP USES. SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT FOR ANYONE LISTENING THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS DOES PUT US IN LINE WITH THAT CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.

YES, PLEASE. THE FOURTH PARAGRAPH, THE COVER MEMO SAYS THERE'S A PRESUMPTION THAT THE TOWNSHIP WILL HAVE TO PROVIDE A 50% MATCH, HAVE FUNDS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE TOWNSHIP BUDGET TO COVER THAT COST? YEAH. I'VE SPOKEN TO THE TOWNSHIP MANAGER, AND IF WE'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET THE GRANT, WE WILL FIND THE GENERAL FUNDS TO PROVIDE THE LOCAL MATCH.

AND JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE BACKGROUND, THE CONCEPT PLAN, WHICH IS IN YOUR PACKET, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THIS PROJECT IS ESTIMATED AT A COST OF ABOUT 550,000. NOW, THAT BEING SAID, THE CONTRACTOR THAT HELPED PUT THESE CONCEPT PLANS TOGETHER IS ALWAYS THE LOW BID OR HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN THE LOW BID ON OUR SOLAR PROJECTS. AND THERE'S USUALLY A GAP.

AND SO WE ARE APPLYING FOR MORE THAN THAT ESTIMATE BECAUSE THE OTHER CONTRACTORS THAT WILL OFTEN BID ARE USUALLY MUCH HIGHER.

SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO CREATE A LITTLE BIT OF WIGGLE ROOM. SO THE HOPE WOULD BE THOSE CONCEPT PLANS WERE DEVELOPED IN 2023.

YOU KNOW, THE HOPE WOULD BE THIS PROJECT IS MAYBE A $600,000 PROJECT.

AND WE'RE LOOKING AT A 300, 300,000 LOCAL MATCH TO GRANT.

SO HOPEFULLY WE'RE NOT HAVING TO SECURE 400,000.

BUT THE TOWNSHIP MANAGER IS AWARE OF THIS. AND THEN JUST ONE OTHER NOTE.

I WAS HOPING TO PRINT OUT A REVISED RESOLUTION, BUT THE BOARD DID MAKE ONE CLERICAL CHANGE IN THE RESOLUTION LAST NIGHT FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES. OBVIOUSLY, THE NEW ADMINISTRATION AND THE WHITE HOUSE ISN'T ALWAYS FOND OF HASN'T BEEN FOND OF THE PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD.

SO THE THIRD, WHEREAS CLAUSE WOULD READ, WE WOULD STRIKE TEN YEARS LATER, AND IT WOULD READ, WHEREAS MERIDIAN RESOLVED TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS OF I BELIEVE THE TERMINOLOGY WE UTILIZED.

AND WE'LL JUST TAKE IT STRAIGHT FROM THE BOARDS IF YOU'LL ACCEPT KIND OF A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT THAT IS SOMEWHAT VAGUE, BUT THE THIRD WHEREAS WOULD READ MERIDIAN OR WHEREAS MERIDIAN RESOLVE TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS OF INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE AGREEMENTS MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE GENERALIZED, AND THEN IT WOULD READ, IT WOULD CONTINUE ON AS IT IS VERBATIM THERE AND ADOPTED A CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.

SO WE JUST GENERALIZED THAT LANGUAGE. I WANTED TO GET THAT PRINTED OUT, BUT WE HAD A UTILITY EMERGENCY TOWARDS THE END OF THE DAY.

THAT KIND OF TOOK OUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM THAT.

SO IF YOU WOULD KIND OF ACCEPT THAT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT, WE'LL MAKE THAT CLERICAL CHANGE BEFORE WE PRESENT THIS TO MR. MCCONNELL FOR HIS SIGNATURE. WITHOUT OBJECTION, THAT AMENDMENT IS ADOPTED AND WE ARE READY TO MOVE.

I BELIEVE, UNLESS ANYBODY HAS ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC.

TO VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION, PLEASE SAY AYE.

AYE. ALL OPPOSED? NO. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, STAFF, FOR THAT EXCELLENT PRESENTATION.

I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK IN GETTING FUNDING.

IT JUST SOUNDS GREAT. PAY OFF OUR PENSION LIABILITY.

WE MEET OUR CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY. OH, MAN. WE'RE ROCKING.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. AND THAT TAKES US TO OUR NEW ITEM, 6.D, WHICH WAS THE PRESENTATIONS.

[Additional Item]

WE'VE HEARD A BIT ABOUT THE GLEANING AT THE MARKET.

[00:50:03]

THEN WE'VE HAD I HAD SOME DISCUSSION WITH DAN AND JACK LAST WEEK ABOUT POTENTIALLY LOOKING AT THE QUESTION OF WETLAND STATUS AND ESPECIALLY THE STATUS OF MITIGATED WETLANDS IN THE TOWNSHIP, SORT OF DRAWING ON DATA FROM OUR TOWNSHIP WETLAND CONSULTANT TO TELL US, HOW ARE WE DOING AND WHERE ARE WE HEADED? I THINK COULD BE REALLY USEFUL TO HEAR FROM THEM AS OUR EXPERTS.

DRAINAGE. IT WOULD BE GREAT AT SOME POINT FOR FOLKS TO HAVE A CHANCE TO HEAR SOMEBODY FROM THE INGHAM COUNTY DRAIN COMMISSIONERS OFFICE COME AND TELL US WHAT IN THE HECK IS IN OKEMOS CONSOLIDATED DRAIN. BECAUSE IT'S FASCINATING AND IT'S IMPORTANT AND IT'S DIRECTLY RELATED TO OUR CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.

AND FINALLY, THE GREEN GRANT RECIPIENTS, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR THEM TO COME IN AND TELL US ABOUT THE WONDERFUL WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE.

SO THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS ON GROUPS THAT WE MIGHT CONSIDER INVITING FOR PRESENTATIONS TO THE COMMISSION.

ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER THOUGHTS NOW OR IN THE FUTURE? PLEASE COMMUNICATE TO ME OR TO STAFF, AND WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS, EVEN. WELL, ALL OF OUR GRANT RECIPIENTS. BUT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE MIAC, THEY CAN BENEFIT GREATLY FROM THE TELEVISED CONTENT THAT GETS CREATED WHEN THEY MAKE A PRESENTATION HERE, BECAUSE THAT CAN BE THEN USED FOR THEIR ORGANIZATIONAL PURPOSES.

SO. JUST ONE NOTE, MR. CHAIR, AS IT RELATES TO THE INGHAM COUNTY DRAIN COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE AND THE OKEMOS CONSOLIDATED DRAIN, I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY TIMELY SOMETIME IN THE NEXT 5 TO 6 MONTHS, BECAUSE WE DO KNOW THAT THEY ARE NEARING FINALIZE, THEY'RE FINALIZING THEIR DESIGN, AND THEY ARE STARTING TO POSSIBLY TARGET NEXT YEAR FOR CONSTRUCTION. SO THAT WOULD BE VERY TIMELY. WE'LL HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM ABOUT SCHEDULING OVER THE SUMMER OR MAYBE EARLY FALL HERE AS THEY PREPARE TO GO OUT TO BID FOR THAT PROJECT, DEPENDING ON WHO THEY SEND.

COULD BE GOOD TO DRAW KIND OF A STRICT BOUNDARY AROUND THE TOWNSHIP.

YEAH. IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO. YEAH.

BECAUSE THEY GOT A LOT OF STUFF GOING ON. YOU LIKE TO TALK ABOUT. ANYWAY, ALSO THE WORK THEY DID AT LAKE LANSING WEST OF LAKE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOT PART OF THE CONSOLIDATED DRAIN.

BUT IT WAS A BIG PROJECT THAT THEY. SO THOSE KINDS OF THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING IN THE TOWNSHIP.

ANYTHING ELSE UNDER 60? HEARING NONE. SEVEN UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

I BELIEVE WE HAVE NONE. SO THAT TAKES US TO REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.

[8. REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS]

OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, LEROY IS LOOKING TO RETIRE IN THE FUTURE.

AND SO WE'RE BEGINNING THAT TRANSITION OF STAFFING OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.

AND I KNOW THAT THE COMMISSION IS AT LEAST SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR WITH THE FACT THAT WE HAD A JOB POSTING FOR A NEW PROJECT ENGINEER.

SO WE HAVE TWO EXISTING PROJECT ENGINEERS ON STAFF.

WE DO HAVE AN APPLICANT WHO'S IN THE FINAL PHASES AND HAS ACCEPTED AN OFFER, BUT WE HOPE THAT THAT INDIVIDUAL WILL BE JOINING US IN 3 TO 4 WEEKS.

BUT WE DO HAVE A FEW I'S TO DOT AND T'S TO CROSS UNTIL THEY JOIN OUR TEAM.

AND AFTER SOME MEETINGS THAT WE'VE HAD INTERNALLY MR. JACK HUGHES, ONE OF OUR EXISTING PROJECT ENGINEERS HAS EXPRESSED A DESIRE TO STAFF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MOVING FORWARD.

SO FOR THE TIME BEING JACK AND I WILL KIND OF WORK IN CONCERT.

AND IN THE MONTHS TO COME, JACK WILL KIND OF PROBABLY FILL THE ROLE AND BE YOUR STAFF LIAISON MOVING INTO THE FUTURE.

AND THEN IN JACK'S ABSENCE FOR VACATIONS OR SICK TIME OR ANY OTHER EVENTS IT WOULD BE MYSELF OR ONE OF OUR OTHER PROJECT ENGINEERS.

AND WE DO LOOK FORWARD TO STAFFING YOU AND LOOK FORWARD TO A VERY SUCCESSFUL 2025.

HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MORE VAGUELY, BUT I FIGURED I WOULD JUST TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE STAFFING FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION. I APPRECIATE THAT, AND WE'VE DISCUSSED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST HERE AND OFFLINE ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER ACTIVITIES BESIDES SORT OF DIRECTLY STAFFING THE COMMISSION THAT MR. HARVEY WAS CRITICAL TO, ESPECIALLY LIKE THE RECYCLING EVENTS AND ALL THE SPONSORS AND THINGS AND SOME OF THE ENERGY TEAM MEETINGS AND SUCH.

[00:55:06]

YES. AND JACK WILL BE KIND OF WORKING WITH LEROY AS WE NEAR THE SPRING RECYCLING EVENT.

SO KIND OF DOING SOME TRANSITIONAL WORK THERE TO KIND OF PASS ON LEROY WILL PASS ON HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE RECYCLING EVENTS TO JACK. WE'LL WANT TO HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS ABOUT LIKE THE ENERGY TEAM AND THE GREEN TEAM AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BECAUSE WE DO WANT TO BE COGNIZANT OF WHAT THE PRIORITY IS.

IF THE PRIORITY IS TO GET THE SOLAR PROJECTS OUT TO BID CONSTRUCTED AND TO DO MORE STAFF ANALYSIS, YOU KNOW, THAT DOES REQUIRE TIME KIND OF BEHIND THE SCENES AND NOT JUST IN MEETINGS VERY REGULARLY.

SO WE'LL WANT TO WEIGH THE BALANCES AND THE PROS AND CONS OF ALL THAT.

BUT CERTAINLY, WE WILL BE AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, IF THE ENERGY TEAM WANTS A PRESENTATION OR AN UPDATE, WE'RE HAPPY TO DO THAT. WE'RE WORKING ON TRUSTEE LENTZ MADE REFERENCE TO THE DATA THAT WE SHARED WITH THE BOARD LAST NIGHT IN TERMS OF OUR RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION VERSUS ENERGY CONSUMPTION OF THE VARIOUS BUILDINGS.

THAT'S A MODEL THAT WILL CONTINUE TO REFINE THAT MODEL THAT WAS SHARED WITH THE BOARD LAST NIGHT, FOR INSTANCE, DIDN'T INCLUDE THE HISTORICAL VILLAGE.

SO THAT WILL HAVE TO BE ADDED TO THE MODEL. AND THAT CAN BE AN UPCOMING AGENDA ITEM BEFORE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.

BUT IT'S A, YOU KNOW, IT'S A NEW DAY AND WE HOPE TO KIND OF REVISIT A LOT OF THESE SUBJECTS AND BUILD UPON PAST SUCCESSES AND LOOK TO THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT TOPIC? IF NOT, THEN YOU ALSO HAD.

LISTED IN THE AGENDA UPDATE ON CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY FUND EXPENDITURE.

YOU GOT SOME IDEAS OF HOW WE CAN SPEND SOME CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY MONEY.

WHERE YOU HAD MADE MENTION OF THAT? YEAH, WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN INTO THAT IN DEPTH YET.

BUT I WILL GIVE YOU A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF ONE PROJECT THAT'S LINGERING OUT THERE THAT I WAS THINKING OF FOR THIS.

BUT THAT'S ONE THING THAT JACK AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT.

WE'LL HAVE TO CONVENE A MEETING HERE AT SOME POINT.

THERE HAVE BEEN SOME EXPENDITURES. THERE WERE SOME IN 2024, PREDOMINANTLY TO SUPPORT THE GLEANING TEAM AT THE MARKETPLACE AND THEIR EFFORTS.

SO JUST BASIC SUPPLIES AND THINGS THAT THEY NEEDED.

THOSE WERE PREDOMINANTLY THE EXPENDITURES THAT WERE MADE IN 2024.

I'LL GIVE YOU A BRIEF KIND OF AD HOC OVERVIEW OF ONE PROJECT.

AND THIS CORRESPONDS TO THE TOWNSHIP'S LOCAL ROADS PROGRAM.

SO JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE GEOGRAPHICALLY IN THE TOWNSHIP, WE ARE AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF LAKE LANSING AND AMONG MANY DIFFERENT ROAD PROJECTS. LAST YEAR WE RECONSTRUCTED CARLTON STREET NORTH OF LAKE DRIVE AND HICKORY ISLAND.

THESE ARE VERY, VERY NARROW ROADS AND TO GET THE EQUIPMENT IN TO CRUSH AND RESURFACE THE ROAD.

WE HAD TO DO SOME TREE REMOVALS, AND I'LL DROP DOWN TO STREET VIEW RIGHT HERE AT THE SOUTH END OF CARLTON, JUST NORTH OF EAST LAKE DRIVE, SO YOU CAN SEE HOW NARROW IT WAS IN THERE.

SO WE DID HAVE TO DO SOME TREE REMOVALS. AND THE TOWNSHIP DOES OWN THE LAND JUST OUTSIDE OF THE RIGHT OF WAY IN HERE.

AND SO, WE WERE THINKING THIS COULD BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY.

THE RESIDENTS WOULD OBVIOUSLY LOVE TO SEE SOME TREES PLANTED TO REPLACE THE TREES THAT HAD TO BE REMOVED.

AND SO I WAS THINKING THIS COULD BE A GREAT PROJECT TO UTILIZE THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY FUNDING FOR, TO DO SOME PLANTINGS ON WHETHER THAT'S THE RIGHT OF WAY AND SOME TOWNSHIP LAND OR JUST IN THE RIGHT OF WAY.

ONE BENEFIT BEYOND JUST THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF REPLACING THOSE TREES, THE RESIDENTS REALLY LOVE THE SCREENING FROM THE TRAIN HORNS, WHICH IS A DIFFERENT PROJECT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, BUT WE NEED A LOT OF MONEY TO ACCOMPLISH.

SO THAT'S JUST ONE PERSPECTIVE THAT THE PROPERTY OWNERS HERE BRING.

BUT WE HAVE SPOKEN TO EMMA CAMPBELL. SHE'S GIVEN US SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON SPECIES OF TREES.

THAT WOULD BE GOOD BECAUSE IT IS MARSHY AND IT IS WETLAND.

AND THEN LEROY HAS A DRAFT PREPARED OF AN RFP THAT JACK CAN WORK IN TIME TO REFINE.

BUT I WAS THINKING THIS COULD BE A GOOD USE OF SOME OF THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY FUNDING.

I THINK WHAT WE'LL LOOK TO DO MORE BROADLY IS PUT ALL OF OUR HEADS TOGETHER, COLLECTIVELY,

[01:00:03]

THANK YOU FOR THAT SUGGESTION AND THAT IT'S VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING.

I, CAN GUARANTEE THAT AS WE FIDDLE WITH THE SPREADSHEET, WE'RE GOING TO FIND PET PROJECTS IN THERE THAT WE WANT TO GET DONE AND THAT WE CAN START PUTTING NUMBERS TO. SO THANKS FOR GETTING THAT BALL ROLLING TO HELP US GET IN THERE AND SAY, WHAT IS IT WE SAID WE WANTED TO DO AND WHICH OF IT COSTS MONEY TO GET DONE? AND THE SOLAR TARGETS IS ONE OF THOSE, OBVIOUSLY, BUT THERE'S PLENTY OF OTHER GOOD STUFF IN THERE THAT WE COULD BE INVESTING IN.

IF IT'S IN THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN, IT SHOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING, IN MY VIEW.

IN FACT, IT SHOULD. IT WOULD HAVE TO BE IN THERE IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE.

BUT WE'RE GOING TO, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE NO SHORTAGE OF THINGS.

WE WANT TO SPEND FIVE, TEN, 15 GRAND ON. SO AND OUR DEADLINE FOR THAT IS MORE FUNGIBLE THAN THE GREEN GRANTS.

AM I CORRECT? YEAH. SAME WITH THE GREEN GRANTS FOR THE FUNDS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN DISBURSED YET UNDER THE 2024 GREEN GRANTS FOR THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY FUNDING DURING THE QUARTER ONE BUDGET AMENDMENTS, I'LL LOOK AT WHAT WAS EXPANDED OUT OF THE 30,000, WHICH IS PRETTY MINIMAL.

AND THEN WE'LL ROLL FORWARD THE REMAINING FUNDS OUT OF THE 30,000.

CARRY THAT INTO 2025, AND WE CAN DELIBERATE ON THAT AND TRY TO ARRIVE AT SOME PROJECTS THAT WE CAN EXECUTE THIS YEAR.

FANTASTIC. ANY QUESTIONS ON CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY FUNDING? THIS IS REALLY EXCITING. YOU KNOW, TEN YEARS AGO, SITTING IN ONE OF THESE SEATS, WE WEREN'T TALKING ABOUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO SPEND MONEY TO SOLVE CLIMATE PROBLEMS? THIS IS GREAT. IF STAFF HAS NOTHING ELSE.

NOTHING ELSE THIS EVENING. ALL RIGHT. WELL, I'M GOING TO TRY TO PRESTO CHANGE OVER HERE, OVER TO LIAISONS.

AND PLEASE FORGIVE ME IF NOT ALL THE LIAISONS AND TEAMS ARE ON HERE.

I WAS TRYING TO DO IT BY MEMORY, AND DAN WAS KIND ENOUGH TO FOLLOW ALONG.

I MAY WELL HAVE MISSED SOMETHING, BUT PLANNING COMMISSION HAS BEEN REALLY DELVING INTO THE MOST INTERESTING THING IN THE WORLD, WHICH IS SHOULD A ROOM IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING A BEDROOM HAVE 1 OR 1 AND A HALF OR TWO PARKING SPACES ATTACHED TO IT AS A MINIMUM? AND I BRING IT UP IN A HUMOROUS WAY. BUT REALLY, THE REVISION OF OUR PARKING ORDINANCE IS INTENDED, AMONG OTHER THINGS, TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACE THAT COMES ALONG WITH MINIMUM PARKING REQUIREMENTS AND TRYING TO ACTUALLY CUT THE RED TAPE, SIMPLIFY THE CODE, AND MAKE IT CLEAR HOW MUCH PARKING YOU HAVE TO HAVE.

THAT BEING SAID, ALMOST NEVER DOES SOMEBODY APPLY TO DO SOMETHING IN THE TOWNSHIP AND NOT PLAN TO BUILD AS MUCH PARKING AS THEY THINK THEY'RE GOING TO NEED.

AND THERE ARE RARE CASES SUCH AS TRADER JOE'S, WHERE THEY ASK FOR MORE THAN THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE AS A MAXIMUM.

AND THAT WAS GRANTED BECAUSE. AND THEIR LOT IS FULL AND IT'S STILL.

SO THAT'S REALLY THE MAIN THING THAT'S BEEN GOING ON AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION.

NOW SWITCH BACK OVER HERE. LAND PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD.

HAVE YOU GUYS MET SINCE WE MET? NO. THE LAND PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD DID NOT MEET IN FEBRUARY, BUT WE'RE MEETING NEXT WEDNESDAY. OKAY. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO REPORT FOR THIS MEETING.

FAIR ENOUGH. BROWNFIELD. WE HAVE A HAVE WE HAVE WE? YEAH. THERE YOU ARE. HAVE YOU GUYS MET? WHAT'S THAT? WELL, ACTUALLY, I HAVE A SIMILAR REPORT. WE HAVEN'T MET FOR A COUPLE MONTHS NOW, BUT WE DO HAVE A MEETING NEXT WEEK.

OKAY. OKAY. SO NO NEW NEWS. I DID HAVE A EMAIL EXCHANGE WITH PLANNING DIRECTOR SCHMIDT ABOUT WHAT IS A BROWNFIELD, NOT A BROWNFIELD, BECAUSE, YOU SEE, THEY DUG UP ALL THE GAS TANKS AT THE MEIJER AND OKEMOS AND MARSH AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, I HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE WALK AWAY AND LEAVE ALL THESE THINGS BEHIND, AND THE PUBLIC HAS TO CLEAN UP. BUT THIS IS MY, YOU KNOW, SWAPPING OUT BRAND NEW TANKS AND STUFF.

AND APPARENTLY THERE HAD BEEN SOME DETECTION OF SOME LEAKAGE THAT THEY HAD REMEDIATED.

AND AS PART OF THIS PROJECT NOW, THEY ACTUALLY JUST TORE THE TANKS OUT OF THE GROUND AND THEY'RE PUTTING NEW ONES IN. SO DIFFERENT DAY THAN PEOPLE HAVE A GAS STATION AND CLOSE THE DOOR AND WALK AWAY. I SEE PARKS COMMISSION ON HERE, AND I PUT THAT ON THERE BECAUSE OF DISCUSSIONS I'VE HAD WITH THE CHAIR OF THE

[01:05:03]

AND I THINK THE THINKING WAS THAT THEY AT THEIR, ONE OF THEIR MEETINGS WOULD SEE IF THEY HAD I THOUGHT THEY MAYBE HAD A VOLUNTEER.

BUT THEN COMMISSIONER MITCHELL SAID YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN.

THEIR MEETINGS ARE NOT TELEVISED. THEY'RE OVER AT THE SERVICE CENTER, I BELIEVE, AND THEY'RE MONTHLY AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK.

BUT IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THOSE. I THINK THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO GET SOME CROSSOVER BETWEEN THE TIME AVAILABLE.

AND BEFORE I FORGET, BECAUSE IT KIND OF FITS IN HERE, IF YOU DON'T MIND.

I MENTIONED AT OUR LAST MEETING THAT I WAS PREPARING FOR THE ANNUAL TOWNSHIP JOINT BOARDS AND COMMISSION MEETING, AND THAT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE NIGHTS OF THE YEAR.

AND I GOT SO CARRIED AWAY, I FORGOT TO INTRODUCE ONE OF MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS.

BUT TRUSTEE LENTZ WAS VERY GRACIOUS IN HELPING ME THROUGH THAT.

BUT YEAH, THERE'S IT'S SO MUCH WONDERFUL STUFF GOING ON IN THE TOWNSHIP AND WHAT COMES OUT TO ME DURING THOSE DISCUSSIONS IS HOW MANY PEOPLE THERE ARE SERVING ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AND HOW MANY PEOPLE THERE ARE VOLUNTEERING FOR THE GROUPS THAT SERVE ON THOSE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. SO THE NUMBER OF CITIZENS INVOLVED IN THE GOVERNMENT IS ACTUALLY KIND OF LARGE AND REALLY IMPRESSIVE.

I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE WAS THERE. WOULD LIKE TO SHARE SOME THOUGHTS TAKEAWAYS FROM THE MEETING.

I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU. IT WAS IT OPENED MY EYES TO SO MUCH THAT WITH ALL THE FOLKS IN THE TOWNSHIP ARE DOING ALL THE DIFFERENT COMMISSIONS AND VOLUNTEER GROUPS AND SUBGROUPS OF THOSE VOLUNTEER GROUPS.

AND IT WAS IT WAS IT WAS SO EXCITING TO HEAR ALL THE PROGRESS, ALL THE HARD WORK, ALL THE DEDICATION.

AND IT WAS IT WAS A WONDERFUL NIGHT TO HEAR SO MUCH GOING ON AND, AND THE PLANS FOR WHAT'S MOVING FORWARD, TOO. I THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS JUST SO HELPFUL FOR ME AS A NEW COMMISSIONER HERE, TOO.

SO GREAT. THANK YOU FOR COMING ALONG. TRUSTEE LENTZ.

I WOULD ECHO EVERYTHING THAT WAS JUST SAID. YOU KNOW, AS THE RECIPIENT OF ALL THAT INFORMATION AND THE ONE MAKING VOTING DECISIONS ON THE TOWNSHIP BOARD YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH YOU CAN FIT IN YOUR HEAD FROM READING ABOUT THE COMMISSIONS.

SO IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR THOSE PRESENTATIONS. AND YOU KNOW, I THINK IT REALLY SPEAKS TO WHAT THIS COMMUNITY HAS TO OFFER IN TERMS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. SO, YOU KNOW, KUDOS TO ALL OF YOU WHO SERVE ON THIS COMMISSION AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE ELSE IN WELL OVER 100 INDIVIDUALS, I BELIEVE, BETWEEN ALL THE COMMISSIONS.

SO. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. WE'LL MOVE ON THEN TO THE ENERGY TEAM. YEAH, WELL, I DID A LITTLE WORK ON THE SPREADSHEET.

YOU KNOW, I HAD GOTTEN THAT ASSIGNMENT WHEN I MISSED THE MEETING.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT MADE SENSE TO ME INITIALLY TO IDENTIFY LEADS FOR DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES.

AND IT KIND OF FELL BETWEEN THE ENERGY TEAM, WHICH IS PRIMARILY INVOLVED WITH OUTREACH.

I MEAN, PART OF OUR ROLE IS TO ADVISE TOWNSHIP STAFF, TOO.

BUT A NUMBER OF THE OBJECTIVES LOGICALLY FALL IN DAN'S BAILIWICK WITH PUBLIC WORKS STAFF.

AND THEN THERE'S A NUMBER THAT ACTUALLY FALL UNDER THE PLANNING STAFF.

AND SO THAT WAS REVIEWED BY THE ENERGY TEAM AT OUR LAST MEETING.

AND I SENT COPIES TO DAN AND TIM FOR THEM TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND SEE IF IT MADE SENSE TO THEM.

WE DID HAVE A, WE HOSTED A ZOOM SESSION ABOUT A WEEK AGO ON EV OWNERS FORUM. WE ONLY THERE'S ONLY 13 OF US, WHICH IS A VERY MODEST NUMBER, BUT I, ROGER EBERHARD AND I TALKED ABOUT OUR ELECTRIC VEHICLES, BUT WE ALSO RECRUITED TIM TO TALK ABOUT HIS CHEVY VOLT.

SO, I HEARD ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE WITH HIS CHEVY, AND APPARENTLY IT WAS GOOD TO HEAR FROM TIM THAT HE HASN'T HAD ANY ISSUES WITH CHARGING, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BIG ISSUE ABOUT CAN YOU.

YEAH. WHERE YOU WHEN YOU'RE TRAVELING, YOU KNOW, CAN YOU REALLY FIND A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN CHARGE.

AND HE HASN'T HAD ANY PROBLEMS AND HE'S BEEN TRAVELING AROUND THE STATE.

THE LAST THING I'LL MENTION IS THAT THE SOLARIZE MEETING HAS BEEN SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 9TH, THE EVENING OF APRIL 9TH AT HENRY'S. APPARENTLY, HENRY'S HAS A BACK ROOM THAT LENDS ITSELF TO HAVING A MEETING OF THIS TYPE.

[01:10:06]

BUT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN MAYBE POTENTIALLY GETTING A SOLAR SYSTEM OR YOU MAY JUST WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SOLARIZE PROGRAM.

SO WHEN WE GET MORE SPECIFICS YOU KNOW, I'LL BE DISTRIBUTING AN INVITATION FOR THAT APRIL 9TH MEETING, AND THAT'S, THAT'S IT FROM THE ENERGY TEAM. THANKS.

IS THERE A MECHANISM FOR THOSE TO GET ON TO THE TOWNSHIP EVENTS CALENDAR? WELL, I KNOW HOW THAT HAPPENS. I ALWAYS SHARE WITH LEROY IS INVOLVED WITH KIND OF THE SOLARIZE PLANNING, RIGHT? SO WE ALWAYS KIND OF RELIED ON LEROY TO DO WHAT HE CAN IS IN THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT IS GREAT.

SO, THEY'RE? YEAH, I MEAN, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHO DOES WHAT, BUT YEAH.

SHOULD I? ARE WE REFERRING TO THE ENERGY TEAM MEETINGS OR THE SOLARIZE? THE SOLARIZE EVENT AT HENRY'S? IF JUST ONE OF YOU COULD SEND ME.

WELL, ACTUALLY, WHEN THE MEETING CONCLUDES, LET'S JUST MAKE SURE I HAVE THE DATE AND TIME AFTER THIS MEETING.

AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT GETTING THAT UP ON THE WEBSITE.

YEAH, THEY DON'T HAVE A TIME YET, BUT IT'S SOMETIME IN THE EVENING ON APRIL 9TH.

OKAY. BUT, YEAH, I'LL COORDINATE WITH YOU. PERFECT.

YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. JOHN. GREEN TEAM.

GREEN TEAM. EVENT FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR IS A WEEK FROM SATURDAY AT THE MERIDIAN MALL IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FARMER'S MARKET.

THE FARMER'S MARKET IS, I THINK YOU ALL KNOW, IS INSIDE DURING THE WINTER MONTHS IN THE PENNIES WING.

AND SO WE'LL BE HAVING A GREEN TEAM EVENT THERE FOCUSING ON GREEN IDEAS, AND THERE WILL BE SOME INTERACTION TYPE ACTIVITIES WITH KIDS TO LEARN ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL THINGS.

SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. I KNOW HARRISON IS AN INVOLVED WITH THAT EVENT AS WELL, SO HE MAY BE ABLE TO ADD SOME MORE.

AND THEN OUR BIG EVENT WAS REFERRED TO EARLIER, THE SPRING RECYCLING EVENT.

THE DATE FOR THAT IS APRIL 26TH, ALSO A SATURDAY.

THE LOCATION IS GOING TO BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THIS YEAR.

LAST FALL WE HAD OUR BIG FALL EVENT IN THE PENNEY'S PARKING LOT.

WE'VE ADJUSTED THAT SLIGHTLY TO THE PARKING AREA JUST ACROSS FROM THE FARMER'S MARKET.

SO WE WILL BE TAKING AGAIN THE USUAL ITEMS FOR THE SPRING EVENT.

METALS AND PAINT AND SHREDDED DOCUMENT SHREDDING.

EGG CARTONS. AND WE WILL BE WORKING AGAIN WITH CONSUMERS AND ENERGY TO TAKE OTHER APPLIANCES FROM THEIR CUSTOMERS.

AND LASTLY, JUST A REFERENCE TO THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.

ON THE WASTE AND RECYCLING SECTION. THE GREEN TEAM DOES MEET AGAIN NEXT WEEK, AND WE'RE HOPING TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME GOING THROUGH THAT AND TRYING TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHERE THINGS ARE AT CURRENTLY, AT LEAST FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE.

AND WE MAY NEED TO TOUCH BASE WITH STAFF AS WELL TO GET THEIR INPUT ON THAT AS WELL.

BUT Y'ALL MEET AT SCHULER. WE DO. AND HOW'S THE NEW DIGS? THE NEW DIGS IS FINE. THE CAFETERIA IS MUCH LARGER THAN THE OLD ONE.

BUT YEAH, IT WORKS OUT GREAT AND ANYBODY IS ALWAYS WELCOME TO ATTEND THOSE EVENTS.

IT'S THE USUALLY, ALMOST ALWAYS THE SECOND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH AT 4 P.M.

AT SCHULER'S IN THE MALL. SUPER DUPER. AND THAT TAKES US TO FOOD AND COMPOSTING TEAM. I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE A FOOD AND COMPOSTING REPRESENTATIVE WITH US TODAY, BUT HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE A PRESENTATION DOWN THE ROAD AND GET A CHAMPION FROM THE COMMISSION TO START TAKING A LEAD IN SOME OF THOSE ACTIVITIES AS WE PORE THROUGH THIS CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.

GREEN BURIAL TEAM. TOM, DO YOU HAVE A NOT TOO MUCH NEW TO REPORT, AT LEAST AS OF LAST WEEK.

[01:15:08]

OKAY, GREAT. ANY TEAMS I'VE NEGLECTED BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO HIGH SCHOOL STUFF.

GO. OKAY, SO SUSTAINABILITY MET JUST YESTERDAY MORNING.

WE HAVE A FEW THINGS GOING ON. WE'RE TRYING TO GET A FIELD TRIP SET UP TO GO TO THE RECYCLING CENTER IN EAST LANSING.

SO WE'RE COMMUNICATING WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE ABOUT THAT CURRENTLY.

COMMISSIONER PETERSON BRIEFLY MENTIONED THE GRANT THAT WE'RE APPLYING FOR.

WE'RE STARTING TO GET THAT UNDERWAY. IT'S GOING TO BE FOR RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES.

SO FOR THINGS LIKE CALCULATORS AND OTHER USEFUL THINGS IN OUR SCHOOL THAT USE DISPOSABLE BATTERIES THAT CANNOT BE RECYCLED. WE'RE TRYING TO MITIGATE THAT.

AND SO WE'LL HAVE COMMUNAL SPACES OR INDIVIDUAL ONES IN CLASSROOMS WHERE PEOPLE CAN REGULARLY RECHARGE THEM AND REUSE THE BATTERIES. WE'RE ALSO GETTING VOLUNTEERS FOR THE UPCOMING GREEN EVENT RUN BY THE GREEN TEAM. I THINK THAT'S ABOUT IT.

THERE'S ALSO THE COLLABORATION WITH THE KEY CLUB AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.

OH, YES. SO KEY CLUB, WHICH IS ANOTHER VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION CONNECTED WITH KIWANIS, IS GETTING A GRANT TO RENOVATE OUR COURTYARD. SO AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, OUR COURTYARD RIGHT NOW IS MOSTLY WEEDS AND GRASS.

AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT, OR THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT USABLE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS, LIKE FOR EDUCATION. AND JUST ANOTHER PLACE TO BE ABLE TO GO MAKING IT USEFUL.

AND THEN THEY'RE HOPING SUSTAINABILITY IN AS THAT CONNECTS TO LOTS OF THE THINGS THAT WE LIKE TO DO AND ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH IN OUR CLUB. THAT'S EXCITING. THAT'S EXCITING.

THERE'S BEEN A HUGE AMOUNT OF TALK AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ABOUT BATTERIES, AND ESPECIALLY SOME OF THEM THAT DON'T PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS.

AND I'M SURE YOU GUYS ARE WELL AWARE OF ALL THOSE CHALLENGES.

ANYTHING ELSE ON HIGH SCHOOL? HEARING NONE. WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM NINE COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC.

WE HAVE NO PUBLIC PRESENT. OTHER MATTERS AND COMMISSIONER COMMENTS.

[10. OTHER MATTERS AND COMMISSIONERCOMMENTS]

WHILE NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO THIS ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, I THINK PARKS AND ENVIRONMENT GO PRETTY HAND IN HAND.

AND YOU KNOW, AS A BIKER MYSELF, I WAS EXCITED TO SEE IT.

THEY THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF IF WE ARE A RECIPIENT OF THAT GRANT WILL BE IN OCTOBER OF 25.

AND I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT EVEN IF WE DON'T RECEIVE THE FULL $400,000, THERE ARE SMALLER PROJECTS LIKE STARTING OUT WITH MAYBE LIKE THE BIKE REPAIR.

THAT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED BECAUSE BATHROOMS AND PLUMBING ARE GOING TO BE THE BULK OF THAT.

SO MAYBE THAT MIGHT BE A FUTURE PROJECT. BUT EITHER WAY, EXCITING THINGS.

GREAT. ONE OF OUR FORMER TOWNSHIP STAFF MEMBERS, AFTER HE RETIRED FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, DONATED FIVE DIY REPAIR STATIONS TO MSU, AND THEY'RE SCATTERED ACROSS CAMPUS, AND THEY'RE NOW REACHING THE END OF THEIR TEN YEARS OF USEFUL LIFE.

[01:20:02]

VERY EXCITING TO SEE. AND THEY HAVE A SIMILAR LAYOUT EXPECTED, CORRECT.

OR AM I MISUNDERSTANDING THE MARSH ROAD PROJECT? SO YEAH, AS PART OF THE VILLAGE OF OKEMOS PROJECT AT MARSH AND HASLETT ROAD, THERE WILL BE A I SAID VILLAGE OF HASLETT. RIGHT? YOU SAID OKEMOS, BUT IT'S OKAY. WE KNOW. WE KNOW WHERE YOU'RE AT. VILLAGE OF OKEMOS. IT'S LATE AND IT IS VERY TIRING WEEK. BUT YES. SO THE SITE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THE NEW AMERICAN HOUSE BUILDING IS RIGHT HERE.

THE BALANCE OF THIS OLD LAL STRIP MALL SITE AT HASLETT AND MARSH APPROXIMATELY RIGHT HERE, THERE WILL BE BASICALLY A NEW POCKET PARK WITH PUBLIC RESTROOMS BIKE REPAIR STATION, DRINKING FOUNTAIN, AMENITIES OF THAT NATURE AS A TRAILHEAD RIGHT HERE WHERE WE HOPE TO ONE DAY CONSTRUCT MSU TO LAKE LANSING.

PHASE THREE GOING UNDER THE BRIDGE APPROACH. STILL WORKING THROUGH LAND ACQUISITION ON PHASE THREE, BUT THE POCKET PARK OR TRAILHEAD HERE WOULD BE CONSTRUCTED IN CONCERT WITH THE DEVELOPMENT.

AND THE PROPERTY THAT TRUSTEE LENZ IS REFERRING TO IS LOCATED RIGHT HERE.

THANK YOU FOR THAT DETAIL. I THOUGHT I SAW COMMISSIONER FRAIZER HAND UP.

YEAH, NO REAL COMMENTS, BUT JUST A REMINDER TO GO BACK TO THE MINUTES BEFORE WE ADJOURN.

OH. I THINK I JUST HEARD A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.

IS THERE A SUPPORT? SUPPORT? YES, SUPPORT. THANK YOU.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? COMMISSIONER FRAIZER? WELL, THERE WAS, I THINK, ONE CORRECTION ACTUALLY TWO.

ONE THROUGH MINOR BUT UNDER NEW BUSINESS WAS THE PRESENTATION BY COMMISSIONER BATTEN. I'D LIKE TO SEE THIRD PARAGRAPH DOWN.

I GUESS IT STARTS OFF SAYING COMMISSIONERS SARVER ASK, BUT COMMISSIONER SARVER WASN'T PRESENT.

SO I'M THINKING THAT MUST HAVE BEEN SOMEBODY ELSE.

THE SPIRIT OF COMMISSIONER SARVER DESCENDED TO THE ROOM.

HE WILL GO BACK AND CONSULT THE RECORD. OKAY.

DOES ANYBODY ELSE RECALL MAKING THAT? AGE RANGE OF PARTICIPATING STUDENTS.

WE'LL CONFIRM. OKAY. THROUGH THE VIDEO. WHAT ELSE YOU GOT? AND THEN AGAIN, JUST REAL MINOR HERE UNDER UNFINISHED BUSINESS, JUST ABOVE ITEM C, IT REFERS TO IN THE LAST PARAGRAPH, COMMISSIONER LEE.

BUT COMMISSIONER LEE IS MISSING AN E THERE. SO THAT'S ALL I HAD, MR. CHAIR. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. THAT SERVICE.

I WAS GOING TO COMPLIMENT THE. I FEEL LIKE OVER TIME, OUR MINUTES ARE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER AND BETTER AT THIS.

FOR ME PERSONALLY, THE FACT THE MORE THEY RESEMBLE TOWNSHIP BOARD AND PLANNING COMMISSION MEETINGS, THE MINUTES, THE EASIER THEY ARE FOR ME TO INGEST.

SO I PERSONALLY APPRECIATE THAT A LOT. WITHOUT OBJECTION, THE MINUTES ARE ADOPTED WITH THOSE TWO MINOR AMENDMENTS.

AND NOW WE'LL FINALLY WITH COMMISSIONER COMMENTS.

I JUST WANT TO ADD ONE THING TO MY HIGH SCHOOL REPORT.

ME, ONE OTHER STUDENT, AND BRIDGET BOOTH FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL.

I'VE MENTIONED HER BEFORE. SHE'S A SCIENCE TEACHER WHO'S VERY ACTIVE IN SIMILAR AREAS THAT WE ARE PRESENTING AT THE MICHIGAN SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION ON FRIDAY. WE HAVE A PRESENTATION.

THE NAME IS BUILDING BRIDGES WITH STUDENT LEADERSHIP.

AND IT'S GOING OVER HOW MISS MRS. BOOTH HAS FOUND VARIOUS STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO BUILD UP HER VARIOUS DIFFERENT CLUBS, AND SHE HAD FELLOWSHIPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE SHE WAS TRYING TO EXPAND STUDENT LEADERSHIP IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, SIMILAR TO THE HIGH SCHOOL SUSTAINABILITY CLUB TO IMPROVE THINGS LIKE THE COURTYARD AND RECYCLING AND OTHER VARIOUS SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL.

[01:25:03]

IN WHAT PEOPLE MY AGE ARE ABLE TO DO WHEN THEY ARE GIVEN THAT OPPORTUNITY AND GIVEN SOMETHING TO FOCUS ON THAT THEY ENJOY. SO THAT WILL BE EXCITING, AND I'LL BE ABLE TO REPORT ON THAT NEXT MEETING.

THANK YOU. I WROTE AS A RESULT OF THE JOINT BOARDS AND COMMISSION MEETING THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, I HAD A LOT OF THOUGHTS LATER THAT NIGHT AND WROTE SOME OF THEM DOWN AND SENT THEM TO THE SUPERVISOR.

I WON'T BORE YOU WITH THE WHOLE LONG DIATRIBE, BUT IF YOU'LL INDULGE ME THESE COUPLE OF SENTENCES, I THINK MIGHT BE OF INTEREST. I SAID, HOW WE CHOOSE TO GOVERN OURSELVES IS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE, AND FREE AND OPEN EXPOSITION OF THE OPERATIONS OF OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AS ENACTED YESTERDAY, IS CRUCIAL. THE WORK OF THE TRUSTEES, THE TOWNSHIP STAFF, ALONG WITH INNUMERABLE COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS, TOGETHER DEMONSTRATE THE POSITIVE POWER OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES WORKING TOGETHER TOWARD SHARED GOALS.

WE HEAR A LOT THESE DAYS ABOUT GOVERNMENT WASTE, FRAUD AND ABUSE, AND HOW THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED.

WHAT I SAW IN THIS ROOM LAST WEEK WAS I, FOR ME, A MODEL OF OPEN, TRANSPARENT AND RESPONSIVE CIVIL GOVERNANCE.

SO THOSE WERE MY THOUGHTS ON THE EVENING. ANY OTHER COMMISSIONER COMMENTS? WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE'RE ADJOURNED.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.