North Cook News

City of Elgin Sustainability Commission met Oct. 12..

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

A. Call to Order: 6:03

1. Roll Call

i. Present: Chairperson Armstrong, Commissioner Flaherty (arrived 6:08pm), Comm. Mette, Comm. Brosier, Comm. McMullen, Comm. Livingston (arrived 6:10pm), Comm. Biss, Comm. Kroiss. Student Representative Jordon Hill. Council Liaison Carol Rauschenberger. Staff Liaison Mikala Larson.

ii. Absent: None.

B. Recognize Persons Present

1. Graham Stocksdale presented about progress on his Eagle Scout project planting trees at Willow Creek Park. 21 trees have been planted so far. He is looking to raise $300 more dollars to complete this project in Spring of 2022. Donations can be given at www.bsa10.org/trees 

C. Approval of Meeting Minutes

1. September 14, 2021

i. Comm. Biss moved to approve the September 14th minutes, Comm. Brosier seconds. Motion passes unanimously.

D. Discussion Items

1. Zero Waste Work Group

i. Pumpkin Smash

1. Event will be on Saturday Nov. 6th from 9-12. Event will be held at two locations this year: Hawthorne Hills Nature Center and the parking lot on the SW corner of Grove and Kimball St (250 N. Grove Ave.). Pumpkins will go to Midwest Compost. This will be a drive-through event with signage to share more information and increase education. Pumpkins cannot have additional items on them like beads, excessive paint, decorations, etc. Fun Fact: Illinois is the nation’s largest producer of pumpkins.

2. Comm. McMullen moved to allocate up to $2,000 to fund educational pieces for the Pumpkin Smash event. Comm. Kroiss seconds. Motion passes unanimously.

ii. Illinois Food Scrap Coalition

1. Become a member of the IFSC. Important to divert food scraps from landfills and IFSC is a wonderful organization. It would be a worthwhile investment.

2. Comm. Flaherty motions for Elgin Sustainability Commission to become a Gold sponsor of IFSC. Seconded by Comm. Biss. Motion passes unanimously.

iii. Plastic Bag Fee

1. Reintroducing Commission to this project, a reminder to continue to do the preliminary work and refine the document and attachments and come back at a subsequent meeting with a decision for the City Council. Ultimate goal is to introduce a Plastic Bag Fee.

2. Demonstration Gardens

i. Native Demonstration Garden beds will be installed at the intersection of Channing & Division St. in 3 phases. The beds tie in with the plants given away for Elgin Native Roots.

ii. The Commission will hold a workday to prep the beds on Saturday, November 13th from 9am-2pm at intersection of Division and Channing St. All are welcome to come on 11/13/21 to volunteer with this Phase 1. Workday activities will be: removing sod, layering compost on beds, and covering beds with cardboard and mulch. Stone borders could potentially be donated by Lafarge and installed by Green Guerilla.

iii. Comm. Biss moved to proceed with no more than $975 for demonstration gardens. Seconded by Comm. McMullen. Motion passed unanimously.

3. Smart Cycling Quick Guide

i. The Quick Guide would be a pocket-sized guide to help cyclists navigate road biking and cycle safely. Guide can be purchased in both English and Spanish. They can be made available at the Centre, Elgin Park facilities, and offered throughout community. Currently, purchase price of guides are reduced by 50% until end of the year.

ii. Comm. Kroiss asked if it’s possible to do the co-branding option at 2,500 guides, with 1,250 in English and 1,250 in Spanish and still get the 50% deal. Chairperson Armstrong will ask the League.

iii. Comm. Brosier moves to proceed with Chairperson Armstrong’s request for 2,500 guides at $4,200 for the co-branding option. Comm. Kroiss seconds. Motion passes unanimously.

4. Workforce Re-entry Grant Application

i. Dekovia Livingston presented about her grant request. The Free For You Services grant application received the amount of points needed to be awarded grant dollars.

5. Budget for Boosting Posts

i. Keep a record of what boosts we’ve done and what the impact was, so we have analytics for the future.

ii. Comm. Flaherty moves to pay up to $100 to boost posts for upcoming events for the Sustainability Commission. Comm. McMullen seconded. Motion passes unanimously.

6. 2021 Budget

i. The Commission is allocating dollars to final 2021 projects. The budget doesn’t roll over year to year. Reminder to Commissioners that there is an Education/Training category in the budget, and Commissioners are encouraged to use those dollars for trainings related to the Commission or their work groups.

7. Energy Options Update

i. The Commission’s vote from last meeting will be brought to City Council in November.

8. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Update

i. Mikala is doing the foundational work to complete a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for the City of Elgin. This is a key step to take before moving forward with a Climate Action Plan or an updated Sustainability Action Plan. Mikala will be present at the October 13th City Council meeting where the Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Region will be discussed by Council members.

(Commissioner McMullen left at 8:21pm.)

E. Other Business

1. Congratulations to Chris Flaherty and Green Guerilla for receiving the Sustainable Landscaping award at the MWRD’s 9th Annual Sustainability Summit.

2. Very positive community response to the Elgin Native Roots program. The Commission is excited to offer the program again next year.

F. Adjourn: 8:26pm

1. Comm. Kroiss motioned to adjourn the meeting, Comm. Biss seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

https://www.cityofelgin.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7520