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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4-14-15 Minutes  Minutes   Tuesday,  April  14,  2015   6  PM,  Robert  Gilliam  Municipal  Complex,     City  Hall,  Second  Floor  South  Conference  Room,  150  Dexter  Ct.       A. Call  to  order  (chairperson)  unusual     Chairman  Masterson  called  the  meeting  to  order.   B. Roll  Call  (staff  liaison)   Chairman  Masterson  as  well  as  Commissioners  Frazier,  Hernandez,  Jacobs,  Knoerr  and  Segel  present   C. Approval  of  previous  meeting’s  minutes   March  minutes  were  approved  unanimously.   D. Discussion  Items     1. Neighborhood  Improvement  Grant:  Elgin  Historic  District  Self-­‐Guided  Tour  (print)  &  Historic   Elgin  Mobile  App.   i. Project  coordinator,  Dan  Miller,  will  describe  the  project  &  the  commission  will   score  the  project  based  on  grant  criteria.     Pat  Miller,  representing  the  Gifford  Neighborhood  Association,  described  the  Elgin   Historic  District  grant  application  and  the  two  parts  to  the  project.  They  wish  to   create  an  interactive  map  which  features  the  past  thirty  three  (33)  years  of  historic   house-­‐tour  homes,  so  that  someone  with  a  cell  phone  can  easily  locate  and  review   information  relative  to  every  historic  home  that  have  ever  been  on  the  tour.   Available  information  would  include  artist  drawings,  wide-­‐angle  photos,  histories,   and  drone  videos  from  those  owners  that  permit.  Pat  admitted  it  will  be  challenging   to  contact  all  240+  people  and  get  their  permission,  but  the  videographer,  Milan   Shah,  is  willing  to  do  so.    Aaron  Cosentino,  from  the  city  of  Elgin,  stated  that  the  city   can  help  find  owner  contact  information  within  property  records  to  assist  in  this   process.  If  current  owners  are  willing,  the  group  can  interview  them  to  attain  audio   footage  for  the  app.  Pat  stated  this  project  would  have  similarities  to  Realtor.com,  a   map-­‐oriented  site,  which  displays  every  entry  to  the  Multiple  Listing  Service  (MLS).   She  also  stated  that  Milan  wants  to  make  a  large  part  of  the  mentioned  information     be  accessed  offline.  Commissioner  Frazier  asked  how  long  it  would  take  to  get  the   app  up  and  running.  Pat  said  part  of  the  agreement  would  be  to  add  this  year  and   past  3  years’  data,  and  have  that  portion  completed  by  July  4,  2015.  At  that  point,  the   public  would  be  able  to  download  the  app.  After  the  initial  release,  ten  (10)  historic   home  sites  will  be  added  per  month  until  all  are  listed.       2. Gail  Borden  Public  Library  recycling  event  in  June.   i. Update  from  Danielle  Henson  regarding  budget.  Commission  will  score  event  grant   based  on  criteria.     Danielle  Henson  from  Gail  Borden  Public  Library  spoke  to  the  commission  regarding   the  “Swap  This”  recycling  event  she  had  proposed  at  the  March  meeting.  She  stated   that  without  the  Green  Expo  this  year,  the  library  is  able  to  put  on  this  event.  Danielle   described  the  different  swaps,  speakers,  events  and  organizations  of  which  would  be   involved.  She  stated  that  the  library  plans  to  cross  promote  with  Kane  County,  as  it   has  its  monthly  recycling  event  the  same  day,  from  8:00  a.m.  to  12:00  p.m.  To   provide  the  commission  with  information  on  the  library’s  contribution  to  this  event,   Danielle  also  described  that  the  event  would  require  four  staff  members  from  10   a.m.  to  1  p.m.,  8  staff  members  from  1:00-­‐4:00  p.m.  which  each  member  is  paid   roughly  $50/hour.  The  event  will  largely  rely  on  volunteer  labor,  provided  by  the   library.  The  independentsector.org  website  suggests  the  volunteer  rate  for  the  state   of  Illinois  is  24.08  per  hour.  With  that  rate  and  number  of  volunteer  hours,  combined   with  staff  time,  the  library  is  more  than  able  to  match  the  funds  being  requested.   3. Discussion  on  commission  involvement  in  two  sponsored  events  taking  place  on   Wednesday,  April  22,  2015:    Elgin  Community  College’s  Sustainability  Maker  Faire  2015  &   Hawthorne  Hill  Nature  Center’s  Earth  Day  Celebration.     i. ECC  Sustainability  Maker  Faire  2015:  The  commission  reviewed  the  revised  budget   for  the  ECC  Sustainability  Maker  Faire  2015,  provided  by  Nadia  Daley  via  email  to  the   liaison.  The  commission  agreed  to  pay  invoices  related  to  items  in  the  “Marketing”   section  only,  as  it  was  consistent  with  the  original  budget  presented  when  the   commission  approved  its  sponsorship  at  the  previous  (March)  meeting.  The   commission  stated  they  would  not  apply  funds  to  water  bottle  items  on  the  budget.   Chairman  Masterson,  as  well  as  Commissioners  Segel  and  Knoerr  will  attend  and   represent  the  Sustainability  Commission  at  this  event.  Commissioner  Hernandez  will   be  present,  but  unable  to  station  the  commission’s  tables  due  to  prior  obligations.     Commissioner  Segel  announced  that  Kyla  Jacobsen,  city  of  Elgin  water  department   director,  would  also  be  present  and  share  a  display  at  commission  tables.     ii. Hawthorne  Hill  Nature  Center’s  Earth  Day  Celebration:  Liaison  updated  the   commission  on  vendors,  entertainment  &  reusable  tote  bag  giveaways,  and  the  latter   two  of  which  the  Commission  paid  for  with  its  sponsorship.  Chairman  Masterson,   Commissioners  Segel,  Knoerr  and  Hernandez  will  attend  and  represent  the   Sustainability  Commission  at  this  event.  Liaison  stated  that  she  would  print  handout   materials  for  the  commission  table  at  both  events,  as  well  as  provide  “Recycle  your   carton”  magnets.       E. Working  Group  Reports     F. Old  Business     1. Habitat  for  Humanity  partnership   Habitat  for  Humanity  representatives  had  another  opportunity  come  up  and  could  not  make  it  to   the  meeting.  They  will  be  invited  to  the  May  meeting.  Commissioners  Hernandez  and  Knoerr   stopped  in  the  facility  over  the  last  month  to  check  out  the  space  they  have  offered  the   commission  to  use.     2. Gail  Borden  Public  Library  partnership   There  are  no  updates  regarding  partnership  at  this  point.     3. Sustainability  Honor  Roll   i. Update  from  liaison,  review  any  new  nominations  from  commissioners   Award  was  ordered  from  Anderson’s,  and  Deb  Perryman  was  informed  of  her  honor.   No  new  nominations  were  announced.       G. Commissioner  comments/announcements   1. Meeting  attendee,  Debbie  Dudek,  representing  Elgin  Community  Solar  Raisings,  spoke  to  the   commission.  She  discussed  her  interest  in  a  community  power  network  involving  solar  panel   installation  on  homes.  The  goal  would  be  to  come  up  with  a  system  or  combination  of   systems  to  help  people  buy  solar  panels  in  bulk,  making  them  more  affordable.  The  group   wishes  to  find  ways  to  fund  raise,  reduce  costs  and  build  community.  Debbie  also  mentioned   the  idea  of  planting  fruit  trees  on  city  property  and  in  parks.  Commissioner  Frazier  mentioned   that  the  city  only  plants  native,  low-­‐maintenance  trees.  Elgin  Community  Solar  Raisings   consists  of  fifteen  (15)  people  that  meet  and  discuss  sustainability-­‐related  ideas.  Members   are  from  Elgin  and  surrounding  communities,  and  they  hope  to  make  Elgin  a  model   community  for  their  ideas.  Commissioners  informed  Debbie  of  our  current  ordinances  and   limitations,  and  suggested  other  organizations  to  reach  out.    Commissioners  also  described   the  mission  and  background  of  the  Sustainability  Commission,  which  acts  as  an  advisory   commission.     2. Chairman  Masterson  asked  who  would  be  interested  in  taking  a  field  trip  to  Freedom  Field,   and  stated  that  he  would  look  into  a  Saturday  in  the  near  future  where  this  trip  could  be   arranged.     3. Aaron  Cosentino  announced  that  over  300  gallons  of  gasoline  have  been  saved  with  the  new   electric  vehicle  charging  station  in  the  Centre  parking  deck  and  that  most  people  that  use  the   station  charge  their  vehicles  for  4-­‐5  hours.     H. Adjourn           The  City  of  Elgin  is  subject  to  the  requirements  of  the  Americans  with  Disabilities  Act  (ADA)  of  1990.  Individuals  with  disabilities  who  plan  to   attend  this  meeting  and  who  require  certain  accommodations  in  order  to  allow  them  to  observe  and/or  participate  in  this  meeting,  or  who   have  questions  regarding  the  accessibility  of  the  meeting  or  the  facilities,  are  requested  to  contact  ADA  coordinator,  at  (847)  931-­‐6076,  or   TTY/TDD  (847)  931-­‐5616  promptly  to  allow  the  City  of  Elgin  to  make  reasonable  accommodations  for  those  persons.