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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02 09 16 Minutes  Minutes    Tuesday,  February  9,  2016    6:15  PM   Robert  Gilliam  Municipal  Complex,  City  Hall   Second  Floor  South  Conference  Room   150  Dexter  Ct.,  Elgin,  IL  60120       A. Call  to  order  (chairperson)     B. Roll  Call  (staff  liaison)   Chairperson  Knoerr  and  Commissioners  Frazier,  Masterson,  Hernandez,  Segel  and  Hajek   present.     C. Approval  of  previous  meeting’s  minutes   January  2016  minutes  were  approved.     D. Communications   1. Roberts  Rules  of  Order  Review  (section  reviewed  by  Chairperson  Laura  Knoerr)   Chairperson  Knoerr  read  through  the  section  of  Roberts  Rules  regarding  obtaining  the   floor.       E. Discussion  Items   1. Conservation  Foundation  rain  barrel  partnership  program   Review  program  and  partnership  support   The  commission  considered  having  rain  barrels  pre-­‐ordered  and  then  picked  up  at  the   Earth  Day  Celebration  or  at  ECC’s  event.  To  promote  sustainability  issues,  the   commission  could  look  to  purchasing  several  extras.  That  idea  was  tabled  for  another   time.  Commissioner  Frazier  motioned  to  invest  the  $250  to  support  the  rain  barrel   program.  The  motion  passed.  Commissioner  Masterson  asked  for  photos.  Liaison  will   request  educational  materials  to  distribute  to  commissioners  and  the  public.   2. Earth  Day  at  Hawthorne  Hill  Nature  Center  event  sponsorship   Review  event  plan  and  budget  and  consider  sponsorship  proposal   City  Naturalist  Maura  Neuffer  presented  the  event  sponsorship  proposal  for  the  2016   Earth  Day  Celebration  at  Hawthorne  Hill  Nature  Center,  requesting  $1000  in  sponsorship   funds.  A  motion  was  passed  to  support  the  event  to  the  full  sponsorship  request.       3. ECC  Sustainability  Green  Faire  event  sponsorship     Review  event  plan  and  budget  and  consider  sponsorship  proposal   Present  from  ECC  were  Katherine  Sawyer,  Executive  Director  of  Institutional   Advancement  and  Foundation,  Ileo  Lott,  the  new  dean  of  sustainability,  business  and   career  technologies,  as  well  as  Glenn  Earl,  Professor  of  Entrepreneurship.  They  presented   their  event  sponosorship  proposal.  Maker  Faire  includes  Sustainability  Pitch  Competition,   Co-­‐curicular  event,  ECC  Shark  Tank,  Student  Robotics  Club,  ECC  Wellness  Club  –  students   from  graphic  design,  HVAC,  and  they  explained  how  sustainability  related  to  all  areas  of   academics.  Last  year’s  event  drew  around  800  attendees  and  over  30  vendors,  costing   ECC  roughly  $10,000.  They  have  created  sponsorship  levels,  and  requested  the   Sustainability  Commission  be  the  single,  premier  sponsor,  providing    $5,000  in  funding.   The  group  provided  a  budget  and  revenue  model  for  the  event  set  to  take  place  on   Wednesday,  April  20,  reception  8  am,  event  9:45/10-­‐3  pm.  Hours  are  not  set  in  stone  yet   –  they  will  need  to  scale  to  the  size  of  the  event  based  on  the  support  they  receive.     Commissioner  Segel  will  attend  some  planning  meetings.  Commissioner  Hajek  suggested   they  push  for  more  media  attention  to  reach  a  bigger  crowd.  A  motion  was  passed  to   sponsor  the  event  as  the  premier  sponsor.     4. Sustainability  Honor  Roll   Review  any  new  nominations  as  well  as  previous  nominations  and  cast  votes  for  April   2016  honoree   A  motion  was  passed  to  forego  normal  voting  procedures  and  present  the  award  to   Multifilm,  who  has  been  runner  up  the  last  two  awards.  Liaison  will  contact  Multifilm   regarding  honor  and  write  a  press  release  for  the  award.     5. 2016  National  Mayor's  Challenge  for  Conservation   Consideration  of  national  challenge  &  writing  city  statement  of  support   Commissioner  Masterson  motioned  to  support,  and  the  motion  passed.  Liaison  will  get   to  work  on  the  next  steps.  The  item  will  be  placed  on  Old  Business  on  the  March  agenda   to  remind  us  of  upcoming  challenge  and  offer  outreach  opportunities.     ComEd  grant  opportunities   Consider  applying  for  both/either  of  ComEd’s  Green  Region  or  Powering  Safe   Communities  grants   Motion  was  passed  to  share  this  information  with  other  City  staff  to  see  if  there’s  a  need.         F. Old  Business   1. Solar  ordinance   Continued  discussion  on  potential  modifications  to  the  City  of  Elgin’s  current  solar   ordinance.       Based  on  discussions  with  city’s  community  development  staff,  the  ordinance  is  “a  living,   breathing  document,”  and  they  will  be  open  to  amending  it.  Commissioner  Jacob’s   suggestion  to  have  different  levels  of  permits  would  be  a  good  option.  Older  homes  do   not  have  the  structural  roof  integrity  that  newer  homes  do.  There  is  some  flexibility.  Two   of  Commissioner  Jacobs’  recommendations  would  not  be  part  of  the  ordinance   modification:  establishing  a  fund  to  refund  part  of  the  cost,  and  publicizing  the   availability.  Those  are  separate  activities  outside  of  the  amendment.  Amending  the   ordinance  would  to  apply  differently  to  having  two  different  ages  of  homes  (anything   before  said  date  needs  engineering,  and  anything  after  said  date  does  not  need   engineering).  Commissioner  Masterson  found  Xaniang’s  solar  panels  way  2.33  lbs  per   square  foot,  and  the  hardware  would  way  about  less  than  that  per  square  foot,  all   together  less  than  5  lbs  per  square  foot  (their  normal  size  was  4x8).  He  also  mentioned   there  is  nothing  regarding  leasing  solar  in  the  ordinance.  The  commission  intends  to   continue  the  discussion.  Commissioner  Masterson  would  like  to  ask  someone  to  speak  to   us  about  the  leasing  aspect.  Liaison  will  reach  out  to  the  resident  who  has  solar  on  her   home,  and  see  if  she  would  be  willing  to  be  a  liaison  to  U-­‐46  for  solar  efforts.     2. Partners  for  Places  grant  proposal   Continued  discussion  on  project  idea,  requirements,  and  timeline.     This  item  was  tabled,  as  the  discussion’s  development  is  pending  support  from  Grand   Victoria  Foundation.     G. Commissioner  comments/announcements   Commissioner  Masterson  will  try  to  arrange  a  tour  of  Multifilm,  possibly  on  the   Wednesday  or  Friday  of  Earth  Day  week  when  commissioners  may  already  be  taking  off   work  to  participate  in  those  sponsored  events.       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.