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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.11.16 MinutesMinutes    Tuesday,  October  11,  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 Hajek, Hernandez, Masterson, Segel present. C. Approval  of  previous  meeting’s  minutes   D. Communications   1.Sustainability  Honor  Roll Mayor  Kaptain  presents  award  to  Friends  of  the  Fox  River   E. Discussion  Items   1.Shared  Harvest  letter  of  support Evaluate  Shared  Harvest  Food  Co-­‐op  funding  and  suggested  support Thomas  Lesiewicz  of  Shared  Harvest  was  present  to  answer  any  questions.  He  explained the  group  has  several  banks  lined  up  willing  to  support  this  investment,  but  for  the economic  model  to  work,  they  need  city  support  for  the  build  out  part  of  the  project. Banks  can  assist  after  build  out  is  completed.  Shared  Harvest  wishes  for  the  community  to be  more  vocal,  and  that  means  more  groups  on  board.  Liaison  explained  it  would  not  be within  our  duties  to  suggest  where  the  funds  come  from  (like  TIF).  The  commission  could, however,  write  a  letter  support  to  city  council  describing  the  coop  as  a  good  investment  of city  funds.  Chairperson  Knoerr  volunteered  to  draft  the  letter. Funding  must  be  lined  up  by  the  end  of  this  year.  Without  said  funding,  all  efforts  and contracts  must  be  renegotiated.  Shared  Harvest  plans  to  go  to  City  Council  in  November for  the  final  ask.  Commissioner  Segel  motioned  for  the  commission  to  communicate  a positive  message  in  support  of  Shared  Harvest  Food  Coop  and  encourage  them  to  provide a  sufficient  amount  of  funding  that  identifies  that  the  city  is  truly  supporting  the  build  out of  this  community  project.    The  motion  passed.  Liaison  will  send  Tom  the  DCEO  grants Gary  found. F. Old  Business   1. Partners  for  Places  grant  proposal  &  Community  Gardens   Continued  discussion  on  community  gardens  projects  in  Elgin  &  meeting  grant   requirements.     The  RFP  for  Partners  for  Places  goes  out  in  December,  so  USDN  membership  timing  is   perfect.  The  liaison  will  need  to  become  a  member  in  November.  Patsy  Hirsh  went  to   Wisconsin  and  found  a  property  that  has  the  same  type  of  project  that  the  group  is   proposing  for  AID.  She  went  to  a  Master  Gardener  conference  and  toured  an  aquaponics   system  that  was  solar  powered  and  had  a  greenhouse.  It’s  gravity-­‐fed  system  had  tilapia   tanks  up  high,  and  water  flows  down  and  feeds  crops,  and  they  are  able  to  harvest  every   day  all  year  round.  Water  is  recycled;  waste  product  from  tilapia  provides  nutrients  to   grow  the  plants.  They  have  a  grading  system  for  nutrient  content  in  food  created  in  these   processes.  This  project  produces  a  level  6,  meaning  its  extremely  high  in  nutrients.  Building   edifices  costs  $5000.  The  company  Bob  Bedard  found  will  take  55%  of  profits  off  the  cost   as  they  want  to  help  with  such  a  project  in  Elgin.  They  ensure  all  is  ADA  compliant  inside   and  outside  with  a  3D  mapping  system.  Meat  handling  could  be  done  in  the  building  on   the  AID  property.  It  meets  the  needs  for  the  mandate  to  provide  work  for  AID  clients.  The   system  Patsy  Hirsh  saw  provides  fresh  vegetables  to  local  restaurants,  schools,  coops,  and   grocery  stores.  For  the  footprint,  it  grows  5x  the  amount  of  produce  as  a  regular  growing   season.  The  architect  understands  the  grant  process  and  would  provide  drawings  prior  to   receiving  any  grant  funds.  Liaison  explained  her  concerns  about  needing  an  RFP  for  such   work.  Liaison  needs  to  confirm  the  grey  area  with  legal,  whether  or  not  grant  funds  given   to  city  for  community  project  needs  to  work  through  the  normal  purchasing  process.     Bob  Bedard  also  knows  an  artictect  LeAnn,  who  can  help  with  the  build  out  drawings  the   Food  for  Greater  Elgin  property.  She  is  a  minority  local  business.  She  needs  to  provide  us   with  real  costs  to  associate  with  this  program.     Kiawannis  Park  would  require  about  $5000  for  the  water  pipe,  and  rest  of  the  build  out  is   simple.    Commissioner  Segel  wants  to  know  how  we  can  get  more  people  from  the   community  involved,  other  than  just  the  group  that  would  be  there  working.  He  wants  to   incorporate  a  bigger  education  component  for  students.  Food  for  Greater  Elgin  site  is   intended  to  be  a  teaching  site  for  urban  farming.  Patsy  Hirsh  said  many  schools  like  Elgin   High  School  don’t  have  appropriate  places  to  teach  such  things.  It  would  be  nice  to  have   smaller  scale  aquaponics  at  their  schools  in  the  future.  Bob  Bedard  said  these  teaching   gardens  could  provide  a  location  for  people  to  learn  about  it  before  they  try  to  build  their   own  garden.  Grant  should  be  written  in  away  to  allow  for  plenty  of  funds,  and  if  there  are   funds  unused  for  building  the  gardens  initially  outlined  in  the  plans,  they  could  be  used  for   educational  signage  at  the  locations.  With  training  people  to  eat  healthy,  the  group  could   also  get  ECC’s  culinary  department  involved  to  provide  recipes.  Liaison  will  forward  Illinois   State  grants  to  Bob  Bedard  to  see  if  there  are  any  backup  option  for  some  of  these  sites.       G. Commissioner  comments/announcements   Liaison  will  provide  an  update  on  rain  barrel  sales   No  sales  since  last  meeting  –  liaison  will  not  boost  posts/spend  for  marketing  as  the  weather  is   changing.  She  continue  marketing  efforts  for  rain  barrels  again  in  the  spring.   Liaison  will  provide  update  to  solar  initiative   Liaison  will  be  researching  other  communities  who  have  put  out  RFPs  for  projects  and  develop  an   appropriate  RFP.         Gary  &  Laura  talked  about  Northern  Illinois  Renewable  Energy  Summit  and  Expo   The  Sustainability  Commission  received  an  award  for  education  and  outreach,  as  being  a  model   for  municipalities.  Commissioners  will  present  the  award  to  the  Mayor  and  City  Council  at  a   future  council  meeting.     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.