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EQEM 07/12/2016 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND ENERGY COMMISSION Fridley Municipal Center, 6431 University Ave Ne MINUTES July 12, 2016, 7:00 p.m. Location: City Hall, Conference Room A Call to Order: Vice Chairman Justin Foell called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. In attendance: Commissioners Foell, Stoxen, Mulrooney, Velin. Guest: Nick Olberding Approve Environmental Quality and Energy Commission Minutes Review May 10th, 2016 minutes (June was canceled due to lack of a quorum). MOTION TO APPROVE MINUTES Commissioner Mulrooney made the motion to approve, which was seconded by Commissioner Velin, the minutes passed on a unanimous vote. New Business Under the first agenda item, Safe Routes to School, staff member, Kay Qualley announced that the City of Fridley was the recipient of a Mn-DOT Safe Routes to School Grant for this year. The grant was competitive and completing this planning will increase the likelihood that the City can compete successfully for infrastructure grants in the future. In order to continue with Active Transportation initiatives, this Safe Routes to School grant project will identify gaps for missing sidewalk segments, trails and help the City prioritize routes to school. Other advantages to being selected, the Safe Routes to School planning firm (Alta) will engage school partners and the project may help to reduce the parent drop-off traffic in the mornings and afternoons—a frequent subject for school administrators and transportation directors. Children walking to school are conferred many benefits in terms of exercise and school readiness (in the a.m.) where it might be safely done. City Bio-filtration project--the MWMO has given the Engineering Department funding for the construction of these 10 bioswales. For the design, we cannot go into the homeowner’s property, so the ROW line is the boundary we have to work with. Annual maintenance will be up to the City. The designs aren’t all the same. By experimenting with plants, soil composition, stone base option, edging, etc., we will be making each bioswale a little different. They will be designed and installed by an outside contractor. Old Business LCCMR Grant update—to date Environmental staff has coordinated five volunteer tree plantings from April 2016 st through July 1 2016. The groups have included businesses like General Mills and Medtronic, the Builders Club of Fridley Middle School, a group of friends at Summit Square Park and the Youth Conservation Corps (courtesy of the MPCA) in association with MnDOT’s design and trees! That last project was very involved, and the weather was hot, which made watering very complicated. Figuring out a way to make it possible for tree stewards or volunteers to water new trees and plantings continues to be the biggest challenge. A bucket brigade of coolers from the river was used twice, when Public Works staff was not available on hot weekends, but it is extremely time inefficient and piecemeal to go that route. The Youth Corps really enjoyed their last few nights at the Girl Scout Camp Lockslea on the Mississippi River in Fridley. Mayor Lund had contacted the Girl Scouts and they were able to offer a discount to the City for two nights lodging for the Youth Corps. The showers and lack of mosquitos at Camp Lockslea were a big hit after hard days digging quack grass and tree holes! The gravel bed holding area, which is designed to be planted with bare root trees in spring and then planted in fall, is looking good. Medtronic expressed interest in planting more trees in fall and the Conservation Corps and Tree Trust (LCCMR DNR grant partners) may help coordinate volunteers if we find enough of them. MnDOT planting project with Youth Conservation Corps Other th Tree Steward Training was held on Saturday, July 9, at City Hall. Commissioner Mulrooney was in attendance, along with frequent EQEC guest, Nick Olberding and eight others. The University of Minnesota provided the classroom and field training on the care and pruning of trees, toward the development of a Tree Steward program, as part of the Friends of the Fridley Forest. During a general discussion about how to get more trees planted on both public and private property, Commissioners asked that staff investigate whether the rules could be changed to allow residents to plant trees in Rights of Way, through an approved tree list and permitting (free) procedure. Next Meetings/Announcements th Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 7:00 p.m., Conference Room A (Main Level, City Hall) Adjourn: 8:12 p.m. MOTION TO ADJOURN WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER FOELL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER STOXEN. IT PASSES AND THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED.