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Home My WebLink About2022/06/01 - ADMIN - Minutes - Environment & Sustainability Commission - Regular Official minutes Environment & sustainability commission St. Louis Park, Minnesota 6/1/2022 1. Call to order – 6:30 p.m. 1a. Roll call 1b. Introduction of new ESC members and guests Members present: Chair Andrew Willette, Vice Chair Shaina Ashare, Marisa Bayer, Ryan Griffin, Tatiana Giraldo, Sasha Shahidi, Lillian Hertel, Hailey Sexton, Ramil Goonetilleke Members absent: Paige Kane, David Wilsey, Eric Zweber Staff present: Emily Ziring, Sustainability Manager, Ellie Rabine, Sustainability Specialist Guests: Nancy Rose, Friends of Bass Lake; Michael Bahe, Natural Resources Manager 2. Approval of minutes – May 4, 2022 The minutes were passed as presented with 3 abstentions. 3. Business a. Tree programs and policies discussion with Michael Bahe, natural resources manager Mr. Bahe stated emerald ash borer is the city’s biggest threat to the tree canopy with over 500 public trees removed, particularly within Westwood Hills Nature Center and the Bass Lake area. He noted a $25,000 grant was received to treat ash trees in the MPCA environmental justice area with an injection, which is very effective. He stated replacement plantings have taken place this year, with 500 trees planted so far. More removals will also take place later this year. Mr. Bahe stated currently there are 18,000 inventoried trees within the city, which does not include the Westwood Hills Nature Center or Bass Lake. He added under 15% of the city’s inventoried trees are ash trees. Chair Willette asked if trees in the natural areas are being injected. Mr. Bahe stated they are not, and noted doing so is not standard practice. He added there may be some ecological impacts on other wildlife species that would need to be considered, as well as the high number of trees that would need injections. Commissioner Shahidi asked how this problem compares to other cities around St. Louis Park. Mr. Bahe stated he cannot speak to that but noted that EAB appears to be moving inward from outside of St. Louis Park. He also noted that Minnetonka is experiencing high infestation levels. Environmental & sustainability commission -2- June 1, 2022 Commissioner Griffin asked about cost benefit of EAB treatment v. removal to homeowners. Mr. Bahe stated the city contracts for all injections of trees on boulevards and parks and has a bulk discount rate available to private properties. Mr. Bahe stated the city’s intent is to replace trees and extend the injection cycle, adding that emerald ash borer will continue to be an issue into the future, like Dutch elm disease, which still exists. He stated there is not enough data to show how long injections can be done on ash trees, adding there is still much learning going on related to emerald ash borer. Commissioner Shahidi asked about park and boulevard tree watering and the city’s process. Mr. Bahe stated residents assist with watering boulevard trees and then when the trees are established, generally after the first three years, there is a high rate of survival. He added the city waters public trees and hires a watering contractor as well. Ms. Ziring asked about water rates and water usage and if any residents, particularly low-income residents, have ever voiced concerns about the cost of watering a new boulevard tree. Mr. Bahe stated he was not aware of this, but with the grant the city received for planting, 3 years of watering was budgeted in for environmental justice areas. Mr. Bahe described the need to consider boulevard trees as part of community forestry, a benefit to the entire community, and not for the gain or loss of any particular resident. Commissioner Griffin asked if there are any plans in the city to bury power lines. Mr. Bahe stated he did not know, but noted it is very costly for Xcel to do so. Chair Willette stated that it seems the city has ordinances in place to protect trees from removal similar to the scale what occurred in Edina with tree removal. Commissioner Shahidi stated there are no equivalent areas to Weber woods within St. Louis Park, so it will not be an issue. Ms. Rose commented on trees in the Bass Lake area and noted a project north of St. Louis Park where buckthorn has been removed selectively. Commissioner Shahidi asked if there are suggestions that should be made to the council with respect to tree policies. Chair Willette stated he is open to having a workgroup for this. Chair Willette, Commissioner Griffin and Commissioner Shahidi expressed interest in participating. Ms. Ziring stated she would be able to arrange for the ESC members to meet with staff if needed. b. Follow up discussion on gas-powered lawn equipment Chair Willette stated that laws ban two-cycle engines in Ann Arbor and in California, and asked if the ESC is interested in a workgroup on this issue to bring ideas forward to the city council. Environmental & sustainability commission -2- June 1, 2022 Commissioner Shahidi noted she has seen city workers in Wolfe Park using gas-powered lawn equipment. Ms. Ziring stated this could be contractors doing this work, who may not use electric equipment. Commissioner Bayer clarified that the Ann Arbor ordinance is only applicable in downtown Ann Arbor. Commissioner Bayer also noted there are opportunities to educate equipment owners at public events and that a ban should not be first step. She added that talking to city contractors about their equipment is low-hanging fruit, especially since there is an environmentally preferred purchasing policy at the city. Ms. Ziring asked if the ESC workgroup can organize all these ideas, then the commission can discuss next steps. Chair Willette stated he will organize a workgroup on this topic. Chair Willette will participate along with Commissioners Wilsey (proposed), Zweber (proposed) and Griffin. 4. Staff updates - sustainability division staff attended climate summit presentations at the middle school science classes - multifamily housing study draft report was received from the consultant and will be discussed at next ESC meeting - electrify cohort continues with Eden Prairie, Minneapolis and Edina - the green building policy is going to the EDA and council for approval on June 6 - Ride and Drive event this coming fall at Lenox Community Center - Getting the word out on tree planting programs - June 18 Ecotacular – still looking for commissioners to volunteer - working on idling campaign and engaging with schools - working on building and energy programs, special assessment program and the benchmarking ordinance - attended gardening swap where there was a lot of community engagement 5. Workgroup and/or project updates a. Year of Climate Action workgroup – did not meet this month and will focus on Ecotacular in June and climate ribbon tree possibilities. 6. City Council engagement - none 7. Environmental Justice and current events open discussion a. Hennepin County Zero Waste Plan and HERC (incinerator) Chair Willette opened the discussion related to this topic. Commissioner Griffin stated he researched energy recovery from incineration and noted there is data that show the energy generated is less polluting than coal-fired generation. Ms. Ziring stated that non-recyclable, non-compostable packaging is more and more common and adds to the garbage levels. There is an effort to set up a county work Environmental & sustainability commission -2- June 1, 2022 group to work on legislation related to packaging that is recyclable and compostable. She stated she will find out more information and bring it back to the commission. She noted that Maine recently passed a law establishing a stewardship program for packaging and that Extended Producer Responsibility laws will likely become more common. Commissioner Shahidi noted recent episodes of the How to Save the Planet podcast discuss recycling and e-waste. She stated the episodes touch on Right to Repair laws. 8. Upcoming/proposed events a. Ecotacular: June 18, 2022 b. July ESC meeting: July 13, 2022 9. Adjournment – 8:10 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Emily Ziring, liaison Andrew Willette, chair member