April Meeting Notes

Advance Oxidation Plant update

• How to sign up for email notifications. Quarterly newsletter, Police, 2016 street, water updates, 2017 street/utilities, Mirror, Lowry grove, 2017 37th sidewalk.

Demo Garden Grant Application

• City applying to MWMO watershed for Silver Point park (near the building)
• What is the need/where can we add value?
  • Turf alternatives
  • rain garden
  • native planting (and along water bodies)
  • green wall
  • Shine a light on city’s stormwater handling
  • tie in to student organizations (ecology club, K kids (Kiwanis), scouts)
  • Event(s)
    • turf removal demo
    • pollinator planting demo
    • post-completion curriculum for ECFE at the park
    • Plan for what people can do with their kids (kids programming? Kristin R-M volunteers)
• What are the barriers?
  • Communicating to people (budget)
  • Getting buy-in from neighbors/visitors
  • Finding vendors?
    • Earth wizards (Interfaith Power and Light)
  • Who maintains it?
    • Get commitment from the Parks Board early on
      • partner with Parks board to involve CFS
      • make it part of the board accountability/promotion
      • Friends for SAV Parks
    • Adopt-a-garden idea
      • CFS
    • Borrow from seasonal student employment hours?
  • Why?
    • native plants require less care
    • less pesticides
    • No-mow
  • gardening tools/where to purchase plants
    • lending library (county libraries? Use NE lending library?)
    • Sod remover from rental facility near Columbia Heights library
    • Mother Earth Gardens partnerships?
  • how/where to dispose of removed turfgrass

Transition Town talk invitation

• There are 4 cities/neighborhood officially listed as transition towns
• We could at least promote the two upcoming events
• Provide direction (list our current issues (organics, local gov’t, etc.)
  • lessons learned
  • network
  • resources
  • common goals

Village Fest/Sustainability Fair

• Place CFS member on planning
• Label organizations with sustainability at the fair, rather than group booths
  • review process
  • award
• Signup for Friends of the Parks at booth
• Tour
• Promote demo garden
• Transportation
  • Add Electric Car show/Talk to Village Fest activity list on Saturday
  • Bike safety/rodeo, repairs, maintenance
  • Temp bike racks?
  • Free bike helmets/reflectors/etc. (Check Allina and counties)
• Provide seats in the shade (extra tent)

Earth Day Cleanups

• Didn’t end up in the Village Notes 🙁
• Kristin will create Facebook events to share
• Are there any Earth Day construction projects we can feature?
• Hand out seed packets?
• Weigh/count garbage
• Events
  • 9:00 cleanup at Trillium Park
    • Divide plants, trimming trees, hauling brush, some pickup
  • 9:15 cleanup at Salo Park
    • tidying/garbage pickup
  • 1:00 cleanup at Central Park
    • tidying/garbage pickup
  • Maybe put rain garden back together at Wilshire
  • Maybe Nativity could get involved (buckthorn removal, rain garden tidying)
  • 10:00 bus ride to the March for Science from Nativity Lutheran Church (email ddoerrer@nativitychurch.org to reserve a seat)
• Engage churches/local businesses/handouts in our neighborhoods
  • Speak/announce at churches or in programs

Comp Plan Feedback

• Mary comments: Discuss transportation in sustainability chapter AND in each chapter related (like transportation)
• City has received a lot of feedback
• Does CFS want to submit a summary of feedback as CFS? Yes.
  • equitable sustainability initiatives?
• Facebook poll?
• Plan our quarterly Tuesday morning meeting in May
  • Plan for Tuesday morning meeting with Jay and Mark, May 23, two weeks prior to June 5th parks commission meeting for getting on their agenda
    • Agenda:
      • Ideas for organics collection
      • Comp plan feedback
      • Park planning (Friends of the Park idea)
      • Village Fest cross promotion?

Other Notes

• Perhaps Nativity PopTops speaker Allen Anderson can be called upon
• Post cards sent to CEOs about environment