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04-09-25 EC AgendaA.6:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER A.1 Oaths of Office A.2 Appoint Chair and Vice Chair A.3 Review Bylaws B.APPROVAL OF MINUTES B.1 Approval of March 12, 2025 Environmental Commission Minutes C.VISITOR PRESENTATIONS D.DISCUSSION ITEMS D.1 Select Arbor Day Poster Contest Winner E.COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS F.UPCOMING ITEMS AND EVENTS F.1 Arbor Day Update G.ADJOURNMENT AGENDA CHANHASSEN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025 FOUNTAIN CONFERENCE ROOM, 7700 MARKET BOULEVARD 1 Environmental Commission Item April 9, 2025 Subject Oaths of Office Section 6:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER Prepared By Amy Weidman, Senior Admin Support Specialist Scott Grefe Oath Glenn Stolar Oath 2 PH 952.227.11 00 •www.chanhassenmn.gov •FX 952.227.111 0 7700 MARKET BOULEVAR D •PO BOX 147 •CHANHASSEN •MINNESOTA •55317 OATH OF OFFICE I, Scott Grefe,do solemnly swear to support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Minnesota, and to discharge faithfully the duties of the office of Environmental Commissioner of the City of Chanhassen, Minnesota to the best of my judgment and ability, so help me, God. Scott Grefe Date: April 9, 2025 STATE OF MINNESOTA ) ( ss COUNTY OF CARVER ) Subscribed and sworn to before me this 9 day of April 2025. Notary Public 3 PH 952.227.11 00 •www.chanhassenmn.gov •FX 952.227.111 0 7700 MARKET BOULEVAR D •PO BOX 147 •CHANHASSEN •MINNESOTA •55317 OATH OF OFFICE I, Glenn Stolar,do solemnly swear to support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Minnesota, and to discharge faithfully the duties of the office of Environmental Commissioner of the City of Chanhassen, Minnesota to the best of my judgment and ability, so help me, God. Glenn Stolar Date: April 9, 2025 STATE OF MINNESOTA ) ( ss COUNTY OF CARVER ) Subscribed and sworn to before me this 9 day of April 2025. Notary Public 4 Environmental Commission Item April 9, 2025 Subject Appoint Chair and Vice Chair Section 6:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER Prepared By Amy Weidman, Senior Admin Support Specialist The commission shall elect a chair and vice chair from its membership. 5 Environmental Commission Item April 9, 2025 Subject Review Bylaws Section 6:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER Prepared By Amy Weidman, Senior Admin Support Specialist 2025 Env Commission Bylaws 6 1 CITY OF CHANHASSEN ENVIRONMENTALCOMMISSION BYLAWS The following by-laws are adopted by the Chanhassen Environmental Commission to facilitate the performances of its duties and the exercising of its functions as a Commission established by the City Council pursuant to the provision of Subdivision 1, Section 462.354, Minnesota State Statutes annotated. Section1-DutiesandResponsibilities 1.1 The Environmental Commission has the purpose and responsibilityto provide the residents of Chanhassen with opportunities to improve the quality of their environment, provide environmental education to the public, bring a comprehensive perspective to environmental issues, andadvocatethebenefits andnecessityofChanhassen’s natural resources. 1.2 The Environmental Commission shall serve as an advisory body to the City Council and Planning Commission in addressing the needs of the environment as directed by the City Council. All final decisions are to be made by the City Council. 1.3 The Environmental Commission will consider and make recommendations at the direction of the City Council regarding environmental issues. 1.4 The Environmental Commission will make recommendations at the direction of the City Council regarding funding for environmental projects. 1.5 The Environmental Commission may propose studies to the City Council and make recommendations according to the results. 1.6 The Environmental Commission will coordinate services with other governmental and private agencies for related issues 1.7 Establishment of Sub-Committees. The Environmental Commission may, as they deem appropriate,establishspecial sub-committeescomprisedsolelyoftheirownmembers. Section2-Meetings 2.1 Time and Place. Regular meetings of the Commission shall be held on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, 7700 Market Boulevard, unless otherwise directed by the Chairperson, in which case, at least 24-hour notice will be given to allmembers. Regular meetingsshallhave acurfew of 8:30 p.m. whichmay be waived at the discretion of the Chairperson. All unfinished business will be carried over to the next regular meeting. When the regular meeting day falls on a legal holiday, there shall be no meeting. In such an event, themonthly meeting shall berescheduled byconsensus. 7 2 2.2 Special Meetings. Special meetings shall be held upon call by consensus of the Commission and with at least 48 hours of notice to all members. 2.3 Attendance. The Environmental Commission membersshallattendnot lessthan 75%of all regular and special meetings held during a given calendar yearand shall not be absent from three consecutive meetings. Failure to meet this minimum attendance requirement will result in removal from the commission. Section 3- CommissionComposition -Terms andVacancies 3.1 Composition. TheEnvironmental Commission shall consist of seven adultvotingmembers. Additionally, one youth (age 16-18) voting member may also be appointed. The members shall be appointed by the City Council and may be removed by the Council. The City Council may appoint one of their members to serveas a liaison to the Commission. 3.2 Terms and Vacancies. The City Council shall appoint seven members to the commission for terms of three years. The City Council shall appoint a youth member for a term of one year. Vacancies during the term shall be filled by the Council for the unexpired portion of the term. All members shall serve without compensation. 3.3 Member Requirements. All members of the Environmental Commission shall be in compliance with all local, state, and federal environmental regulations at their homes and owned businesses. Members will be allowed six months to correct any violations. Violations existing after that time will be reasonable cause for removal from the Commission by action of the City Council. 3.4 Quorum. Four Environmental Commission members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Whenever a quorum is not present, no final or official action shall be taken at such meeting. Section4-Organization 4.1 Election of Officers. The first meeting in April of each year, the Environmental Commission shall hold an organizational meeting. At this meeting, the Commission shall elect from its membership a chairperson and vice-chairperson. This shall be done by voice vote. Vice-Chairperson shall be elected from the remaining members by the same proceeding. IftheChairperson retires fromthe Environmental Commissionbeforethenext regular organizational meeting, the Vice-Chairperson shall be Chairperson. If both Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson retire, new officers shall be elected at the next regular meeting. If both Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are absent from a meeting, the Commission shall elect a temporary Chairperson by voice vote. 4.2 Duties of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson. The Chairperson, or in his/her absence, the Vice Chairperson, shall conduct the meeting so as to keep it moving as rapidly and efficientlyaspossibleandshallremindmembers,witnesses andpetitionerstopreserveorder 8 3 anddecorum andtokeepcommentsto thesubjectathand. TheChairpersonshallnotmove for action but may second motions. Section5-Procedure 5.1 Procedure. When appropriate, parliamentary procedure governed by Robert's Rules of Order Revised shall be followed. Section6- InformationalMeetings 6.1 Purpose of Informational Meetings. The purpose of an informational meeting is to collect information and facts in order for the Commission to develop a rational environmental issue recommendation for the City Council. 6.2 MeetingProcedure. At informational meetings,the followingproceduresshall be followed in each case: a.TheChairpersonshallstatethepurposeofthemeeting. b.Interested persons may address the Commission, giving information regarding the particular proposal. Section7-Miscellaneous 7.1 EnvironmentalCommission Discussion. Mattersfor discussion whichdonot appearonthe agendamaynotbeconsideredand discussed bytheCommission untiltheendoftheagenda. 7.2 Suspension of Rules. The Commission may suspend any of these rules by unanimous vote of the members present. 7.3 Amendments. Amendments of these by-laws may be made at any regular or special meeting of the Environmental Commission but only if scheduled on the meeting agenda in advance of the meeting. 7.4 Review. At the first meeting in April of each year, these by-laws shall be read and adopted by the Environmental Commission. Date adopted , Chairperson 9 Environmental Commission Item April 9, 2025 Subject Approval of March 12, 2025 Environmental Commission Minutes Section APPROVAL OF MINUTES Prepared By Amy Weidman, Senior Admin Support Specialist Environmental Commission Minutes dated March 12, 2025 10 Chanhassen Environmental Commission (EC) 6:00 pm March 12, 2025 Members Present: Scott Grefe, Leslie Elhadi, Billy Cripe, Paget Pengelly, John Stutzman, Sidney Lindmark Members Absent: Kaisa Buckholz, Wren Roemer Staff Present: Jamie Marsh, Environmental Resource Specialist Visitors: Glenn Stolar Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:03 p.m. Minutes Commissioner Elhadi moved to approve the meeting minutes dated January 8, 2025 with clarifying edits; Commissioner Cripe seconded. The minutes were approved with a 6-0 vote. After the minutes were approved, introductions were made to audience member Glenn Stolar, who will be joining the Environmental Commission in April. He shared he used to be on the Park & Recreation Commission and has recently served on the board for the Arboretum. Discussion Items 1. Trivia Night Follow-Up The recent trivia night was held at Hackamore Brewing Company. Ideas for the next event included an additional monitor for viewing the questions and scheduling a different weeknight since Friday is already a busy night. Based on participant feedback the commissioners plan to review the questions as a group for style and difficulty. The commissioners discussed different ideas for sharing the questions and submitting answers. Group meetings and trivia apps could work and help reduce paper, but phones aren’t allowed during trivia events. Attendees enjoyed the options for prizes. Overall, the event was a success. They tentatively decided on the next trivia night in October, with Commissioner Cripe looking into possible dates. The topic will be revisited in June. 2. Environmental Academy The Commissioners discussed the Environmental Academy. Discussion included the possibility of partnering with Carver County and how many sessions to hold. Ms. Marsh will reach out to Camp Fire MN to schedule a nature walk in early September, potentially for the first event of the academy. 11 Commissioners brainstormed more ideas for the series. Ideas included partnering with a county park, winery, or the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. They discussed learning from a master gardener about developing apple varietals. Within Chanhassen, Lake Ann Park Preserve and the community gardens were proposed as outdoor locations. The Great River Greening project with biochar and controlling invasive species could be a possible topic. Ms. Marsh will reach out to the county to discuss continuing partnering for the Environmental Academy events. The commissioners will revisit the Academy topics to narrow down the ideas and set dates for the events in September and October. The plan is to finalize locations, dates, and topics by the July meeting. 3. Arbor Day Activities The Arbor Day event will be held on Saturday, May 3 at 9 a.m. and the park is tentatively planned for Roundhouse Park. During the event, 22 trees will be planted. The commissioners discussed the various ways the event is advertised. They discussed some other possible places where they could recruit volunteers if needed. They discussed introducing the species and having a frisbee stump toss game and refreshments. The planting depth and method will be taught at the event. 4. July 3rd Trade Fair Planning The Environmental Commissioners are interested in hosting a table again this summer. They agreed that an engaging activity with limited areas of discussion to maximize the impact. The commissioners would like to get a spinning wheel that could be used for an interactive trivia question with prizes, which would be easy to reuse at many events. Prizes could include candy, seed packets, and LED lightbulbs. The table could be used to promote the Environmental Academy. Commission Presentations Commissioner Pengelly discussed a proposed bill at the state level that would remove the pollinator account that provides grants for converting to pollinator yards. Ms. Marsh will look into policy regarding sending a letter to oppose the bill from the commission. If not, commissioners are welcome to send letters as constituents to oppose the bill. Commissioner Lindmark shared that Carver County has issued a PowerPoint to stakeholders about the county programs. Commissioner Grefe attended the Park and Recreation Commission meeting. Great River Greening presented about the biochar program and the invasive species mitigation—in particular buckthorn. It will be a project that lasts over several years. There could be some community events during that time. The commissioners thought this could be an opportunity for the Environmental Academy. Upcoming Items and Events 1. Residential Tree Sale The tree sale opens to Chanhassen residents on March 17. The tree sale will be subsidized by the city this year. The bareroot trees will range from five to ten feet tall, depending on which of the 12 seven available species that tree is. The tree pickup is in May, and she asked for volunteers for those days to help. Commissioner Lindmark will volunteer at the pick-up on Friday, and Commissioner Elhadi will volunteer on Saturday. The commissioners discussed the variety of trees being offered. Adjournment Commissioner Cripe moved to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Elhadi seconded. The motion carried 6-0 and Chair Grefe adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Minutes prepared by Amy Weidman, Senior Administrative Support Specialist Minutes Submitted by Jamie Marsh, Environmental Resource Specialist 13 Environmental Commission Item April 9, 2025 Subject Select Arbor Day Poster Contest Winner Section DISCUSSION ITEMS Prepared By Jamie Marsh, Environmental Resource Specialist Local elementary school students submitted artwork based on the Arbor Day Poster contest theme- "Trees are Terrific...For Outdoor Adventures!" The Environmental Commission will select the grand prize winner and up to 9 runner ups who will all be invited to the City Council meeting on Monday, April 28. 14 Environmental Commission Item April 9, 2025 Subject Arbor Day Update Section UPCOMING ITEMS AND EVENTS Prepared By Jamie Marsh, Environmental Resource Specialist The annual Arbor Day planting event will take place at Roundhouse Park 3950 Kings Rd. Excelsior, MN 55331 on Saturday, May 3. Commissioners should arrive by 8:30 to help get things set up for the event. The event will start with a demo planting at 9 am and then volunteers will go plant bare root trees throughout the park. 15