04-09-2014
Chanhassen Environmental Commission (EC)
Regular Meeting
April 9, 2014
Members Present:
Glenn Kaufmann, Katie Mahannah, Bret Borth, Keith Anderson, Matthew Myers, Amy
Wenner, Amy Omann
Members Absent:
Staff Present:
Jill Sinclair, Environmental Resource Specialist
Minutes:
March minutes were approved.
Chair/Vice-Chair Selection:
Glenn nominated and approved by majority vote as Chair of commission. Amy
Omann nominated and approved by majority vote as vice-chair of commission.
Review By-laws:
The commission did an annual review of the by-laws and chose to strike the following clause
from item 1.1: “address issues that affect the city’s natural resources”. The by-laws were approved by unanimous
vote with the change.
Arbor Day Planning:
Jill recapped the proposed schedule of events for Arbor Day. The commission wanted to
know if the choice of species were diverse enough and appropriate for the site. Jill confirmed that the diversity
did meet city standards and that the trees selected were suitable for the site. All of the commissioners will be able
to be at the event and will bring family/teams/friends to help.
Joint meeting reminder:
The commission’s joint meeting with the City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, May
27. The commission did a show of hands to ascertain who is able to attend. Three commissions are able, three
are not and 1 is a maybe. Jill will see if a different date could be selected. Keith will revise the past year
accomplishment list and will bring to May meeting.
Sustainability Report:
Katie thanked the commission for their hard work on the report. All of the
commissioners really liked the layout of the report. The commission will review the report and notify Jill within a
week of any changes to be made. Amy O suggested adding the Arbor Day poster contest winner to the back of
the report. Everyone agreed with that idea. A final version will be emailed to the commission after all revisions
are received by Jill.
Onboarding packet:
Keith had reviewed the packet and commented on the following sections: Strategic Plan
– it’s very old and doesn’t reflect current endeavors. Maybe it should be removed or updated. Ketih and Amy O
will discuss it. By-laws – These will be reviewed annually. Keith also proposed to add a section pertaining to the
commission’s interactions with the public and officials. Also noted was the watershed map. A clearer, less busy
map is needed. The commission will review the packet again in July. Amy O told the commission to send any
resources or additions to the packet to her.
July 3 topic planning:
The commission asked itself if the focus will be on a singular topic or multiple topics.
Katie and Keith said they met with Paul Oehme, city engineer, and Krista Spreiter, natural resources technician,
1
about water conservation and were very interested in the topic. It seems timely considering the press about lake
levels and aquifer drawdowns. Katie also contacted Madeleine at Carver County regarding educational materials
for the topic. Katie learned that she has a prize wheel, lake game, fishing pond and many other display friendly
items. She said they mostly focus on surface water quality but the commission may still be interested in using one
of them at the expo.
General Discussion
:
Jill informed the commission that there is a tentative joint commission tour planned for July 8.
Amy O said she received an inquiry from a neighbor regarding new RPBC watershed rules. She
contacted Terry for answers and was able to pass his information on to the neighbors.
The Arbor Day poster contest presentation will be held at the City Council meeting on Monday, April 28.
Katie and Amy O will be on hand to help pass out the awards.
Jill shared an email from a resident with the commission concerning a raccoon issue in their
neighborhood. The email told how neighbors were trying to trap and kill raccoons. The commission
agreed with the resident that information on how to humanely deal with wild animals should be added to
the city website. A link to Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation should be added to the website. Jill will
get that done.
Meeting adjourned at approximately 7:40 PM.
Minutes prepared by Jill Sinclair
2