07-09-2014
Chanhassen Environmental Commission (EC)
Regular Meeting
July 9, 2014
Members Present: Glenn Kaufmann, Katie Mahannah, Keith Anderson, Amy Omann
Members Absent: Matthew Myers, Amy Wenner, Bret Borth
Staff Present: Jill Sinclair, Environmental Resources Specialist
Minutes: June minutes were approved.
Review of July 3 Business Expo: Commissioners said that there were lots of people at the event and it went
very well. The prize wheel was very popular. About 3-4 other booths had them as well. Some of the questions
were a little too wordy for the situation. Commissioners would recommend keeping the questions simple next
year. The seed bracelets were a hit. In general, people weren’t too knowledgeable about water conservation
techniques and issues. The toilet leak test kits were only given out to adults. The commissioners talked about
what kinds of questions the public asked of them. One thing they noticed – many people don’t know the
difference between groundwater and surface water. One of the commissioners was asked about the reason why
Chanhassen water tastes funny. The commissioner didn’t know how to answer that one. Another commissioner
said there were a couple of questions asked about zebra mussels. The booth was well staffed throughout the event.
The commission wonders if maybe they should do a booth at the west metro home and garden show. They would
like to put that idea on the calendar and discuss it later. Next year the commission wants to remember to have a
‘friends of the Environmental Commission’ sign up and recycling coupons.
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Fall Fen Update: The volunteer day has been set for November 1. Details will be discussed in Sept or Oct.
EAB Update: Jill presented an overview of the EAB situation in Chanhassen. Currently, it is not confirmed in
Chanhassen or Carver County. This gives the city time to plan for the work and expense of ash management
within the city. Over the past few summers, volunteer Tree Care Advisors have worked diligently on compiling
public tree data for parks and right-of-way. This information will be used to determine budget and labor needs for
the Parks and Streets department when EAB becomes present in Chanhassen. Ash trees comprise about 20% of
all public trees, equaling about 1300 trees. This only includes open grown trees, not wooded areas. The city has
developed a management plan and policy to present to the Council for approval. It will recommend a
combination of removals, replanting and treatments. Jill will keep the commission updated on EAB status in
Chanhassen.
General Discussion:
Recycling and composting was offered extensively at the Taste of Chanhassen with the goal of having the
event by zerowaste. Commissioners reported that Tian Jin served their food in Styrofoam. Other than
that the program seemed successful.
Meeting adjourned at approximately 7:40 PM.
Minutes prepared by Jill Sinclair
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