10-14-20 MIN1
Chanhassen Environmental Commission (EC)
Regular Meeting – Fountain Conference Room and Zoom Online Meeting
6:00 pm
October 14, 2020
Members Present: Bill Chappell (zoom), Kristin Fulkerson, Jeff Harken, Greg Hawks, Don Vasatka,
Lucy Rehm and Markus Fischer
Members Absent: None
Staff Present: Jill Sinclair, Environmental Resources Specialist
Minutes: September minutes were approved.
Zero Waste Workshop event review: Jill informed the commission that there were 100 registrants and
75 attendees (65 on zoom and 10 in person). Other than the audio issues (hard to hear presenters on
zoom if they weren’t speaking into microphone), commissioners thought the event was successful.
Having the zoom option probably attracted more people and ended up including more people since more
than the 1 registrant might have been watching from home. Markus wondered if there was a survey
taken or plans to do one. Jill said one hasn’t been done. The commission is interested in sending one
out with a handful of questions to find out more about who the audience was. Jill will look into getting
that done.
City updates:
• Fall Recycling Day at the Environmental Center is changed to a voucher program where
residents will be able to apply $20 towards recycling fees by presenting the voucher anytime
before the end of the year. The Center didn’t want to host a big event during Covid.
• The Connection newsletter may be changed from 4x per year to 2x per year. Jill will keep the
commission up to date so they can plan accordingly.
• Jill informed the commission that their changes proposed to the City’s Purchasing Policy
Recycled Content section were adopted by the city Council on Oct. 12. The only
recommendation not included was the item regarding the city consider purchasing electric
vehicles when possible.
• In the next few weeks, there will be a buckthorn removal project happening in Kerber Pond Park.
Woods on the east and south sides of the pond will be cleared of buckthorn. It will make a big
difference in the appearance and usability of the park.
• The Hennepin County Regional Trail aka Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Trail in southern
Chanhassen has been closed since 2016 due to a major landslide incident. Repairs to the section
started this summer and will be completed in the next month. A new bridge is also being
installed over the re-constructed Hwy 101. The trail should be open late fall. It runs from
Chaska to Hopkins.
2
• The city will be accepting pumpkins at the Fall Yard Waste Event. There will be no charge for
dropping them off. The pumpkins will be composted.
Communications Calendar: Markus led the commission through the calendar he created for the
commission to schedule event promotions throughout the year. Events are listed at the top of the
calendar and the communication vehicles are on the side. He’d like the commission to review the events
and vehicles to see what’s missing. The commission discussed creating an ‘opt in’ on the webpage or
notify me for emails. One suggestion was to consolidate weeks so the calendar could be condensed and
easier to see all at once. Jill wondered if it should be put into Excel or left in Google. For now, it will
remain a google doc. The commission will look at it again next month.
Possible Focus Topic for 2021: It was suggested that the commission continue with Recycling since
2020 had so few opportunities for public education and engagement. One concern was that the message
will get old or redundant. Another suggestion was to provide education on the natural resources in
Chanhassen’s parks and trails. The focus could be on the benefits of natural resources and the
importance of conservation. It was argued that recycling has really dropped off during the pandemic
and recycling information will be really important next year. But natural resources in parks could be
identified and tied in with iNaturalist. With recycling, the commission could dive deeper into the
specifics of recycling and the 5Rs. For the natural resources, the commission could partner with Parks
Comm. on the promotion and talk about things like what do wetlands do in our parks or host a bike tour
or do pop up events. The commission will discuss again in November.
General Discussion:
• Next month’s meeting falls on Veteran’s Day. The commission will have their meeting on Nov
12 instead.
Meeting adjourned at 7:35 pm
Minutes prepared by Jill Sinclair