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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979 05-17 CONCMMINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA REGULAR SESSION MAY 17, 1979 CITY HALL CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center Conservation Commission met in regular session and was called to order by Chairman Vetter at 7:35 p.m. ROLL CALL Chairman Vetter, Commissioners Albright, Jensen, and Dorff. Also present was Administrative Assistant Mary Harty. Administrative Assistant Mary Harty noted Councilmember Celia Scott would not be present because of other commitments. Chairman Vetter noted Commissioners Price and Lutenegger would not be present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - 4-19-79 There was a motion by Commissioner Jensen and seconded by Commissioner Albright to approve the minutes of the April 19, 1979 Conservation Commission meeting as submitted. The motion passed unanimously. Commissioner Wesloh arrived at 7:40 p.m. Before proceeding with the listed agenda items, Commissioner Albright commented on material which he had reviewed from the City of Flint, Michigan. Commissioner Albright recommended that the Conservation Commission study a program similar to the program detailed in the brochures and practiced in Flint, Michigan. He sug- gested he would be willing, as a Conservation Commissioner, to be involved in some of the work. He explained the program involved recognizing people for improving the appearance of their property and also suggesting to people when improvements needed to be made, such as a need to take care of improper storage of refuse, ex- posed garbage, abandoned vehicles, etc. Commissioner Jensen suggested another addition to the program might be organizing a group of volunteers who-would be willing to help those who are unable to complete the tasks on their own. Chairman Vetter suggested possible organizations to do that type of thing would be the Jaycees, the Chamber, or C.E.A.P. Commissioner Dorff stated he felt the idea of giving recognition to people who do a good job would be an excellent idea rather than only recognizing the negative. In response to questions, Chairman Vetter stated the Conservation Commission has in the past sponsored a City-wide cleanup and planting, but did not sponsor one this year. Administrative Assistant Mary Harty suggested it might be helpful to invite a person from the Planning and Inspection department to speak with the Conservation Commission explaining what is presently done and whether or not the Conservation Commission could be helpful In further discussion, Commissioner Albright suggested it might be possible to divide the City into districts and make one of the Commissioners responsible for each district. Chairman Vetter suggested it might also be possible to use the neighborhood advisory groups. 5-17-79 _1_ The Conservation Commission briefly discussed the cleanup that was undertaken by Dick's Sanitary in the City of Columbia Heights. The Commission discussed the Columbia Heights cleanup as a possibility for the City of Brooklyn Center. Questions were raised as to the problems of endorsing a single business person for this type of a venture. It was commented that no other rubbish haulers were in the business of recycling as was Dick's Recycling. A suggestion was made that if a decision was made to do this type of thing, its possible bids could be let. PRIORITY RANKING OF ACTIVITIES FOR 1979 The Conservation Commission discussed a priority ranking of activities for 1979. It was noted that at the March 15, 1979 Conservation Commission meeting,. a list of suggested activities was formulated based on discussion at the February meeting. Commissioners were asked to review the list and prioritize the suggestions. The Commissioners present at the meeting had reviewed the list and prioritized the suggestions. The Commission as a whole tabulated and discussed their priorities. A final tabulation of those Commissioners present showed the following results. The number one priority was Conservation Commission involvement in the development of Palmer Lake. Number two priority was the organization of field trips for the Conservation Commission. Number three priority was making the community more aware. of activities for families to participate in the realm of conservation. Number four priority included two items, monitoring certain existing conservation type programs and providing information for a Brooklyn Center Post column. Number five priority included two items, to prepare information on parks, recreational programs and various other programs or services to disseminate through Welcome Wagon or other means and coordinating information sessions on income tax savings due:-to energy retrofitting withina-home. The Conservation Commission discussed how these various goals could be approached. Again, it was the consensus of the Commission that the Commission as a whole would choose to work on some of the items, subcommittees within the Conservation Commis- Sion might choose to work on some of the items and individuals might choose to work on some of the items or other areas which they might be interested in. Commenting on a possible activity to be included as part of one of the priority five items, that being to prepare information on parks, recreational programs and various other programs or services to disseminate, Administrative Assistant Mary Harty stated the City had put out a civic information booklet in the past. The last booklet was put out in 1977 and there was a need to update that booklet. She suggested that the Conservation Commission might wish to be involved in updating that booklet. It was noted that the civic information booklet produced in 1977 included a listing of all the Commission members within the various City Commissions. Commissioner Albright stated he felt it was appropriate to list the Commissioners because people might feel more at ease calling a Commissioner with a problem in a particular area rather than contacting the City Council. It was also suggested that since Commissions change so frequently it might be more appropriate to list one Commissioner as a representative from all the various City Commissions rather than listing the entire Commission. After briefly reviewing the civic information booklet published in 1977, certain suggestions were made as possible additions. Commissioner Jensen suggested it might be helpful to list various community organi- zations and the goals of the various Commissions. Referring to the priority list, Commissioner Wesloh indicated that he would like to continue working on Palmer Lake. Chairman Vetter noted she and Commissioner Lutenegger had met with Director of Parks and Recreation Gene Hagel and they were pleased with the current plans for Palmer Lake. Also referring to the list of priorities, the Commission discussed possible field trips. Suggestions were made for field trips to the. Fridley Nature Center, the Woodlake Nature Center, the University home sites for energy conservation (OURBOUROS) 5-17-79 -2- and the Coon Rapids dam. It was suggested that it might be workable to schedule the field trips for 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon. It was suggested Commissioners could invite friends to go along on the field trips. Referring to earlier discussions on the preparation of energy curriculum for teachers, Chairman Vetter stated energy curricula was coming slowly through the Minnesota Energy Agency. Commissioner Jensen stated it might be helpful to contact elementary school principals to encourage the use of energy curriculum. She stated it might be helpful to make Commissioners available to elementary teachers to teach energy curriculum or wildlife curriculum etc. Referring to one of the priorities to provide information for a Brooklyn Center Post column, Chairman Vetter stated the Minnesota Energy Agency presently sends out a news release every few weeks and that news release could be modified or added to and used for a Brooklyn Center Post news release. Referring to one of the priorities, Commissioner Albright suggested monitoring gas sthtions which will accept used oil. Suggesting another possible activity, Commissioner Dorff stated it was his belief that the Director of Parks and Recreation and the Park and Recreation Commission would be looking for support if a park bond issue is developed. The support of the Conservation Commission would be advantegous if such a bond issue should develop. The Conservation Commission decided they would like to finalize some activities, some of which could be done in the summer. It was suggested in lieu of a June meeting, a final meeting could be held on Thursday, May 31. Conservation Commis- sion__meetings would not be held in the summer other than possibly task force sub- committees for working on a particular project. At the May 31 meeting, it might also be possible to invite a staff person from the Planning and Inspection depart- ment. It was the consensus of the Commission that a Conservation Commission meeting would be scheduled for May 31, 1979, at 7:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers. At that time, final plans can be made for activities based on the priorities as determined thus far. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REVIEW Administrative Assistant Mary Harty noted documents had been sent to the Commission from Mr. Ron Warren, Director of Planning and Inspection. She stated members of all City advisory commissions and neighborhood advisory groups as well as interested citizens were invited to an April 26, 1979 Planning Commission study meeting for a presentation by BRW, the City's planning consultant, regarding drafts to the City's Comprehensive Plan. The presentation included reports and recommendations regarding Brooklyn Boulevard, the housing element of the Comprehensive Plan, the park and open space element of the Comprehensive Plan, and the land use plan. She noted the Planning Commission is seeking public input and comment regarding the proposed `draft and is requesting the various City advisory commissions and neighborhood advisory groups to review the information, particularly with respect to their area of interest or expertise and comment on same at a public hearing which is scheduled for May 24, 1979. The Commission briefly discussed the documents. METRO COUNCIL "CONTINUED DESIGNATION OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER CORRIDOR CRITICAL AREA" Administrative Assistant Mary Harty noted she has sent the Commission copies of a Metropolitan Council staff report "Continued Designation of Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area" which contains information on the questions of whether the designation should be continued. She explained a public hearing on the designation question is being held on May 17. She noted that written comments can be submitted through May 25. 5-17-79 -3- Chairman Vetter volunteered to prepare a letter to be sent on behalf of the Conservation Commission which would indicate a preference for continuing the designation. CAR POOLING Commissioner Jensen briefly reviewed for the Commission the progress on car pooling. She noted very few people had made contact. She noted she would continue to attempt to make matches as dictated by interest. CORRESPONDENCE Chairman Vetter shared with the Commission a letter from Jim Norwick, Brooklyn Center High School, thanking the Conservation Commission for their contribution to Kaleidoscope. The Commission briefly discussed Kaleidoscope. The Commission felt pleased with their contribution to Kaleidoscope but felt that participation was not as good as it had been in past years. ADJOURNMENT The Conservation Commission meeting was adjourned at 9:55 p.m. Chairman • • 5-17-79 -4-