Green Committee Minutes 2009 11-23-09
APPROVED 1/25/10
MINUTES
YORKVILLE GREEN COMMITTEE
November 23, 2009
7:00 P.M. -
Yorkville City Hall
Mission Statement: To advise the City Council of the United City of Yorkville, Illinois on ways to enhance the
community environment and ways to equip and encourage citizens and businesses to participate in sustainable
ecological practices.
Call to Order:
Marta Keane 7:10
Welcome Members and Guests:
Members: Marta Keane, Anne Engelhardt, Mariann Manthei, Al Green,
Richard Scheffrahn, Cheryl Lee; City staff liaison: Jackie Dearborn.
Approval of Minutes:
Scheffrahn made a correction to the September 28, 2009 minutes under section
called “Recycling natural Christmas trees”, 8th paragraph, to revise the wording: delete “dumping site” and
add “collection site”. Scheffrahn motioned to approve the minutes for September 28, 2009 and the October
26, 2009 meeting notes. Manthei seconded. Motion passed.
New Business:
1.No Presentations Scheduled. Error in the printed agenda. Com 2 will not be giving a presentation; a
representative came to the October meeting. Jackie registered with Illinois for E-waste. Signed up
with Ill EPA that we are collectors, which is a legal requirement to do by the end of December.
There will be no charge to recycle electronic waste after January 1, 2010. Keane suggested that City
request a letter from Com2 stating that they will continue to collect E-waste at the Yorkville drop off
site for no charge to the City and citizens using the drop off facility. Engelhardt asked Dearborn if
Com 2 has responded to her request for signs, laminated list of E-waste accepted, and a complete list
of their waste stream. Com 2 has not answered any of these requests. Dearborn will call and request
again for this information before the January meeting.
2.Yorkville School Green Efforts Update
Keane spoke to the YIS contact, who will attempt to give a report bi-monthly to the Yorkville Green
Committee. Lee is working with the Cross Lutheran School and Church to start a Green Group to
include students and adults. Lee has requested to Harry Wolf at YHS to invite someone from the
Yorkville Green Committee to go to the SAFE club to help them get motivated and perhaps have an
exhibit at the Environmental Fair.
Committee Reports:
1.Share & Care Recycling Event Committee – Revenue Report
Dearborn has requested to Susan Mika have the proceeds to go into the Green Committee’s line item
of the budget.
2.Environmental Fair Committee – Update, Discussion and Volunteer Sign-Up.
Lee needs to find out from the City about the liability issue, especially in regard to the requirement
for the newly started businesses that might not have insurance. Scheffrahn suggested checking with
the insurance company for the Chamber to add a one-day-event umbrella coverage and to include this
cost in the fee for the exhibitors. Lee would like to encourage kids to be involved, with such as an
environmentally based science project.
Engelhardt suggested an art-related project, such as recycled materials for lower grades. Lee
would like to have a sub-committee to help with the students activities. Keane brought up names of
possible committee volunteers. Dearborn has met with Sue Swithin to get specifics about the usage of
the Rec Center. Lee wanted thoughts on the length of time for the speakers. The recommendation
based on last year’s feedback is to have fewer speakers, 5 per each of the two rooms, to start on the
hour, with 30 minutes for presentation, 15 minutes for Q and A, and 15 minutes for changing over to
the next speaker. Lee thought to set the speakers time slots to be in ½ hour segments and the speakers
can choose to have one or two half hour slots. Last year all the presentations were emailed to
Stephanie, who put them all on the computer in the order of the agenda. Dearborn will check to see if
the committee will be able to get into the Rec Center to put paper on the floor and set up the tables on
Friday, the night before the event. Track titles “Greening your Home” and “Greening the
Environment” were suggested. The key thing is to find topics that the citizens will be interested in
for their own homes and yards as well as their community. Give topics to the citizens that will
educate them on current issues. Need buy-in from schools; get a couple of science teachers to write
up the project objectives. Dearborn will talk to the principal at one of the schools and begin to get a
conversation going to work with teachers for the kids projects. Lee asked for feedback on the layout.
Comments to this: there is room to add a few more tables. Exhibitors can have a reduced fee for
bringing their own table for their display. Lee needs an accurate measurement of the gym floor.
Swithin said that there will be more electricity availability. Lee will also request to have a second
access point to the gym and to re-position the food stand.
Lee requested from the Green Committee to suggest topics for speakers and exhibitors and
to find a person or business name to email the names to Lee by the end of December.
To help pay for reusable bags, Dearborn will ask Veolia and Com 2 to make a monetary
donation. Another option is to invite 5 members of the Yorkville Chamber of Commerce to sponsor
the event for $100 each and get their names printed on the bags. Lee asked about our Green
Committee getting a T-shirt, a hat, or some other item that gives identity to the group. Engelhardt
volunteered to check on prices for hats and bags with three different printing businesses in Yorkville.
Keane suggested having a pledge card to be filled out at the information table by fair attendees
Costs per exhibitor space: Ask everyone to have a table cover or will be charged for a table cloth.
Keep costs as down; increase only the amount needed to cover insurance costs.
3.Water Conservation Committee – Recommendations progress report
4.Plastic Bag Reduction
5.Chamber Green Committee
Lee made a motion to accept the committee reports as written. Manthei seconded. Green wants the
Green Committee to watch two things. He handed out the “Building Code Update Discussion.” Resolution
at Works Committee- do we want to support the position for the joint COGS (Council of Governments)
water supply planning group. “We do not have to take a position on this; the report is for our information and
for tracking this issue.
At Target, customers who bring in their reusable shopping bags will get five cents off of their bill per
bag used.
Vote: motion passed.
Recommendation Progress Reports:
1.Tree Survey Recommendation
2.Tree City Recommendation
3.Electronic Recycling Perm Program progress
4.Franchise Agreement Recommendation
5.Recycling in Parks, Athletic Fields, etc
6.Budget Line Items – Deposits, Expenses
Engelhardt moved to accept the progress reports as written. Scheffrahn seconded. Keane talked
about the Commercial Franchise Agreement in the Beacon news. Vote: motion passed.
Old Business:
1.Clean Air Counts
2.Zoning Ordinance Committee Update
thth
Amendment by Green: Zoning ordinance – next meeting Jan 27 not the 28 as typed.
3.Kendall County Solid Waste Committee
Scheffrahn gave update. The Public Hearing on Transfer Stations is scheduled for January.
4.Wind Turbine Ordinance Progress
Green would like to know the status of the ordinance for the “small” systems.
5.Cool City Challenge Action Plan
6.Rain Garden – City Rain Garden Progress
Additional Business:
1.Report from Jackie Dearborn, Green Committee Staff Liaison
Dearborn showed the group the proposal for the grant for recycling containers in the city parks.
2.Manthei suggested to Lee that the Environmental Fair have a speaker about native plants and that
attendees get see packets for native plants.
3.Engelhardt reported that she has made contact with Jeff Wilkins, County Administrator, to find out
about a speaker about the bus transportation program that came from the Government. She will try
to line this up for the January meeting.
4.DART opened up in Aurora. They take #6 Styrofoam products. Keane is trying to get more
information on what products they will take.
Green moved to approve the meeting dates for 2010. Lee seconded. Vote: motion passed.
Adjournment:
Keane adjourned the meeting at 10:05.
2010 Tentative Meeting Schedule
Jan 25 March 22 May 24 July 26 Sept 27 Nov 22
Feb 22 April 26 June 28 Aug 23 Oct 25 No Dec Meeting