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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-05-15 MINUTES OF THE 42nd REGULAR MEETING OF GREENLEAF COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABILITY On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, the above meeting for the Greenleaf Commission on Sustainability of the City of Livonia was held in the West Conference Room of the Livonia Department of Public Works,12973 Farmington Road, Livonia. Chairperson James Baringhaus opened the meeting at 7:02 p.m. Members present: James Baringhaus Terry Cullum John Grzebik Nicole Mehelich Members absent: Elizabeth Calhoun Katherine Mullet Also present: Donald Rohraff, Director of DPW Victoria Henker, Secretary I at DPW Nancy Lantto, Clerk II at DPW Cyndi Ross, Friends of the Rouge John Donabedian, resident Larry Bernhardt, resident 1. Approval of Minutes. On a motion by Mehelich, seconded by Grzebik, the Minutes of the March 13, 2024 meeting was unanimously approved. 2. 2024 Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellowship (CLCF) Update Chairperson Baringhaus announced that the project team has been established. It will consist of the following: student fellow; Carson Evans, who will be the project lead and will be responsible for creating at least one shareable deliverable by end of the program; a technical advisor, Kerry Gray, who has worked at City of Ann Arbor, Davey Tree, and currently at DNR; And the CLC mentors Don Rohraff, Doug Moore, Trisha Gabriel, and Jim Baringhaus. They will provide local government/community guidelines and will have weekly team project meetings. The Pre-CLCF Meeting was held on May 6, 2024. The project start date will be May 20, 2024 at Palmer Commons in Ann Arbor. A fellowship follow-up meeting will be held June 12, 2024, and the project close date will be July 25, 2024 at the Sterling Heights Community Center in Sterling Heights. 3. 2024 Michigan Green Communities Challenge Update Greenleaf Commission on Sustainability nd 42 Regular Meeting of May 15, 2024 Page 2 Chairperson Baringhaus briefly discussed the 2024 Michigan Green Communities Challenge. The City of Livonia has earned its silver-level Certification with 68 points. There are over 60 communities that have received certification. 4. Initiative Teams – Report Outs a. Green Infrastructure Chairperson Baringhaus mentioned the purchase of rain barrels from Joshua Rubin at MI Rainbarell , Commissioner Grzebik stated that when they had been used previously; however, he was not satisfied but he was willing to give them another try. He suggested that Director Rohraff meet with him first. He also invited Cyndi Ross from Friends of the Rouge to speak about their ordering. Ms. Ross said that they have two sales per year and take preorders. They are willing to work with the community. They do not make money but break even. Commissioner Grzebik asked if we can promote a company name in our partnership. Director Rohraff answered that it is done all the time. He also mentioned that with the impending changes to City Hall campus, he would like to take pictures and inventory all the Memory Marker trees that will be removed/replaced. The Livonia Solar Street Lamp pilot project has been put on pause. b. Recycling & Solid Waste Policies i. Solid Waste and Recycling Contract Vice Chairperson Cullum and Director Rohraff talked about the prebid meeting that was held for the bid on the next contract. There were four potential bidders. The bid opening will be on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Recommendation is hoped to be taken to City Council/Committee in June. Chairperson Baringhaus asked about education. Most potential bidders did not partner with Recycle Coach, but Waste Management has talked to them. ii. Recycling Education Greenleaf Recycling Education Lead is Commissioner Mullet. She is doing multiple social media forums including Instagram. Recycle Coach is being considered as they have local waste/recycling rules accessible, they use gamification to educate the community on recycling. Kalamazoo, Lansing, East Lansing, and Midland already utilize Recycle Coach. Once the demonstration is complete the next step would be to confirm pricing. Best sites recommended by EGLE are iRecycle, iWasteNot, and Routeware. Chairperson Baringhaus shared that the University of Michigan is sending their compost to Wixom due to the restriction in Ann Arbor. As of January, U of M is having the bulk of its Greenleaf Commission on Sustainability nd 42 Regular Meeting of May 15, 2024 Page 3 compostable waste trucked to Spurt Industries, which is about 34 miles away, instead of to Ann Arbor’s compost site. c. EV Infrastructure There is no update on EV Infrastructure as Director Rohraff has been reaching out and no one is getting back to him because of the high turn over rate. d. Tree Ordinance/Tree Replacement There is no update on Tree Ordinance/Tree Replacement. 5. New Business Chairperson Baringhaus announced that Hayes Elementary School was federally recognized as a 2024 Green Ribbon School. Only two Michigan Schools have received this award, one from Livonia and another from Grand Rapids. Commissioner Mehelich mentioned that Hoover Elementary School grew strawberries and it was a huge success. Vice Chairperson Cullum asked who took the lead at Livonia Public Schools. The answer was not known. Chairperson Baringhaus was invite to speak at the Coffee Hour, Let’s Talk Recycling on April 13, 2024, and at a Livonia Rotary Club Presentation on April 29, 2024. Next Events will be the following:  CLC Fellowship Start Date on May 20, 2024  Run to Save Our Youth on June 1, 2024  2024 Passport to Safety on June 8, 2024  CLC Fellowship Close Date on July 25, 2024 Audience Communication Larry Bernhardt asked about plans for old recycle bins. Director Rohraff responded that they could be put in the new bins or kept. Currently, not all requirements are known. Larry also cited a program in Ferndale where they provided containers for food waste in the parks. People could place their food waste in containers and take free soil. Commissioner Grzebik asked if there would be refunds for the purchased recycle bins. Director Rohraff responded that there is no response at this time. John Donabedian asked how yard waste is to be handled. Vice Chairperson Cullum responded that it is to be treated the same as it is now. John also inquired about the possibility of food waste and yard waste together. Director Rohraff said that most of the potential bidders Greenleaf Commission on Sustainability nd 42 Regular Meeting of May 15, 2024 Page 4 wanted to "stay away" from this concept. Only one potential bidder was monitoring the concept. John also inquired if the hazardous waste program has always cost. Director Rohraff said they did have it free for a few free years, but that costs such as police presence made ERG more fiscally appealing. Commissioner Mehelich looked online and found three free hazardous waste collection days for Wayne County. The dates will be the following:  June 29, 2024 at Henry Ford College in Dearborn,  August 31, 2024 at Westland Shopping Center in Westland  October 19, 2024 at Wayne County Community College in Taylor. Cyndi Ross shared information about the Dearborn Green Schools model. She has offered to help with grant writing. On a motion by Grzebik, seconded by Cullum, and unanimously adopted, the meeting of May 15, 2024 was adjourned at 8:27 p.m. Next Meeting – July 17, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. West Conference Room, DPW Administration Office JAMES BARINGHAUS, CHAIRPERSON GREENLEAF COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABILITY