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EC Agenda 08-25-20257800 Golden Valley Road I Golden Valley, MN 55427 763-593-80121 TTY 763-593-3968 1 763-593-8109 (fax) I www.goldenvalleymn.gov city of goldveill� August 25, 2025 — 6:30 PM Council Conference Room Golden Valley City Hall ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA 1. Call to Order 9 3. 4. Land Acknowledgement We acknowledge and honor the Dakota nation, on whose ancestral land the City of Golden Valley is built, and whose land resources we use. We commit to counteracting the erasure of the cultural practices and presence of the Dakota people through education and by amplifying a wide range of indigenous voices. Approval of Agenda August 25, 2025 Agenda Approval of Meeting Minutes 4.A. Approve July 28, 2025 Minutes 5. Business 5.A. Update on Creek Co -Naming Policy Recommendation 5.13. Council Communications 5.C. Commissioner/Staff Communications 6. Adjournment This document is available in alternate formats upon a 72-hour request. Please call 763-593-8006 (TTY: 763-593-3968) to make a request. Examples of alternate formats may include large print, electronic, Braille, audiocassette, etc. City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Meeting August 25, 2025 — 6:30 PM pity °f EXECUTIVE SUMMARY golden Valle Community Development 763-512-2345 / 763-512-2344 (fax) Golden Valley Environmental Commission Meeting August 25, 2025 Agenda Item 4.A. Approve July 28, 2025 Minutes Prepared By Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist Recommended Action Motion to approve the minutes. Supporting Documents • Draft Minutes 2 7800 Golden valley Road I Golden valley, MN 55427 City of 763-593-6027 I TTY 763-593-3968 1 763-593-8198 (fax) I www.goldenvalleymn.gov go 1 d e ! Z vall Environmental Commission July 28, 2025 — 6:30 pm REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Remote Attendance: Members of the public may attend this meeting via Microsoft Teams by calling 1-872-256-4160 and entering access code 774 327 980#. Questions/Comments: Members of the public who have questions about the commission or any items on the agenda should contact the staff commission liaison — Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist, ekehrberg@goldenvalleymn.gov, 763-593-8083. Commissioners present: Sarah Drawz, Paul Klaas, Ellen Brenna, Adam Wold, Hannah Byl Commissioners absent: Amelia Schulz Council Members present: Sophia Ginis Others Present: Amy Fredregill, Consultant, WSB Staff present: Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist; Chloe McGuire, Deputy Community Development Director; Steven Okey, Associate Planner; Carrie Nelson, Engineering Assistant. 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chair Klaas at 6:30 pm. 2. Land Acknowledgement 3. Approval of Agenda MOTION by Commissioner Brenna, seconded by Commissioner Wold to approve the agenda for July 28, 2025 as submitted and the motion carried. 4. Approval of Meeting Minutes MOTION by Commissioner Wold, seconded by Commissioner Byl to approve the minutes of June 23, 2025 as submitted and the motion carried with the following change: • Change 'is' to 'in' in item 5.H. Bullet Point 3. 5. Business S.A. Climate Equity Plan Presentation • Commissioners heard a presentation from Amy Fredregill, the City's consultant for the Climate Equity Plan from WSB, based on the slides found in the 7-28-25 EC Agenda Packet. This document is available in alternate formats upon a 72-hour request. Please call 763-593-8006 (TTY: 763-593-3968) to make a request. Examples of alternate formats may include large print, electronic, Braille, audiocassette, etc. 3 City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting 2 July 28, 2025 — 6:30 pm • What Commissioners and staff are most excited about: o The Resiliency Plan for the City that will come from this. o To see how the City can possibly encourage more production of renewable energy within City limits. o Seeing how the City communicates to the residents this new plan is available and how the City will get residents interested in it and reading it. o Results of the survey and seeing what residents have to say and what they're interested in. o Making it simple and empowering people to do more. o Making sure the City is prepared for climate change and responding to what our residents need. o Seeing what the City can do related to a business footprint. o Connecting the plan to recent/current City projects. o Getting buy -in from the community and having it be the community's plan. • The most common goals from other communities are Energy, Water, Waste, and Travel. • The document itself doesn't act as a City Ordinance that has to be followed. It will say something like 'make a plan to make a new ordinance or update a current ordinance'. • They survey is designed to engage people and their understanding of their personal footprint and role and what they can do. • What does a successful plan look like to the Commissioners: o Looks like something that has all of the relevant City staff buying in, not just the environmental staff. o Something people are more enthusiastic about doing instead of begrudgingly following up with. o A plan that's more realistic than pie in the sky. Realistic and usable. o It has the right mix of things you're told to do and things you can choose to do. o It should be succinct and state clearly what the objectives and timelines are. It should be short and clear so it's used. o Reasonable and achievable goals with outlines for how we achieve them. o The goals we set or the actions we decide to do are measurable and we actually measure them. • Specific considerations or priorities? o Advocate for more transit. The City will not get more transit unless they advocate for it. o Plan/Environmental Commission should look at the actual physical impact the four new City facilities will have. The City can set an example. o Livability for the residents. o Focus on Climate and Equity together. ■ Tree cover is a big one for equity. S.B. Update on Haha Wakpadao/Bassett Creek Co -Naming Policy • The policy has been put into Legal and Equity review. The Equity review has been finalized. They had a lot of comments that staff are working through. Legal doesn't appear to have as many comments. 4 City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting July 28, 2025 — 6:30 pm • The DEIC and OSRC also want to weigh in. • Staff cannot figure out how to use the characters in Haha Wakpadaq on all of our internal systems. They're trying to get clarity on when to use them. • Staff is also trying to get direction on The Haha Wakpadan vs Haha Wakpadao/Bassett Creek. They're not sure when to use each one. • There is currently no timeline for when this will move on. S.C. Council Communications • Council is very excited to receive the Haha Wakpadaq/Bassett Creek Co -Naming Policy. They have told staff they will implement it. It just got lost in the change of City Administrators and Staff. • Golden Valley elections are coming up again this year. We will have 2 council vacancies. • Council is excited for the Missing Middle Studies — It relates to housing stock and where you have gaps in the housing you're providing and is accessible to individuals. • The City has been working on a site for a new Public Works building as well as a site for a new Fire Station #2. • How does Council Member Ginis feel about the Climate Action Plan: o Wants to see actionable things that we can budget towards related to being resilient particularly with the municipal things that we control. o Would like to seethe Code changed to allow planting trees in the Boulevard. o Incentivizing the behavior of others: ■ Use the Community Engagement in developing the plan so the plans actually leads us to things that don't just get dropped. ■ Staff can continue to identify how they're spending their time and help people change their behavior. S.D. Commissioner/Staff Communications Outdoor Lighting Ordinance o We have a lighting ordinance that needs maintenance and repair largely because of scientific advances, LED lighting, and various other things. o The PowerPoint in the agenda packet isn't quite ready for presentation yet but will be soon. Commissioner Klaas would like to have a public safety or police liaison, but maybe now isn't quite the right time to impose on them. o Slide 44 has a model ordinance required by a Minnesota Statute that is exactly what need, but that subdivision of that Statute was repealed in 2025. o Commissioner Klaas has spoken to an Organization called Dark Sky that is made up of lighting engineers, astronomers, Audubon people, people interested in insects and birds, doctors, and others. ■ Dark Sky consultant, John Berentine, looked at our ordinance and has made a number of suggestions and will be helpful when this moves forward. • Audubon Audit o Greg Simmons said Brookview was previously certified but let it lapse. It was about $15,000 at the time to get certified. Most of this cost was on -site consultations. He doesn't think they would have the budget for this. He said they have staff that are experienced in doing this with other cities that could complete the process. The next 5 City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting July 28, 2025 — 6:30 pm step will be to research and figure out the costs involved and see if it is something that can be included in the next budget. Styrofoam/Single-Use Plastics, Bags, and Containers o Single use plastics like Styrofoam are major contributors to our model degradation and litter and long-term waste issues. Commissioner Drawz reviewed ordinances that are in place in other municipalities including several in Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and St. Louis. o They are quite extensive documents. o The Ordinances have a lot of complex definitions. You have to define these things in order to really have a well implemented ordinance. ■ What is a plastic bag? ■ What is a paper bag? ■ What counts as single use? o It's a really extensive process to create one of these ordinances. We would need a lot of coordination between the EC, Staff, and Council. We'd need local business buy -in and community stakeholders. o Is it something we want to move forward with? If yes, should we move it along to Council with a preliminary check -in to see if it's something they have interest in before getting too far into the process? o Council Member Ginis doesn't think it's a bad idea to bring this idea to a Council work session. • Commissioner Byl is going to take on Increasing Organics Participation through New Initiatives. • Staff Updates o We did select a solar company to begin that work on the rooftop solar at Brookview. Staff has a meeting with them tomorrow (7-29-25) to talk about next steps. They bid came in under budget. The solar should be installed and online by next spring at the very latest. We're aiming for the end of this year to take advantage of Federal rebate incentives. As long as we're above a certain threshold of completed construction we'll get the full tax rebate. We're filling as much of the roof as possible. o We will have anew GreenCorps member starting in October. 6. Adjournment MOTION by Commissioner Drawz, seconded by Commissioner Wold to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 pm and the motion carried. ATTEST: Carrie Nelson, Administrative Assistant Paul Klaas, Chair 0 ciQo° vk MEMORANDUM golden Community Development valle 763-593-80901763-593-8109 (fax) ) Date: August 25, 2025 To: Environmental Commission From: Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist Subject: Update on Creek Co -Naming Policy Recommendation After the Environmental Commission passed a recommendation to adopt a co -naming policy for Haha Wakpadaq/Bassett Creek, staff have been busy getting it through the required legal and equity review processes. It is almost complete, and staff anticipate that the policy can be on the City Council agenda for September 2. This project initially started with the Environmental Commission (EC), Open Space and Recreation Commission (OSRC), and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission (DEIC) but it was never finalized, likely to due staff turnover and too large of a scope. Now that the EC passed the recommendation, staff have also routed this to the OSRC and DEIC via email through the staff liaisons to those commissions in order to provide those commissions opportunities to weigh in. Staff have also been conducting additional background research to verify the Dakota name of the creek with other indigenous experts, to determine the number of signs that would need to be updated around Golden Valley, and to find a way to properly include the Dakota name of the creek (Haha Wakpadao) in the city council agenda software since it does not currently allow non-English characters. Staff will continue to provide updates to the Environmental Commission. 7 pity °f EXECUTIVE SUMMARY golden Valle Community Development 763-512-2345 / 763-512-2344 (fax) Golden Valley Environmental Commission Meeting August 25, 2025 Agenda Item S.C. Commissioner/Staff Communications Prepared By Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist Summary Outdoor lighting ordinance - introduction to the issues (Chair Paul Klaas) Audubon audit of Brookview Golf Course (Vice Chair Adam Wold) Climate Equity Plan (Commissioner Ellen Brenna) Styrofoam/single-use plastics, bags, and containers (Commissioner Sarah Drawz) Organics recycling participation (Commissioner Hannah Byl) Staff updates Supporting Documents • Staff Updates.pdf • 2024 Organics Letter.pdf 0 "ity° Iw � MEMORANDUM golden Community Development walk 763-593-8090 / 763-593-8109 fax Date: August 25, 2025 To: Environmental Commission From: Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist Subject: Staff Updates Brookview Solar Update At the August 19 City Council meeting, the solar purchase agreement with Apadana LLC was approved. Under the agreement, a 124.5 kW DC array with 300 panels will be added to the roof of Brookview for a total project cost of $234,965. Assuming all tax rebates, grants, and other incentives are received, this cost may be as low as $140,979. Over a 30-year period, Apadana projects roughly 4 million kWh of energy generation, which translates to $695,000 of projected utility savings. The clean energy production from the array will also prevent around 6.1 million pounds of CO2, which is equivalent to almost 47,000 trees growing for 10 years. City Hall staff are working with Apadana and Brookview to schedule sites visits, plan the installation around Brookview's busy schedule, and ensure that we meet all of the requirements needed to qualify for the tax rebates and other incentives to reduce the cost of the project. The array should be operational no later than spring 2026 but will likely be ready sooner than that. Climate Equity Plan Community Engagement Community engagement is fully underway for the Climate Equity Plan. The community survey is posted on the city website and has been promoted via social media and the news feed on the website homepage. Staff have also attended several local events to spread the word about the plan and gather input from community members, including Sustainability Day at Market in the Valley, National Night Out, Concert in the Park, and Public Safety in the Parks. The survey was also emailed to multifamily property managers to share with their tenants. Staff will continue to share the survey online and conduct targeted outreach do various schools, businesses, community organizations, neighborhoods, and other groups. Staff asks that Environmental 0 ciQo° vk MEMORANDUM golden Community Development valle 763-593-8090 / 763-593-8109 (fax) ) Commissioners share the survey with their networks to ensure this plan is reflective of the community's vision and goals for a climate resilient future. Organics Recycling Participation Letter For the past few years, the Sustainability Specialist has sent a letter to addresses in Golden Valley that were identified as non -participants in the prior year's participation study to encourage them to try organics recycling collection at their home. Attached to this memo is the letter sent out last year. If any commissioners have suggestions for messaging based on what they've heard from the community, please let staff know or email the Sustainability Specialist, Ethan Kehrberg, with any additional thoughts and ideas for this year's letter. Organics Drop -Off Site The organics drop-off site at Fire Station #2 (400 Turners Crossroad S) continues to have almost zero contamination, but it also doesn't receive much use. Staff promote the drop-off site on the website, at community events, and via email to multifamily property managers to share with their tenants, but participation does not seem to have increased much over the summer. Later this fall, a mailing will go out to every multifamily resident in Golden Valley informing them about the organics drop-off site location and accepted materials. Staff expects this mailing to increase usage of the site so we will continue to inspect and monitor the carts to ensure contamination remains minimal and that the site can operate safely and with enough capacity for the increase of collected material. EV & Electrification Event On Tuesday, September 30, 2025, the City is planning its third electric vehicle and electrification -focused event. It will be held in the upper parking lot at City Hall, near the water tower. More information including timing, a call for volunteers, promotional materials, and a list of event partners will be coming soon. City is Studying Base Material Used For Skating Rinks The information below was posted on Friday, August 15 related to the materials used for the base of skating and hockey rinks. The message can also be found on the City website at: https://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1208 The City of Golden Valley recently determined that a type of ground surface material used at four City skating rinks contains regulated material with a contaminant present that exceeds the 10 "ty° Iw -0�. MEMORANDUM golden Community Development vale 763-593-8090 / 763-593-8109 fax levels allowed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for this particular use. The contaminant present is a diesel byproduct associated with the material's prior use as asphalt pavement. The ground surface material contains a recycled mixture of concrete and asphalt, which is a common construction material used nationwide and is considered safe when used for streets, parking lots, trails, and development projects. While there is no immediate danger to the public, out of an abundance of caution, the City is posting signage and recommending people and pets stay off the skating rinks at Lions, Medley, Scheid, and Wesley Parks. The City is actively working to address the issue and will provide updates on its website. The skating rink and seasonal off -leash pet area pages on the City website provide links to more information about the regulated material used. Further questions can be directed to Parks and Recreation at prec@goldenvalleymn.gov or 763-512-2345. Staff will share more information with the Environmental Commission as it becomes available about how this issue will be addressed. Environmental Manager Hiring Update The job posting for the Environmental Manager position was open for three weeks before it recently closed. The posting received over 40 applicants and staff are reviewing the applications now before scheduling interviews. The Environmental Manager is anticipated to start in their role later this fall. GreenStep Cities Statewide Annual Report This week, GreenStep Cities released their annual report summarizing the cumulative impact of all participating cities across the state of Minnesota. Some highlights include: • 154 cities and tribal nations are now participating in GreenStep • 54% of the state's population live in a GreenStep City or Tribal Nation • 287 new best practice actions reported • 34 cities advancing to or continuing to achieve Step 4 and 5 • 28% of GreenStep Cities are at the highest Step (Step 5) You can read the full report here. 11 September 6, 2024 Subject: Organics Recycling Service Dear Golden Valley resident, Since January 2022, the City of Golden Valley has offered curbside organics recycling service to residents to sustainably dispose of their food scraps and compostable items. Last year, the City achieved a participation rate of approximately 41%, which is among the highest in the Twin Cities metro area. As we continue our third year of organics recycling service, here are a few tips and reminders for setting up organics recycling in your home. 1. Request an organics recycling cart from Republic Services if you do not have one (call 763-972-3335) 2. Use a small container to collect food scraps in your kitchen (and compostable bags if you prefer to line your container) 3. Educate those you live with about proper waste sorting to prevent contamination 4. Find information on Golden Valley's organics recycling website and sign up for email updates (QR code to the right) 5. Pick up free nutrient -rich compost from the City's organics recycling program each spring. Sign up for recycling emails on the City website to be notified when it becomes available. GV Organics Recycling Webpage As a reminder, organics recycling is picked up every Friday while traditional recycling is picked up every other Friday. Please set out your carts by 7:00am on collection day, and make sure there is at least 3 feet of space between the cart and the nearest obstacle or other carts. If you would like to request an organics recycling cart, change the size of your traditional recycling cart at no additional charge, or report a missed pick-up, please call Republic Service's local customer service line: 763-972-3335 Golden Valley is a leader in sustainability and recycling because the community cares. Thank you for doing your part to protect and improve the environment. Sincerely, Ethan Kehrberg Sustainability Specialist 12 Organics Recycling Guide All food • Fruits and vegetables • Meat, fish and hones • Dairy products ' Eggs and egg shells • Pasta, beans and rice 40 • Bread and cereal • {Juts and shells Certified compostable products • Compostable paper and plastic cups, plates, bowls, utensils and containers Look for the term "compostable" or the BPI lagoon certified products. (t BPI. Food -soiled paper • Pizza boxes from delivery • Napkins and paper towels` = • Papereggdi cartons Other compostable household items • Coffee grounds and filters • Facial tissues • {-lair and nail clippings - • Cotton balls and swabs with paper stems • Houseplants A* and flowers - • Tea bags • Wooden items such as chopsticks, popsicle sticks and toothpicks Nat accepted: Yard waste • diapers and sanitary products. • animal and pet waste, litter or bedding • cleaning or baby wipes • greasy or oil • Styrofoam"" • dryer lint and dryer sheets • recyclable items (Cartons, glass, metal, paper, plastic) • frozen food boxes • microwave popcorn bags - gum • fast food wrappers • products labeled "biodegradable" 13