2020-11-23 EC Minutes7800 Golden Valley Road I Golden Valley, WIN 55427
763-593-8027 1 TTY 763-593-3968 1 763-593-8198 (fax) I www.goldenvalleymn.gov
Environmental Commission
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
city of
g�oldvall�
Y
November 23, 2020 — 6:30 pm
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1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by Chair Seys at 6:31.
2. Roll Call
Commissioners present: Scott Seys, Debra Yahle, Tonia Galonska, Jim Stremel Dawn Hill,
Shannon Hansen, Wendy Weirich, Felix Fettig
Commissioners absent: None
Council Members present: Larry Fonnest
Staff present: Eric Eckman, Environmental Resources Supervisor;
Drew Chirpich, Environmental Specialist;
Story Schwantes, Green Corp Member;
Carrie Nelson, Administrative Assistant;
Al Lundstrom, City Forrester/Park Maintenance Supervisor;
Tim Teynor, Assistant City Forrester;
Heather Hegi, GIS Technician.
3. Approval of Agenda
MOTION by Commissioner Stremel, seconded by Commissioner Hansen to approve the agenda of
November 23, 2020 and the motion carried.
4. Approval of September 30, 2020 Regular Meeting Minutes
MOTION by Commissioner Weirich, seconded by Commissioner Hansen to approve the minutes
of August 24, 2020 as submitted and the motion carried.
5. Update on Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)
A. With the exception of the Duluth area, the infected areas in MN are in the Twin Cities and
South.
B. Although EAB can fly up to a mile, the most common ways they spread are by human
transport in Firewood, Pallets, Nursery Stock, Logs, & any part of an ash tree with the bark
still attached.
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City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting 2
November 23, 2020 — 6:30 pm
C. General symptoms seen in an affected tree are canopy thinning, epicormic sprouting, and
larval galleries.
D. Adult beetles lay eggs on the bark of ash trees. When the eggs hatch, the larvae
(immature beetles) bore into the bark and feed on the transportation tissues of the tree.
This disrupts the movement of nutrients and water within the tree, girdling it and causing
tree death.
E. Golden Valley's Plan for EAB includes:
i. Community Preparedness and Response Plan
1. Inventory Ash Trees and determine their liability
2. 2020 Inventory Grant
a. Inventory trees within 40' of trails
i. Ash Trees greater than 6" diameter
ii. 'High Risk' Trees
1. Trees that may present a hazard to those using the
trails
2. Risk mitigation activities recommended on each tree
to prune or remove Immediately, Remove as Soon as
Realistically Possible, Removed Eventually, or Pruned
as Part of Cyclic Tree Maintenance.
b. 12 Sites & 411 Trees Inventoried
i. 257 Ash Trees
ii. 154 'High Risk' Trees
1. Remove Immediately— 12
2. Remove as Soon as Realistically Possible — 97
3. Removed Eventually— 20
4. Pruned as Part of Cyclic Tree Maintenance - 31
iii. Recommended Action Plan
1. Prioritize trees by trail usage
2. Remove/Prune the highest risk trees and remove any
ash trees within proximity at same time
3. Remove a total of 10% of identified ash trees each
year, starting with the highest risk and "moving
down the risk ladder."
3. Removal & Replacement
4. Wood Utilization & Disposal
5. Communication
ii. Ordinances
iii. Funding
iv. Public Education
City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting
November 23, 2020 - 6:30 pm
2012 Inventory
Location
All Trees
Ash Only
Total
ft �14
Good
tt 6I4
Fair
tt 6I4
Poor
ft 6I4
Dead/Dying
tt 6I4
City Parks", Streetscapes, Medians
1,745
488
28.0
404
82.8
78
16.0
5
1.0
1
0.2
Brookview Golf Course
1,584
443
28.0
175
39.5
211
47.6
52
11.7
5
1.1
City Campuses, Fire Stations, Cemete
455
40
8,8
34
85,0
3
7,5
3
7,5
0
0,0
Boulevards
3,561
851
23,9
312
36,7
352
41,4
169
19,9
18
2,1
Nature Areas, Vacant Lots, etc.
594
90
15,2
25
27,8
48
53,3
13
14,4
4
4,4
Total
7,939
1912
24.1
950
49.7
692
36.2
242
12.7
28
1.5
Primarily open space trees were inventoried. Nature Areas were not included in the numbers above.
2020 Inventory
Location
feels„
Ash Trees Only
TOTAL
Good
Fair
Poor
DeadlDying
#
% of TA
#
% of TA
#
% of TA
#
% of TA
#
% of TA
City Parks", Streetscapes, Medians
1,565
213
13.6%
147
69.0%
20
9.4%
2
0.9%
5
2.3%
Brookview Golf Course
1,060
331
31.2%
129
39.0%
160
48.3%
39
11.8%
3
0.9%
City Campuses, Fire Stations, Cemetery
310
22
7.1%
21
95.5%
1
4.5%
0
0.0%
0
0.0%
Boulevards
3,300
698
21.2%
262
37.5%
295
42.3%
128
18.3%
12
1.7%
Nature Areas, Vacant Lots, etc.
1,728
502
29.1%
2351
46.8%1
1431
28.5%
102
20.3%
22
4.4%
Column Total
7,963
1,766
22.2%
7941
45.0%1
6191
35.1%
271
15.3%
42
2.4%
'Coniferous trees are not included in this count for the purpose of relevant comparisons, coniferous trees were not included in the original inventory
*"wooded areas in the parks were not inventoried
6. Old Business
A. Environmental Justice Collaboration
i. Speaker: Dr. Mark Seeley from the U of MN
ii. 1 hour-45 minutes speaking, 15 minutes Q&A
MOTION by Commissioner Hill, seconded by Commissioner Galonska to approve using
$150 of Commission funds for a Speaker on Climate Justice and Climate Change and the
motion carried.
B. Partners in Energy Update
i. Between workshops 3&4. Workshop 4 will happen in early December. Workshop
5 will be early 2021. All workshops may be done by the next time the EC meets.
ii. Energy Action Team took the word 'Greener' out of the Vision Statement.
iii. Large goal for what the community wants to do for energy reduction:
1. Team decided the goals should be achievable with some hard work. Not
too easy, but not so hard it's impossible.
2. When should the goal date be - 5 years, 10 years, 20 years? The Team
liked the idea of having an interim/step goal. Goal will be a percentage in
energy reduction, and a greenhouse gas emission reduction.
3. Focus Areas - Short/Medium/Long-Term Strategies for each area:
City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting 4
November 23, 2020 — 6:30 pm
a. Reducing Energy Cost Burden
b. Energy Efficiency
i. Residential energy efficiency
ii. Business energy efficiency
c. Clean or Renewable Energy
i. Renewable Residential Energy
ii. Renewable Business Energy
iii. Preparing for Electric Vehicles
C. Recycling and Organics Update
i. Presented to the City Council on the RFP progress. There were questions about
hauler engagement, and education and tagging and incorporating that into the
RFP. They also questioned how the handling of the program roll -out will go and
the opting out, especially if there is a large number of residents returning carts.
ii. Council is on board with moving forward with the RFP.
7. New Business
A. Green Building Guide
Process that eliminates negative environmental impacts over the course of a
building's lifespan. The current Green Building Guide focuses mainly on the early
stages of design and creation of the building and is specifically designed for new
builds and renovations in Golden Valley.
ii. A lot of big sections to the Guide:
1. Renewable Energy — Resources for builders looking to connect with
renewable energy both through Utilities and creating their own (solar).
2. Exterior Building Components — Roofing, Siding, Windows, addressing R-
Values for insulation and U-Factors for doors and windows, and cool/green
roofs.
3. Interior Building Components — Resources for builders to find local sources,
and recycled sources for interior components such as carpet, tile, linoleum,
wood flooring. Also, fuel efficiency for heating and cooling systems and
appliances (Energy Star). Improving indoor air quality with source control,
ventilation, and air cleaners.
4. Landscaping — Native landscaping and providing resources for where to
purchase native seeds, how to build a pollinator garden, and how to build a
rain garden and rain barrels.
5. Waste Reduction During Construction — Reusing and Recycling construction
items.
iii. Currently verifying it's in sync with the City's Building Codes and are working with
the City's Communication Team to get it onto the website.
iv. Will not be hard to maintain. Will be up to Hennepin County Standards and the
links are to other government agencies and non -profits who maintain their
websites really well.
City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting
November 23, 2020 — 6:30 pm
v. Currently there are no "rewards" to encourage builders to use this guide. It's just
a guiding document for those looking to pursue a cleaner/greener building
process.
B. GreenStep Cities
MOTION by Commissioner Yahle, seconded by Commissioner Hill to approve submitting
Metrics 1.4, 1.6, and 11.5 to GreenStep Cities as submitted and the motion carried.
C. 2021 Meeting Dates
MOTION by Commissioner Galonska, seconded by Commissioner Stremel to approve the
2021 Meeting Dates as submitted and the motion carried with the following change:
• Change the December meeting date from December 27 to December 20.
D. Program/Project Updates
i. None
E. Council Updates
i. The council is looking to lower the speed limit in residential areas to 20 mph.
There will be an opportunity for community engagement since there will be an
ordinance change.
F. Other Business
i. Residents can take a survey right now as part of the Hennepin County Climate
Action Plan.
8. Adjournment
MOTION by Commissioner Hill, seconded by Commissioner Hansen to adjourn the meeting
at 8:30 pm and the motion carried.
ATTEST:
Carrie Nelson, Administrative Assistant
Scott Seys, Chair