Minutes - Environmental Policy Board - 02/26/2018

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City Planner Anderson asked if there are any other ideas for events for this year or future years. He clarified that this would not become like the previous expo,where that is the main focus of the Board,but is simply looking for events that would promote the work and ambition of the Board. Board Member Valentine stated that he likes the idea of doing plantings, whether that is trees or pollinator plantings. He stated that there are so many variations that could be built upon. He asked for additional details on the scale of 500 plants and whether that would be enough plants. He believed that plantings would be a great place to start and could evolve into other planting projects, like raingardens, in the future. City Planner Anderson provided additional details on the seedlings that have been supplied in the past. He stated that if properly planted,the seedlings will grow and need room to grow. 6. BOARD/STAFF INPUT • Select Winning 2017 Photo—Nature of Ramsey Category City Planner Anderson thanked the Board Members that submitted votes for the photo contest. He provided background information on the photo contest which was implemented in 2017, noting that the EPB was chosen to vote on the category of Nature in Ramsey. He displayed the photographs from the category and identified the top three photographs that garnered the most votes. He noted that while he did not have the final tally,the parks department staff will determine the winning photo per the votes submitted by the Board. • Staff Updates City Planner Anderson provided background information on wetland banking and credits that City staff received. He stated that the City will once again host three recycling events this year. He noted that a pilot was done last year adding a third event and because that third event did not impact the materials received at the other events, they will continue to host spring, summer, and fall recycling events. Councilmember LeTourneau asked if the summer event was as well attended as the spring and fall events. City Planner Anderson stated that he did not have the calculations off-hand but agreed that there was less traffic at the summer event. He stated that even though there was less traffic at the summer event, the tonnage of materials received was equal to the fall event. He stated that because this last summer was the first time the summer recycling event was held,participation may increase as residents become more aware of the event. He noted that the Board will begin meeting in the Council Chambers beginning in March and the meetings will now be televised. He explained that the EPB and EDA were the only two groups that were not televised and therefore the Council made the decision to televise the meetings for those groups to provide additional transparency to the residents. City Planner Anderson stated that the City has currently partnered with the University of Minnesota Resilient Communities Program. He noted that the fall semester projects have been Environmental Policy Board/February 26, 2018 Page 5 of 7