The city of West Chicago Environmental Commission met Sept. 14 to plan highway cleanup.
Here are the meeting's minutes, as provided by the commission:
West Chicago Environmental Commission is located at 475 Main St, West Chicago.
MINUTES
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION
September 14, 2016, 7:00 P.M.
1. Call to Order, Roll Call, and Establishment of a Quorum.
Chairman Dan Beebe called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. Roll call found Commissioners Dan Beebe, John Symowicz, Mike Ferguson, Bethany Brown, Tony Lewis, and Bob Blaus present. Commissioner Kris Zimmermann was absent.
Also in attendance was Assistant Director of Public Works, Tim Wilcox.
2. Approval of Minutes.
A. Environmental Commission Minutes of July 20, 2016. Commissioner Ferguson made a motion to approve the minutes of July 20, 2016 with changes, seconded by Commissioner Symowicz.
Voting Yea: Commissioners Beebe, Ferguson, Symowicz, Lewis, and Brown. Voting Nay: 0. Commissioner Blaus: abstained.
Changes are reflected in the approved minutes.
3. Public Participation/Presentations.
None
4. Review and discuss Commission Priority List.
A. Review current priority list
Monarch Butterfly Pledge
Chairman Beebe indicated he didn't bring his information for this topic to the meeting. Commissioner Blaus shared some of his ideas of getting school children involved. He suggested on-line lesson plans that could be created and accessed through the website, a root box for native plantings with a 6 foot string in the box. He suggested getting the Mayor involved by drafting a letter that he could present to the school Principals. Also, the Conservation Foundation could be asked to help the schools design Monarch/pollinator gardens. Chairman Blaus added that Kay McKeen from SCARCE has connections in the School District.
Chairman Beebe said the Garden Club is willing to put out seeds and have Milkweed, Coneflower, and other pollinator plants available at the next Blooming Fest. He will bring a list of plants to the next meeting and also supporting documentation for the Monarch Butterfly Resolution.
There was also a mention of a tie in to healthy West Chicago. Commissioner Blaus believes educating people about lead and PVC in old plastic water hoses would be a more critical health issue.
Lighting Ordinance
Commissioner Ferguson indicated he is still working through the list of comments.
LEED
This topic was not discussed.
Creation of a Street Light Request Policy
Commissioner Lewis summarized information he gathered on this topic with the group. He found that determining the spacing of street lights has many components and spacing is different depending on the application, high speed roads vs residential streets. He found that all municipalities require street lights at intersections and that mid-block spacing in residential areas is 500 - 600 feet apart. He found that some municipalities just say no to requests for additional street lighting, while others are more flexible. The cost of a new street light can vary from $8,000 to $40,000. Some municipalities will put the burden of cost onto the residents requesting the additional light but after one year they would assume payment for electric service charges for the new light.
Many people who request additional lights are concerned about crime but he read one study that indicated that crime actually increased in areas where new lighting was added.
Most municipals do not have a policy for additional street light requests and treat each on a case by case decision. Commissioner Lewis indicted he will create a written report of his findings.
Adopt a Highway Cleanup
Commission members will meet at the former Hobby Lobby Saturday morning, October 8" for the last cleanup this year. Chairman Beebe will bring a lap top and the training DVD that people new to Adopt a Highway cleanup are required to watch before participating.
Holiday Light Recycling
Elgin Recycling was contacted and they will be offering the recycling program again this season. Like last year they cannot guarantee any profit sharing due to the low value of recycled metal.
B. Discuss new additions to priority list
None.
5. Other Business
Commissioner Blaus reminded the group that Winfield Township Highway Department will be hosting a recycling event on October 1, 2016 at the township garage located at the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Town Road. He also indicted that pumpkin recycling will be on November 5" this year at numerous locations this year. He thought Winfield Township might be hosting as well. He also mentioned that Glen Ellyn recently started curbside food recycling collection.
Commissioner Ferguson said he attend the DuPage County Environmental Commissions/Committees (DCECC) Coalition Meeting August 27, 2016 and provided a brief summary of the meeting. It was a fairly short meeting that covered what they do, what needs to be done, and what effects sustainability. They are trying to recruit more members. Of the 38 Cities in DuPage County, only 17 have Environmental Committees/Commissions. They provided information at the meeting about the Green Fair SCARCE will be holding on October 23, from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. in the main building at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. They also provide information about Cool DuPage and discussed Sustain DuPage, having a card to explain what it is, and said they are also working on a mission statement.
There were a variety of other topics discussed: ComEd energy efficient letter which lists all of the items
they will pay you to have them remove, free energy audits, LED bulb give away. Elevate Energy and their energy audits was also discussed.
6. Adjournment
At 7:58 P.M. Commissioner Lewis made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Blaus seconded the motion. Motion was unanimously approved by voice vote.
Respectfully submitted,
Tim Wilcox, Assistant Director of Public Works
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