Dupage Policy Journal

City of Warrenville Environmental Advisory Commission met Sept. 16

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

A. CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m.

B. ROLL CALL

Present: Chairperson Cecilia Gerber (CG), Patrick McNulty (PMcN), Kathy Franke (KF), Jean Marie Kauth (JMK)

Absent: Margaret Votava (MV)

Also Present: Staff Liaison David Romero (DR)

Also Absent: Council Liaison Kathy Davalos (KD)

C. APPROVAL OF AUGUST 19, 2025 MINUTES

CG moved to approve the August 19, 2025 minutes; the motion was seconded by KF; and unanimously approved.

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

There were no citizen comments.

E. OFFICIALS AND STAFF COMMENTS/REPORTS

DR reported on the Pop-Up Market that is being erected in Leone Schmidt Park. Most were impressed by the quick progress. JMK commented that it seemed a shame to eliminate green space, and that the air conditioning has an environmental impact. CG and others wondered if solar panels might be possible in future.

F. BUSINESS OF MEETING

1. Discussion and approval on rescheduling October’s EAC meeting

The commission agreed to reschedule the October 21, 2025 meeting to October 7, 2025.

2. Review and approval of October’s draft version of The Resource

The commission unanimously approved the October version of The Resource and complimented Paula Krapf on a job well done creating it.

3. Brief post discussion of September Library Series presentation

The September Library Series was a success with a decent turn-out, and CR read feedback aloud. Most respondents appreciated the presentation by SCARCE. One asked for food demos, which was met with some surprise, but JMK mentioned that there could be a presentation on making healthy, environmentally friendly meals.

4. Discuss and plan next year’s Library Series presentations

In anticipation of submitting names, dates, and descriptions to the Warrenville Public Library December 1 deadline – so that the information can get into the newsletter, the main source of advertising – CG led the discussion about possible topics. CG has contacted several people, but has not heard back from anyone, so all of this is provisional.

The best guess for a line-up right now is as follows:

May – Rita Dolan, previous chair of WEAC, discussing the Warrenville Climate

Action Plan, which has been in place for about 10 years.

July – CG reached out to the Wild Ones.

September – Warrenville in Bloom representative Teresa Hofman said she could present on new plant species, propagation, and distribution, but the audience desires a talk about gardening in pots. KF also wondered about bringing in an arborist to teach people about tree care.

November – Walter Levernier, a Fermilab Senior Natural Resource Specialist, could talk about the 50th anniversary of the Fermilab Prairie restoration.

5. Plan next steps - Comparable Communities environmental commissions research CG compiled detailed records from the meeting minutes of PMcN’s excellent research and all the visits to other commissions by many of WEAC’s commissioners. KF will write up an official report about her visit to Batavia, but most notable items for now were that Batavia charges for plastic bags, and those funds help pay for environmental initiatives. In the future, the state will be instituting a tax, but Batavia will be grandfathered in.

The robust research generated by the WEAC has allowed a comparative assessment, which has resulted in some key findings and recommendations:

1. Based in part on the survey of comparable communities, which are typically larger, the WEAC recommends increasing the number of commissioners back up to the previous number of 7, with possibly 1-2 student commissioners. This practice would allow work groups of up to 3 to meet without violating the Open Meetings Act, as some commissioners had previously experienced.

2. Because the IEPA may be putting together a program to recycle batteries, WEAC would like to hold off on the battery program for now in order to spend more money supporting the successful Library Series. The cost of recycling batteries has been $2,300 per year.

There was also discussion of a “suggestion box,” but that will be tabled for now because of Warrenville’s successful surveys, which included questions on environmental topics. PMcN asked for a copy of those results, and DR said he would send them.

As we discussed potential new initiatives, DR pointed out that there was little space for new initiatives on EAC’s Strategic Plan up to beginning of FY 2030, but that EAC’s ideas for new initiatives could be considered when the City updates its Strategic Plan in the future. JMK pointed out that some initiatives on the current Work Plan were not put there by commissioners. With regard to the FY 28 initiative, JMK commented that assessments of metrics, etc. are more appropriately done by specialist consultants; it is unlikely a volunteer commission of busy people will complete work it did not agree to do and that falls outside its purview. DR helped to explain that the initiative was to take the City’s current Sustainability Highlights Annual Report and compare it to other municipalities’ sustainability reports. Are there ways to improve the reporting? 

CG will complete a brief report in addition to the compiled community comparison research, at which point the work will be complete, and the report will serve as a point of reference going forward.

G. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS/REPORTS

CG and KF participated in Warrenville Public Library’s September 13th Community Resource Fair. Both agreed that the event was a success, and the petting zoo especially drew a different crowd than the one at Arbor Day. KF prepared a display of eco-friendly household items. Also notable was a selection of pre-owned kids’ Halloween costumes.

H. ADJOURN

JMK moved for the meeting to adjourn at 8:44 p.m., the motion was seconded by CG and unanimously approved.

https://www.warrenville.il.us/DocumentCenter/View/31009/09-16-2025-EAC-Minutes?bidId=