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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1972-01-31 Evironmental Quality Commission Meeting MinutesEDIPA MIVIRONMENTAL QUALITf COMMISSION Meeting of. January 31, /972, 7:30 Tofao CALL TO ORDER: The organizational meeting of the Edina Environmental Quality Commission was called to order by Mayor Pro Tem of the Edina Village Council, James Van Valkenburg at 7:30 p.m., January -31, 1972. The following members of the Edina) Environmental. Quality CommissiOn wereel)resent: John Telfer Carol Beim June Schmidt Jim Bentley Bob Sandilla Fred Richards Willard Morse Clifford Johnson Don Johnson (alternate) Psi Laederach (alternate) Earl Carson (alternate) Edina Staff Present: Grog Luce . Harold Sand Robert C. Diann Gary Wedt Warren C. Hyde 't,.1 INTRODUCTION: Mayor Pro Tem Van Valkenburg welcomed the members to the meeting on behalf of the Village Council and 'introduced Willis S. Shaw, ;.VillageCouncilman, to the assembled commissionee. Mayor Pro Tem Van Valkonburg gave a short inteoduc- tion outlining the snope of the Edina Environmental Quality Commission Ord- inance and some of the intentions with which it was approved by the Village Council. He made it v:ery clear that the Edina Environmental Quality COMiS010117 is an advisory commieSion only, and that policy prerogatives rest with the Council. Tho Council will listen to advice from the Environmental Quality Com- mission, but because of other considerations, they may not aleays be able to approve of the CommisSion's recommendations, as sometimes happens with the recommendations of other advisory commissions to the Council. Mayor Pro Tom Van Valkenburg pointed out that this is particularly true when the recommen- dations require expenitnres of tax money. REPORTS: The Mayor Prc Tem introdUced John Telfer, a member of the original ad hoc commission on the envirenment•which was authorized by the Village Council in 1971. Mr. Telfer gave a short history of the_activitiee he had been involved in, in which he had begun meeting with a group ofconcerned citizens which eventually proposed an to the Council for an Environmental Quality Commiseion. Mr. Telfor related that an ad hoc committee had been authorited by the Edina Village Couneil May 17, 1971, and that the ad hoc committee had been appointed Ju.y 12, 1971. The pupose of this ad hoc committee was to determine the feasibility and the need for an Environmental Quality Commioeion 1 Edina Environmental Quality Commission January 31, 1972 Pease 2 for the ViLlage of Edina. The committee held several meetings which culmi- nated in the preparation of an oranance establiehing the Environmental Quality Commission, which received final approval by the Edina Village Conan it on October 15, 1971. Telfer announced the following meetings and urged the Commission members to attends Kotropolitan Council- and Minnesota Association of Watershed Distriots working sem-Apar on watershed planning and development, Tuesday, February 15, 1972; and joint meeting with the Bloomington Natural Resources Cemmiseien Tuesday, February 29, 1972 in Bloomington to discuss the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Tolfer indicated that the members of the Commission should be thinking of possible items for discussion and investigation by the Commission in 1972. He than gave the following list of topics as his suggestions: 1. Mud Lake 2. need Plain Zoning 3. Educational Programs 4. Solid Waste Disposal and Landfills 5. Monitoring Air and Water Pollution 6. Assisting the Park and Planning Commissions in Environmental Hatters 7. Mass Transit 8. Recycling Solid Waste, Principally Bottles and Cans 9. Communication with the Schools, Libraries and Village Council Mr. Hyde gave a short outline of Village involvement and relationships with Nine Mile Creek and Minnehaha Watershed Districts. Mrs. Shirley Taylor, a member of the Advisory Committee of the Minnehaha Watershed District spoke of the need for the cooperative agreement between Minnetonka, Hopkins, St. Louis Park, Edina, and. the City and Park Board of Minneapolis for the protection and development of recreational facilities along Minnehaha Creek. She spoke of immediate concern among the Advisory Committee for the proposed nature walk around Meadowbrook Lake on the border of St. Louis Park and Edina. She expressed the opinion that the Environmental Quality Commission should give this matter top priority as it is something that could be accomplished fairly quickly and without a groat deal of expense. Councilman Shaw outlined the events of the original meeting held November 23, 1971, by the Minnohaha Creek Multi-Community Governing Committee. This committee composed of Minnetonka, Hopkins and St. Louis Park, espressed the desire to have Edina, the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Park Board assist in Phase II of their project to manage and develop nature areas along Minnehaha _Creek from Gray's Bay Dam to its mouth at the Mississippi River. The Village Council has roferod this proposal to the Environmental Quality Commission fora recommendation. The primary concern of the Council in this matter is the request for coed money to finance the preperation of an application to HUB for financial assistance in developing and impliment- ing a Multi--Community Land and Water Plan for the Minnehaha Creek Basin. Edina lj'aVi::011nlOilta 1. Quality Commiocion c7anvarg 3,1972 Po,:oe 3 5 f2:'4 Jim rentley suggoofed and additional study area of snowmobile restrictions and reottions on m:ini-bikos. Some discussion was held on the present Odinanr.:es of the Vilaage coverning these motorized vehicles. L. Hyde reported on the status of staff assistance for the Environmental quality Commission. He reported that at this time permanent staff had not been assigned and he was still considering who that staff might be. The amount of secretarial staff to be provided also has not been determined altheu!Th some assistance will be given to the preparation and mailing of minutes, agendas, and reports. VIA% telfer sumented the Environmental duality Commission consider meeting twice a month, possibly on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. General dioeuosion then followed as the whether one or two meetings a month would ho needed and concerning a single night of the week on which a majority of the members could attend. HO conclusion was reached and tho matter was pest toned until it could be discussed in connection with the adopt- ion of the Commission By-lawn. Mr. Tolfer suggested that each Commisoion member be assigned to a committee as narman of the comm-?tee with other. Commission members and citizens at large appointed to commitce. The suggested committees wore: 1. Air and '&ater 2, EducatiO and Research 3. Furnature, ie. billboards, stroot signet plantings 4. Wildlife 5. Building0 and Zoning, particularly esthetics 6. Transportation 7. Publicity 8. Solid Waste Disposal . 0 CoMmenication, io. liaison with Village Council, other o Commissions and etc. A general disciesoion on the need for by-laws and their content was held. Of particular concern was the need for one or two meetings per month. It was decided by unanimous agreement that a committee should be appointed to prepare by-laws for thenext meeting. Appointment was made /0 those volun- teering: Bob Sandilla, John Telfer, Willard Morris, Don Johnson, Carol Beim. YR• Shaw suggested that the by-laws committee consider the deeig- Dation of the alternate members as voting members when the Commission lackci a quorum. Discussion was held upon the February meeting date of the Commission. Duo to the request of the Village Council for a recommendation on the cooperative agreement on Minnehaha Creek, it Boomed advisable to hold the meeting as soon as rossible. The Date was Bela for February 14, at 7:30 FM in the Conference Room of the Village Hall. In order that by-lawn could be recommended at the Yobruary meeting, the by-laws committee designated February 3, at 8:00FM as their meeting data to formulate the proposed by-la-ds. During this ,discussion it was pointed. out by 112yor Pro Tem VanValkonborg that all mcc:tings of all commissions are to be held in public and therofm3 .46 would be advisable that any meeting of tho klviz'cmontal Coyn,o5ic-,n1.10 hold ut theVillazo Hall :oathea. at yAvato holm. Edina Yav;.nonmental Quality Commission Jeanany 310 1972 rage 4 Tho Keyer Pre Tem suggested that the Commiseion might seleet a nominating committee to nropose officers for election by the Cominsien members. After diseuesion0 the general eoneensun was that this selection of officers should take place after tho by—laws are anproved and after the Commission members become more fully acquainted with ono another. Bob Sandilla raised the question as to whether the Council desired an immedi— ate answer on the cooperative agreement for Minnehaha Creek. The answer was affirmative° to which !4r. Sanailla said he had a nuMber of questions about the proposed cooperative agreement and about watershed districts in general. Mr. Robert Dunn explained the watershed district organization and outlined again what the request of the Minnehaha Watershed Governing Committee contains. General discussion followed concerning this cooperative agreement and it seemed the amoral consensus that not enough information had been presented to make an intelligent recommendation at this time. it was suggested that Mr. Raymond Haik° attorney for the Watershed District° be asked to attend the February meeting at which time he could give a more detailed explfmatien of the proposal. He would also be asked to prepare a condensation of past activities by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed Governing Comm: ttee° its plans and nest and future acquisitions. Thu meeting was deelarod adjourned at approximately 9:40 P.