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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1973-09-24 Evironmental Quality Commission Meeting MinutesENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMISSION Regular Meeting 7:30 P.M., September 24, 1973 Edina Village Hall Vice Chairman, Don Johnson, called the meeting to order with the following members present: Don Johnson John Telfer Fred Richards Fritz Reid Clifford Johnson Bob Sandilla Jim Bentley Staff present: Gary West Harold Sand COMM TTEE REPORTS Solid Waste. Jim Bentley reported on the meeting the Solid Waste Committee held with Mr. Gary West of the Village staff. He stated that it was the con- clusion of the Committee that a Village-wide contract system of refuse col- lection was not feasible at this time due to the resident oppositiou which was evident to the Village staff. He suggested that the Ecc should work through various established community groups such as the L of W.V. and others to gain more public support for a contract. Be further stated that until the cost savings of the contract system. over the private hauler becomes evident, such support may be slow in coming. Open Space. Mr. West reported, in the absence of June Schmidt, that the Open Space Committee had received the copy of the Eden Prairie tree removal ordinance and was preparing a sample ordinance for the EQC's consideration. At this point, the main question was which ordinance to attach it to, i.e., which department should be responsible for enforcement. Water Resources. John Telfer reported he had reviewed the two pamphlets on water resources and water purity from the League of Women Voters and suggested the Commission have copies made or purchased for the Water Resources Committee and other members of the Commission who might like to read them. Mr. Telfer reported his discussion with John Dixon, Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, concerning the possibility of another creek crossing in the Lincoln Drive area and would follow it up with Bob Dunn of the Village staff to de- termine if there were any final construction plans. Mr. Telfer reported his conversation with the architect for the Condominiums for Edina project in regard to the treatment of the ponds on the site. He stated the developers presently intended to drain the ponds and place vinyl linings on the bottom to control aquatic weed growth. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMISSION - 2 - September 24, 1973 Mr. Telfer informed the Commission of his concern over the relocation of Nine Mile Creek in the area south of West 70th Street. Of particular con- cern was the lack of erosion preventive measures and the amount of silta- tion which was taking place. He stated he had been in contact with the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, and they were aware of the situation. in-fl-nding-s-awmae 1fl-authority-to lodge co,Rplaints Alison Fuhr spoke from the audience and expressed her strong objection to the manner in which the project was being accomplished and suggested the Commission complain to the Highway Department and Department of Natural Resources. Considerable discussion followed among the Commission members. Fred Richards cautioned the Commission to find out more facts. Mr. Telfer stated he would like the Commission to take action immediately while there was still time for action to be effective. John Telfer moved and Clifford Johnson seconded that the Eqc request the Village Council to forward a stAmotig letter of ,Toc.-6.4t to the Department of Highways and the Department of Natural Resources, expressing the concern of the Village over the amount of soil erosion and resultant sedimentation in Nine Mile Creek which is occurring as the result of the relocation of Nine Mile Creek for the construction of the 77th Street interchange, because the contractors apparently are not providing adequate protection of the slopes in the area of the rechannelization. Motion carried unanimously. OLD BUSINESS Nine Mile Creek Development. Mr. West reported that Mr. McLennon from the Watershed District was unable to attend the meeting as requested and had talked to Mr. Hays to relate what the Watershed District was looking for in development projects. In that Mr. Hays was unable to attend the meeting either, Mr. West suggested the matter be continued until the following meet- ing in that there didn't seem to be a great rush. He also stated that he would try to get Mr. McLennon to attend the next meeting. NEW BUSINESS Soil Erosion Ordinance. Clifford Johnson presented the draft copy of the soil erosion ordinance to the Commission and stated that a copy had been sent to the Village Attorney to review and make those corrections which were necessary. The Chair suggested that with the few members present and the small amount of time most of the members had had to spend on the ordinance, that discussion he postponed until the October meeting. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMISSION - 3 - September 24, 1973 Heritage Preservation Ordinance. Mr. West apologized for not getting the copies of this ordinance out to the Commission and stated that the Village Attorney was still in the process of revising it. He stated that this ordinance deals primarily with buildings and lands which the Village may wish to preserve in its original state because of their historical signifi- cance. The ordinance has been referred to the EQC by the Village Council for review and comment prior to its consideration. Mr. West requested the matter be continued to the October meeting in that the final draft of the ordinance was not complete, and the Council would not be able to hold hearings on it for sometime. Ebenezer Society Rezoning R-1 to R-5. Mr. West reviewed the staff report on the Ebenezer Society proposal. Tn response to a question from Fred Richards, he stated that the requested rezoning did meet the guidelines of the South Edina Plan as far as density and traffic generation was con- cerned. Mr. West recommended that the EQC leave the matter in the hands of the Planning Commission to determine the appropriateness ,-)f the proposal. Bob Sandilla moved and Fritz Reid seconded that the EQC take no action on the proposal. Motion carried unanimously. Committee A ointments. The Chair requested the chairman of the various committees represented at the meeting to report on their suggestions for new appointments to those committees. Clifford Johnson stated that the one new appointment to the Soil Erosion Committee he had to recommend was Don Johnson, Don Johnson replied he would not be able to determine if he could serve on that committee for about a week. The Chair then suggested a continuance of this appointment until the October meeting. John Telfer, chairman of Water Resources, said he had some recommendations but did not have final confirmation whether they would be able to serve and asked to have the appointments continued to the October meeting. Bob Sandilla reported the following recommendations for the Air-Noise-Transpor- tation Committee: Gary Eckart, former member of the Noise Committee and Ann Rutledge, former member of the Air Quality Committee. Clifford Johnson moved the recommendations be confirmed, seconded by Fred Richards, and carried unani- mously. Jim Bentley stated he had been unable to contact Virginia Scott to see if she would serve as another Commission member on the Solid Waste Committee and, therefore, requested the matter be continued to the October meeting. South Edina Plan Review. Greg Luce, Village Planner, reviewed for the Com- mission the South Edina Plan which is under consideration by the Planning Commission and the Village Council for final adoption. He stated that it is a comprehensive land use plan designed to insure an orderly development of the south Edina area and deals with many of the problems associated with development ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMISSION - 4 - September 24, 1973 which are expected in the area. Mr. Luce explained the philosophies behind the restriction on the types of land use, transportation and street layout and the spreading of traffic demands over a greater time span for the optimum use of the street system. Mr. Luce answered many questions raised by the Commission members and outlined the measures detailed in the Plan for the protection of the environment. CORRESPONDENCE Mr. West stated he had received no correspondence for the Commission. ADJOURNMENT Jim Bentley asked if the staff could prepare a new list of the Commission members and send it to the Commission in that several persons had changed addresses and/or jobs since the last list was distributed. Fred Richards moved that the staff be instructed to request from the Village Council the status of the Mud Lake Development determination for the next meeting. Motion seconded and carried. Jim Bentley moved the meeting adjourn. Motion seconded by John Telfer and carried unanimously.