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NRC Packet 08.11.2022CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION Thursday, August 11, 2022- 6:00 P.M. Mendota Heights City Hall-Council Chambers AGENDA 1.Call to Order 2.Roll Call 3.Approval of the Agenda 4.Approval of the Minutes a.Approve meeting minutes from the July 13, 2022 Natural Resources Commission Meeting 5.Acknowledgment of Reports a.Natural Resources Program Overview b.Website Project Update c.Volunteer Program Overview 6.Old Business 7.New Business a.Parks Celebration Discussion b.2022 Workplan c.2023 Work Plan Work Session 8.Staff Announcements 9.Commission Comments 10.Adjourn Auxiliary aids for persons with disabilities are available at least 120 hours in advance. If a notice of less than 120 hours is received, the City of Mendota Heights will make every attempt to provide the aids. This may not, however, be possible on short notice. Please contact City Administration at 651-452-1850. CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION Wednesday, July 13, 2022- 6:00 P.M. Mendota Heights City Hall-Council Chambers AGENDA 1.Call to Order–Coordinator Spreiter called the meeting to order at 6:00pm 2.Roll Call–Commissioners Swank, Tupper, Stein, Fahnhorst, McCaslin, Quick. Absent: Husbands. Staff present: Natural Resources Coordinator Krista Spreiter and Assistant City Administrator Kelly Torkelson. 3.Approval of the Agenda–Commissioner Swank moved to approve the agenda, Commissioner Quick seconded. Motion passed 7-0. 4.Approval of the Minutes– Commissioner Quick moved to approve the minutes from the July 13, 2022 Natural Resources Commission meeting. Commissioner Stein seconded the motion. Motion passed 7-0. 5.Old Business a.Communication Workshop Presentation Notes Assistant City Administrator Torkelson presented the Commission Report Overview from the communications workshop that the commission had done at the June 8, 2022 Natural Resources Commission meeting. 6.New Business a.Natural Resources Commission Bylaws Assistant City Administrator Torkelson introduced draft bylaws for the commission. Commissioner Swank asked for clarification regarding if commission meetings were public as the bylaws stated that the commission would not hold public hearings. Assistant City Administrator clarified that a public hearing was distinct from a meeting being open to the public, that a public hearing was a particular process in and of itself that the Natural Resources Commission did not need to do. Commissioner Husbands joined the commission at 6:06pm. Commissioner Stein asked for clarification on commissioner terms and chair and vice chair terms. Assistant City Administrator clarified that chair and vice chair would be elected each year at the annual meeting. When a commissioner’s chair was up they would reapply to the city council for appointment to the commission. Commissioner Husband proposed some language for the bylaws. Assistant City Administrator clarified the purpose of the bylaws and recommended that the proposed language be explored further within a conversation regarding goals for the commission or as a part of a mission statement for the commission. Commissioner Quick recommended looking holistically at the purposes for the Natural Resources Commission represented in different documents throughout the city. Commissioner Tupper moved to approve the Natural Resources Commission Bylaws. Commissioner Fahnhorst seconded the motion. Motion passed 7-0. b.Commission Elections Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter introduced the process for the commission election. Commissioner Swank expressed interest in the position of chair. Commissioner Husbands expressed interest in nominating commissioner swank for the position of chair. Commissioner Fahnhorst nominated Commisisoner Tupper for chair or vice chair, commissioner Tupper expressed interest in the vice chair position at this point. Commissioner Husbands moved to approve Commissioner Swank for the position of chair for the Natural Resources Commission. Commissioner Stein seconded the motion. Motion passed 7-0. Commissioner Fahnhorst moved to approve Commissioner Tupper for the position of Vice Chair for the Natural Resources Commission. Commissioner Quick seconded the motion. Motion passed 7-0. c. Approve Meeting Calendar Assistant City Administrator Torkelson presented commission meeting dates for 2022. Commissioner Quick noted a correction to the dates for the January meeting should be January 11, 2023. Commissioner Swank noted that commissioners should notify staff in the case that they will not be present. The commission clarified that an unexcused absence was just if a commission member did not notify staff that they were not going to be attending a meeting. Chair Swank moved to approve the 2022 Natural Resources Commission meeting calendar as amended. Commissioner McCaslin seconded the motion. Motion passed 7- 0. d. Work Planning Process Assistant City Administrator Torkelson introduced the work planning process for the commission. Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter presented some potential items that the commission could explore in their 2022 work plan based on the recommendations from the Natural Resources Management Plan. Commissioner Tupper asked clarification on the timeline of the city budget calendar. Staff clarified that it was January – December. Commissioner Tupper expressed interest in including equity in the goals of the commission. Commissioner Husbands asked if it would be possible for the commission to work on ordinances including potential week ordinance or landscaping ordinance. Commissioner Spreiter clarified that the city’s definition of noxious weeks comes from the state’s definition. Commissioner Quick and Stein expressed interest in prioritizing education. Assistant City Administrator discussed how the commission’s workplan can progress overtime. Chair Swank expressed interest in prioritizing resources, education, and engagement at the beginning of the work of the commission. Commissioner Stein thought that there was a lot of opportunity to explore with the natural plantings budget. Assistant City Administrator shared that the commission was invited to attend and table at the upcoming Parks Celebration. The Commission then discussed options for what could be offered at the Parks Celebration. 7. Staff Announcements Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter shared that there will be a Natural Resources Commission Student Representative joining the commission in September. Student representatives do not have voting powers but provide perspective for the commission. She will serve one year. The Natural Resources Management Plan will be presented to the City Council at the next City Council Meeting. 8. Commission Comments Commissioner Stein shared that there was a Victoria Douglas Native Planting meeting the next day. 9. Adjourn Commissioner Quick moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:15pm. Commissioner Husbands seconded the motion. Motion Passed 7-0. Auxiliary aids for persons with disabilities are available at least 120 hours in advance. If a notice of less than 120 hours is received, the City of Mendota Heights will make every attempt to provide the aids. This may not, however, be possible on short notice. Please contact City Administration at 651-452-1850. DATE: August 11, 2022 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Krista Spreiter, Natural Resources Coordinator SUBJECT: Natural Resources Update Background An update will be given to the Commission on the current status of Natural Resources programs and projects. Staff will provide a presentation that includes the following topics: •Conservation Partners Legacy (CPL) grant for the North Valley Park ForestEnhancement project •Valley Park Forest Restoration - County-City Collaborative •Valley Park Pollinator Corridor •Great River Greening Partnership Projects •Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP) Aquatic Invasive Species treatment and education program for Rogers Lake •Emerald Ash Borer •Oȟéyawahe/Pilot Knob Historic Site •Lawns to Legumes Demonstration Neighborhood grant project •MS4 Program and Permit changes •Ivy Hills Curb-cut Raingardens Requested Action Information Only. DATE: August 11, 2022 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Kelly Torkelson, Assistant City Administrator SUBJECT: Website Project Updates Background The City Council budgeted funds for a new city website in 2022. The City has contracted with Civic Plus to implement the Civic Engage website platform as the new city website. There are many exciting features that will now be possible through the new city website. A unique characteristic of the web platform that the city selected is that it allowed for the inclusion of “Ultimate Department Header” web pages. These advanced sites allow for a high level of customization pertaining to specific pages on your website. Rather than a single page, this feature is more of a website within a website. The City Council included an Ultimate Department header to be utilized for green spaces and places in Mendota Heights. While the specifics of what this will look like are still to be determined, staff are excited at the opportunities available through the new website to help promote the goals of the Natural Resources Management Plan as well as other outdoor activities and initiatives. Staff are beginning meetings with the project manager this week. Requested Action Informational Only. DATE: August 11, 2022 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Kelly Torkelson, Assistant City Administrator SUBJECT: Volunteer Program Update Background In April of 2022, the City Council approved an official city volunteer program and policy. The volunteer program formalized the process through which community members can volunteer with the city. The program provides several opportunities for people to participate in volunteer activities including: Officer Reserve Program, CERT program, Tree Planting, Event Worker, Invasive Species Removal, Landscaping and Park Clean Up. Some of these opportunities fit into one-time existing programming, others provide some ongoing participation. In addition, the volunteer program also provides opportunities for volunteers to propose initiatives to the city. Several of the service descriptions developed by staff pertain to Natural Resources and the city has had volunteers express interest in natural resources volunteer work. Once community members sign up to be a volunteer with the city’s volunteer program they will be guided through an onboarding process which includes background checks and training to set them up for their service. Interested residents should connect now to be notified when opportunities occur. Currently the city is seeking volunteer to support recycling initiatives at the upcoming parks celebration. Community members can learn more about the city’s volunteer program on the city website. They can fill out a contact form to begin the process to become an official city volunteer and to be notified of upcoming volunteer opportunities with the city. Requested Action Informational Only. DATE: August 11, 2022 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Krista Spreiter, Natural Resources Coordinator SUBJECT: Booth at the Parks Celebration Open House Background The 35th annual Mendota Heights Park Celebration is returning the weekend of August 12th, 13th and 14th of 2022. Staff has been busy planning for this year’s celebration and are excited to bring a variety of free entertainment to our community. As part of the celebration, The City will be hosting an Open House event on Saturday, August 13, from 12:00pm - 3:00pm at Mendakota Park. The event will have various kids’ activities and city staff and commissions are encouraged to have an educational table to engage with residents. The event will provide residents of Mendota Heights the opportunity to see what our City has to offer and to connect with one another as well as connecting and learning more about city departments and commissions, including the Natural Resources Commission. The Commission has determined that they are to be involved in this event by providing a booth. The Commission should determine what information and activities they want to provide. Requested Action The Commission should determine their purpose, goal of involvement, and plan their role for the Parks Celebration Open House community engagement opportunity. DATE: August 11, 2022 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Krista Spreiter, Natural Resources Coordinator SUBJECT: 2022 Work Plan Background A work plan can guide accountability and resource allocation for the commission and help to move through commission priorities. Included in the packet materials is a suggested work plan for the remainder of the 2022 calendar year. The commission can use this as a guiding document and can choose to accept the suggested workplan; or it may choose to remove, edit, and add items as it sees fit. Requested Action Once a consensus has been reached, the Commission should pass a motion accepting the 2022 Workplan. This action requires a simple majority vote. NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION SUGGESTED WORKPLAN – 2022 Goal Who 2022 Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Beyond CH 7 GOAL Review City’s status as a Green Steps City and consider op�ons to implement another Best Management Prac�ce. Commission, Natural Resources Coordinator, City Council #2, 3, 5 Review current ordinances and policies rela�ng to Natural Resources and consider next steps. Commission, Natural Resources Coordinator, City Council #2-4 Evaluate current Natural Resources Educa�on and Outreach program and look for op�ons to expand. Commission, Natural Resources Coordinator #4 Consider planning and implemen�ng a fall plan�ng, invasive species removal, or restora�on volunteer project. Commission, Natural Resources Coordinator #2, 4 CHAPTER 7 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN GOALS 1. Develop a professional, comprehensive, strategic Natural Resources Management Plan for city-wide natural areas and natural resources. 2. Protect, connect, restore, buffer, and manage natural areas, wildlife habitat, and other natural resources, for high ecological quality and diversity of plant and animal species. 3. Protect and restore the natural ecological functions of the city’s water resources with emphasis on the improvement of stormwater management. 4. Enhance and provide public education and understanding of nature, natural systems, and environmental issues by providing programs, materials, and information; while promoting a culture of stewardship on public and private lands. 5. Address issues that impact air quality, light pollution, and noise pollution, such as vehicle emissions, traffic flow, air traffic, lighting and street design. DATE: August 11, 2022 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Krista Spreiter, Natural Resources Coordinator SUBJECT: 2023 Work Plan Development Work Session Background A work plan can guide accountability and resource allocation for the commission and help to accomplish commission priorities. This document is developed annually and done so in partnership with the City’s budget process in the fall. The Natural Resource Commission should consider a similar exercise and develop a workplan for the 2023 calendar year at an upcoming work session. Staff has proposed the following dates for a work session: •Wednesday, August 24th •Monday, August 29th •Monday, September 12th •Wednesday, September 14th (preceding the regular meeting of the Commission) Requested Action Once a consensus has been reached, the Commission should pass a motion establishing a date and time for a work session to develop the Commission’s 2023 work plan.