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NRC meeting minutes 11102022CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION Thursday, November 10- 6:00 P.M. Mendota Heights City Hall-Council Chambers The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Natural Resources Commission was held on Thursday, November 10, 2022, at Mendota Heights City Hall; 1101 Victoria Curve. 1. Call to Order Chair Swank called the meeting to order at 6:00pm. 2. Roll Call Coordinator Spreiter called the roll. Commissioners present: Husbands, Quick, Swank, Stein, Tupper. Commissioners Absent: Fahnhorst, McCaslin. Student Representative Byrnes present. Staff present: Natural Resources Coordinator Krista Spreiter and Assistant City Administrator Kelly Torkelson. 3. Approval of the Agenda Motion to approve the agenda by Quick, second by Stein. Motion passed 5-0. 4. Approval of the Minutes a. Approve meeting minutes from the October 12, 2022 Natural Resources Commission Meeting Motion to approve the minutes as amended by Tupper, second by Quick. Commissioner Husbands amended her comment on requesting that the Assistant Engineer Candidate have a background in Environmental Engineering as part of the criteria for hiring. Motion passed 5-0. 5. Old Business a. Fall Community Project Planning Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter noted a buckthorn removal event at Valley Park on November 12. This opportunity will allow for volunteer engagement. Commissioner Tupper asked how many volunteers the City expects. Coordinator Spreiter noted there will be eight volunteers plus commissioners and any others who attend. Chair Swank asked for opportunities to share this event on social media. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson suggested people share the event on Facebook. b. 2023 Work Plan Draft Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter recapped the four main goals that capture the efforts from the commission’s work session. Commissioner Stein commented that the discussion on the ordinance review was intended to lay out a timeline to guide their work, as opposed to completing the whole goal in 2023. Commissioner Husbands suggested delineation of which ordinances to work with; the tree ordinance and the landscape and development ordinance. Commissioner Tupper noted it would be helpful to add more detail for tracking purposes. She liked the idea of adding a sub-goal to that item, and suggested doing so for all of the goals listed. Chair Swank would like to see a calendar for how it will play out over the year. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson added that the City Council may add additional items to the workplan, which should be looked at as a flexible, working document. Commissioner Husbands asked for clarification on the strategic priorities of the City Council and how they pertain to the Natural Resources Commission. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson stated that the City Council will be working on their 2023 strategic priorities early in 2023. Commissioner Stein commented that the Natural Resources Management Plan Consultant has already done work regarding one ordinance, so that might be a topic the Commission addresses earlier. Coordinator Spreiter clarified the work done by the Consultant and concurred those areas might be a good starting point. She will send out some possible work session dates for the Commission to look at. Commissioner Tupper suggested coordinating with City and County events as opportunities for education and outreach as they plan. 6. New Business a. NRMP Prioritized Projects Budget and Grant Funding 2023 Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter discussed the five-year phasing of Mendota Heights priority projects: Valley Park Pollinator Corridor, Valley Park Northwest Forest Enhancement, Valley Park East Forest Enhancement, and Valley Park South Oak/Aspen Knoll Enhancement. She summarized the estimated costs to the City and the grant funding that will be used. Commissioner Tupper asked if the Valley Park South Oak project is a good candidate for future volunteer events. She also asked what is included with the “tree city” designation. Coordinator Spreiter confirmed it would be a good volunteer site. She also commented that the tree city designation fund would be $25,000. Commissioner Husbands asked how much of the budget is tree removal. Coordinator Spreiter noted that line item would be $110,000 because it’s in two departments; Parks and Streets. She clarified that the $99,000 is the increase in the ask for the 2023 budget. Commissioner Stein noted the wonderful grants we’ve received and wants to ensure the City monitors the progress and upkeep for continuous monitoring after the first initial project. Coordinator Spreiter noted that there is budget for long-term maintenance fees to maintain these projects long- term. Chair Swank asked if the City is waiting on grants and what’s the waiting period for the Oak/Aspen Knoll Enhancement project. She would also appreciate a document on where the grants come from and how the City pursues this type of funding. Coordinator Spreiter noted that Great River Greening, in our partnership, has taken on the grant application process. Commissioner Husbands asked if it was a possibility to have the funding come out of Natural Resources as a department, as opposed to spreading it out across departments. Coordinator Spreiter noted that Natural Resources is not its own department, which is why the budget is split as such. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson noted it’s rare to have Natural Resources as its own department in a city our size. b. Natural Resources Projects and Sites Tour Chair Swank suggested the commission take advantage of a sites tour in the spring. Commissioner Tupper added that she’d like to see it opened up to the public to join them. Commissioner Stein asked for staff’s input on their best time of year based on workload. Motion to add a site tour item to the work session agenda by Husbands, second by Stein. Motion passes 5-0. 7. Staff Announcements Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter reminded of the buckthorn removal event this weekend. She also added that City Hall will be closed for Veteran’s Day. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson added that the City is currently hiring for seasonal positions this winter. 8. Commission Comments Commissioner Tupper asked staff if a grant through the Board of Water and Soil Resources for habitat resource would be appropriate for the 2023 work plan. Commissioner Quick congratulated the newly elected City officials. Commissioner Husbands noted that the City Council agendas and packets are very accessible and would be beneficial for this commission to keep tabs on. 9. Adjourn Motion to adjourn the meeting by Quick, second by Husbands. Motion passes 5-0. Chair Swank adjourned the meeting at 6:59pm. Minutes taken by Sheila Robertson City of Mendota Heights, Office Support Assistant 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.