===== PDF PAGE 2 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] Draft MEETING MINUTES ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION February 21, 2024, 7:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order Establish a Quorum a. Staff Liaison, Dave Shah, called the meeting to order at 7:05 P.M. Roll call found Chair Nazree Williams, Co-Chair Thomas Cherrington, Commissioner Allen Rodriguez, and Commissioner Victoria Burris present. Commissioner Bob Blaus joined the meeting via a phone call. b. Aldermanic liaison present included Alderman Christopher Swiatek. c. Staff liaison present included Assistant Director of Public Works, Dave Shah. d. The Commission welcomed Victoria Burris, who was appointed to the Environmental Commission on February 5, 2024. 2. Approval of Minutes a. Environmental Commission Minutes of January 23, 2024 i. Rodriguez made a motion, seconded by Cherrington, to approve the Meeting Minutes. 1. Voting Yea: Burris and Williams 2. Voting Nay: None 3. Public Participation/Presentations a. Jeniffer Boyer, Environmental Projects Coordinator, from DuPage County presented to the Commission on the bareroot giveaway program and its handling procedure during the Blooming Fest event. 4. Items for Consent a. None 5. Review and Discuss the Commission Priority List a. Current List i. November 24, 2023, to January 19, 2024 – Holiday Lights Recycling Event 1. 840 Lbs. of lights were recycled. ii. Blooming Fest – May 18, 2024 1. Online application submitted for the Commission’s booth at the event 2. Bareroot giveaways a. Ongoing coordination with DuPage County b. The County ordered following bareroots from Mason State Tree Nursery Topeka IL County (600 Total) i. Hazelnut- Quantity: 100 ii. Bur Oak- Quantity: 100 iii. White Pine- Quantity: 100 iv. Bald Cypress- Quantity: 100 v. Bitternut Hickory- Quantity: 100 vi. Black Chokeberry- Quantity: 100 Page 1 of 3 ===== PDF PAGE 3 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] Discussion: To prepare the bareroots prior to the event, the Commission proposed to designate Thursday, May 16, 2024, and Friday, May 17, 2024, between 7pm to 9pm at the Public Works facility. The Commission requested Boyer to attend the Blooming Fest to guide the Commission, which she agreed to. The Commission and Boyer will work with the high school for student volunteers. 3. Rain Barrel Program a. Can this program be incorporated into the Blooming Fest? (Motion Required) Discussion: The Rain Barrel Program will NOT be incorporated into the Blooming Fest. The Commission prefers to take the Booming Fest as an opportunity to educate the Community and still provide a window for the community to order the Rain Barrels, which then can be picked up at the Paper Shredding Event on June 1, 2024. b. Application submitted to set up a webpage for the event. c. Proposed Start Date: February 22, 2024 d. Proposed End Date: May 5, 2024 4. Brochures and FAQ sheets for the events (Attached) 5. Event coordination (e.g., Education Material, Volunteers, Packaging/Tagging) (Attached) 6. National Honors Society volunteers from high school would be interested in service hours. Discussion: Jennifer Boyer to coordinate with the high school. iii. Paper Recycling Event & Rain Barrel Pick Up – June 1, 2024 1. Agreements received and dates are confirmed. 6. New Additions a. None 7. Other Business a. Status on the resident survey Discussion: The Commission agreed to advertise the survey on April 1, 2024, and close after the Blooming Fest Event on May 18, 2024. b. Conservation Foundation Presentation Topics (Attached) i. Conservation @ Home 1. https://theconservationfoundation.org/conservation-home/ c. DuPage River Sweep – May 4th 2024 i. https://theconservationfoundation.org/rivers-streams/river-sweep/ ii. Is the Commission interested in participating? (Motion Required) Discussion: The Commission wanted to inquire with the Foundation if this event is West Chicago specific or if the Commission will be participating with other communities prior to commitment to the DuPage River Sweep. d. Commission’s Recommendations for Waste Contract Due by Friday, March 22, 2024 Discussion: The Commission requested additional time to provide a formal recommendation. The Commission was interested in listening to new waste disposal initiatives in neighboring communities from SCARCE. Blaus will work with SCARCE to schedule a small presentation during the regularly scheduled Environmental Commission meeting on March 20, 2024. April 19, 2024, deadline Page 2 of 3 ===== PDF PAGE 4 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] for the new Wast Contract recommendation was generally agreed upon. 8. Adjournment a. At 8:37 P.M., Rodriguez made a motion to adjourn and Cherrington seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved by voice vote. Respectfully, Dave Shah, PE Assistant Director of Public Works Page 3 of 3 ===== PDF PAGE 5 ===== [Extraction: OCR (rendered-page OCR)] ALL Volunteer Trails Cleanup of the Great Western Trails & the IL Prairie Path Saturday, April 27, 2024 9:00AM is the approx. start time. Start times are set by coordinators. Volunteers are needed! In honor of Earth Day; the Friends of the Great Western Trails has scheduled its annual trails cleanup for Saturday, April 27. Our goal this year is to clean all the trails including both sections of the Great Western Trail (GWTs) from Villa Park to Sycamore. We want you to help us and rollup your sleeves (but wear work gloves) and pick up litter along these trails. Bring friends and family (and garbage bags to fill) on Saturday, April 27, 2024. If you, your family and/or co-workers are interested in helping us clean the Great Western Trails, please contact Don Kirchenberg via email frndsgrtwstntrl@aol.com For the Illinois Prairie Path cleanup info go to their website at www.ipp.org or contact Ken McClurg info@ipp.org Dennis Terdy dennis.terdy@gmail.com For the cleanup of the GWT and IPP in LOMBARD please contact: Dave Gorman 630-620-5765 gormand@villageoflombard.org If you will be cleaning any trails in DuPage County please register at http://ipp.org/cleanu THANK YOU to long time trails supporter Kathy Slovick for sponsoring this years flyer! Kathy Slovick Coldwell Banker "Selling the Suburbs" Reality Fi k.slovick@cbexch 2020 INTERNATIONAL @ ange.com DIAMOND SOCIETY Ranked among the top Office: 10% CB Agents COLDWELL BANKER 630-569-8251 REALTY Please make copies of this flyer for trail users everywhere and post them on bulletin boards. For more info. about the Friends of the Great Western Trails go to Facebook or check the website: http://www. friendsofthegreatwesterntrails.com/ ===== PDF PAGE 6 ===== [Extraction: OCR (rendered-page OCR)] 2 bicycle riders and 1 pedestrian were seriously injured attempting to cross County Farm Rd! EDITORIAL in the DAILY HERALD supporting a safer Great Western Trail crossing at County Farm Rd. Another bike trail danger to eliminate The Great Western Trail crossing at County Farm Road indeed does need to be made safer The Great Western Trail and the Illinois Prairie Path through DuPage County is a remarkable system that can take you from suburb to suburb with long stretches of peaceful forest in between each one. Unfortunately, there also are busy roads in the way. It’s one reason we have said in our periodic bike trail listings that you should be careful, especially with children, on these trails. The Friends of the Great Western Trails, a community group, is calling for a solution to one especially dangerous crossing: the Great Western Trail at County Farm Road in Winfield. We know what they mean. You can be riding along the trail, endorphins flowing as you let go of your stress or as you're just enjoying the nature, and suddenly, with no gates or fence or barricade or anything but a little sign, you're at the curb along four-lane County Farm Road, and heaven forbid it’s rush hour. You'd better be paying attention. Riders and walkers actually must cross several streets on the Great Western Trail and Iilinois Prairie Path. Many are not too bad, like neighborhood side streets or otherwise less-busy thoroughtares (you still must look both ways). But County Farm Koad takes the traffic up a notch, with vehicles zooming at 45 mph, if that slow, in both directions. Overhanging signs and a crosswalk do note the trail crossing, but there’s no requirement to stop nor even a flashing light to encourage stopping. A DuPage County Board member, Greg Schwarze, has put forth an idea: Install a traffic light just a couple hundred feet south on County Farm Road at Timber Creek Drive/Hawthorne Lane. The idea is to slow down traffic, as well as provide a safe way for cyclists and pedestrians to cross. We also know another traffic light on County Farm Road can inhibit traffic flow. But we also hear people have been hurt at this crossing. And we remember how a cyclist was killed at another trail’s intersection with a busy road, off Busse Woods just east of the Schaumburg border, before a bridge was built over Higgins Road there. So we call for some measure to make this crossing safer. (And while we’re at it, we see the same problem at the Great Western Trail crossing at Bloomingdale Road.) At the very least, a flashing beacon would be helpful as we’ve seen elsewhere in the suburbs, if not the traffic light. Anything, before more people flock to this pretty trail in the fall and risk getting seriously hurt. #### Please contact the DuPage County Board supporting a safer GWT crossing at County Farm Rd w/Greg Schwarze’s traffic signal proposal via email at cbtransportcommittee@dupagecounty.gov, cbjpscommittee@dupagecounty.gov &chair@dupagecounty.gov Recommended rules for all trail users: Follow us on FACEBOOK at e SPEED LIMIT 15 https://www.facebook.com/Friends- e NO MORE THAN 2 ACROSS of-the-Great-Western-Trails- e SIGNAL WHEN PASSING SAY “ON 157692887679924/ YOUR LEFT” and check out our webpage at e DOGS ON A 6’ LEASH www.friendsofthegreatwesterntrails. e SCOOP THE POOP com