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08/15/00 LCEC AgP • NOTICE Land Conservation & Environment Committee will meet Tuesday, August 15th 2000 And at 5:45 p.m. at Shorewood City Hall 5755 Country Club Road Shorewood, MN 55331 Agenda 1. Convene Meeting A. Role Call B. Approval of Minutes C. Review Agenda 2. Discussion on Report to Council • 3. Miscellaneous Items 4. Adjournment A majority of the City Council may be present. No Council action will be taken. • City of Shorewood • Land Conservation & Environment Committee Tuesday, July 25, 2000 MINUTES Meeting called to order at 5:45 p.m. by Fred Bruno. ROLL CALL Present -Donna Woodruff, Fred Bruno, Lucinda Kircher, Daniel Ehrke, & Paula Berndt ' Absent - Tom Schmid, Anthony Pini, and Joel Jurgens REVIEW OF AGENDA The agenda was approved. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Lucinda Kircher, second by Donna Woodruff. 4-0. DISSCUSSION ON REPORT TO COUNCIL • The committee held a discussion regarding the first draft of the Land Conservation and Environment Committee Report, which is due to the City Council in late August of 2000. It was decided that the order of the activities listed in the report should be arranged to better illustrate the more important activities the committee has been involved in. It was also agreed upon that under committee projects, each project should be listed individually to help the council better understand the committee's involvement. Additions were also made to the report's 18-month timeline. The major additions were quarterly educational speakers and activities related to composting. DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED BUDGET The committee adjusted the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, changing the amount required for the subsidizing for composting bins from $2500 to $1250. The committee also agreed that 20 hours for open space consultant should be sufficient. The total LCEC budget for the upcoming fiscal year is $8050. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS Daniel Ehrke stated that he would be developing articles for the City Newsletter, in order to have a base of stories that the LCEC can draw from in the upcoming months. It was • decided that a article should be developed for Gideon's Glen. August 2, 2000 • Land Conservation & Environment Committee Report to the City Council As indicated in Ordinance Number 352 Subdivision 12 of the City Code, the LCEC is required to submit yearly a report on the committee's activities for the current calendar year and a recommended work plan for the upcoming 18 months to the City Council for review and direction. The committee has also attached a budget request for the upcoming fiscal year, which has been submitted to the City Administrator. The committee has reviewed and recommended the submittal of the report to the City Council. Current Year Activities I Gideon's Glen The committee met with Mayor Woody Love at their June 6, 2000 meeting to address what role the committee should play in the Gideon's Glen project. It was apparent that all those present at the meeting agreed that the committee should serve as the lead education source regarding this project. This could be very effective in conveying the benefits of this project to the general public and all parties involved. The committee plans on utilizing the monthly Newsletter as the main source of educating the citizens on this topic. Likewise, there has been discussion concerning holding a neighborhood meeting with the surrounding neighbors of Gideon's Glen to try to answer any questions they might have and it appears that the committee might be best suited to serve as the facilitator for this effort. The committee also feels • that this project could have a key impact on the success of the Open Space Plan, particularly as a public relations tool. This is due to the fact that the committee hopes to generate interest in the Open Space Plan and at the same time solicit public input. Member Projects Some of the committee members have worked on individual projects, in order to educate the entire committee on its effect on the community of Shorewood. This approach has been very effective resource tool that the committee depends on. The member projects included effects of fertilizers containing phosphorus, Buckthorn control, composting, tree care & education. The fertilizer project helps show the successfulness of these member projects. Committee member Fred Bruno not only educated the committee on the subject but it also served as a resource for the City Council while they research the possibility of an ordinance banning fertilizers that contain phosphorus. The committee will continue to utilize member projects as a way to educate not only the committee but also the general public and staff members. Educating the Citizens of Shorewood The committee has taken a more active role in educating the public on issues that are facing the community of Shorewood. The open house as mentioned above was part of this process, however, the committee has been using the City's monthly newsletter as their main tool of education. Articles have been submitted ranging from the benefits of land conservation to zero phosphorus fertilizer. The committee also invited numerous quest speakers to their monthly meetings to help educate the committee • on certain "hot" topics. These meeting were also open to the public. The committee is looking to expand their role as educators in the up-coming fiscal year, possibly including working with the local school • The DNR also indicated that in order to undertake any deer management projects, it would be required that the aerial count shows that the City has at least 15-25 deer per square mile. The MN DNR currently has no available funding for any aerial counts for this funding year. However, we were told that if the City wished to submit a letter indicating their interest in funding for this aerial count then we were assured that Shorewood would be added to the list for available funding. Furthermore, the DNR stated that if the City adopted a deer management program, depending on the method chosen, the City Council might need to amend Chapter 703 of the City Code. This chapter refers to the hunting and trapping of animals within the City of Shorewood. Following discussion with the DNR, the City informed citizens in the March Newsletter that the City was accepting comments and concerns in regard to the deer population. Comments were taken via email and through the City's Shoreline. Based on this request, the staff received seventeen responses. Approximately ten of those responses stated that they had noticed an increase in the population and the amounts of damage being created by the herd. Likewise, some of these ten respondents also stated that they were in favor of some type of deer management control. The remaining comments stated that they did not believe that the City of Shorewood had a deer population problem. These responses are listed as Attachments B. Staff also contacted the Department of Natural Resources and the Police Departments of Shorewood and Excelsior to find out if auto-deer collision rates are recorded for the area. Staff was informed that each individual department would keep these records, however, both cities could not access the information that was being sought. This was due to the fact that the auto accidents involving deer are not denoted as • such when the report is filed. The committee met with representatives of the Minnetonka Country Club at their June 6, 2000 meeting to update them on the committee's current findings and to help the committee get a better understanding of their concerns. The Country Club was notified that in the future it would be appreciated if they could document the amount of property damage their establishment is receiving from the deer population. Mr. Witrak, owner of the Country Club, also indicated that he would contribute $500 toward an aerial survey if DNR funds are not available. While waiting to find out if funds are available for the aerial survey, the Land Conservation & Environmental Committee will be in the process of coming up with a list of steps home owners can follow to try to deter the deer from damaging their property. Likewise, the committee believes that the City should continue the hot line for citizens in order to allow them the opportunity to express their views on this issue. It has also been expressed by some of the LCEC members that they would like to see a link created on the city's web page to insure that the City receives more input on this issue. Phosphorus-Free Fertilizer Research & Review Fred Bruno, committee member and chair, took the lead role in researching this topic to properly educate the committee on its importance in terms of lawn care applications. John Barton, from Hennepin Parks, also spoke to the committee regarding phosphorus-free fertilizer and updated the committee on what other cities throughout the metro area have done in regards to passing zero phosphorus ordinances in order to ban phosphorus from being sold and applied within their jurisdictions. On April 13, 2000 the committee unanimously passed a motion recommending that the City adopt such an ordinance within the City of • Shorewood. ~ R Proposed Budget The following is an itemized budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which was agreed upon by the Land Conservation and Environment Committee. This proposed budget was submitted to the City Administration for review. Item Amount 1. Intern Salary $5200 2. Open Space Consultant 20hrs @ $55 per hr. $1100 I Subsidizing of Composting Bins $1250 4. Funds for Open House $100 5. Misc. Mailings 400 Total $8050 •