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080823 CAC Agenda PacketCitizen Advisory Commission Meeting New Hope City Hall, 4401 Xylon Ave N August 8, 2023 7 p.m. 1. Call to Order. 2. Roll Call. 3. Approval of July 11, 2023 minutes. 4. Public Works project updates with Bernie Weber, Director and Nick Macklem, Stormwater Specialist/Project Coordinator. 5. Brainstorming — Ideas to bring attention to New Hope. 6. Parks and Recreation project updates. 7. Other business. 8. Adjournment. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please contact Susan Rader at 763-531-5152 or srader@newhopemn.gov Citizen Advisory Commission Regular Meeting CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL APPROVAL OF MINUTES CITY OF NEW HOPE 4401 XYLON AVENUE NORTH NEW HOPE, MINNESOTA 55428 July 11, 2023 New Hope City Hall, 7 p.m. Chair Kulzer called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Present: Commissioners Randy Herman, Jill Kaufman, Scott Kulzer, Carrie Neuburger, Rick Riley Absent: Commissioners Jeffrey Harper, Bill Wills Staff Present: Susan Rader, Staff Liaison Also Present: Tim Pratt, Hennepin Recycling Group (HRG) Commissioner Kaufman made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 13, 2023 meeting as written. Commissioner Herman seconded the motion. Voting in favor: Commissioners Herman, Kaufman, Kulzer, Neuburger. Opposed: None. Abstained: Commissioner Riley. Absent: Commissioners Harper, Wills. Motion carried. HENNEPIN RECYCLING Tim Pratt, Hennepin Recycling Group (HRG) Manager, addressed the GROUP (HRG) UPDATE commissioners and conducted a brief PowerPoint presentation. He explained that the cities of Brooklyn Center, Crystal and New Hope had formed a joint powers agreement to offer recycling to their residents. He added that the City of Brooklyn Park, through which he was employed, administered the program. He briefly reviewed HRG objectives: • Contract for curbside recycling • Recycling and waste disposal education • Bulky waste curbside collection every two years • Organics drop-off • Special materials drop-off • Yard waste site • Event recycling resources Mr. Pratt discussed public education and noted that in addition to attending New Hope City Day last fall, he worked closely with Communications Coordinator Beth Kramer to disseminate information. He also informed the commissioners of the new HRG Recycling App, which had been created by the four cities. He encouraged the commissioners to download it and briefly reviewed its features. Mr. Pratt informed the commissioners that the new contract for the Curbside Recycling Program had gone into effect on July 1. He noted that the monthly rate had increased from $2.60 to $3.89 but commented that the rate was still on the lower end. Mr. Pratt reported on the Maple Grove Yard Waste Site and noted that the contract with HRG would be up for renewal at the end of 2023. He reported that Lynde Greenhouse and Nursery, which owned and operated the site, had expressed their commitment to continuing operations at that location. He explained that HRG paid an annual fee for use of the site, which allowed its residents free access to dispose of yard waste including grass clippings, leaves and brush up to ten inches in diameter. Chair Kulzer inquired about the cost of the contract. Mr. Pratt explained that each city paid to participate based on their population and estimated New Hope's fee at around $50,000 per year. He added that the yard waste site was also used by City crews for disposal. Commissioner Riley wondered whether garbage haulers had access to that site for disposal of curbside yard waste collections. Mr. Pratt did not think commercial loads were accepted at the site. Commissioner Neuburger inquired how often the contract was renewed. Mr. Pratt replied that the most recent contract had covered four years. The Bulky Waste Curbside Cleanup event was then discussed. Mr. Pratt reported that HRG was currently seeking proposals for the next curbside cleanup, which would take place in 2024. He also mentioned that load limits had been put into place in 2022 and noted that 50 homes had been tagged for exceeding those limits. Mr. Pratt next reviewed organics and noted that it included food scraps and non -recyclable paper. He reported that based on studies, organics represented approximately 20% to 40% of one's trash. Mr. Pratt explained that organics could be captured and converted to compost and noted that the most efficient way would be to compost on site. He informed the commissioners that each spring HRG worked with Recycling Association of Minnesota to offer rain barrels and compost bins to HRG residents at a $20 discount. Mr. Pratt reported that curbside collection of organics was available to all New Hope residents and noted that all garbage haulers had been required to offer organics collection as of January 1, 2022. He explained that resident participation was voluntary and mentioned that HRG would split the cost of the first year of service up to $100. He added that approximately 50 residents currently participated. Other options for organics disposal included the drop- off facility in Brooklyn Park and a new drop-off site near the aquatic center in Crystal. He added that approximately 250 people had registered to use the drop-off site in Crystal. Mr. Pratt explained that Hennepin County had required that all its residents be given access to organics recycling. He informed the commissioners that beginning January 1, 2024, all garbage haulers would be required to charge a fee for organics recycling to all their customers even if they currently utilized curbside collection or the drop-off sites. New Hope Citizen Advisory Commission July 11, 2023 Page 2 Mr. Pratt briefly reviewed the pumpkin recycling program, which occurred the week following Halloween, and noted that it provided another opportunity to educate residents on the value of organics recycling. Mr. Pratt then discussed the Special Materials Drop -Off events offered in the spring and fall. He felt these events provided an opportunity for residents to dispose of items that are difficult to recycle, including appliances, batteries and electronics. He also mentioned the new Building Material Drop-off event that would take place September 23 from 9 a.m. to noon and noted that a list of accepted materials could be found on the HRG website. He added that collected materials would be distributed to Habitat for Humanity's ReStore and to Better Futures Minnesota. Mr. Pratt also reported on the Event Recycling program and explained that Hennepin County had donated recycling and organics containers that were free to reserve for use at an event. Commissioner Kaufman wondered whether neighboring cities offered comparable recycling programs. Mr. Pratt replied that each city offered a different program based on resident preferences. Commissioner Kaufman wondered how HRG worked with school districts or large businesses to increase awareness of disposal options. Mr. Pratt replied that Hennepin County offered a business recycling assistance program as well as a school recycling assistance program and noted that the schools tended to work directly with the County. Chair Kulzer asked for an estimate of the organics fee that would be charged to residents. He also expressed concern that residents might be upset with the new fee. Mr. Pratt guessed the cost would be around $5-6 per month. He stated that designated spokespeople were available at both the state and county levels to address resident concerns but noted that the first point of contact would be the garbage hauler. Commissioner Herman wondered if residents would be required to store an additional cart for organics recycling. Mr. Pratt informed the commissioners that some companies provided compostable bags to their customers that could be placed into the garbage cart. Mr. Pratt reported that Hennepin County had recently received funding to add an anaerobic digestion facility in Brooklyn Park. He explained how organics at this facility would be placed into a sealed vessel for decomposition. The result would be the release of methane gas that could then be captured New Hope Citizen Advisory Commission July 11, 2023 Page 3 and converted to natural gas. Commissioner Riley mentioned the building material drop-off event and wondered if there were any locations where items could be dropped off at any time. Mr. Pratt replied yes and noted that the closest facility was the Habitat for Humanity Restore in New Brighton. He added that items could also be dropped off at Better Futures of Minnesota's facility in south Minneapolis, and noted that this information could be found on the HRG website or on the app. Chair Kulzer wondered what happened to the compost collected at the Maple Grove Yard Waste site. Mr. Pratt replied that it was sold to various contractors and noted that the supply had run out each year. Chair Kulzer wondered if there were any concerns that nearby residents might try to force the closure of the site. Mr. Pratt did not think so and commented that the yard waste site had been at that location for several decades with owners who were dedicated to the community and the service they provided. The commissioners thanked Mr. Pratt for his presentation. He excused himself from the meeting at 7:34 p.m. CITY MANAGER The commissioners welcomed new City Manager Reece Bertholf, who INTRODUCTION provided a brief review of his background. DISCUSS AGENDA ITEMS Ms. Rader briefly reviewed upcoming agenda items and noted that the annual FOR REMAINDER OF 2023 dialogue with the City Council was scheduled for September 18 and the annual commissioner bus tour was tentatively scheduled for September 19. She added that following a brief discussion with Chair Kulzer a decision was made to cancel the September 12 meeting of the Citizen Advisory Commission. Commissioner Kaufman brought up the idea of sponsoring a collaborative Earth Day event with New Hope schools in the spring of 2024 and explained that the goal would be to work with high school students to motivate elementary students and their families to get involved. She suggested this topic for the December agenda and wondered if she should reach out to the student council liaison and report back in the fall. The commissioners briefly discussed the idea of meeting with representatives of the Cooper High School student council on an annual basis. Commissioner Neuburger thought December might be too early for the students, based on their elections process and suggested holding off until early 2024. New Hope Citizen Advisory Commission July 11, 2023 Page 4 BRAINSTORMING - IDEAS Ms. Rader reviewed that the citywide garage sale had been held June 16 and TO BRING ATTENTION TO 17 with roughly the same number of participants as 2022. She thanked the NEW HOPE commissioners for putting up signs in advance of the sale and removing them following its completion. Commissioner Herman wondered about planting a pollinator garden in a public space that would be noticed by residents and would encourage them to create their own gardens. Commissioner Riley thought that an educational component might be needed and mentioned that there were currently a few pollinator gardens located on park property, including one at Northwood Park. He added that these gardens required maintenance every five years or so and wondered about creating small gardens behind a few of the new park signs, including at Liberty Park. Ms. Rader reminded the commissioners that the perennial flowers that had been planted around the sign at Liberty Park were bee pollinator plants. She also expressed concern that staff might not be able to accommodate additional maintenance duties. PARKS AND RECREATION Ms. Rader reported that the Liberty Park playground project was nearing PROJECT UPDATES completion. She informed the commissioners that staff had discovered a water main leak during demolition of the basketball court at that location and noted that staff would repair the leak in-house. She added that installation of the new court was anticipated to begin in August. Ms. Rader reported that other projects currently in the works included the Meadow Lake Elementary pickleball courts conversion, improvements to Lighted baseball field beginning in mid -August, and replacement of the south scoreboard at the ice arena in the next month or two. Commissioner Kaufman referred to a recent article in the Star Tribune regarding controversy surrounding pickleball, specifically the noise. She wondered whether the city had received any complaints. Ms. Rader replied no and reminded the commissioners that most of the City's tennis courts had been lined for pickleball use. OTHER BUSINESS Ms. Rader made the following announcements: • The next Movie in the Park, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" was scheduled for July 13 at approximately 9:15 p.m. • A regional swim meet would take place at the New Hope Aquatic Park July 14-16. There would be no open swimming during that time. • No food trucks on Friday, July 14. • The summer musical, "The Sound of Music" was scheduled for Wednesdays through Saturdays, July 19-29 at 8 p.m. • Music in the Park was scheduled for August 2 at 7 p.m. with a performance by Kashimana. New Hope Citizen Advisory Commission July 11, 2023 Page 5 Commissioner Riley referred to the regional swim meet and wondered when the contract would be up for renewal. Ms. Rader replied that this would be the third of four annual meets that had been determined by the contract. She added following the completion of the contract staff and council would discuss whether to continue with the meets. Commissioner Riley inquired about the timeline for the sound wall north of Rockford Road and noted that brush had been cleared. Mr. Bertholf requested the floor and reported that it was scheduled for completion this fall. Commissioner Riley also felt the sound wall between 36", Avenue and Medicine Lake Road needed repair and painting. Ms. Rader explained that the City of New Hope was not responsible for maintenance. Mayor Hemken requested the floor and commented that the Minnesota Department of Transportation did not appear to have adequate funding to cover maintenance, just construction. Commissioner Kaufman reported that the address of 2022 RAVE! Award winners Max and Allen had been selected for inclusion in the garden tour for the University of Minnesota the previous weekend. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Kaufman made a motion to adjourn the regular meeting of the Citizen Advisory Commission. Commissioner Riley seconded the motion. All present voted in favor. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:09 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Penny Spitzer Recording Secretary New Hope Citizen Advisory Commission July 11, 2023 Page 6 CAC AGENDA ITEMS FOR 2023 AS OF 7/26/23 The following is a tentative listing of major agenda items that have either been assigned to the CAC, a CAC member has asked that the item be discussed, or city staff has asked that the item be discussed by the CAC. August 8 — Public Works Project Update w/Bernie Weber, Director and Nick Macklem, Stormwater Specialist/Project Coordinator September 12 — no meeting September 18 — Annual Dialogue with City Council September 19? (tentative) — Annual Commissioner Bus Tour October 10 — Liberty Park clean-up November 14 — Budget Discussion December 12 — *Note: A meeting may be cancelled if there are no agenda items. On -going • Continue to sponsor Snowman Contest, City-wide Garage Sale • Ideas to bring attention to New Hope • Promotion of existing City programs: In Focus, RAVE, Outstanding Business • Volunteering at P&R/City events • Adopt a Park (2x/year) Updates • Park/Facility Projects Possible Future Topics • Police Department — Joint Community Police Partnership; violent crime; violence in schools; hate speech • P&R Update • THC Ordinance update/discussion (late summer/fall?) CD? • Tobacco licenses • Fire Department update