MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MINNEHAHA CREEK WATERSHED DISTRICT BOARD OF MANAGERS. December 12, 2013

Transcription

1 CALL TO ORDER MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MINNEHAHA CREEK WATERSHED DISTRICT BOARD OF MANAGERS December 12, 2013 The regular meeting of the was called to order by President Jim Calkins at 6:55 p.m. in the District offices, Minnetonka Boulevard, Minnetonka, Minnesota MANAGERS PRESENT James Calkins, Richard Miller, Sherry Davis White, Pam Blixt, Jeffrey Casale, William Olson, and Brian Shekleton. MANAGER ABSENT None. OTHERS PRESENT Eric Evenson-Marden, District Administrator; James Wisker, District Director of Planning; David Mandt, District Director of Operations and Program; Telly Mamayek, District Communications Director; Leslie Yetka, District Education Manager: Mollie Thompson, District Education Specialist; Michael Hayman, District Planning Specialist; Becky Houdek, District Planning Specialist; Jennifer Sharlow, District Administrative Assistant; Michael Panzer, District Consulting Engineer; and Louis Smith, District Counsel. INTRODUCTION OF NEW STAFF Mr. Evenson-Marden and Mr. David Mandt appeared before the to introduce the new administrative assistant, Jennifer Sharlow. The managers welcomed Ms. Sharlow to the District. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR None. APPROVAL OF AGENDA President Calkins requested that a discussion of the work of the Noxious Weed Advisory Committee be added as item 13.1 to the agenda. Mr. Evenson-Marden suggested that President Calkins provide an update from Committee Chairs as an additional item under 9.1 of the agenda.

2 It was moved by Manager Miller, seconded by Manager Blixt, to approve the agenda with these changes. Upon vote, the motion carried, 7-0. Correspondence Manager Casale requested that the PRAP response be moved to the Discussion agenda. CONSENT AGENDA It was moved by Manager Casale, seconded by Manager White, to approve the items on the Consent Agenda, including the revised minutes of November 14, 2013, and the minutes of November 21, Upon vote, the motion carried, 7-0. REGULAR AGENDA Board, Committee and Task Force Reports Citizens Advisory Committee: President Calkins reported that he attended the Citizens Advisory Committee meeting which included a review of the Cynthia Krieg Grant recommendations, and the concept review of the District s proposed landscape planning. Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts: Managers White and Blixt reported that they attended the annual conference of the Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts. Manager White noted that there was a great deal of discussion about partnerships, as well as extensive concerns about ground water and reuse of water. Manager Blixt noted that many of the District staff were involved in presentations throughout the conference. The managers also noted that the District received the Watershed of the Year Award from the Department of Natural Resources. Manager Miller noted that he felt that this reward reflected the District s large capacity to do watershed work, and that we should not rest on our laurels but continue to work hard to get the best from everyone. President Calkins noted that Commissioner Peter McLaughlin invited District representatives to receive recognition of this award at the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners meeting. Bushaway Road Task Force: Manager Casale distributed a letter from the Citizen Landscape Advisory Committee for the Bushaway Road Project dated December 12, Manager Casale referred to page 2, paragraph 4 of the letter, which refers to the offer by the MCWD to address shoreline improvements and stormwater design enhancements for the Project. Manager Casale stated that the intention of this discussion in the letter is to avoid delaying the process, so that the City Council can proceed with its review of the project, but also ask that the County work with the District to address these 2

3 enhancements. Manager Casale stated that he concurred with this proposed stipulation by the City Council that would address enhancement beyond what is required by currently adopted District rules. Manager White expressed her support for this concept as well, seeking clarification on what elements would be beyond current rule requirements. Manager Calkins stated that he felt it was important to focus the District s enhancements on those beyond the plan design that was submitted to the District in October and to the extent that they are beyond regulatory requirements of the District. Manager Miller noted the distinctive nature of this project that he felt warranted special support for enhancements. Mr. Panzer stated that no formal permit application has been received with detailed plans yet, and as a result, there has not been a determination about compliance with District rules. Nevertheless, Mr. Panzer stated that he felt there is a potential to enhance stormwater management on the causeway itself, and asked whether that was desired by the Board of Managers or only the area north of the causeway. Manager Casale stated that this was a helpful clarification, and that the proposed action should apply to the entire project within the City of Wayzata. Manager Miller noted the complexity of combining transportation goals and water resource goals, and expressed his appreciation to Manager Casale for his work on this effort. Following discussion, it was moved by Manager Casale, seconded by Manager White, that the District direct the staff to communicate its commitment to reviewing the Bushaway Road Project for compliance with all MCWD rules, recommending enhancements to the Project as submitted by Hennepin County beyond current regulatory requirements for which the MCWD will take financial responsibility; these enhancements would include the design, construction, and maintenance of the Wayzata Bay Restoration Shoreline Project, to be installed after the County has completed seawall construction and with a County funding contribution equal to the cost of the riprap design presented on October 24, 2013; the MCWD enhancements also include improvements to stormwater management facilities, and the MCWD will be responsible for enhancements to the Project submitted by the County of October 24 that exceed MCWD requirements for the entire project within the City of Wayzata. Upon vote, the motion carried, 7-0. Manager Casale noted that the City of Wayzata representatives have also expressed their appreciation for the cooperation on this project. Committee Chairs Report Manager Calkins noted that the committee chairs had met and discussed the meeting schedule. He stated that he and the committee chairs recommended a revised meeting schedule, such that one committee would meet on the first Thursday of the month, and second committee would meet on the third Thursday of the month; the second Thursday of the month would be devoted to a board workshop; and the fourth Thursday of the month would be a regular board meeting. The 3

4 Operations Committee would meet on the first Thursday, and the Planning Committee would meet on the third Thursday. Manager Shekleton stated that he would prefer to have just three meetings per month. Manager Calkins noted that managers are not expected to attend both committee meetings, but may if they choose to do so. Manager Miller stated that he was very frustrated with the work of the Planning Committee because it had failed to produce a work product. He stated that more intensive commitment and support is needed. Strategic Communications Plan Ms. Telly Mamayek and Ms. Allison O Toole appeared before the and reviewed the proposed strategic communications plan. Manager Miller asked whether social or digital media could be an effective tool to targeting communications by subwatershed. Ms. O Toole noted that micro-targeting is possible in various ways using social media. Manager Casale asked about older property owners who may live near the lake or creek but don t use social media. Manager Shekleton suggested that the staff scope localized communication programming and estimate its cost. Manager Blixt noted that this type of subwatershed communication is intended to be built into each of the District s projects. Manager Calkins noted that project-specific communication is different than communication focused on longer term changes in practices. He suggested that this would be a really major commitment. Manager White noted references in the plan to you where reference to MCWD may be more appropriate. Manager Olson stated that the communications program had great success for the past five years, and this new plan refines our approach for even better success in the future. Following discussion, it was moved by Manager Olson, seconded by Manager Shekleton to authorize the staff to implement the strategic communications plan. Manager Shekleton asked that the role of the be made more explicit in the Communications Plan. Manager Casale stated that he felt that the website had significant needs to be addressed. Manager Miller stated that he liked the work envisioned in this plan, but would be voting no on the motion due to the lack of a subwatershed communications workplan. Manager Calkins noted the distinctions between communications and education, and stated that he felt that much of the subwatershed work that is being discussed is really education, rather than communications. There being no further discussion, upon vote, the motion carried 6-1, with Manager Miller voting against the motion. 4

5 Urban Creek Corridor Update Mr. James Wisker and Mr. Michael Hayman appeared before the. They provided a powerpoint presentation which informed the on recent activities in the Urban Creek Corridor. The managers thanked Mr. Wisker and Mr. Hayman for the presentation. Bushaway Road Permit and Shoreline Restoration Update Mr. Michael Panzer and Mr. James Wisker appeared before the to review the status of the permit application for the Bushaway Road project. Mr. Panzer noted that the materials previously submitted were deemed incomplete, and a letter had been sent on December 4, identifying the missing items. The permit application submitted by Hennepin County lacked a final plan set, runoff model support, and pollutant load information regarding best management practices. Mr. Panzer stated that the staff is working on concepts for shoreline improvement enhancements, and he will continue to work with Hennepin County to collaborate on this project. The managers thanked Mr. Panzer and Mr. Wisker for the update. MCWD Performance Review Response Manager Casale referred to the letter in the meeting materials that responded to the performance review by the Board of Water and Soil Resources of MCWD activities. Manager Casale stated that he is concerned that the letter referred only to outreach activities to cities by the Administrator, and omitted outreach activities by managers. Long Lake Waste Water Treatment Pond Restoration Project Ms. Becky Houdek appeared before the and reviewed the request for board action. It was moved by Manager Casale, seconded by Manager Miller, to advance to the consent agenda of the next Board meeting the proposed resolution ordering the Long Lake Waste Water Treatment Pond Restoration project and authorization to execute agreement. Upon vote, the motion carried, 7-0. MS4 Permit Application to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Ms. Becky Houdek appeared before the and requested authorization to submit the MS4 permit application to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. She reviewed some of the changes to be made concerning housekeeping revisions to the Erosion Control and Stormwater Management Rule, development of enforcement response procedures, and development of an illicit discharge detection in elimination program. Following discussion, it was moved by Manager Blixt, seconded by Manager White, to advance the proposed resolution to the consent agenda of the next Board meeting. Upon vote, the motion carried,

6 Cost Share Grant for the Brookside Condominium Association Mr. James Wisker appeared before the. He noted that the Board had previously directed that staff investigate corridor connectivity and trail planning with the City of Edina. Staff did so, and learned that while there is general interest in exploring these connections, there are currently no plans at the City for a connection at this location. The staff recommends going forward with this project and that installation of the project will not preclude future discussion regarding connections throughout the area. Following discussion, it was moved by Manager Olson, seconded by Manager Miller, to refer this cost grant recommendation to the Citizens Advisory Committee for its review. Upon vote, the motion carried, 7-0. Manager Miller stated that he felt that it would be appropriate for the District to explore remeandering of Minnehaha Creek in collaboration with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board at the Meadowbrook area, and that State funding support may be possible. It was moved by Manager Miller, seconded by Manager Casale, to direct staff to initiate preliminary exploration of such a remeander project. Upon vote, the motion carried, 7-0. Cynthia Krieg Grant Awards Ms. Leslie Yetka and Ms. Mollie Thompson appeared before the to review the request for board action, approval of recommendations from the Citizens Advisory Committee for the 2013 Cynthia Krieg Grant Awards. Manager Blixt noted that the total amount of requests greatly exceeded available funds. She asked whether there are worthy projects that will not be funded. Manager Miller asked whether the amount of funding in fact could be in excess of warranted projects. Ms. Yetka stated that the District is receiving more and more sophisticated proposals as a result of greater outreach, and that some of the projects have a higher total price tag. She noted that the 2014 budget authorized $125,000, or a $25,000 increase for these cost share grants. Manager Shekleton asked why the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board request for aquatic invasive species support is not recommended for approval. Ms. Thompson explained that the staff is recommending alternative support through the AIS program funds. Following discussion, it was moved Manager Blixt, seconded by Manager Olson, to advance these grant recommendations to the consent agenda of the next Board meeting. Manager Miller stated that he would be voting no because he would like to see more scrutiny of these funding requests. Manager Calkins asked whether the CAC engages in rigorous review and ranking of these proposals. Ms. Yetka explained that each proposal is scored but they are not ranked in priority order. She also noted that the District staff works closely with the grant applicants both before and after the grant making process. There being no further discussion, upon vote, the motion carried, 6-1, with Manager Miller voting against the motion. 6

7 Subwatershed Communications Planning Manager Shekleton stated that he wished to followup the discussion of the Strategic Communications Plan with a specific proposal to address a need for localized subwatershed outreach. Following discussion, it was moved by Manager Shekleton, seconded by Manager Miller, to direct the Administrator to develop a direct relevant communication plan to properties within or adjacent to a lakeshore, pipeshed or wetland that would not have received communications otherwise given current communications methods, and report back with a plan by the first meeting cycle in January, to be approved at the January 23 Board meeting. Manager Blixt noted that such an initiative is not currently in the staff work plan, and that additional resource maybe needed. There being no further discussion, upon vote, the motion carried, 7-0. Noxious Weed Advisory Committee Manager Calkins stated that he serves on a statewide noxious weed advisory committee that is currently reviewing and revising the list of noxious weeds. Following discussion, it was moved by Manager Shekleton, seconded Manager Miller, to support Manager Calkins recommendations for dealing with buckthorn, and request a written resolution to be considered by the at its next meeting. Upon vote, the motion carried 7-0. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the regular meeting of the was adjourned at 10:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sherry Davis White 7