Bordentown City Environmental Commission (BCEC)

Minutes of March 11, 2015

Carslake Community Center Senior’s Room

Minutes prepared by Leah Ducey

Meeting called to order at 7:3 pm

Attendance: (Quorum present) Ralph Tolomeo (Chair), Joel Dowshen (Vice-Chair), Leah Ducey, Mike Lahr, Mike Tunney, Katie Nosker

(Members of the public present): Cathy Elliott-Shaw, Cindy Gallagher

No minutes to approved.  February minutes approved with the Correction of Modern Equipment name.

Public comment:

Communications and Announcements:

1. Lime Kiln Park update: Unitartians will help 5/3 after church to help weed and mulch butterfly garden. Lead Ducey will be there to guide volunteers.
2. Oliver Street Park update: Need to establish paths and maintenance plan.
3. Green Team updates: Cindy Gallagher and Cathy Elliott-Shaw presented Green Business Award to Paul Ciarroca at the Commissioner meeting; Green business decal(donated by Underground Graphics) to go in store window and hope to encourage other businesses to work towards award. Cindy has been trying to get in touch with DBA to talk about handing out more reusable bags. Looking for ways to promote Lighting fair, date? Samantha the watershed ambassador with hook up with Jill Popko to help with high school garden.
4. Green Fair Update: Volunteer task list going around, please help where you can. BCEC paying for Ad in Bordentown Current.
5. Street fair update: Cindy is in charge of staffing- 5/16-17 9am-4pm. PLease help staff the booth. Theme will be Green Fair and Community Garden.
6. BCEC membership update: Katie Nosker appointed.
7. Farmers Market: Cindy working on finding out who market manager is so GreenTeam can help promote market.
8. Community Garden Update– No word on grant status. Cathy Elliott-Shaw called AME Zion Church for community meeting 3/24-25, waiting to hear back.
9. Earth Talk Update: Good turn out on February Skunk Earth Talk, next up Riverkeeper 4/14.
10. Joel Dowshen brought up the Princeton Environmental Film Fest 3/19-29. Go check out films! Joel also brought up Trenton City Museum Exhibit: The Built Environment 3/14-5/3- Restoring Historic Buildings to be Energy Efficient.

BCEC Events:

1. 4/11 Shade tree planting
2. 4/14 Riverkeeper talk
3. 4/18 Rain Barrel workshop
4. 4/25 Drug collection
5. 5/3 Clean up at Butterfly Garden in Lime Kiln
6. 5/16 Street Fair
7. 6/13 Greenfair
8. 10/3-10/4 Cranberry Festival

Planning Board

1. Vote on resolution for St. Mary’s Nursery school to become residential- School did not follow Planning Boards recommendation to allow access to parking lot.
2. Committee for Planning Ocean Spray picked Interface to design space for 100k grant received by the City for Park st. front. City will Contract with Interface.

BCEC 2013 Budget :no update

Meeting Adjourned at 9:23 (the next meeting will be April 15th at 7:30pm.)

Bordentown City Environmental Commission (BCEC)

Minutes of April 8, 2015

Carslake Community Center Senior’s Room

Minutes Prepared by Katie Nosker

Meeting Called to Order at 7:30 P.M.

Attendance: Mike Lahr, Mike Tunney, Ralph Tolemeo (Chair), Katie Nosker, Joel Dowshen

(Members of the public Present): Cathy Elliott-Shawn, Bill Wolfe

Minutes: March minutes not available

Communications and Announcements:

• Community Garden: Mike Tuney says the area will be tilled soon. Cathy Elliott-Shawn explained that the goal is to gether community members to form a committee, which will set the rules and guidelines for the garden. The plan is to have a pilot this planting season.
  1. Green team requests $3,000 in BCEC funds to build a fence around the community garden. Mike Tuney motions to vote, Mike Lahr seconds. BCEC votes unanimously to approve the use of BCEC funds for the community garden fence.
  2. Joel Dowshen says he can send out an email to generate interest and notify the community of this garden. Green team will provide language for the email.

• BCEC material storage: Ralph Tolemeo spoke with Sally, she suggested using the batting cage area, which can be secured.

• Doggie Bags: Ralph Tolemeo will check to see if the Clean Communities Grant can be used to pay for these bags. Cathy Elliott-Shawn will talk with the Watershed Ambassador to see if she knows of other funds available.

• Drug Drop Off: Ralph Tolemeo reported that police departments can qualify to accept drugs. Ralph will contact Bordentown City to see if the Police Department would like to be qualified to accept drugs.

• 2015 Events: Ralph Tolemeo will obtain city equipment for the Riverkeeper presentation on April 14th. The Shade Tree Commission Tree Planting and the Rain Barrel workshop will both occur on April 18th. The Lime Kiln Butterfly Garden Cleanup will occur on May 3rd in cooperation with the Unitarian Church. The theme for the street fair on May 16th and 17th will be the community garden and reusable bags. Green Fair is scheduled for June 13th – the Green Team will be requesting assistance. Ralph Tolemeo will set up a site visit to the new single stream recycling center on a weekday in the fall. The Cranberry festival is scheduled for October 3rd and 4th.

• Planning Board Report: Mike Lahr explained that the Old Saint Mary’s Nursery School project passed and that funding is in place for the pants factory rehab.

• Green Team Report: Cathy Elliott-Shawn reported that the school garden is in need of a school liaison. Members are working on creating qualifications for the sustainable business award.

Other Business:

Bill Wolfe will provide a proposal to create more objective standards around noise, nuisance, and anti-idling concerns.

Bordentown City Environmental Commission (BCEC)

Minutes of June 10, 2015

Carslake Community Center Senior’s Room

Minutes Prepared by Joel Dowshen

Meeting Called to Order at 7:30 P.M.

Attendance: Mike Lahr, Mike Tunney, Ralph Tolomeo (Chair), Katie Nosker, Joel Dowshen, Andy Richardson, Kate Connors , Keith Onsdorff.

(Members of the Green Team and public Present): Cathy Elliott-Shawn, Joe Malone (Mayor), Devon Valenti, Patty Ritter, Angela Ritter, Christopher Ritter, Kevin Ritter, Colleen Ritter, Jamie Jones.

Minutes: May minutes not available as there was no quorum for the meeting. Minutes for the March and April meetings were presented and approved.

Communications, Announcements, New Business:

• New members of the Environmental Commission;
  1. Kate Connors and Keith Ornsdorff were introduced and welcomed.
• Storage of all BCEC display materials;
  1. Signage and supplies are now in Sallie’s office in Carslake.
  2. After the meeting members helped consolidate and eliminate outdated material.
• Additional Doggie Bags have been ordered for $488.
• New Earth Talks will begin in the Fall.
  1. Ideas for the talks will be discussed at the July meeting.
• Planning Board report:
  1. Mike Lahr was away for the last meeting so Mayor Malone noted that there has been a ground-breaking for the senior housing project at the old shirt factory; Park and 2^nd The contract has been awarded and work has begun.

Ongoing Projects:

• Community Garden Update;
  • Several members of the BCEC and Green Team and volunteers installed the post & rail fence
  • The next step is installation of a low, mesh fence to keep out animals.
    • The date of installation will be either June 20^th or 27^th 8:30 am start.
    • Once date is settled and email will go out for volunteers
  • High School Native Plant Garden;
    • This is being done as a joint effort between the BCEC, the Green Team, the Township Environmental Commission and students.
      • They are looking at making it a pollinator garden
    • Lime Kiln Alley;
      • The butterfly garden has been put in excellent shape by volunteers (especially the Unitarian Church group). Would like to have them commit to future maintenance.
      • The City is maintaining the property by keeping the entry/picnic/butterfly garden areas mowed, the trail/path mowed. And are leaving the meadow areas grow naturally with an annual or semi-annual trimming.
    • Oliver Street Parks:
      • Mayor Malone commented that the pocket park given to the City by the Delaware River Greenway (near the power plant and Union St.) is now being maintained and mowed by the City.
      • Mayor Malone asked if the City could mow the Oliver St. park (at Oliver and Chestnut). The Commission agreed that the area could be completely mowed and reviewed in the future to re-establish the trail and recreation aspects.

Other Business:

• The 2015 Street Fair;
  • Attendance seemed to be off this year. Possible cause might be competition from other festivals in the area, e.g. Burlington City celebration.
  • There was a rumor that the 2016 Fair would be reduced to one day. Mayor Malone said that the business association will continue with the 2-day schedule.

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 pm when all members joined the Green Team for a Green Fair planning session.

Bordentown City Environmental Commission (BCEC)

Minutes of July 8, 2015

Carslake Community Center Senior’s Room

Minutes Prepared by Mike Lahr

Meeting Called to Order at 7:30 P.M.

Attendance: Ralph Tolomeo (Chair), Joel Dowshen (Co-Chair), Andy Richardson, Mike Lahr, Mike Tunney, Katie Nosker, Keith Onsdorff.

(Members of the public present): Cathy Elliott-Shaw, Joe Malone (Mayor), Sigmund Targonski, Sally Miller.

Minutes: June minutes were presented and approved.

Communications, Announcements, New Business:

• Membership list was updated by attending members.
• New Earth Talks
  1. August 19 and October 21, 2PM: Tours of Burlington County Resource Recovery Complex: Up to 20 people per tour on weekdays only. Ralph to check with Anne Moore.
  2. September 22, 7PM: Earth Talk on the Pinelands.
  3. November 10, 7PM: Earth Talk by either Cedar Run or Pollination Station.
  4. Next meeting consider ramble with Abbott Marshland, bicycle ride up the canal, and/or clean-up events.
• No July Planning Board Meeting
• Green Fair: Set up smoother. Location of BCEC table excellent. Tent appreciated by sitting participants. Simultaneous baseball game caused some issues. Bottleneck on closing. Paper shredder during a farmer’s market night?
• As of July 7, budget was at $2234.05. $488 for doggie bags paid by City out of Clean Communities funding. Some Green Fair bills may yet come.
• Ralph will write Mayor Malone about tour of Ocean Spray property by BCEC members (and Steering Committee?)

Ongoing Projects:

• Community Garden Update;
  • July 18 @ 8AM: BCEC, Green Team, and volunteers to install mesh fence. Mike T to bring lumber and nail gun(s).
• High School Native Plant Garden: no new news
• Lime Kiln Alley
  • Request for trimming needs signed document (Mayor Malone).
• Oliver Street: no discussion.

Other Business:

Joel announced that the Native Plant Brochure was redone. Ralph will see to it that 100-150 are printed.

Adjournment:

The meeting adjourned at about 8:30 pm.

Green Team Meeting: Tuesday July 21 @ 7:00 PM.

Next BCEC Meeting: Wednesday August 12 @ 7:30 PM.

Bordentown City Environmental Commission (BCEC)

Minutes of September 9, 2015

Carslake Community Center Senior’s Room

Minutes Prepared by Joel Dowshen

Meeting Called to Order at 7:30 P.M.

Attendance: Ralph Tolomeo (Chair), Joel Dowshen (Co-Chair), Mike Tunney, Leah Ingalsbe-Ducey.

(Members of the public present): Cathy Elliott-Shaw, Paul Ordog, Ed.D. Chairman of the Florence Township Environmental Commission

Minutes: There was no meeting in August.

Communications, Announcements, New Business:

• Ralph is updating.
• Mike Tunney and Mike Lahr appointments have expired. Awaiting re-appointment by Mayor Malone.
• New Earth Talks
  1. Still awaiting dates for Tours of Burlington County Resource Recovery Complex: Up to 20 people per tour on weekdays only. Ralph checking with Anne Moore.
  2. September 22, 7PM: Earth Talk on the Pinelands (still pending call back confirmation).
  3. November 10, 7PM: Earth Talk by either Cedar Run or Pollination Station. (still pending call back confirmation).
  4. Late winter/early spring talk about Community Garden discussed.
• No Planning Board report. Asking Katie Nosker to attend next Planning Board meeting in Mike Lahr’s absence.
• Green Team Report: Cathy noted that they are focusing on the Community Garden and other ongoing activities. No current grant requests. Robbinsville has come to the Green Team for ideas/help setting up their own Team.
• To date, budget balance is $2234.05. Expected expenditures are $1,500 for Community Garden shed. $200-300 for Community Garden supplies, cover crop, etc. $200 for printing of new Library/Lime Kiln Butterfly Gardens brochure.
• Cranberry Festival: Ralph is organizing staffing schedule (10-1, 1-4) and people for set-up and break-down. A composter will be raffled off.
• Fall/Winter BCEC Newsletter: Joel is putting together material, potentially oriented to City gardens.

Ongoing Projects:

• Community Garden Update: Leah reported that we are waiting for gate and lock. Don Stein will help til. Need a core group of people to organize the Community Garden records, spaces, charges, bylaws/rules, et
• Lime Kiln Alley: Agreed that the meadow should be cut between now and fall. Ralph will discuss with Mayor Malone. Leah will help oversee Unitarian Church members work plans to keep the Butterfly Garden in good shape.
• Oliver Street: no discussion.

Other Business:

Paul Ordog, chair of the Florence Township Environmental Commission commented on their efforts to get the Waste Management Tullytown landfill closed, and their ongoing effort to prevent Elcon from potentially polluting the air drifting over to Florence. He wanted to be sure we understand that both Waste Management and Elcon have plans that would directly effect the Bordentown area and advised that meetings are coming up in which we should take interest. Joel had already forwarded some comments received on the BCEC website to Mayor Malone and Ralph. Ralph will talk to Mayor Malone to see if the BCEC can help organize and publicize any public information effort in this area.

Adjournment:

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.

Next BCEC Meeting: Wednesday October 14, 2015 @ 7:30 PM.