Village of Flossmoor Green Commission met Jan. 18.
Here are the minutes provided by the commission:
I. Call to Order
Vice Chairperson O’Keefe called the meeting to order at 6:04pm which was held over zoom while staff liaison Stephanie Wright was present at Village Hall.
II. Roll Call
Present: Commissioners Ratowitz, Lippert, Klages, Owen-Thomas, DeSantis, Shaw, Barker, Student Liaison Hernandez
Absent: Chairperson Turnquest
III. Welcome Citizens Present Wishing to Address the Commission
There were no residents present.
IV. Approval of November 16, 2021 minutes
Vice Chairperson O’Keefe called for a motion to approve the minutes as corrected. Motion: DeSantis. Second: Owen-Thomas. Motion passed by a roll call vote.
V. Student liaison Hernandez gave an update to the commission.
Fatima reported to the commission that she participated in the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service by volunteering at the Sandridge Nature Center as part of the clean up crew. Fatima explained that volunteers were split into two teams. One team worked on filling bags with litter from the grounds of the nature preserve. The second team worked to remove invasive species from the premises. Fatima reported that both teams worked very hard and had great success in cleaning up the nature preserve. The commission applauds Fatima for her efforts.
VI. Budget Review
The commission requested an update on the amount remaining in their budget for the rest of this fiscal year. Stephanie Wright reported that she would find out the exact amount the commission had left after their purchase of eco-friendly cups that were donated to the Village’s holiday events. The commission discussed the possibility of spending the rest of their money for the fiscal year on seeds for the seed library located at Flossmoor Library. Commissioner DeSantis asked if there were any leftover seeds from last year. While 95% of the seeds were handed out at Flossmoor Fest, Wright did mention that coincidentally a few seed packages had recently shown up. Commissioner Shaw asked that they be placed in the seed library. The question was raised by Commissioner Owen-Thomas on the status of the seed library. Commissioner DeSantis shared that the village website information should be updated. Wright told the commission that she would look into the status of the seed library and report back. Commissioner Barker put forth a motion to spend $100.00 of the remaining budget on seeds for the seed library. Second: DeSantis Motion passed by a roll call vote.
VII. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
The commission proudly saved 35 trees from a landfill. The trees were dropped off by the commissioners at Irons Oaks in Olympia Fields and will be mulched for use on the trails. Not only did they save 35 trees, but they also saved several pounds of holiday lights from a landfill as well. The lights were collected and will be recycled. Thank you to commissioners Owen-Thomas, Barker, Kalges, Ratowitz, and Vice Chairperson O’Keefe for their help. Special thanks to Commissioner Shaw for his help and the use of his trailer. An additional special thanks to Flossmoor resident Jim Knetl for the use of his truck and his willingness to head back out the following day and rescue a few more trees. Thank you to all who made their day OFF a day ON. Wright also shared information on the many other projects that happened throughout the day of service in Flossmoor. Job well done to all who participated. Lastly, Wright asked all commissioners and volunteers to please take the survey regarding the day of service. The comments collected will help to make the day of service stronger in our community.
VIII. New Business
a. Commissioner Owen-Thomas shared a Power Point Presentation with the commission surrounding the topic of curb side composting. Several commissioners have expressed interest in this project. Commissioner Owen-Thomas shared that Collective Resource Compost would love to work here in the South Suburbs. The Village of Flossmoor would be the first community in the south suburbs to have curbside composting offered. This company does require an exclusive contract with the village of Flossmoor. The commissioners asked several questions of Mary who agreed to go back to CRC and ask a few follow up questions. The board will discuss next steps at the February meeting. The commission would like to thank Commissioner Owen-Thomas for her work.
b. Wright suggested adding a memo to the village wide bi-weekly E-News. Suggested topics included reminding residents of items that will be collected at the 2022 Recyclepalooza, winter tree care tips, and getting an energy audit of your home.
c. Wright shared with the commission that there is interest in an annual commission wide meeting. While the commission is interested in this possibility, Commissioner DeSantis raised the questions around the purpose of this collaboration, namely; are there any overall objectives the commissions should be aware of from the village to help focus cross commission meetings, or are there clear objectives/common initiatives across commissions that we would want to meet on or work towards as a group? The commission agreed that this would be a possibility, but an agenda would be necessary to be successful.
VIIII. Caring and Sharing Announcements.
Wright thanked the commission for their flexibility in meeting at 6pm.
X. Adjournment
Vice Chairperson O’Keeke called for a motion to adjourn. Motion: Shaw. Second: Lippert The meeting was adjourned at 7:19 p.m.
http://www.flossmoor.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01182022-541
Alerts Sign-up