Green Tier Legacy Community Committee — Minutes

1 AD HOC GREEN TIER LEGACY COMMUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 1 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2026 2 (Approved As Amended) 3 4 1. Call to Order & Roll Call 5 The March 27, 2026 meeting of the Green Tier Legacy Community Committee was called to order by 6 Administrator Andrews at 3:05 P.M. 7 Motion by O'Hearn to nominate Smythe as temporary chair, second by Wiebe. Motion carried – all 8 ayes. 9 10 Present: Mary Smythe, Jill Wiebe, Lisa O’Hearn, and delayed members joining later in the meeting; 11 Paula Anschutz and Louise Howson. 12 13 Staff: Benjamin Andrews Village Administrator, Sarah Bertges Administrative Assistant and Erik 14 Linczmaier Parks & Streets Director. 15 16 2. Approval of the Agenda 17 Andrews requested amending the agenda to move item 5c (Composting Program Implementation 18 Status) to first position in the discussion items to accommodate Erik's schedule. 19 Motion by Wiebe to approve the agenda as amended, second by O'Hearn. Motion carried- all ayes. 20 21 3. Approval of the Minutes – March 27, 2026 22 Motion by Wiebe to accept the minutes as written, second by Smythe. Motion carried-all ayes. 23 24 4. Comments, Correspondence, and Concerns from the Public 25 No members of the public were present. Smythe noted communication regarding the Green Tier 26 Legacy Communities quarterly member meeting held on Monday, March 30, 2026, which was 27 included in the meeting packet. 28 29 5. Discussion/Action Items 30 31 c. Composting Program Implementation Status 32 Andrews provided background on the composting program discussion from the previous meeting, 33 noting that a volunteer third party would collect specialized buckets from restaurants throughout 34 Sister Bay. The inquiry was whether the parks building could provide storage space and washing 35 capacity for approximately 25-50 buckets. 36 Erik from Parks Department discussed storage and cleaning logistics. Key concerns identified 37 included: 38 ● Need for indoor storage of clean buckets (approximately 10x10 space required) 39 ● Water access limitations at community gardens during winter months 40 ● Drainage concerns about organic waste in floor drain systems at parks facility 41 ● Alternative storage possibilities at Logerquist property 42 Howson explained the program details: participating restaurants include NWTC, Analog, Goose and 43 Twigs, potentially The Pig, Al Johnson’s, Zero Sum, and Northern Grill. The program would operate 44 year-round on a limited basis, with lighter activity during winter months. 45 Smythe suggested exploring whether Mighty Winds Farm could assist with bucket cleaning and 46 storage. Cost sharing was discussed, with Climate Change Coalition of Door County agreeing to fund 47 half of the bucket costs ($15 each for 50 buckets) and volunteer coordinator Mike Schneider's 48 stipend. 49 Linczmaier and Howson agreed to arrange a site visit with Schneider to evaluate storage options at 50 both the community gardens and Logerquist property, considering seasonal water availability and 51 cleaning logistics. 52 Minutes of the April 22, 2026 Meeting of the Green Tier Legacy Community Committee – Approved As Amended 2 1 a. Strategic Planning Framework For 2026 Green Tier Activities 2 Andrews presented a framework for strategic planning to organize the committee's annual goals and 3 activities. The process would involve identifying major goals, establishing objectives, setting 4 priorities and timelines, and assigning responsibilities. Andrews suggested this could be 5 accomplished through a workshop format using brainstorming methods. 6 O'Hearn noted the committee had attempted similar planning efforts previously with limited 7 success. Discussion focused on the need for an in-person workshop session to effectively develop 8 the strategic plan. 9 Smythe emphasized the importance of understanding sustainability priorities from Destination Door 10 County and Sister Bay Advancement to align efforts. Howson offered to provide DDC's updated 11 strategic plan and suggested coordinating with the Climate Change Coalition. 12 The committee agreed to schedule a separate in-person workshop meeting to develop the strategic 13 framework, covering activities from June 2026 through June 2027. 14 Motion by Wiebe to restore Howson as committee chair, second by Anschutz. Motion carried- all 15 ayes. 16 17 b. Reusable Bag Procurement and Design Updates 18 O'Hearn reported on bag procurement pricing from August 2024: $1.86 each for 1,000 pieces (12" x 19 13.5" x 7" recycled PET bags) with 3-4 month production timeline from Thailand. She noted the need 20 to update pricing before proceeding. 21 Anschutz suggested incorporating the bag initiative into a broader plastic awareness campaign, 22 including development of restaurant resource sheets. She indicated Ryan's donated design was 23 abstract rather than Sister Bay-specific and recommended considering more locally-themed artwork. 24 Discussion addressed material concerns, with Smythe questioning the use of recycled PET plastic 25 given the committee's sustainability mission. Alternatives discussed included canvas bags, though 26 cost implications were noted. Wiebe suggested researching Egg Harbor's canvas bag sourcing as a 27 comparison. 28 The committee agreed to bring various bag samples to the in-person workshop for evaluation and to 29 finalize decisions on material, design, and procurement approach. 30 31 d. Sustainability Policies for Municipal Landscaping and New Building Project 32 Andrews reported that the RFP for the new administrative building had been approved and would 33 be issued soon. The committee's sustainability input would be provided to the selected architectural 34 firm, including energy efficiency measures, solar panel readiness, and native landscaping 35 considerations. 36 Anschutz raised the possibility of incorporating rain barrel and water catchment systems, noting the 37 absence of such provisions in current village code. Smythe discussed potential county regulations 38 requiring on-site stormwater management and the importance of permeable surfaces. 39 Howson noted the village's existing efforts on energy-efficient lighting and dark sky-friendly street 40 lighting. The committee's recommendations will be forwarded as part of the building design process. 41 42 e. Updated Budget Request Consideration for Bags and Composting Equipment 43 Howson outlined the current budget status: $2,500 allocated for 2026, with approximately $600 44 spent on plants, leaving $1,900. Additional costs include $350-400 for composting buckets (split with 45 Climate Change Coalition), leaving approximately $1,500. 46 Discussion focused on requesting additional funds for the bag procurement project. Andrews noted 47 the request could be submitted to the finance committee as an unbudgeted item up to a specified 48 amount. 49 Based on comparison to the previous year's $5,000 budget (of which only $495 was spent), the 50 committee agreed to request up to $3,500 in additional funding, bringing the total potential budget 51 to $6,000. 52 Minutes of the April 22, 2026 Meeting of the Green Tier Legacy Community Committee – Approved As Amended 3 By consensus, Green Tier Committee Members agreed to request up to $3,500 in additional funding 1 from village reserves for the Green Tier Legacy Community Committee, to be submitted to the 2 finance committee. 3 4 6. Matters to be Placed on Future Agenda, Referred to a Committee, Official, or Employee 5 6 a. Tree Canopy Enhancement and Reforestation Initiatives 7 Howson reported that four new hardwood trees have been ordered for planting in the waterfront 8 park area north of village hall, scheduled for planting within the next month or two. These trees will 9 contribute to future canopy coverage over the street area. 10 11 b. Protecting Night Skies from Light Pollution 12 Discussion referenced recent concerns about Sister Bay's impact on Newport State Park's Dark Sky 13 designation. The committee has previously implemented stringent outdoor commercial lighting 14 requirements. 15 Smythe suggested the committee could assist businesses in transitioning to appropriate LED colors 16 and fixtures that direct light downward rather than outward. She noted successful light reduction 17 experiments at Woodcrest Village. 18 Options for public education were discussed, including developing informational materials for 19 homeowners and business owners. Howson noted Egg Harbor's success with sustainability-focused 20 newsletters and suggested similar communication strategies for Sister Bay. 21 22 Additional Item: Tree Giveaway Planning (Saturday May 9) 23 Detailed planning was conducted for the upcoming tree giveaway event: 24 ● Location: Piggly Wiggly, 9 AM to 3 PM 25 ● Trees: 180 trees (10 trays of 18) in four species, stored at Jeff's residence 26 ● Staffing: Two shifts -8-11:30 AM (Wiebe, Anschutz) and 11:30-3 PM (Smythe, Howson and 27 neighbor. 28 ● Materials needed: Tags, informational handouts, tables, promotional materials 29 ● SBA promotional support confirmed 30 Anschutz will coordinate tree pickup logistics. O'Hearn will redesign tree tags featuring the Green 31 Tier logo and environmental messaging. Howson will obtain informational handouts from the 32 Climate Change Coalition regarding tree care and planting instructions. 33 34 Meeting Schedule 35 Two meetings were scheduled: 36 ● Regular meeting: Wednesday, May 20 at 1:00 PM via Zoom 37 ● In-person strategic planning workshop: Wednesday, May 27 at 10:00 AM in the small conference 38 room at the fire station. 39 40 7. Adjournment 41 A motion was made by Smythe, second by O’Hearn to adjourn the April 22, 2026 meeting of the 42 Green Tier Legacy Community Committee at 4:51 P.M. Motion carried – all ayes. 43 44 Respectfully submitted by Sarah Bertges, Administrative Assistant 45 46