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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJuly 11 2019 EAC MinutesEcological Advocacy Committee Meeting 7-11-19 Location: Rum Village Nature Center Committee Members Present: Steve Sass Sarah Nerenberg Andrew Tucker Allison Egan Lindsey Chadderton Amy Kryston Alicia Czarnecki Others Present: Garry Harrington – VPA Rum Village Park Supervisor Hannah Teshka – VPA Naturalist Brent Thompson – VPA Forester Patrick Sherman – VPA Project Manager John Martinez – VPA Director of Facilities and Grounds Call to order – Steve Sass at 3:12 pm. Vote to approve minutes from May EAC Meeting by Lindsay Chadderton seconded by Sarah Nerenberg. Discussion: Pinhook Park Upgrades – John Martinez, Patrick Sherman, and Alicia Czarnecki ●John Martinez presented the EAC with Pinhook Park’s 60 % plan for the grounds around the park and the building. This park improvement is to draw people off the Riverwalk into the park making it a destination park for VPA. ●Updates to the park include: o 10 foot wide asphalt pathway around the park o Picnic area for families o Upgrades to the parking lots (adding more ADA parking spaces) o Upgrades to the boat launch and o Adding an ADA accessible kayak launch o Proposed ADA accessible fishing dock ●Only 6 trees will be removed (3 within the park and 3 on the Riverwalk). ●Brent Thompson will be pulling the tree inventory list for Pinhook to find out what specific tree species are being removed. ●The consultants left blank spaces on the 60% plan which could include some native plants or be used as “no mow zones.” ●Consultants can create educational panels on the playground equipment which could be used as scavenger hunt for kids. ●There is currently no plan to clean the lagoon or improve the water quality. ●An archeologic study was complete at Pinhook. They did not find anything of historic value. ●EAC Suggestions: o Native plantings with interpretive panels around the walking path would be a great education piece. o Enhance the native plantings around the lagoon to help with Canada goose problem. o Create spaces for rain gardens to help with the parking lot run-off into the lagoon. o Educate the VPA staff to properly maintain native plant areas, “no mow zones,” rain gardens, etc. o Recruit volunteers to help maintain native areas. o Have a balance between water line vegetation and water recreation (fishing, boating, etc.). o Have part of the asphalt walking path be a porous surface to help with run-off. o Include some interpretative signage about the history of the park and the historical significance of the area. o Have a boat cleaning station to remove weeds before a boat goes into or out of the lagoon with signage. o Diversify the trees being planted with the park. o Have a reverse periscope to see the fish and vegetation under the water in the lagoon. Q & A from EAC Members – John Martinez ●VPA Facilities & Grounds staff will attend all future EAC meetings. ●VPA F&G would like to get suggestions/recommendations from the EAC electronically when necessary in between EAC meetings. ●Upcoming Discussion for the EAC – o Standards/ best management practices of River Windows within VPA Parks. o Plantings around Rum Village Nature Center. ●EAC suggested to VPA F&G staff that they would like to engage more during the early planning process. NRMP Updates – Garry Harrington ●EAC has requested guidance from Aaron Perri and the Park Board regarding what the action matrix should look like from the NRMP. o Template for what the action steps should look like for each Topic of Concern. o Template for the Best Management Practices (BMPs). ●Add Tree Preservation document to the NRMP. ●The changes made to the Tree Specifications document will be going before the Board of Public Works. Elbel Update – Steve Sass ●First step is to find out who owns Mud Lake. ●If the lake has not been deeded, ownership would fall to the State of Indiana. Action Items for EAC Members: 1.Send EAC Recommendations regarding Pinhook Park to Alicia Czarnecki include what native tree/plants species to use within the park. 2.Review/suggest edits to the Tree Preservation document by September EAC Meeting. Action Items for VPA Liaison: 1.Contact Aaron Perri about the Action Matrix portion of the NRMP. 2.Follow-up with Matthew Moyers regarding the additional two Topics of Concern within the NRMP. Next meeting is September 9​th​ at 8:30 am at Rum Village Nature Center. Motion to Adjourn by Sarah Nerenberg at 4:34 pm.