Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutEAC Minutes Feb 2026Minutes of the Ecological Advocacy Committee (EAC) Meeting on February 23rd, 2026 Committee Members Present: Clay Kusbach (Chair) Charlene Rountree (Vice-Chair) Andy Schnabel Brian Will John Hamilton Lori Checkley Others Present: Garry Harrington – VPA, Director of Rum Village Nature Center Brent Thompson – VPA, City Forester Macey Hanna – VPA, Director of Recreation Michael Schmidt – Attorney, City of South Bend Barbara Dale – Office of Sustainability, City of South Bend Mary Wojcik – Horticulturist, VPA Maddie Busch - Horticultural Assistant  John Martinez – VPA, Facilities and Grounds I.  Call to Order – Meeting at Rum Village Nature Center at 8:43am. II. Approval of Minutes Brian W. moved to approve the minutes of January 12th, 2026.  John H. seconded. The motion passed unanimously. III. Old Business Facilities and Grounds Update John M. intentionally attended to discuss the current projects and efforts by VPA Facilities and Grounds with the committee.  He explained at length their organization, main focuses for 2026, and procedures they follow.  He continued with encouragement for his teams and our committee to be more interpersonal in cooperative efforts together.   John M. continued to provide a lot of detail regarding what his department utilizes.  They have a $10 million annual budget approximately.  This is allocated for all public areas and any areas overseen by the City of South Bend.  This also includes golf courses as of 2025 as a new responsibility of VPA.   Sub-Committee Properties Interest and Assignments Clay K. initiated the inquiry as to which sensitive properties were chosen by which committee member for a 2026 focus.  Here is the list from those who attended: John H. – Ponader Park Charlene R. – Elbel Park Andy S. – Veterans Memorial Park Brian W. – Ponader Park Clay K. – Voorde Park Lori C.  – Ponader Park Each committee member will take more interest in these properties over the warmer months of 2026 in order to increase the collective familiarity of sensitive park properties.  Regarding subcommittee re-arrangements, discussions of renaming and minimizing the number of subcommittees was brought up.  The Aquatics Resources Management Subcommittee was suggested to renamed to Wetland Research Subcommittee.  Minimizing all subcommittees to being just three was also considered as well to ensure more allocated effort and impact to each.  The three subcommittees suggested would be: Wetland Research Subcommittee Park Management Subcommittee Education Subcommittee More finalizing of these changes will occur at the April committee meeting.  IV. New Business Upcoming Changes in Parks and Recreation Macey H. informed on the new Rum Village park masterplan.  She reviewed the concepts as well as the implementation considerations.  Also, she informed on the safety and logistics of this plan being carried out, too. Opinions Regarding Changes to Rum Village Park Andy S. reviewed and provided guiding material regarding the development plans of Rum Village Park.  The major interventions revolving around the mountain bike trail is the primary focus of concern from an ecological perspective.  Specifically, it violates the NRMP.   Clay K. commented further on how the committee can advise on the effects of these concept plans.  He suggested that a letter can be written to VPA detailing these concerns as part of our advisory efforts.  John H. motioned for immediate communication disagreeing with the trail expansion.  Brian W. seconded.  The motion passed unanimously, and the arrangement was made for Clay K. to write the letter while Andy S. advises.  Clay K. was then authorized by the committee to represent the committee at the March 16th Park Board meeting.  Upcoming Events and EAC Outreach Given time constraints, these educational events and future plans will be reviewed at the next meeting.   The early spring Science Alive event in February was a success, however.  V. VPA and City Updates None VI. Miscellaneous None VII. Privilege of the Floor None Noted. Action Items Finalize subcommittee arrangements. Clay K. and Andy S. to draft a letter addressing Rum Village trail expansion plans.  Plan for spring, summer, and Fall educational and outreach events.  Lori C. left at 9:52am; however, quorum was maintained.  The next meeting will be on Monday, April 6th, 2026; 8:30 am at Rum Village. The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 am.