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MILTON GROWS GREEN COMMITTEE ORIGIN
SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 MINUTES [APPROVED]
Date: September 13, 2011, Noon —1:45 pm
Place: Executive Conference Room, City Hall. 13000 Deerfield Parkway. Milton GA 30004
Attendees: Jack Lindon, Francia Lindon, Cindy Eade, Jon McPhail, Kathy Johnson, Tracy Eller, Mark
Law, Kathy Field, Greg Ramsey (Village Habitat Design) and Charles Slade.
Agenda: It was posted on the City's web site.
I. Introductions/Presentation
Tracy Eller, Grounds Chairman for Milton HS and Northwestern Middle School
Tracy contacted Cindy to see about the City helping with 4 courtyards at MHS with the goal of
turning them into "sensory gardens." NMS has adopted one "scent" and is almost finished. It is
wheelchair accessible. Suggested Rebecca Brown (Environmental committee sponsor) and
National Honor Society sponsor as way to engage groups for sustainability. Discussed Dr.
Bartlett's perma-culture project at NMS and bio-swales.
Greg Ramsey from Village Habitat Design (VHD), 20 minute presentation
VHD has been working for 20 years to try and help protect land, especially farmland, by working
with the private sector and providing workshops for cities or counties to identify opportunities for
doing "conservation communities." They look first at larger overlays and then try to leverage
farm added benefits such as community supported agriculture (CSA), community gardens, local
farms to restaurants, vocational school programs that provide both economic development as well
as education. Mr. Ramsey would like to gain interest in providing these workshops in Milton with
as many city people as well as citizens.
Past projects include the Chattahoochee Hill Country in south Fulton Count. Village Habitat
Design Services did 9 months of work on 40,000 acres resulting in a rezoning that included
transfer of development rights, a large organic farm and the hamlet concept. Living is compact,
water is close by, farms and open woodlands are close by. It only takes a few properties going the
wrong way to make your controlled development fail. Downtown 20% can be preserved, by
offsetting density. Suburban area (1/2 to 1 acre) suggests up to 75% green space and can make
communities that are more walkable and more of a community. With AG-1 (2 acre zoning), it is
possible to preserve 90%. Hamlet homes typically are 1/8 acre. Offset development rights are a
better exchange than transfer of development rights. These communities typically also include
"Eco districts," identified key areas like schools that are then connect to those features with bike
paths, etc. The by-product in building communities where you can walk or bike, you are
interacting with the community.
A project of 250 acres in Nashville, had land surrounded by development, put a partnership
together with people who want to live in a hamlet-sustainably focused community development
department, with 1017o of land being developed. Camp Twin Lakes — they developed a farm
hamlet, which opens up to the outside community. Pocket neighborhoods, cluster parking on
edge and common area with housing grouped together are becoming popular and create
community space. Village Habitat Design created the first CSA in GA where a group invests in
farm and reaps the benefits of the agriculture. This model allows small community farms to be
successful again. Workshops can also address transfer vs offset of development rights and the
advantages of each. The community coming together for workshops, grass roots efforts (like
Chattahoochee Hills did) can be effective but best when both city and community are working
together.
Milton Grows Green Committee Meeting Minutes, October 11, 2011 [APPROVED]
ALL MILTON GROWS GREEN DOCUMENTS ARE PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER wnH AT LEAST 35% POST — CONSUMER CONTENT.
VHD Services include: Educational Workshops and Presentations; Developing
Farm/conservation Overlays; Watershed Protection Overlays; Neighborhood Block Conservation
Overlays; Individual Property Conservation Community Planning; Conservation
Subdivision/Community Planning; and Farm Development Planning and Consultation.
II. New Business
Alpharetta Rotary/Trees - Mark Law. Rotary is interested in purchasing a large number of
seedlings for Milton to plant. Wanted to see if anyone was interested in leading this
project. Possibly coordinate with subdivisions for a planting day. Lynne Riley is
spearheading effort. Jack suggested a seedling farm to nurture the seedlings along. Mark
recommended Mill Springs Academy having a good site for trees and would contact them.
Much conversation about potential sites for trees, but we don't want to plant trees at
Birmingham Park or other areas that they are not taken care of. Decided on giving
seedlings away at Roundup with other educational components.
Charlie Slade - discussed merger of Community Waste Services with Advanced Disposal
(N. FL, Alabama, Miss, GA). CWS has 16,000 residential customers, 25,000 Roswell
customers for recycling, 65,000 (Adv) in Gwinnett County, 15,000 in same market at CWS.
Charlie will be Director of Municipal Marketing. The new Materials Recovery Center in S.
Forsyth County has goal of completion by Nov. 15 and will have an educational room for
field trips. Estimates are it will be able to process 7-8 tons of recyclable material / hour.
They are looking to sign contracts with Cities to handle/recycle yard waste.
• Kathy Field was introduced as Milton's new community development person.
VI. Old Business (Kept Briej)
• Milton Round Up Booth - Francia . Water is MGG's theme. The Clean air campaign will
have its own booth and separate area for the Smog Balloon.
• Bulky Trash Amnesty Day scheduled for Nov. 5
• Adopt -A -Road - Julie Pinckney - all is going fine.
• Rivers Alive has been scheduled for Oct. 22.
• MGG Database Update - Jon McPhail
Meeting Adjourn at 2:10 PM
Jon B. McPhail, Co-chair
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ATTEST:
Francia Lindon, Secretary
Milton Grows Green Committee Meeting Minutes, October 11, 2011 [APPROVED] 2