HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - MGG - 08-14-2013Milton ORIGINAL
MILTON GROWS GREEN COMMITTEE
AUGUST 14, 2013 MINUTES [APPROVED]
Date: August 14, 2013, 6:30 to 8:00 PM
Place: Birmingham Fire Station #43, 750 Hickory Flat Road, Milton, GA 30004
Attendees: Jack Lindon, Teresa Stickels, Kathy Johnson, Francia Lindon, Cindy Eade, Ken
Hughes, Julie Pinckney, Gail Gill, Barbara Peck, Tom Sewell, Jennifer Shamps (Hopewell
Middle School Teachers) and Haley (student at Milton H.S. and intern at Milton Herald)
I. Agenda: It was posted on the City's web site.
IL Minutes: March, April and May approved.
III. Updates and New Business:
• Ado t-A-Stream: Tom Sewell talked about the National Conservation Training Center
week-long conference he attended with Jennifer Shamps. Described what he's done
with his students in the A-A-S program. Has had mixed results with his kids. After
attending the conference, has decided to broaden the scope of the program and take it
into the community, Milton and Alpharetta, not just limit it to Hopewell. How do we
balance growth in the community with conservation? Try to come up with problems
the students can identify that they can then solve. Trying to bring things from the
Appalachian Trail into the community; what kind of landmarks or issues can they
identify Iike watersheds, water quality, and Rivers Alive cleanup. Are meeting every
Thursday AM to brainstorm. Hopewell M.S. has several thousands dollars worth of
equipment that he's acquired over the years but hasn't seen any of the other Schools in
Milton doing anything with the program. There are lots of places around the schools to
sample water. It's real science, a good thing to do. Jennifer Shamps will be taking over
for Tom as he is retiring after this year. One thing he'd like to have is a GIS map that
shows water features. Hwy. 9 generally follows the ridgeline that defines the Big
Creek/ Chattahoochee watershed from the Little River watershed. People back then
knew what they were doing.
• HousehoId Chemical and Paint Recycling Repo : This was the first of this kind of
event for the City. Cindy said final invoice cost was $9,663, the amount in the budget
was $1.1,000. We were able to service about 200 people. Majority of material collected
was latex paint=14,000 pounds; oil -based paint = 5,000; 1,500 pounds of lawn -care
products; 500 pounds of flammables. Ended up costing around $50/car. People brought
more then we had estimated. Because recycling latex costs much more, it is dried and
put into landfills. Oil -based is burned in trash to energy plants. Are asking for the city
to fund two more events. Budget being voted on in late September. Boy Scouts are also
holding a paint -recycling event but will charge $3/ can.
• National Wildlife Federation Communi Wildlife Habitat Certification: In terms of
points, we achieved 494 points and needed 450. Still need a copy of the scrapbook and
links on the City website to other conservation sites. Sarah Ellison is putting together
virtual garden tour which will also be on the City's website. We've scheduled a
Milton Grows Green Committee Meeting Minutes, August 14, 2013 [APPROVEL)l
ALL MILTON GROWS GREEN Doc[T�Trs ARE PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER WITH AT LEAST 35% POST - CONSUMER CONTENT.
certification ceremony at Friendship Community Park 7:00 pm, either Sept. 17 or 24th.
Will have, as part of the program, a tour of the garden at Crabapple Crossing E.S.
People from NWF HQ in Washington DC will be there. The contest Sarah organized for
the high -end garden signs was instrumental in getting the great number of residential
signups that occurred in the last month. It pushed us to meet our goals. The Girl Scouts
paid for the signs. NWF has a self -reporting system as to what people provide in their
yards — food, water, places to raise young, shelter and preferable if area is gardened
organically. Number of different requirements — lectures, business, public areas
certifications, plant rescue, publicity on program, etc. Hostas, iris, some azaleas and
daylilies most prevalent plants rescued. Plants will be rescued from Library site and
Bell Memorial Park.
• Crabapple Antiques and Arts Fair: Scheduled October 5 h. Plant sale possible to raise
money for the NWF project. Trying to utilize plants from Bell Memorial and not just
have them bulldozed. Michele McIntosh -Ross is organizing rescue. Will need
volunteers to man MGG tent and help put together Home Depot bird feeders. Horne
Depot is donating 100 but has another event that day so can't provide supervision.
• Rivers Alive: Is going to be held October 19''. Jack has divided up City into 4 quadrants
and has assigned them to volunteers to scope out streams for cleanup. Rivers Alive is a
Dept. of Natural Resources program conducted every year in the fall and uses the
Bailey Farms and Garden as the staging area. We rely heavily on kids to do actual
cleanup, YMSL, H.S. French Club. Stuff too big to take back to Bailey's is left on the side
of the road for the Public Works Dept. to pick up. There are Iots of sites.
• Evergreen Schools: Think grants from the City will be around $1,500. Need to look at
what school programs are going on and what might fit for environmental funding.
Money can be used as a stimulus to initiate something if there is a PTA person or
environmental club at the school to coordinate the project.
IV. Old Business
• Bulky Trash Collection: September 14t' with Roswell by their Recycle facility.
Furniture goes to Furniture Bank if it's usable. Electronics should be highlighted since
people don't realize they can bring these too. Because it's at a Roswell facility, they
want to do things that don't compete with their recycling center. Alpharetta has
curbside service so they're not involved in this.
• Boy Scouts Paper Shredding_ Event: BSA Troop 3000 has expressed an interest in doing
this. Cindy gets calls all the time asking if the City does this. The paper is recycled. It
could be held in a school parking lot. Cindy can find someone who will do it just for the
promotion.
Meeting Adjourned at 8:00 PM
f
ATTEST:
Jack Lindon, Co -chart Francia Lindon, ecretary
Milton Grows Green Committee Meeting Minutes, August 14, 2013 [APPROVER] 2