Tri-City Sustainability Plan Minutes

Development Team Meeting - Tuesday, April 21, 2009

www.alherbel.com/SustainableCommunities.htm


Attendees: H.Brandt, C.Conway, L.Danielzuk, H.Duncan, A.Herbel, L.Herbel, C.Koehn, R.Manasek, L.Morrison.

Excused: L.Cooper, D.Gentry, J.Haberman, J.Velde

 

Definition of Sustainability / discussion

            “Meeting our needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” – from the 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Report)

=  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =

 

 Our Community Sustainability Mission:

“The mission of the Tri-Cities sustainability effort is to promote the healthy well-being of its citizens in a sustainable environment that brings economic benefits to the citizens and governmental entities, now and in the future.”

 

Approval of Minutes

Motion made to approve April 7 minutes by H.Brandt, L.Morrison second, motion passed.

 

New Business

Ground rules established to examine why our last meeting happened as it did, and not what specific events occurred.  Quoting a page or so from Spencer Johnson MD, “Who Moved My Cheese”, we discussed the dynamics of how change affects people, and the challenge of change our communities now face.

Discussion on acceptance of work by the Tri-City Sustainability Plan (TCSP) development team from the Gering City Council due to problems with the Gering Landfill operations arose.  A.Herbel asked how many times had the landfill been a topic of discussion since TCSP team meetings began?  With heads shaking “no”, this was the first and only meeting the Gering landfill became a topic.  Perceptions of alternative motives are easy to propagate when the fear of change threatens the core of political and administrative powers.  It was good to lay bare perceived motives of city council or others, so we needed to discuss it here.  The Gering Landfill was never a point of contention or focus for the TCSP development.

Discussion centered on what to do as a committee:  1-abandon TCSP development;  2-work only with Terrytown, or;  3-continue with all three communities as designed.  If irreparable damage had been done via last meeting and with a feeling of no support, we as a committee were wasting our time.

We discussed support shown by Terrytown by having Councilmember Morrison always in attendance. Even when in the hospital, she had input during the community assessment portion of the Tri-City Sustainability Plan (TCSP) development.  Terrytown had 60% of its council sign up for the March 25 council workshop.  This council workshop was for council members to better understanding what sustainability is, what sustainability has meant to other communities, and some reasons our communities should adopt the Tri-City Sustainability Plan.  Councilmember Green was ill, Councilmember Morrison and Mayor Greenwalt attended both the Wednesday workshop training session, and the “Sustainable Decisions Effecting Home, Business and Community” symposium on Thursday, March 26.  Terrytown council members were supportive, positive, and engaged in both the workshop and the sustainable symposium.

Scottsbluff Mayor Meininger and Councilmember Redfern attended the workshop only.  Councilmember Redfern seemed to support workshop intention and was engaged in activities.  Mayor Meininger appeared to be less than supportive on various sustainable topics throughout the workshop.  This perceived resistance to topics presented may have been a result of misinformation previously supplied to him, or a lack of understanding for sustainable design in our future.  No Scottsbluff council representative attended the symposium on Thursday, which addressed sustainable decisions now and in the immediate future affecting our communities.  With no input from Scottsbluff in 2009, council representation to Tri-City Sustainability Plan (TCSP) meetings ended in December 2008.  Scottsbluff support for TCSP development appears very questionable.


Gering City Manager Danielzuk has attended nearly every Tri-City Sustainability Plan (TCSP) meeting.  He did attend both the council workshop session on Wednesday and the symposium on Thursday.  Gering Mayor Wiedeman on 4-7-09, proclaimed “hesitant” support for TCSP, while no council member attended either council workshop or sustainable decisions symposium, or attended any of the TCSP meetings.  Danielzuk cannot carry the city alone, so Gering council support for TCSP development is extremely questionable.

Among TCSP development team members in attendance and those offering input in absenteeism, we all wanted to continue what we perceived to be very important work on the TCSP development.  We all felt it was best to complete the communities plan for sustainability as outlined, and then present the completed plan to our councils for adoption.  We as volunteer TCSP team members are doing our best through this labor of love for our communities, and it will be up to the councils for implementation at the three council’s discretion.

Discussion then centered on how the remaining meetings would be conducted, with co-chairs emphasizing that we individually or as team members would not be exposed to verbal attacks by anyone in the future.  Discussion centered on the value of department/community leader input.  Our city governments will have to revisit each of these topics individually if we do not incorporate expert input from our communities into goals, strategies and indicators for the TCSP.  If our community department heads are not included, there will be no “buy-in” for the TCSP, a critical component for the sustainable plan adoption.  Through unanimous and immediate consent, the TCSP team will continue scheduling city and community experts for input at each meeting with agenda topics, and perhaps revisit the first topics attempted.  Danielzuk and L.Herbel would meet to schedule topic and expert input.

 

Closing Remarks / Next Team Meeting

Mutual consent was that this meeting was very valuable in that it brought a new and heightened awareness for the importance of sustainability to our communities.  We understand our role as volunteers to our communities for the future of generations yet unborn, beyond the current political processes that may not be as ready for the change our near future demands.

 

Meeting adjourned at 8:30pm.  Next meeting: May 5th at 7:00 Ref: 20090421MinutesTSCP.doc