November 16, 2002 Ambler EAC Meeting Minutes

Written By Ambler EAC

Ambler EAC

Meeting Minutes

November 16th, 7pm

Meeting Held at Ambler Borough Hall 

Link to original Meeting Minutes Document with alpha numerical sections

Attendees

Members: Wes Pipitone, Hannah Lloyd, Jill Sanchez, Nancy Roecker-Coates, William Nassau

Visitors: Rick Denzien, Barbara & Jeremy Wall, Rob, 

Absent: Kirsten Puskar, Shelly Grinar Boyd  


  • Call to Order / Introductions (7:00-7:10)

    • Visitors stated their names and what brings them to our meeting. 


  • Presentation: Before-After-Control-Impact study on plastics, Megan Fork, Biology faculty member at West Chester University 

    1. Also on Sustainability Advisory Council of West Chester 

    2. Her focus is on plastic bans effect on waterways

    3. Looking to do a before an after control impact study

    4. What does this mean for the Ambler EAC / Ambler Borough?

      1. Letter of support for Megan to apply for grant funding

      2. Willingness to participate

      3. Further meetings / discussion

      4. NO COST TO AMBLER 

    5. What Megan and her team would do?

      1. A stream study and clean up - monthly

      2. Data collection and observation by Megan and a team of students 

      3. Identify which water way(s) to study 

      4. Map the watershed with GIS software

    6. Compare streams in townships with no single use plastic bans or plans to pass one to township streams that have a ban during the duration of the study.

    7. Compare data before and after the ban takes effect

    8. Study control: look at creeks with similar size watersheds that don’t span multiple townships 

    9. EAC would need to pause litter clean ups during the study.

    10. Ambler would be the baseline for how to run other similar future studies. 

    11. Potential start date: January 2023 for a year total

      1. Would like 2-3 measurements before the ban takes effect

      2. Several months of data collection post the ban taking effect 

    12. EAC actionables: 

      1. Contact Borough Council to get advice / support.

      2. Find out who will write a letter of support.

      3. Nancy will contact Ambler Borough 


  • Ways to Get Involved (7:10-7:15) 

    1. Plant trees in Ambler Borough

      1. Saturday November 19 at 9am. Contact amblereac@gmail.com to volunteer

    2. Join the Ambler EAC on a Hike and Brew 

      1. Sunday December 4 at 11am

      2. Meet at the Ambler Post Office

      3. Ending at Forest and Main 

      4. Will hike around a local trail 

        1. Path and educational element to be determined 

    3. Add soil, splash rock and perennials to downtown downspout planters - date TBD. 

    4. Paint a rain barrel for Mattie Dixon - Mattie Dixon to supply paint that matches their building. Date TBD   

      1. Visitor interest 



  • EAC Updates (7:20-7:55) 

    1. Salt Watcher Update - Wissahickon Trails 

      1. Table for next meeting to discuss 

    2. Winterized 5 downtown rain barrels

      1. The EAC gathered to winterise local rain barrels after the last meeting. 

      2. If the barrels stay connected over the winter they can get damaged by freezing water. 

      3. EAC cleaned, disconnected and capped the downspouts 

    3. Earthfest Steering Committee Meeting Kicked-off 

      1. EAC preferred date April 29 

      2. Need to have final approval on the date before this becomes official

        1. Follow up - Wes

      3. Looking to expand this year's event into Cavalier parking lot. 

      4. Need to check with the local businesses neighboring the parking lot and ensure there are no other conflicting events. 

    4. Table at Ambler Community Garden Fall Fest November 5

      1. Provided information on the EAC and a scavenger hunt for the kids with a hot chocolate voucher from Sweet Briar 

        1. Thank you Sweet Briar for the hot chocolate vouchers! 

    5. Business Request - Downtown Downspout Planter Box.

      1. This planter was removed and is in storage. 

        1. Thank you Marco Resente for taking care of this for the EAC.

        2. One potential interest in homing this planter, Hannah will follow up. 

        3. Still looking for suggestions if anyone has one for a new home.

    6. Hike and Brew - determine hike details.  

      1. Will reveal more information on this if / when the educator is confirmed. 

      2. Nancy to follow up with the potential speaker. 

    7. EAC Committees - Discuss committees 

      1. Are there any that are no longer active that we can remove from our agendas? 

        1. Remove from agenda for at least the time being: open space committee, creek monitoring 

        2. Education and outreach committee: 

          1. Within this committee: the pollinator program was run by a member who was teaching at Penn State and this would provide residents with native pollinators and houses for them (leaf cutter and mason bees) which are solitary and friendly bees. This program would also educate people on how to garden for native pollinators. 

          2. This program is no longer active and will be taken off of the agenda. Until another member or volunteer wants to take over. Would love for any members, volunteers or students to champion this if there is interest.

          3. There seems to still be a strong need for an education and outreach component to the EAC, regardless of whether or not the program changes names slightly and the goal shifts. 

            1. Things that we want to focus on that could fall under this umbrella:

              1. Wayside signage to educate on parks

              2. HIke and Brew 

              3. Children's activities 

              4. Partnerships with local teachers etc.

              5. Even Earth Fest could land here


  • Committee Chairs (7:55-8:20) No new updates from Climate Action Committee, Open Space Committee, Creek Monitoring on Rose-Valley Creek. 


  • Education and Outreach Committee (Shelly - has missed 14 consecutive monthly meeting) 

    1. No new updates.


  • Treasurer (Wes)

    1. EAC Budget: The Ambler EAC presented to Borough Council at yesterday's meeting.

      1. Created and presented on the EAC’s accomplishments for the year along with some of our requests. 

      2. Wayside signage request:

        1. Still looking for some feedback on this request to budget this with the cost of writing, research and graphics being covered by EAC labor and volunteer effort.

        2. Focus on Ambler Borough Park first. 

    2. About $100 and change left in the budget. 

    3. Looking to get hats made:

      1. Maybe we could order patches instead of hats?

      2. Looking into other companies that could provide this or a similar service. 


  • Keep Ambler Beautiful Committee (Nancy) 

    1. Cell phone Recycling Program

      1. Boxes are at the Wissahickon Valley Libraries

      2. In collaboration with Whitpain EAC

      3. Benefits Laurel House

      4. EAC is doing social media to help promote this. 

      5. It looks hopeful that this program will continue. 

    2.  Storm water filters            

      1. Research on this is still ongoing.  

      2. More on the product below:

      3.  https://soptechint.com/our-technology                                                                                                                               

SOP Technologies: Our patented storm drain filters have been operating for several years in the field, and provide communities with three major benefits: 

Pollution Prevention: Less pollution going into rivers, lakes, beaches and the ocean

Flood Prevention: Less floods due to clogged stormwater pipes

Reduced Stormwater Management Costs: Lower costs for cities to maintain their stormwater drainage system


  • Litter/Trash ordinances 

    1. Research continuing and in relevance to today's presentation.

    2. We follow the states litter ordinance, don't have our own

    3. Property owners are responsible for litter on their own property regardless of how it got there but there is no reinforcement. 

    4. Above should not include brushing or blowing the litter (such as cigarette butts) off the property and into public areas (such as streets). 

    5. Ideas: create programs to incentivise picking up litter and what that would benefit you with.

      1. Example: Local coupons (for adults and kids).

  • Plastics Ordinance education

    1. Covered during the presentation.

  • Signage for Ambler Borough Park

Nancy called Pannier Graphics for a quote:

Double Inline Wayside

Two 36”x48” panels $495 each

Aluminum base $1300-$1400

Shipping $200

  • MLK day of service 

    1. EAC can provide bags and gloves for independent clean ups.

    2. This would take place in January.


  • Shade Trees Committee (Jill)

    1. 38 new trees will be planted in Ambler this November

      1. Ambler Borough will pick up and drop off the trees on Thursday

      2. Weavers Way got 4 trees

      3. Hope Garden will get 7 trees

      4. Ambler Community Garden will get a serviceberry, which is an editable tree (berries) 

      5. The rest are residential trees

      6. Our two tree tenders who are students gathered lots of volunteers for us, THANK YOU Alaina and Chloe!


  • Climate Action Committee

  • No new Business

  • New business (8:20-8:25)

  • Discuss December EAC Meeting

    1. Typically our December meeting is a social

    2. Hike and Brew will be the public social 

  • Earthfest 2023

  • Confirm Earthfest Date.

    1. Still looking for confirmation from local organizers and organizations. 

  • Determine Earthfest steering committee next meeting date

  • Public comments (8:25-8:30)

    1. Storm intensities causes increasing concerns for Ambler locals:

      1. How this relates to energy generation

      2. Many power outages end in generators being turned on, which is a high source of pollution and is in turn through climate change feeding the future of increased storms 

      3. CCA for PA was brought up by a guest

      4. Community choice aggregation energy: fossil fuel vs clean energy 

      5. Visitor would like to speak to and research more into how to gain funding for building clean energy sources - such as rooftop solar or covering parking lots with solar panels and in turn feed this into a battery. 

      6. Visitor Rick Denzien would like to present more on this at a future meeting. 

      7. Blue Sky Laws of PA are an obstacle for this. 

  • Updates from Borough Council: 

    1. none

  • Closing Thoughts (8:30-8:50) 

    1. none

  • Next meeting: Wednesday January 18th, 2022 at 7:00pm (8:50-8:55)

Adjournment (8:55-9:00)

Ambler EAC
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