Stormwater Stakeholder Advisory Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Stormwater Stakeholder Advisory Committee met on September 9, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Phoenix Building – 3rd Floor Conference Room, with Amy Sohner presiding. The meeting covered 7 agenda items in total, including the approval of previous meeting minutes, several informational presentations, and committee membership matters. Over the course of the meeting, 2 votes were taken — one to approve the minutes from the June 3, 2022 meeting, and one addressing the expired Watershed At-Large Seats for the Cane Run and Kentucky River watersheds. Members also heard 3 informational presentations focused on urban greenspace and tree-related stormwater topics, covering the Greenspace Trust's community partnership work, urban riparian reforestation for stormwater quality improvement, and the use of trees in stormwater basins to increase urban tree canopy. The meeting concluded with discussion of potential topics for a future meeting and general announcements, and 2 public comments were heard during the session.

Attendance

The following 39 members were present at the September 9, 2022 committee meeting:

Eileen Burk, Doug Burton, Jennifer Carey, Jim Conner, Ken Cooke, Amanda Gumbert, Don Hill, Elizabeth McGee Lewis, Tresine Logsdon, Charlie Martin, Tom Martin, Mary Murray, Meredith Price, Scott Smith, Amy Sohner, Jason Unrine, Jerry Weisenfluh, Jack Wilson, Denice Bullock, Jeffinisha Cobb, Sarah Donaldson, Gabe Hensley, Becky Irwin, Greg Lubeck, Frank Mabson, Demetria Kimball Mehlhorn, Jennifer Myatt, Lindsie Nicholas, Angela Poe, Abby Terry, Richard Walker, Heather Wilson, Ken Johnson, Brad Lee, Sam Lee, Malissa McAlister, Peyton Mills, Kenton Sena, and Mike Woolum.

No members were recorded as absent or late.

Votes and Decisions

Two motions were brought before the committee during the September 9, 2022 meeting, both of which passed unanimously.

• Approval of June 3, 2022 Meeting Minutes 0:33: A motion to approve the minutes from the June 3, 2022 meeting was made by Jennifer Carey and seconded by Eileen Burk. The motion passed unanimously. No roll call vote was recorded.

• Reappointment of At-Large Watershed Seats 1:40:01: A motion to reappoint Eileen Burk and Jim Conner to Watershed At-Large seats was made by Ken Cooke and seconded by Jennifer Carey. The motion passed unanimously. No roll call vote was recorded.

Budget and Financial Actions

The committee addressed two financial items during the September 9, 2022 meeting involving project funding allocations.

• Dantzler Court Project: A grant of $16,000 was discussed in connection with the Dantzler Court project. No vendor or recipient name was identified in the meeting materials, and no resolution number was associated with this item.

• Eureka Springs Project: An appropriation of $25,000 was considered for the Eureka Springs project. As with the Dantzler Court item, no specific vendor, recipient, or resolution identifier was recorded in the available meeting data.

No additional budget resolutions, contract awards, or fiscal actions were documented for this meeting. Resolution numbers and vendor details were not available for either item.

Public Comment

Two members of the public addressed the committee during the public comment period.

Ken Cooke 21:23 spoke about the potential for adapting the Greenspace Trust model for smaller communities. Cooke's remarks focused on the possibilities such an adaptation might offer, as well as the challenges posed by local ordinances that could complicate implementation.

Scott Smith 30:04 raised concerns about the city's approach to abandoned properties. Smith addressed the potential for using condemnation as a tool to acquire such properties, suggesting this as a possible avenue for the city to consider in addressing the issue.

Appointments

The committee took action on two reappointments during the meeting. Both appointments were for At-Large positions on the Watershed body.

• Eileen Burk was reappointed to the Watershed At-Large position.
• Jim Conner was reappointed to the Watershed At-Large position.

No additional details regarding term lengths, vote counts, or discussion were available in the meeting record for these appointments.

Contested Items

• Abandoned Properties and Condemnation: The committee engaged in a heated discussion regarding the city's approach to handling abandoned properties, specifically around whether condemnation should be used as a tool to acquire them. The structured data available for this meeting does not specify which individual members were on opposing sides of the debate, nor does it record a definitive outcome or resolution reached during the discussion.

Approval of 6/3/2022 Minutes

0:33

The committee took up the approval of minutes from its June 3, 2022 meeting as the first item of business. Key speakers during this portion of the meeting included Amy Sohner, Jennifer Carey, and Eileen Burk.

The committee reviewed the minutes from the prior meeting and moved forward with their approval. No significant concerns or debates regarding the content of the minutes were noted in the record.

• Outcome: The minutes from the June 3, 2022 meeting were approved.

Greenspace Trust: Partnering with the Community to Improve Underutilized Greensp

1:04

Demetria Kimball Mehlhorn delivered a presentation to the committee on the Greenspace Trust's work to improve underutilized greenspaces through community partnerships. The item was informational in nature, with no vote or formal action taken by the committee.

The presentation focused on the Greenspace Trust's efforts to engage with communities as part of its approach to revitalizing greenspaces that are currently underused. No additional details regarding specific projects, locations, funding figures, or partnership structures are available from the provided meeting record.

The outcome of this agenda item was informational, meaning it served to update committee members on the Greenspace Trust's activities and direction rather than to seek approval or authorization for any specific action.

Urban Riparian Reforestation for Stormwater Quality Improvement

31:44

Kenton Sena and Peyton Mills delivered a presentation on urban riparian reforestation and its role in improving stormwater quality. The presentation covered the ecological impacts of urbanization and the potential benefits of restoring tree cover along urban waterways and riparian corridors.

The item was informational in nature, with no formal action or vote taken by the committee.

Utilizing Trees in Stormwater Basins to Increase Urban Tree Canopy

58:16

Heather Wilson presented agenda item 4, which focused on the role of trees in urban environments and the potential for stormwater basins to serve as sites for expanding the urban tree canopy.

Wilson's presentation was informational in nature, covering the importance of trees within urban settings and how existing stormwater basin infrastructure could be leveraged as an opportunity to increase tree canopy coverage across the city. The session was intended to inform committee members on this approach rather than to seek a vote or formal action.

No additional outcome or formal decision resulted from this agenda item, as it was presented as an informational briefing for the committee.

Expired Watershed At-Large Seats (Cane Run & Kentucky River)

1:40:01

The committee took up the matter of filling expired Watershed At-Large seats for the Cane Run and Kentucky River watersheds. Key speakers on this item included Lindsay Nicholas, Ken Cooke, and Jennifer Carey.

The discussion centered on the reappointment of two individuals to these seats:

• Eileen Burk — proposed for reappointment to one of the Watershed At-Large seats
• Jim Conner — proposed for reappointment to the other Watershed At-Large seat

The committee reviewed the reappointments and moved forward with approval. The item was ultimately approved by the committee.

Potential Topics for Next Meeting

1:41:01

The committee briefly discussed potential topics to be taken up at its next meeting. Lindsay Nicholas led this portion of the discussion, identifying two items as candidates for future consideration:

• West Hickman Watershed Management Plan update — A status update on the West Hickman Watershed Management Plan was identified as a potential agenda item.
• UK's PFAS sampling — An update on the University of Kentucky's PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) sampling efforts was also flagged as a topic of interest for the committee.

No formal votes or decisions were taken on this item; the discussion was informational in nature.

Announcements

1:48:03

During this portion of the meeting, Lindsay Nicholas presented various announcements covering upcoming events and training sessions. The discussion was informational in nature, with no decisions or votes required from the Committee.

No further details regarding the specific events or training sessions mentioned were recorded in the available meeting data.