--- ## author: Hannah Dunn date: D:20260611132037-05'00' --- 1 ## REGULAR MEETING ## OAKDALE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION ## MAY 18, 2026 ## CALL TO ORDER The Oakdale Environmental Management Commission (EMC) held a meeting on Monday, May 18, 2026 at Oakdale City Hall, 1584 Hadley Avenue North, Oakdale, Minnesota. The meeting began at 7:00 PM. ## CALL OF ROLL On a call of roll, the following were present: ## Commissioners: Tim Doolittle, Vice Chairperson ## Justin Brendon ## Katie Lasch ## Chang Yang ## Not Present: Noah Gerding, Chairperson ## Laura Fenstermaker, Commissioner Also Present: Hannah Dunn, Sr. Community Development Specialist and City Staff ## Liaison ## Quorum Present: YES ☒ NO ☐ ## PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ## APPROVAL OF AGENDA ## A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER LASCH, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER YANG, TO ## APPROVE THE AGENDA OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF MAY 18, 2026 AS PRESENTED. ## 4 AYES ## 0 NAYS ## MOTION CARRIED ## APPROVAL OF MINUTES ## A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER BRENDON, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LASCH, ## TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 16, 2026 AS WRITTEN. ## 4 AYES ## 0 NAYS ## MOTION CARRIED ## REGULAR MEETING MINUTES ## ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION ## MAY 18, 2026 2 ## OPEN FORUM Vice Chair Doolittle invited comments from the audience. No comments were heard. ## a. Guest Presentation – LHB (Community-Wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data) The Environmental Management Commission received a presentation from staff members at LHB, the consulting firm that was hired by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to update community-wide greenhouse gas inventories for communities that were awarded the Local Climate Action Planning Grant. The presenters went over emissions data for Oakdale for three sectors – travel, energy, and waste – and allowed Commissioners to ask questions about the data. In response to Vice Chair Doolittle’s question about resources and success stories that the Environmental Management Commission should know about, the presenters shared that subsidies have been critical for reducing commercial and industrial electricity use. Some cities have worked with larger and smaller businesses within their communities to connect them with resources. Additionally, reducing electricity load for large commercial and industrial customers can benefit the whole community by reducing rates. St. Louis Park, for example, has a program where the city pays part of the cost for energy audits for larger commercial and industrial businesses. Other opportunities to encourage these customers to conduct energy audits and reduce electricity include revolving loans or grants. Lastly, sustainable building policies can help incentivize new construction to go beyond State Building Codes. Following the presentation, the Environmental Management Commission discussed ways to get information about energy efficiency and electric alternatives directly to homeowners when major home appliances need to be replaced. There was also conversation about finding out information regarding electric heat pump prices and the return on investment if a homeowner switches from a utility gas furnace to this alternative. Additionally, Commissioners talked about State Building Codes, new construction, and opportunities to incentivize and subsidize new buildings to be efficient. ## ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION REVIEW ## a. OLD BUSINESS ## i. 2026 Eco Fair Recap Staff Liaison Dunn recapped the 2026 Eco Fair and thanked the Commissioners for their help at the event. Commissioners were invited to share their thoughts and feedback on what went well and what could be improved. The Environmental Management Commission provided the following thoughts and feedback: • The 2026 Eco Fair was very successful. • Many attendees heard about the event on Facebook. ## REGULAR MEETING MINUTES ## ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION ## MAY 18, 2026 3 • There was the suggestion to have everything, including family-friendly activities, inside when the weather is not ideal, if space allows. • If the event continues at Castle Elementary School, there was discussion about the parking lot capacity. It was suggested that vendors park in the overflow area to leave the rest of the school’s lot open for attendees. • The possibility of a larger venue was discussed, where the two parts of the event could be in the same space. • It was also suggested to host the Eco Fair and Clothing Swap at the new Public Works facility. • A venue bigger than Castle Elementary School would be especially useful for the Clothing Swap portion in order to spread the clothes out more and create an easier experience for looking through the items. • The City can find ways to share resources at their table for energy efficiency and home improvements. ## b. NEW BUSINESS ## i. Wetland and Water Resource Education Campaign Staff Liaison Dunn summarized past conversations among the Environmental Management Commission about wetlands and water resources. She then allowed Commissioners to provide their input on the potential education campaign. Vice Chair Doolittle shared that navigating water resources, stakeholders, and the approval process can be very confusing for homeowners and residents. He also noted that it can be difficult to find necessary information on the City’s website. One resource that he has found useful is the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) LakeFinder. The Environmental Management Commission would like to bring together potential resources from relevant organizations and agencies so that residents only have to visit the City’s website. Commissioners felt that streamlining the City’s website to make it easier for people to find information is important. Commissioners also suggested providing a comprehensive overview of the various plans that Oakdale has in place for wetlands and water resources. There were comments that webpage content could then turn into tabling materials for events. Vice Chair Doolittle observed that there are likely two reasons a resident is visiting the City webpage. One is that they want to learn more about their property and the second is that they have a problem to solve. Commissioner Lasch commented that people need to know where to go next. Vice Chair Doolittle and Commissioner Yang agreed that the City should do more than simply provide links on its website. They suggested that the City explore ways to enable residents to access and search information hosted on external websites directly through the City’s website. ## REGULAR MEETING MINUTES ## ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION ## MAY 18, 2026 4 Commission Brendon pointed out that residents do not know what they do not know and the Environmental Management Commission can play a role in shedding light on the availability of certain resources. Commissioner Yang stated that other information to share is what property owners directly adjacent to City-owned wetlands can do. The Environmental Management Commission agreed to continue the conversation at the June meeting. ## OTHER ## i. Staff Liaison Update(s) The monthly Editorial Calendar themes for May, June, and July were discussed. Staff Liaison Dunn also shared a few general updates. • Following a recent resignation, there is now a vacancy on the Environmental Management Commission. It is encouraged that Commissioners share the vacancy with friends, family, and neighbors. • The updated 2026 EMC Work Plan was approved by the City Council at their March 14, 2026 regular meeting. • Hard copies of the Park System Plan have been provided to the Commission. • The City of Oakdale received the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Local Climate Action Planning Grant. ## ii. Commissioner Update(s)* No Commissioners provided updates. ## iii. Council Liaison Update(s)* Mayor Zabel was not in attendance. ## NEXT MEETING DATE The next meeting of the EMC will be Monday, June 15, 2026 at the Discovery Center. ## ADJOURNMENT ## A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER BRENDON, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER YANG, ## TO ADJOURN THE MAY 18, 2026 REGULAR MEETING OF THE OAKDALE ENVIRONMENTAL ## MANAGEMENT COMMISSION AT 8:56 PM. ## 4 AYES ## 0 NAYS ## REGULAR MEETING MINUTES ## ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION ## MAY 18, 2026 5 ## MOTION CARRIED ## Meeting Adjourned Respectfully submitted, ## Hannah Dunn ## Sr. Community Development Specialist