HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-10-2025 Fairhope Environmental Advisory Board Minutes
MEETING MINUTES ~ ANNUAL CITY STRATEGY SESSION
JANUARY 10, 2025 / 3 - 4 PM, FAIRHOPE PUBLIC LIBRARY ~ 2ND FLOOR MEETING ROOM
ATTENDEES
COF Officials: Christina LeJeune, Nicole Love, Justin Hammers
FEAB Board Members: Amy Paulson, Ben Frater, Gary Gover, Jim Horner, Carl Couret, Nigel Temple, Steven
Scyphers, Jennifer Foutch
FEAB Members Absent: Anna Miller
Official Quorum Count: 8/9
FEAB Active Participants: Sarah Bogdanovich, Sarah Chandler, Jeanine Normand
Honored Guests NA
Minutes Author: Nigel Temple
Commencement: Amy called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.
DETAILED MINUTES
1. Housekeeping
a. Previous month’s minutes approved - unanimously
2. 2024 In Review
a. Successes: What Accomplishments are we most proud of in 2024?
1. Facilitated broad partnerships/collaborations - FEAB has become a great network of
environmental professionals that has helped create connections and successes for the City
and beyond (i.e. USA students, Eagle Scouts).
2. Greenspace Assessment – initiated a comprehensive accounting of greenspaces supporting
CoF Land Use Plan (Ben!)
3. Provided Letters of Support to CoF grant proposals (e.g., Fly Creek bridge)
4. Supported City requests for feedback for LUP, Flying Creek Nature Park, Winn Dixie Pond,
water conservation. Our advisory support strengthened these initiatives.
5. Created, executed, implemented many SWaMP / compost subcommittee projects. Engaged
~5 community organizations, which will allow us to launch composting activities at their sites
in 2025 (Sarah B!)
6. Supported CoF stormwater infrastructure inventory (Jim!). The impact will be to water
quality and better subdivision requirements.
7. Butterfly Garden: assisted project success (Mayor engaged FEAB, grant money acquired;
FEAB properly advised CoF) (Carol!)
8. Secured Pier signage funding (Steven!)
a. Lessons Learned:
1. Critical to understand and invest in relationships with various City personnel / functions.
2. It was ok to stop attending Council meetings and focus our time on our listed priorities.
Because we have spent years building our trusted advisor position, we got the environmental
items we needed funneled to us in other forums.
b. Priorities:
1. Deprecated
a. Attendance at City Council Meetings (outcome not worth the effort - we have
established a successful process for the City to engage our assistance as needed that
does not require us attending all meetings. Member effort / precious available time can
be focused on projects/ subcommittees instead.)
b. Focus on water conservation will be embedded into other priorities, (i.e., water quality
as part of stormwater infrastructure/adaptive strategies; wetland, subdivision (turf
management), or gully regulations; greenspace management) or in response to City
requests.
c. Moved Community Resilience Index ball as far as we could; dropping unless re-engaged
by CoF.
2. Enduring / Expanded
a. Expand Greenspace - continue to develop priorities in concert with Land Use Plan
i. Action item - Connect Ben with Michelle Melton around repetitive flood loss
areas
b. Expand composting outreach, including MRF marketing
3. Brainstormed New Ideas for projects in 2025 (discussion only - these were not necessarily
approved for action at this time)
a. What role should we have in the stormwater infrastructure project (recently awarded to
Thompson)
b. Eagle Reefs
c. Safe Streets for All (green space?)
d. Review pier signage
4. Wrap Up
a. Involvement & Education Opportunities
i. Green Drinks: 1/22 Mobile Baykeeper - Monkey Bar, 5-7
c. Future Agenda Items
i. Feb: Greenspace Working Group - Presentation & 2025 Roadmap
ii. Mar: Greener By the Yard, Guest: Johanna
iii. April/May: annual meeting with CoF
d. Future: Rhydonna Mosely, FEEF - Pelican’s Nest
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 4:15 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: standard
FEAB CONTACT INFORMATION:
Chairperson:
Amy Paulson amy.paulson@yahoo.com (251) 654-7401
Board Members:
Carl Couret ccouretjr@yahoo.com TBD
Jennifer Foutch Foutch.jennifer@gmail.com (618) 318-0354
Ben Frater ben.frater@gmail.com (404) 314-8815
Gary Gover govers@bellsouth.net (251) 990-8662
Jim Horner none (251) 928-9722
Anna Miller anna@keenliving.pro (251) 279-0395
Steven Scyphers sscyphers@southalabama.edu (334) 701-8864
Nigel Temple 757nigel@gmail.com (757) 803-3589
Active Participants
Lance Slater lanceslater@gmail.com
Sarah Bogdanovich smbogdanovitch@gmail.com (727) 421-7321
Sarah Chandler sarahchandler504@gmail.com (504) 239-6651
Jamie Crawford 7jamiecrawford7@gmail.com TBD
Cynthia Rush crush300@gmail.com (251) 223-3880
Carole Tebay cftebay@gmail.com (850) 466-6592
CITY CONTACTS:
Corey Martin, COF City Council corey.martin@fairhopeal.gov
Nicole Love, COF Grants Coordinator nicole.love@fairhopeal.gov
Christina LeJeune,COF Planning and Zoning Department christina.lejeune@fairhopeal.gov
Justin Hammers, COF Urban Forrester justin.hammers@fairhopeal.gov