Environmental Council
January 29, 2002
Minutes
Attending: Ben Brouwer, Dane Springmeyer, Ben Wessler, Andrea Hamre, Valerie Benka, Lori DelNegro, Oren Frey, Katy Saunders, Nan Jenks-Jay, Connie Leach Bisson, Charlotte Tate
Guests: Lisa Boudah (Director of Public Safety); Ginny Hunt (SGA)
Absent: Jon Isham, Helen Young, Charlie Sargent, Mike Moser, Kaitlin Gregg, Caitlin Hicks, Tim McCahill, Ben Wessler, Stephen Switzer, Bryan Costa, Abiezer Miranda, Erika Holsman, Erin Jensen, Sarah Herrup, Mandy Helwig
- Announcements
Acting President Ron Lebowitz will be participating in an Environmental Council meeting in February.
As a result of discussions during the last Environmental Council meeting, Connie has drafted a student employment position for Spring semester to provide on-going educational campaign to campus community to support sustainability initiatives.
- Parking Plan/Pedestrian Campus
Lisa Boudah, Director of Public Safety, provided the EC with an overview of the current parking plan. http://www.middlebury.edu/facilities/Parking.htm
Lisa used a map to highlight new parking areas and parking that will be redesignated to a different user group. Parking will include core campus, proximate and peripheral lots. As a result of more remote parking, supporting the goal of a pedestrian core, shuttle service is being explored with Addison Country Transit Resources. Lisa indicated that the pedestrian campus component of the plan is less developed.
EC members discussed summer campus parking issues and whether biking could be more prominent for these students. Members also discussed the need for overpasses at major intersections to allow bikers to get from peripheral areas back to campus safely and efficiently.
- Break time Shuttle service
Ginny Hunt from the Student Government Association indicated that SGA's initiative to coordinate shuttle service for students at break has been successful and continuing to grow. SGA contracted with K&B Taxi to run the service. 20 round-trip shuttles to Burlingtion occurred at Thanksgiving; 45 at the end of Fall term. SGA is now looking into shuttles to Manchester and Albany. Jessica's, another taxi/shuttle service, is also providing similar services. The shuttle price was $15 in December.
- Yellow Bikes
Ben Brouwer reported that 15 yellow bikes were made available to the campus community in the fall. Tags were included on the bikes to encourage feedback (repair needs, etc.) Only 5 bikes were located in December. The program needs additional help. Approximately 5 members of EQ are currently involved in organizing the Yellow Bikes.
Bikes for the program have been provided by Public Safety from their confiscated bike pile. Public Safety holds the bikes for a year to be sure that the owner was not abroad, etc.
EC members discussed other possible ways of increasing bikes on campus such as having a house, residence hall or department own a public bike (ex. Midd Dining has such a bike). A bike co-operative for first years was also suggested, or some sort of program for summer school and international students.