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December 1, 2000

TIME:
10:00 am to Noon
Friday, December 1, 2000

PLACE:
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
260 West Seeboth Street
Milwaukee, WI 53204-1446
(414) 272-5100
Hosts: Dave Fowler, Angie Tornes

AGENDA:

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Agenda Review

3. North Branch of Milwaukee River Study: Update and Action

4. State of the Basin Report Update

5. Status of Partnership Management, etc.

   • Web site

   • Newsletter

   • membership

6. Conference Planning Update

7. Other Basin Activities

   • Potential intern for storm water implementation evaluation

   • Grant proposal for Best Management Website Proposal

   • Map/brochure committee

8. Quarterly Evaluation of Partnership Progress

9. Consideration of Forming a Component to Provide Local Projects with Financial and/or Technical Assistance

10. Next Meeting Date

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December 1, 2000

Attendance:
Bob Boucher - Friends of the Menomonee River
Buffy Cheek - Schlitz Audubon Center
David Fowler - Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Sharon Gayan - Wis. Department of Natural Resources
Jim Lubner - U.W. Sea Grant Institute
Matt Moroney - Metropolitan Builders Association of Greater Milwaukee
Gretchen Messer- U.W.-Extension, Basin Educator
Dave Schlling - Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
Walter Schmitt - Conrad Technologies
Steve Seyfert - Ozaukee - Washington Land Trust
Steve Skavroneck - CBE/Independent Consultant
Angie Tornes - National Park Service
Frank Trcka - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Absent:
Kevin Dittmar - Wisconsin Board of Realtors & Milwaukee Builders Assoc.

Excused:
Joe Greco - Village of Menomonee Falls
Andy Holschbach - Ozaukee Co. Land Conservation Department

Guest:
Dale Katsma - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Scott Mathie - Metropolitan Builders Association

1. Welcome and Introductions
   The second meeting of the Milwaukee River Basin Land & Water Partner Team Executive Committee was held at the Schiltz Audubon Nature Center with Buffy Cheek serving as host. Co-Chair Angie Tornes opened the meeting at 10:00 a.m. Dale Katsma, a wildlife biologist with the WDNR was introduced. Matt Moroney introduced Scott Mathie, also with the Metropolitan Builders Association, who will be replacing him on the Executive Committee.

2. North Branch of Milwaukee River Study: Update
   Dale Katsma gave a presentation updating the Partner Team of the status of the North Branch of Milwaukee River Study. Highlights included:

   • Study area - 21,369 total acres involved

   • Public comment period officially ended November 30, 2000.

   • After discussions with stakeholders, the project was modified to include farmland and tributaries. Farmers supported the new acreage and recommended the new name include "Farming Heritage Area"

   • After reviewing the public comments, if the DNR has public support for this project, they will present the study finding to the Natural Resource Board and the Governor in May.

   • It was asked how the Partner Team could do to support the effort, and Mr. Katsma relied that comment letters of support would still be accepted. While the Partner Team does not write comment letters as a group, the individual members may write letters. Letters should be addressed to Dale Katsma or Theresa Gripentrog at the DNR.

3. State of the Basin Report

   • The report represents an inventory of the current resources within the basin. There will be a chapter on each of the five sub-watersheds

   • The report will also include a section discussing the challenges being faced regarding maintaining/improving water quality, including a table of streams which are/are not meeting their water quality potential and a compilation of monitoring efforts; and the opportunities for planning activities on recreational lands, agricultural and grasslands, and within the urban landscape.

   • A discussion of the Partner Team and other planning partnership activities will be included.

   • The report will be posted on the DNR website ­ It is being developed to be very user friendly so that students are able to easily use the material.

   • The report is scheduled to be completed by the end of January. The Partner Team will get a draft copy before the report is available for public comment.

   Dave Schilling informed the group that SEWRPC currently has a map of streams classified by water quality according to the federal classification scheme. Dave Fowler said that MMSD has information regarding habitat, organics and metals data, are currently collecting more, and are seeking funding to collect the rest.

4. Status of Partnership Management
   Angie Tornes informed the group that she had given a presentation to the Ozaukee Land Conservation Department regarding signing the Partnership Agreement. The Partner Team has mailed out 140 invitations to join, and have received few responses. It was discussed that the Partner Team members may need to personally contact those invited in order to get a better response rate. She suggested that each member send the names of three likely partners to her or Dave Fowler within the next two weeks. Gretchen Messer is to email the list of people who received invitations to the Partner Team. Follow-up calls should be made by January 15, 2001.

   Bob Boucher raised the issue of partnership purpose and suggested making the Partner Team meetings more accessible to people by meeting at night and inviting the general public to attend. After much discussion, the question of whether a group within the Partner Team should be created to field public concerns was posed. The idea of sponsoring a welcoming evening meeting or open house to provide a formal presentation to the public was discussed. Matt Moroney stated that the group needed more business-based groups to obtain more credibility. Scott Mathie volunteered to investigate business partners who may be interested in joining the Partner Team.

   Gretchen Messer handed out a request for responses regarding the upcoming Statewide Partnership Summit. The proposed agenda centers on hearing various success stories from Partner Teams across the state. The survey is intended to determine whether this agenda sufficiently met the needs of the partner teams. The group discussed that more practical training would be more useful.

5. Conference Planning Update
   Angie Tornes handed out an update from the Partner Team Conference Planning Committee and asked members to attend the next committee meeting scheduled for December 19th at the DNR office from 1:00 ­ 3:00 pm.

6. Other Basin Activities

   Potential Intern:
   Gretchen Messer informed the Partner Team that UW-Madison Department of Urban and Regional Planning had accepted the Partner Team¹s proposed project for a summer intern and would post the position for the students. No students had inquired to date. Dave Fowler stated that the MMSD intern had completed a listing of municipalities that had developed stormwater ordinances. Sharon Gayan stated that with regard to the proposed summer intern project, an assessment of stormwater regulations would be inappropriate as the Permits are too new.

   Best Management Video:
   Angie Tornes informed the group that she had met with the Fox River Partner Team regarding developing a video for local planning commissions to share a "code of responsibility" from experienced planners with new or incoming decision makers and planners. members stated they would support the Partner Team¹s involvement in this project.

   Other:
   Angie Tornes informed the group of a new initiate to provide 5 resident artists nationwide who would work with communities involved in NPS projects to link the river to the communities through art. This program is being sponsored by the National Park Service through a National Endowment for the Arts grant. She is advocating an artist be placed in Milwaukee.

   Mary Beth Driscoll reported on the Southeast Wisconsin Beach Task Force. An initial meeting of 200 people attended the first public meeting at South Shore Park. According to the Task Force, research efforts to determine the source(s) of pathogenic contaminants into Lake Michigan will continue into 2002.

   Sharon Gayan reported on the status of several dam removal projects.

   Angie Tornes reported on the "Technopole Concept" for the Milwaukee River presented at the Wisconsin Economic Summit.

   The remaining agenda items (Quarterly Evaluation of Partnership Progress, and Consideration of Forming a Component to Provide Local Projects with Financial and/or Technical Assistance) were not discussed due to lack of time, and would be placed on the next meeting agenda

7. Next Meeting Date
   The next meeting was set for:

   10:00 am, March 15, 2001
   Washington County Public Agency Center
   333 East Washington Street,
   West Bend

   The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 noon with no comments from the public.

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