Charlestown Township
Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC)
Meeting Minutes
Monday, March 10, 2025

Armstrong opened the meeting at 7:14.

Attendees:
Carol Armstrong (Chair), Dan Walker (Vice-chair), Meg Solomon (Secretary), Jill Green, Pete Goodman, Anu Soundararajan, Faith Talnack, Sarah Pickering

March Minutes approved.

Place Holders

(Reminder of EAC-initiated projects for next 6+ months):

New Business

  1. Bird Town and policy regarding mowing of fields at Brightside Farm Park - Goodman to get recommendation about mowing policy from Bird Town.

Old Business

  1. Review of BoS, PC, P&R meeting highlights – (Green - BoS, Walker - PC, Armstrong - P&R). BoS gave approval for the EAC to apply to the PA Historical Marker Association to get a Kwiamwis Siputët sign.
  2. Ordinances on Release of plastic balloons into the environment. – will not be pursued at this time. Moving to Placeholders next month.
  3. Adoption by EAC of Charlestown Road for PennDOT – next clean-up April 5th, 7-10AM. Green to contact P&R to get it on their website and Facebook pages. Promotional materials need to be posted. Green to contact Audrey Song from Ecology Club at GVHS - Armstrong wants a liability release signed by anyone who brings minors. Green to follow-up with the township to see if we have a broader township liability coverage for all minors involved in township work events.
  4. Creation of EAC Events calendar, Social media subcommittee of EAC – Green will share the calendar of EAC activities (those that are known for 2025) with P&R. Green went to meeting but was not able to discuss with McKenzie, who maintains the P&R schedule of events. Green will create a simplified list of upcoming EAC events for the year and find out how to post it on the township webpage with a link to EAC page where full calendar will be posted (see current P&R event). Also the simplified list should be posted on the Charlestown Facebook page.
  5. Bird Town Update – we are now at the highest level (gold). Installed 2 additional Barn Owl boxes. Two additional Kestral boxes are left to be installed.
  6. Charlestown HOA Sustainability Plan – Talnack will reach out to her HOA to discuss (Charlestown Hunt). Link to a video about how to work with HOAs is included in the agenda - Talnack did talk to Andy Von Hoyer who lives in her complex and he indicated he would share with their HOA board. She has not heard back.
  7. Swiss Pines – Township Swiss Pines committee led by Tom Comitta is working on a survey to collect information on what residents would like to see in the renovated space.
  8. Kwiamwis Siputët Signage – interpretive sign vs PA historical marker debate (maybe both). P&R is ok with us posting a sign. Armstrong received feedback from the Lenape Tribe and they are in favor of the historical marker. We missed the very early January deadline for submission of the application for a historical marker. We will wait until Armstrong gets feedback from the Charlestown Historical Commission about their experience with historical markers (Melissa Decranian). We will research past usage of markers vs interpretive signs and file in January, 2026.
  9. Single Use Plastics Ban Ordinance – Passed by BoS. Will be effective in 6 months (August). Soundararajan working on signs and FAQs for website. We will review signs etc. in April. The township will inform the businesses.
  10. Status of EAC membership in WeConservePA. They need support and help with future events. Goodman got approval from Kevin Kuhn. Will be funded via the EAC budget. Goodman to work on this.
  11. Nature News topic for May – the future of sustainability - what advances are being made.
  12. Township Newsletters – (due dates are 1/15, 4/15, 7/15, 10/15.) Propose articles for 4/15 on the Single Use Plastics Ban (Soundararan) as well as Beech Leaf Disease (Armstrong) and Goodman will write a short article on Bird Town (gold status), possible update on Road Cleanup.
  13. Riparian buffer maintenance at Brightside and Charlestown Parks – we received the PA Outdoor Corp team for 4 days starting April 28th. This will be free for the township this year. Armstrong was able to borrow a weed wrench from Green Valley. Armstrong is going to buy one also.
  14. Battery Collection. – The township will purchase new boxes. Box prices have gone up and the 5-box discount has decreased. Csete will order boxes going forward.
  15. Stream Warming – Armstrong still working on it. Includes suggestions. When completed, Armstrong will share with the EAC for feedback.
  16. EAC new member applicant – Sarah Pickering will be an alternate on the EAC board if approved by the BoS for consideration in April.
  17. Community Education – Community Education: March 13, 7pm - “There’s Plastic in Our Bodies”. It will be a live presentation as well as virtual.
  18. Beyond Meat – smell has caused complaints among nearby residents. Is this in EAC’s purview? Unpleasant smells may indicate problems with air quality. The EAC suggests air quality assessment in locations near the plant using portable air quality monitors. Township environmental engineer can assess. The EAC advised Rubinfeld to request the HOA to ask the township for an air quality assessment and determine the plant’s polluting emissions under PA DEP permits.
  19. EAC Logo update – update next month from Green.
Meeting Adjourned at 9:05.