6:05pm: Introductions, welcome members of the public  

  • Members took a few minutes to acknowledge the traumatic impacts of the Buffalo shooting and how this is affecting each of us tonight. 

6:15pm: Review April 2022 meeting minutes; approve this month’s agenda 

  • The April 2022 minutes were not approved since attendance is one short of a quorum. April and May minutes will be approved at the July meeting.  

6:20pm: Council member presentation-recap 

  1. Recap from presenters 

  • Members who attended the April 20 presentation to City Council gave their impressions. The CJAB presentation was well received, with good engagement from most Councilmembers.  

  • Reducing energy burden was one area of interest for Councilmembers, aligning with CJAB’s own priority on such actions. 

  1. Transportation, energy burden, workforce diversification, emergency preparedness, education 

  1. What actions do we want to take? criteria creation discussion 

  • Kristen led a discussion on decision criteria for prioritizing CJAB Year 2 activities. Highlights: 

  • We should be guided by minimizing negative impacts on BIPOC and under-resourced communities. Does the action in question ensure these communities benefit first and most? 

  • Does it help achieve CARP goals like 50% GHG reductions by 2030? All programs may reduce emissions, but some have greater climate justice/equity benefit; are we willing to make a trade-off even if there is less emission reduction benefit? 

  • Keep in mind CJAB can only do a few things well, so we need to prioritize. 

  • Also consider where is the low hanging fruit, and CJAB’s ability to push something over the line. We don’t want to just attach ourselves to something that is already happening without us, but can our engagement help get an initiative over the line? 

  • Balance three considerations: how much emission reduction, how beneficial to BIPOC/under-resourced communities, and where can CJAB’s voice have most impact? 

  • It was decided for a subcommittee (Kristen, Patty, May) to work on developing a rubric for evaluating racial equity impacts of potential initiatives.  

  • The subcommittee will consider existing tools, including Minneapolis’s Racial Equity Impact Analysis tool, the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, etc.   

6:50pm: CARP-related updates 

  1. Climate dashboard overview 

  • Work is proceeding forward slowly; CJAB will receive a report in an upcoming meeting. 

  1. Pre-weatherization program update 

  • The Healthy Homes Saint Paul initiative is moving forward, led by Kurt Schultz (Program Coordinator, Planning & Economic Development). Currently working on an RFP to select weatherization services provider. May share draft RFP with CJAB. 

  • One of the questions is whether to use the resources for deeper retrofits on fewer homes, or try to cover more homes but necessarily do less work on each one. Also debating how to prioritize rental housing versus low-income homeowners. 

  • Funding will be available in January 2023. 

7:30pm: Board vacancies  

  • Immediately: 1 community board member. This member can be from any ward, since all wards are already represented. 

  • July: Secretary opening. Nick will be ending his first term as Secretary and this slot is open if others are interested.  

  • Summer: 1 youth position and 1 general (youth or non-youth) position 

  • End of the year: co-chair will be needed when Melissa cycles off. The position (“co-chair designee” or co-chair in waiting) should be filled this summer in order to get this person up to speed 

  • Executive committee slots include two co-chairs, secretary, and youth representative. The Executive Committee helps set CJAB priorities and agendas, so please consider one of the open slots if you would like to be part of that! The Executive Committee meets one additional time per month. 

7:45pm Updates from the board 

  1. From city staff 

  • The Rethinking I-94 effort now has two competing visions: Reconnect Rondo, which proposes a land bridge over 94 between Chatsworth and Grotto Streets in Saint Paul; and Our Streets Minneapolis, which proposes converting all of 94 between the downtowns into a boulevard and redirecting traffic. There is some tension between these visions and the groups advocating them. There is also some confusion around who should be leading community engagement for both projects. 

  1. From the Executive Committee  

  • We hope to hold a social event this summer or fall. Look for an email to find a date. 

  1. From Board Members 

8pm Adjourn 

Last Edited: March 29, 2023