OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Radnor Township Environmental Advisory Council Meeting - January 21, 2026

Board of Commissioners & Boards — Wednesday, January 21, 2026
BodyRadnor Township, Pennsylvania
SessionBoard of Commissioners & Boards
DateWednesday, January 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 59:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

That's uh great connection we have there all right uh thank you for all for coming out this very cold night of course last night was really bad single digits um I appreciate it uh so Ian I guess we should start and uh let's all first start by approving the minutes from the December 17th minute uh meeting uh do I have any comments on it?

0:50

Otherwise uh we can take a vote on approving it.

0:55

Okay, okay.

0:57

Vote in favor, raise your hands.

1:01

Okay, sure.

1:02

Yeah on Jana and Bill, you were present, so you certainly were entitled to review it.

1:09

I also vote yes then.

1:11

Yeah, yes, yeah, yes.

1:14

Yep.

1:16

Good thank you.

1:18

Um environmental advisory council reorganization designation of chair.

1:23

Uh since I made it this far to the meeting, I guess the board of uh commissioners uh still uh has me as chair.

1:37

And uh does this need a formal vote of the council members?

1:43

Usually you want all right that would be chair of chairs of council for your position.

1:55

But you guys are okay to side that yeah well those those who wish to have me continue for one more year as council chair raise their hands.

2:06

Um nobody dissents, okay.

2:09

Thank you.

2:10

Uh Savannah, did you raise your arm?

2:12

Your hand?

2:14

No.

2:15

Of course I raised it.

2:17

Oh you did, okay.

2:17

I wasn't looking at you.

2:19

You all right.

2:20

Well, thank you very much, folks.

2:22

Um this is uh in the time when I'm really excited.

2:28

We have two new members.

2:29

Uh Bill, is it jealous?

2:33

Gellis, Bill Gellis, and uh Anjana Videyarn.

2:38

Uh V Vide Yarn, yes.

2:40

Uh Bill, tell us something about yourself, uh your interest in this group and yeah.

2:46

So I'm an environmental lawyer.

2:48

Um I'm also a Penn State Master watershed steward, and uh I think that this is the sort of organization that Penn State would like me to be involved in, and hopefully they can provide speakers and volunteers for projects.

3:03

Oh wonderful.

3:04

With that.

3:05

As you know, watershed.

3:07

Oh, Carol.

3:08

Oh, great.

3:09

We have a full uh group of people.

3:13

So we uh Carol, you sit here.

3:16

Uh Bill will be right next to you.

3:19

Sorry.

3:20

So Bill is an environmental lawyer uh and active in the watershed uh area, which is very relevant to what our board is getting involved in with uh road salt and so Bill.

3:41

Um I have one question.

3:43

We are we are Bill?

3:49

There we are.

3:50

Okay, there we are.

3:54

Another alma mater.

3:56

Um and uh on Jana tell me about yourself and your interest here.

4:07

Um I got interested in the speaking to the mic, you have to put your mouth right up to it.

4:14

Pull it towards you if you want.

4:16

I got interested in the activity um activities and um the um outreach and education uh provided by the EAC.

4:29

Um especially in um habitat uh native habitat restoration and uh um encouraging biodiversity, and I am also uh uh actively following sustainable practices in my um uh home and my um uh my yard and uh I would like to participate more in education and outreach and um uh also in um in um you know bringing more of uh um resources into lectures and uh the education provided by the EAC.

5:18

Wonderful.

5:20

Uh I have been to your home and your front yard is testament to your devotion to biodiversity and especially perennials and uh and you're an expert at harvesting seed from perennials.

5:34

I am trying, yes.

5:36

Yes, uh and uh I'm sure the Radner uh library uh seed bank would love have your participation in their efforts too.

5:50

That's great, good.

5:52

Thank you.

5:53

Umdate team regarding applications for an EAC student representative for 2026.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement█████████████████████████25%
Environmental Protection████████████████████████24%
Procedural███████████11%
Youth Programs█████████9%
Energy Benchmarking████████8%
Community Engagement███████7%
Tree Management██████6%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Public Health███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Radnor Township Environmental Advisory Council Meeting - January 21, 2026

The Radnor Township Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) met on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Radnorshire Room. The meeting included approval of minutes, introduction of new members, discussion of ongoing energy conservation projects, public education planning, road salt contamination, a gas leaf blower ban timeline, and tree removal concerns. The council also approved a 2026 budget of $6,500.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the December 17, 2025 meeting minutes unanimously.
  • Unanimously re-elected the current chair to continue for another year.

Discussion Items

  • EAC Membership: New members Bill Gelles (environmental lawyer and Master Watershed Steward) and Anjana Vidyadharan (interested in native habitat restoration) joined the council. The council discussed seven applicants for student representative positions; a proposal to invite all as associate members (non-voting) was generally supported. Concerns about working with minors (background checks) were raised, and Bess was tasked with checking with Parks and Recreation on clearance requirements. Bess will invite the applicants to the February meeting.
  • Energy Conservation and Electrification: Updates on municipal projects: EV charging stations saved 143 gallons of gasoline in the past three months; solar panel installation on township and public works roofs is delayed until warmer weather; LED streetlight installation has no update but the township is receiving credits for reduced electricity use. The council discussed publishing energy savings data on the website. Anjana volunteered to email Steve Norsini about motion-activated streetlights.
  • Public Education and Lecture Series: A new process for scheduling lectures at Radnor Memorial Library was established, with Carol as the point person to coordinate with library program coordinator Pam. The library offers extensive advertising but lacks audio-visual capabilities; the council may need to provide equipment. The upcoming lecture on beech leaf disease (January 21 at 7 PM) and a road salt talk by John Jackson (January 27) were highlighted. The April 28 talk by Mike Weilbacher on bees is tentative pending library availability. The Kreutzburg Center is available for one free spring lecture and has live streaming capability.
  • Road Salt Contamination: Stream sampling conducted in October 2025 showed high conductivity and chloride levels, especially near the Blue Route, attributed to road salt accumulation. The council discussed measuring tap water for salt and potential filtration methods (reverse osmosis, carbon filters). Melissa reported that the Board of Health is still researching the issue. Sven will investigate affordable tap filters, and someone will check with the health department for existing water quality data.
  • Gas Leaf Blower (GLB) Ban: The Board of Commissioners has requested a 15-minute educational presentation by the EAC at their February 23 meeting. Two town halls for residents and businesses are scheduled for April 7 and April 23. If the ban moves forward, an ordinance would be introduced on May 11 and voted on June 15. No working group is needed.
  • Tree Removal Concerns: Sven reported two large-scale tree removals on Eagle Road: over 60 trees removed for a retirement home parking lot, and 5-6 trees at an office complex. The Shade Tree Commission indicated that if less than 50% of trees are removed, no replanting is required. The council will follow up on the development agreement for the retirement home project.
  • Other Items: The council discussed the Delaware County Zero Waste Plan, Philadelphia's Stop Trashing Our Air Act, and a spring perennial plant giveaway scheduled for May 2.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved minutes and re-elected chair.
  • Welcomed two new members and will invite seven student applicants as associate members.
  • Set timeline for gas leaf blower ban: presentation to BOC on February 23, town halls in April, potential ordinance vote June 15.
  • Established a streamlined process for library lecture scheduling.
  • Action items: Bess to contact students and check background clearances; Carol to confirm April 28 lecture date; Sven to research tap filters; follow-up on tree removal replanting obligations.
  • 2026 EAC budget approved at $6,500 (down from the proposed $15,000).

Meeting Transcript

That's uh great connection we have there all right uh thank you for all for coming out this very cold night of course last night was really bad single digits um I appreciate it uh so Ian I guess we should start and uh let's all first start by approving the minutes from the December 17th minute uh meeting uh do I have any comments on it? Otherwise uh we can take a vote on approving it. Okay, okay. Vote in favor, raise your hands. Okay, sure. Yeah on Jana and Bill, you were present, so you certainly were entitled to review it. I also vote yes then. Yeah, yes, yeah, yes. Yep. Good thank you. Um environmental advisory council reorganization designation of chair. Uh since I made it this far to the meeting, I guess the board of uh commissioners uh still uh has me as chair. And uh does this need a formal vote of the council members? Usually you want all right that would be chair of chairs of council for your position. But you guys are okay to side that yeah well those those who wish to have me continue for one more year as council chair raise their hands. Um nobody dissents, okay. Thank you. Uh Savannah, did you raise your arm? Your hand? No. Of course I raised it. Oh you did, okay. I wasn't looking at you. You all right. Well, thank you very much, folks. Um this is uh in the time when I'm really excited. We have two new members. Uh Bill, is it jealous? Gellis, Bill Gellis, and uh Anjana Videyarn. Uh V Vide Yarn, yes. Uh Bill, tell us something about yourself, uh your interest in this group and yeah. So I'm an environmental lawyer. Um I'm also a Penn State Master watershed steward, and uh I think that this is the sort of organization that Penn State would like me to be involved in, and hopefully they can provide speakers and volunteers for projects. Oh wonderful. With that. As you know, watershed. Oh, Carol. Oh, great. We have a full uh group of people. So we uh Carol, you sit here. Uh Bill will be right next to you. Sorry. So Bill is an environmental lawyer uh and active in the watershed uh area, which is very relevant to what our board is getting involved in with uh road salt and so Bill. Um I have one question. We are we are Bill? There we are. Okay, there we are. Another alma mater. Um and uh on Jana tell me about yourself and your interest here. Um I got interested in the speaking to the mic, you have to put your mouth right up to it.

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