FULL – Institute Management Team Meeting
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Attending: Bill, Brian, Gary, Mona, Me, Tom, Libby, Don, Sue, Kishore
Sole Source Aquifer issue – don – sitting on fence. Personal opinion survey could be an effective advocate without cmprosming position of objective scientists. We recognizes a unique aned valuable resource. Outght to be protected. Haven’t done a full evaluation of what you can do with a sole source. Restricts activities that have federal funding with it. Maybe implications we don’t know about it. Have a couple of people working on a draft of what we could say. Want to make a point that research needs to be done. Bill feels would be nice to get a study done. Gary – doesn’t trigger federal money explicitly, but could trigger money. Bill will need a statement to send to Schiffer. univ expressed their support without consulting surveys. Bill – triggered by Clinton landfill controversy. Don – fed law that would have epa determine aquifer is sole source – 50% of people rely on it as only water supply. Deserves protection with this designation. Triggers reviews on any federal funding for a project. City of champain, urbana , u of ia nd others are triggering this. Don – author of petition is al Wehrmann. Gary – online fact sheets of what it would be. Mahomet aquifer consort hired someone for sole source – they came to end and said now we understand, but don’t support it. Gary – farm bureau is of similar mindset. Gary – motivation for some is water conservation and aquifer is a finite resource. Don – that was a factor for isgs. Picked aquifer in Illinois. Bill - told Schiffer he was going to send him something. Bill, don and mike and gary should sit down to talk about it. Don – isgs process will take a while. Bill wants to make a point when univ has got something in Illinois that does with natural/cul resources they should involve institute in conversation. Mike – always proud of isws to sticking to facts and presenting facts. Mike has gone to court several times. We know better than anyone around in the state.
Don – if we don’t take a side that we have a whole lot of information about whos going to take sides. Mike – we take positions – cache river in federal court – testified on wetland if they were allowed to do what they wanted. Mike – how to present information. Don – sole source designation – there isn’t a technical issue. Mega dairy in a karst area. Fundamental to what we are and who we do. Gary – great example to raise our profile on campus for our expertise. We may be in agreement but they should’ve come to us.
Steve brown – several people went to film by scott tinker. Shown by engr group. Libby – got to see most of it, had technical problems. Bill is thinking to have switch sponsor and have scott come host it this spring. Don – wrote a note to scott to feel him out on avaiablitiy, suggestions on follow on activity. May arrange something with an npr affiliate. This thing is being played a dozen times a month around country – he doesn’t go to all of them. Libby – go online see segments of video online. Switch refers to the manner people will have to go through to change from traditional fuel source energy to new sources of energy. Don is waiting to hear back from him.
Libby and bill met with peter and stig – re: strategic plan. Peters vision for org is twice the size it is now and all over the world. Bill points out that we are constrained by stat responsibilities. Hes concerned about core funding. Bill keeps pointing out without stable core base become little more than consulting agencies. Hes a big fan but we need to be realistic and not achievable. Doesn’t want to get involved in something that’s all process and no substance. Stig said hes here to be called on. Libby and stig are going to take what we have and get us started on getting a final project. Real issues – funding and succession. Peter an duniv in general know our situation. He was surprised when we met and we were all in line. People didn’t try to hide what the plans are. He wants us to have in place some sort of plan to deal with succession issue. Suggested we get stig to come to a meeting and Schiffer would too. First priority is to get stig here in second half of January. Better to do this after we go to dri.
Brian – situation changed. Brian lost a couple to dnr. They’re hiring now that they have money. Had 30 somethings, but will be leaving. Back down to 20s.they are offering aggressive salaries. Sue – these are good moves for their careers. Peter will really push on this issue of succession. Libby – he keeps mentioning that he wants a rational approach process. Libby will meet with stig next week and see what kind of plans he turns out and planning detail does he recommend. And process idea for succession planning. Gary – range of options. Libby wants to ask him his ideas on stakeholder involvement. A weakness of what we have drafted at this point. We haven’t asked stakeholders what they want. Bill – have to be careful with stakeholders. Surveys that thrive are ones that anticipate issues. Gary – istc adv committee – heres what our thinking is and they would say sounds good to us. Mike – how do we explain board – theyre a collection of stakeholders. Mike – they represent dnr, etc. everyone is reprewnted on the board. Libby – they would be initial key that we would go to. Bill – we wont’ get any input from stakeholders. They’ll come to us when they have a problem. Mike – drought – we’re not a state agency anymore, but were on the state agency task force. Give updates and every segment of the state are represented in that group. We didn’t get funding to do it just using our resources to do it. Bill – the stakeholders set these surveys up 150 years ago. Thye haven’t changed. People who use our information. Brian – dynamic tension with stakeholders there were a lot more of us and they just want to talk to our people to advise and consult. They still have to find money and research to keep enterprise going. We’re not as available as we used to be. Don – we’re dropping areas of study. Bill – if you cant afford certain people do something else. Stat respon to deal with it. Don – mike left and have not northshore person anymore. Brian – Asian carp shifed to glri $ so were subsidizing millions of research. Brian – its an opp to instruct peter in the realities of surveys. He sees that we bring in a ton of money.
A lot of new stuff dealing with and its all positive. – Bill
Conf call with NGRREC and Gov Relations office tomorrow. thinking likely that manar will be able to put 3.5M in BIMP bill.if we get it want to
Spring board meeting – hoping to hold meeting on may 1 – not firm. In springfield. Most strategic time. Recommended earlier. Bill – not sure of logistics. Bill – getting in contact with people who make a difference.
Mike – jury duty last week. Nervous about Midwest climate center funding. Supposed to get call for proposal and have not gotten it yet. Did get in touch with lewis and burke and they do the research and contacted durbins office and durbin asked for info from noaa and gave standard answer. Don’t expect any decisions right now. May be on hold for a while. If we don’t get it losing 6-10 people. If they go with national weather locations they could go to Lincoln. Center director at Lincoln is at noaa. Send bill a paragraph explaining situation and bill will contact bill houlihan for a response. Had phone conver with lewis burke works with noaa – she is good and knows whats going on.
Mike – drought – jim angel deficit in moisture will be hard to catch up. Some phase will continue into 2013. Have a drought update on our website and give to drought task force. Vern knapp is retired and has another project hes working on. Will plan to replace him.
Mike – coord council – nav on miss river issue of som sttructrues. Simon’s office would like isws to come up with plan.
Mke – let a lot go out of Carlisle. Release water from reservoirs. Each corp project they decide. During authorization process. Asking Obama to override rule and release more water. Every corps project is district. St Louis. More barriers to interstidcitrcs of transfers of water. If youre going to have releases in st. Louis to mephis is there more hoops to jump. Is closer easier? Mike – depends which client you are working for. Farm bureau wants more water in miss for transportation – if you don’t want too much water releases who wins? Don – ½ of illinosi coal goes down miss river. Alternatives are to put coal on trains on put them on trains to ind down ohio adds 8-11 per ton of coal. Doesn’t hurt our minds – sell it fob at mine. We lose customers because they don’t want to buy form us. Find another source.
Brian – holiday part tomo at 1145. All are invited.
Ksihore – pot luck tom too.
Paul isee housing interventions ???
Second phase on forward osmosis was funded.
Luis – solid waste – template that will be used on other buildings. Gary – 10-12 years ago unannounced picked up garbage. Raise awarenees and alternatives – take next steps. Luis is taking that forward.
Sue – nancy holm – re: background checks – for summer camp committee. Anyone who participates will have to have a criminal and sexual offender registory offender background check. 7 day turnaround.
Sue – director of external affairs, isas, Melanie loots took them from lauren. Get them to provost today. Sue will follow-up Monday.
Damon stotts is retiring jan 31. Talked about making lunch arrangements. May do something in January.
Sue – exemption authority – positions deemed to be civil service or ap – going to be a public hearing on jan 3 by sucs. Don’t know who will hear public comments. The sucs director is very interested in moving forward to remove authority for univ and go back to central office. Sue is going to public hearing.
Sue – civil service identified as a separate place of employment – coming to an end june 30 2013 and met with shr again about status – whether we should request it be extended or expire. We are going to let it end. Shr will write sucs saying its end. Gary – expectation will get seniority for these past 5 years. Seniority is in title. Gary and sue thinks it’s a minimal risk for bumping.
Sue – vcr hired research communications person –melissa Edwards – jan 2013. Libby – its interested vcr will have communications. She thinks he wants more control over communications. If anything its good news for us. Will hire a budget operations coord to take work off of lauren.
Bill – we ought to have a celebration for 5 years. If anyone has ideas its worthwhile. July1 is our anniversary date.
Bill – asked Mike A. to not give away OS space. Leave it with institute. Bill – will put them on 2nd or 3rd floor.
Don – spent 40 minutes with david mercer – ap in town re: shale play in so Illinois . chamber of commerce – isu – potential for gas reduction. Boom like other plays going on elsewhere. Had a good chat. Really good. Jim suhr in st. Louis – ap guy = connection there. Don’t know what will come of it.
Don – hydro fracking legislation – induced seismicity – working with ags office on specific language.
Done – contacted mid week last week by dnr interestd in geologic mapping of lake Michigan. Worked on it in 70s and 80s. don – have all the data and map of lake bottom. Initial contact with tom heavysides. He wants us to talk to tom rettig? Brian – near shore is important for Asian carp. Bill – need to think seriously about staff who can work at lake Michigan - brian-legacy data issue. Brfian – college of lake co is an opp for us. Brian – we and comm colleges are nice together – we drive econ development.
Gary – safety committee met – working together well and making progress. Attention on safety is benefiting everyone. Will send notes to anyone interested.
Symposium draft summary – need to decide soon what were going to do to. Back to back was too much. Poster session at union or on campus geared towards attracting studetns – major lecture in conjunction but not talks and have regular fall full symposium. Poster session – wait and do it in 2014. Lot to develop posters and done 2 – take a break. Feedback has been extrememly positive and beneficial. It was a good committee and encouraged everyone to serve again and get new people involved. Bill – have it every fall. Tom – high point was reception. Bill – the concept is spreading. Successful format.
Libby – continuing with strategic plan working on brochures and annual reports. Look at new inside Illinois – submitted items for campus gift guide – geology of Illinois, field Illinois manual of Illinois mammmals, etc.
Mona – gary, mona and sue met with CITES to talk about communications charges for 2013. Charges have not hit yet. Information recd has since been confirmed it was wrong. Asked a lot of pointed questions about 2014 and have no answers yet. Gary – moving more to a head count model. Hope to have concrete information soon.gary – for planning numbers use what you were given.
Tom – time for evaluations. Got together with brian diehl – urban planning 0 stress analsyis on resources. Pilot project for will or mchenry co. he is enthusiastic. If we can piggyback on analysis for all of these counties may be able to get some money.
Tom – last week fwha ihpa idot 4 days running through process through fwha program review. Initiated by idot. Went very well. Will come out with an agenda of recommendationsbut will come out with ideas on how to do things faster. Came out of meeting doing a lot of public outreach stuff for idot. Need to get stuff fed into idot website more. Came out with 6-8 things that isas does that they will publish as best practices.
Working on one pager for legislation and ship it to gov relations office. This is summarizing legislation.
Don – cdb documents cant be found. Brian – talked to bob appleman – has a note will try to find stuff.