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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Tree Board 2012-02-24Tree Board Minutes February 24, 2012 Members Present: Sandy Burns Barbara Williams Mike Richardson Rex Poggenpohl Members Absent: Chuck Levine Others Present: Russ Franklin, Scott Zurn, Dave Mahany, Jen Imber Quorum: Yes General Discussion Scott Zurn informed the board that the advertisement for the open Tree Board position would be posted in the local newspaper starting Wednesday, February 29th and will close on Wednesday, March 14th. The board will discuss the applications received during the March meeting. The board discussed possibilities of acknowledging and commemorating Tree Board member Carol Shannon, who passed away on January 29th, 2012. It was decided the board would plant a tree in her honor and hold a small ceremony. Rex Poggenpohl will contact her family to notify them of the commemoration and invite them to join the ceremony. Scott Zurn recommended a location in Bond Park for the tree, while Russ Franklin will locate an appropriately -sized tree to be planted. The ceremony will take place in May. Barbara Williams suggested drafting a resolution to create a policy that will direct the Tree Board on how to handle similar situations should they arise in the future. Sandy Burns will write the resolution. Meeting Minutes Mike Richardson motioned to approve meeting minutes from January 20, 2012. Barbara Williams seconded the motion and the rest of the Tree Board members unanimously approved. Arbor Day Sandy Burns updated the board on the planning of Arbor Day celebration events at the elementary school. The commemorative bench has been ordered and is being funded by the Sunrise Rotary. Barbara Williams will follow up on the progress of the bench. Marcia Seifert will provide the smaller prizes, including t-shirts. The board discussed ideas for other prizes/giveaways/snacks which included cookies and Arbor Day or tree stickers. "I Love Trees" will be the theme of this year's celebration. The tree cookie for the contest will be provided by Mike Richardson. Thirty blue spruce seedlings have been ordered for prizes for the tree cookie contest winners. Vaughn Baker from RMNP, Boyd Lebeda from CSFS and Mayor Pinkham are all confirmed speakers. Jen Imber will work with Sandy Bums to handle PR for the event. Arboretum The Tree Board would like to pool budget money for a master plan for the entire area of the arboretum. Putting together a more appropriate master plan document would allow pursuit of grant money for the project. The scope of the master plan could be written in phases to accommodate the available budget. The board agrees that the transit hub is a unique opportunity to reach out to incoming visitors and educate them at one of their first stops in town. An RFP could be created and advertised in June so a consultant/landscape architect could be brought in during the summer months. Legacy Trees Rex contacted nine vendors about signage options for the Arboretum, the Legacy Tree program and educational signs. The lowest quote was $25 for a sign with very simple verbiage, no pictures, and a low-level of durability. The cost of a high -end bronze sign is $125 per sign. The average for a decent, durable, mid -cost sign will be around $50 per sign. The placement of signage was also discussed with options being on the tree, in the ground or on a stake around the donated tree. The maintenance cost of each type of sign is also a factor for consideration, as well as the maintenance cost of the donated tree itself. The board also discussed available land for the program and the sustainable number of trees that can be planted each year. Scott Zurn suggested tabling the Legacy Tree discussion until fall due to the number of issues requiring research/resolution before continuing forward with the program. Tree Symposium The keynote speaker will be Dave Leatherman. Merle Moore will give a presentation on local plants/identification. Beetle mitigation will be covered by Diana Selby and Sky Stevens. A panel of experts including Sue Pinkham will speak on fire and emergency mitigation. Rex Poggenpohl will contact the speakers to confirm dates and participation. The Symposium will have an 8am start time and will end at 1pm. Introductions of speakers will be handled by various Tree Board members. Costs will include speakers' fees, and snacks, coffee and lunch for the speakers. Food and drink will not be provided for the audience. Mike Richardson suggested having a local coffee shop donate coffee for the audience. Vendors will be invited to provide information and brochures, but no booth space will be available. Prizes will not be available at this year's Symposium, but 60 douglas fir and blue spruce seedlings have been ordered for giveaway. The next Tree Board meeting is scheduled for Friday, March 16th, 2012.