Community Tree Council

1 Community Tree Council (CTC) Meeting Minutes Meeting Date: March 8th, 2021 Location: ACC Cisco Webex online meeting, You Tube Streaming Link: https://youtu.be/rUw9_wR6BtA In Attendance - Members: Pam Knox, Rodney Walters, Lea Clark, Shawn Doonan, Edith Jackson, Phil Hale, Mary Songster, Mary Attaway, (A Quorum Was Present) Staff, Guests, and Ex-Officio Members: Russell Edwards, Joe Perloff, Jessie McClellan, Victoria Goff, Holly Campbell, Patrick Perry, Gavin Hassimer (ACC Senior Planner), Aaron Hall (ACC Planning Arborist), Jeanne Connell (ACC Landscape Manager), Stacee Farrell (KACCB Executive Director) Absent: Joseph Bates Call to Order, Introductions, and Welcome: Joe Perloff 4:00 - 4:05 ● Welcome everyone Housekeeping (Secretary) Rodney Walters 4:10 - 4:15 ● Roll Call Sign in (3 minutes): Attending members and guests were listed on the attendance list ● Action Item: Vote to approve February 2021 CTC meeting minutes and the February 2021 CTC Committee Meeting Minutes: o A motion was made and seconded and approved by unanimous vote to approve the February, 2021 CTC meeting minutes and Committees Meeting minutes. Treasurer’s Report (Information – 5 minutes) Pam Knox 4:10 – 4:15 ● The March 2021 treasurer’s report was submitted and is attached at the end of this document. o Action Item: Vote to approve the March 2021 Treasurer’s Report: - A motion was made and seconded and approved by unanimous vote to approve the March, 2021 CTC treasurer’s report ● 2 Donations were made last month for a total of $800.00 ● A question was raised asking if the CTC needs to collect sales tax if it sells stickers CTC Business (Executive and Steering Committees, Work Groups Joe Perloff 4:15 – 4:35 ● CTC Executive Committee  Discussion Item: CTC Action in Memory of Larry - Discuss ways in which the Council may contribute to, or ○ Family’s Go Fund Me Page - Scholarship in his name:  Promote this Larry Morris scholarship fund on social Media: https://www.gofundme.com/f/larry- morris-memorial-scholarship?qid=529d68a679c8a2cbdfcc5951f47231ca - Send pictures of Larry to Jessie or Mary Attaway ○ Memorialize Larry in our own way:  Conduct a Larry Morris tree planting project that includes a plaque that talks about the importance of soil to sustain trees - Walking path in Kingswood neighborhood - Reach out to past CTC members for donations (plaque and tree -$1 to &2K) - Create a work group to conduct this project (Shawn will serve as work group leader)  2 ● CTC Steering Committee (Executive Committee plus Committee Chairs): 4:35 – 4:45  Educational Short an/or Forester’s Corner: o Let’s get some volunteers! Maybe Jessie wants to take a few minutes to share NUF’s recent work with the scion cuttings on the Tree that Owns Itself?  Cutting to be grown in Folly Arboretum in Long Island, New York. - Arboretum features trees from Jonny Appleseed, Hyppocrates Sycamore, and more - Scion cuttings from the Tree that Owns Itself were harvested to grow trees for this planting project to propagate white oak trees that are an exact genetic match to the tree that owns itself  Moon Tree Signage – CTC offers to install the Moon Tree Sign o Jeanne Connell is obtaining an aluminum sign for this tree.  Sign has been ordered and will arrive in 3 weeks.  Jeanne will reach out to Joe  New Member Interview Work Group {Shawn (Leader), Pam, Edith, Rodney}: 4:45 - 4:50  Mary Songster sent a request to Jean Spratlin to put membership request in on the March agenda setting session  Rodney verified that the new member appointments are on the early Mayor and Commission meeting agenda  CTC Trees for Tomorrow Work Group: 4:50 - 4:55 {Phil (Leader), Mary Attaway, Joe P., Rodney, Pam, Shawn} o Arbor Day was a big success o Other projects:  Mulch trees at Broad Acres  Talk with Jeanne about planting trees outside the do park fence at Memorial Park (or even inside the park?)  Grants Work Group and Fundraising: 4:55 - 5:00 {Mary Attaway and Edith} o Nature of many grants require specific project details (suggestion is to find tree planting sites for projects before applying for grants) o ACC Right-of-Way planting project locations (ACC ROW needs advance notice to prepare a plan for a planting project) o REI Grant application  REI Foundations (Grant Application by invitation only) Drafted a letter to the foundation asking if the CTC could be considered for an invitation o Coca-Cola (CTC meets all policy requirements) o UPS Grant – Stacee applying (March 19th deadline), $5K: project would have to be complete by the end of this December and then followed by a wrap up report o One Tree Planted: Group contacts for large tree planting (seedlings). Partnership with Sustainability? o Bottom Land habitat o NOA – Environmental Literacy  Landmark and Champion Tree Work Group: 5:00 – 5:05 {Shawn (leader), Edith, Joe P., Lea, Phil, Jessie, Patrick, Rodney} o Work group met February 23rd to learn from Rodney how to use the GIS Collector App.  Some issues with collecting data being worked out - House on Whitehead Rd, 3 trees on one property – Jessie will map these trees o Shawn is assigning trees for each work group member to in the field using the app o Tree tags for champion trees? o Shawn will set up another meeting  3 ● CTC Committee Reports (Information and Discussion): Joe Perloff 5:05 - 5:25 March Meetings/First Quarter is here! - Committee Chairs please have your goals list finalized by the end of this month. - Reminder that these are working lists, but having the list helps keep everyone on the same page working towards the same goal. Joe will check in about goals every quarter.  Promotions Committee {Mary Attaway (Chair), Joe Perloff, Phil Hale, Jessie, Tori} o Posting more on webpage as work to update the webpage continues o Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the next council meeting. I would love for there to make a motion to grant Promotions another bit of money to cover the cost of t-shirts and brochures. o Jessie, do you have any idea what it would cost to print those? If we get 60 shirts it would be $744.60. Just an example. What do you think? How many?” *Motion made seconded and passed by unanimous vote to use $200.00 of CTC money for promotional T-shirts o I’d like to put up a social media post in memory of Larry Morris. I never served with him on the council and did not know him very well. NUF put up a nice post about him- that was so sweet.  I wondered if you all wanted to collaborate on what it should say, and if you know of any pictures of him from a CTC meeting or event.  I know you plan to discuss memorializing him at the next meeting. If you could also think of this in terms of a social media announcement and website addition, that would be wonderful.  CTC Policy Committee: {Mary Songster (Chair), Joe Bates, Lea Clark, Rodney Walters} 1. Submit for review and edit advocacy letter for fund for downtown trees from CTC 2. Discuss larger document (wish list) to include, planning commission items, downtown trees, parking lot, setbacks, etc. a. What’s on the list so far - Healthy parking lot trees b. Ask for input from whole CTC - Soil root volume protection - Discussion with the CTC of Tree Ordinance in relation to solar panels (future considerations) - Solar Canopies in parking lots – Impacts on trees? - Questions about aerial rights - does a neighbor who can build higher solar panels get to have all the sun? - will trees be removed to create more sunlight for solar panels? (tree protections as “super solar panels” - What questions may we ask and find solutions for to anticipate the coming of solar panels? 3. Discuss M&C promoting Landmark/Legacy trees. Letter of request.  Education committee: { Edith Jackson (Chair), Stacee Farrell, Lea Clark, Shawn Doonan, Seth Hawkins} 1. Action Item and Discussion: Fall Event - Tree ID on the Greenway - Oct. 30th 10:AM-12:30pm - 70 to 100 participants; Sandy Creek Nature Center, Winterville Tree Council has offered to partner with us: a. Pre-registration donation of $2.00-5.00 (no rain date or refundable donation) b. $25.00 permit application fee to Leisure Services * Motion made, seconded, and approved by unanimous vote to approve a Tree ID on the Greenway event and to approve $25 for the permit 2. Update - Spring Event - not planned but CTC members have offered to assist if Stacy Smith of Keep Athens- Clarke County Beautiful identifies an educational opportunity; Webinar planned in lieu of in-person event 3. The Committee continues to compile virtual resources. Parking Lot Items: 5:25 - 5:29 Meeting Wrap up – (1 minute) Presiding Chair 5:29 - 5:30 * A motion was made, seconded, and approved by unanimous vote to adjourn the meeting  4 Athens Community Tree Council Treasurer’s Report: March 8, 2021 submitted by Pam Knox Money Market Account Beginning Balance as of 2/8/2021 $10,025.99 Interest 2/28/2021 0.15 Ending balance as of 3/8/2021 $10,026.14 Checking Account Starting balance 2/8/2021 $296.11 Deposit 3/1/2021 200.00 Deposit 3/8/2021 500.00 Noland Family Fund Ending balance 3/8/2021 $996.11 PayPal Account AccTrees@athenstreecouncil.org Beginning balance 2/8/2021 $1358.45 Deposit 2/8/2021 96.80 ($100 -3.20 PP fees) Ending balance 3/8/2021 $1455.25