Bee City USA

Bee City USA Committee August 14, 2024 7:00pm Term Exp. Members Present Absent 6/30/2026 Maria Ulloa-Bustos X 6/30/2025 Anahi Espindola X 6/30/2025 Ariela Haber X 6/30/2027 Melissa Rogers X 6/30/2026 Valerie Novak X 6/30/2027 Jewel Tomasula X 6/30/2025 Terra Virsilas X 6/30/2026 Frank Cifaldi X Staff Liaison Jon “Dutch” Nagelvoort X Councilmember Alan Hew X Also present: Jay Richardson, UMD Bee Campus; Sheryl DeWalt, contract secretary. The Bee City Committee meeting was called to order by Ms. Ulloa-Bustos at 7:05 pm. 1. Review and approval of agenda Ms. Espindola motioned to accept the agenda with amended changes and Ms. Novak seconded. Motion carries 5-0-0. 2. July 2024 minutes Ms. Novak motioned to accept the July 2024 minutes, and Ms. Espindola seconded. Motion carries 5-0-0. 3. Municipal Scene September – Upkeeping pollinator gardens. Ms. Espindola October – Wintering perennials, leaving the leaves in yards. Ms. Novak 4. Cherokee Garden The bee hotel post has not yet been installed. It will be placed on the north side of the triangle at Cherokee. However, cleaning up of trash, weeding was done, watering, and a border was created. It would be helpful if the city could add some mulch or compost and do the edging. 5. Lake Artemesia planting is still pending. 6. Events  Bee City will have a table on College Park Day on October 5 under the city tent. Volunteers will be needed. 1   The committee will participate in Good Neighbor Day on October 26. Ground preparation will be needed ahead of time before any plantings are done on October 26.  Hollywood Farmer’s Market on August 31.  Campus Drive Market in September. Ms. Ulloa-Bustos will send out the date.  North College Park is having a resident “Meet N ’Greet” on September 14. Committees have been asked to information available for the residents. Ms. Haber will coordinate with Ms. McCaslin. 7. City updates  There was some wind damage from Hurricane Debby.  Davis Community Garden will have a bee hotel near the fence line once trees are relocated from that area.  The clubhouse is being rebuilt in College Park Estates on Marlborough Drive. There could be enough green space for a community garden, playground, pollinator garden and a bee hotel. There is no landscape plan yet; Mr. Nagelvoort has spoken with Miriam Bader in the city planning department. The city will want resident input on the landscape plan.  The map of pollinator gardens, community gardens, and bee hotels has been completed. It needs to be publicized among the residents; hopefully City Communications will do a special media blitz on it. It would be nice to have a mini-poster with a QR code to put at the tables for the Farmer’s Markets and College Park Day. 8. Bee Lab update There are about 2300 plants available for various events, sharing with residents, city projects, Good Neighbor Day, etc. There were 150 plants that were transplanted last weekend with the help of two volunteers. Ms. Ulloa-Bustos will put out the list of available plants by August 24. 9. New Members The committee needs some more members, especially a representative from District 2. If you are able to post on your neighborhood listservs or social media, please do so and indicate to complete an application online on the City’s website. 10. No Mow May The survey results need to be publicized to the residents. 11. New Chair Nominations and Bee Lab coordinator Ms. Virsilas, Ms. Novak, and Ms. Haber were nominated from the committee. The position can be a co-chair position. The committee will also need a Bee Lab coordinator. 2 11. September Meeting The September meeting will be on September 11, 2024, at 7:00pm at Davis Hall. Ms. Espindola made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Ms. Ulloa-Bustos seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:57pm. Respectfully submitted by Sheryl DeWalt, contract secretary. 3