Tree & Landscape Board

Approved: 02/17/16 M&C Somers Gardiner APPROVED Minutes of the Tree and Landscape Board City Hall, City of College Park January 20, 2016 Term Exp. Members Present Absent N/A Brenda Alexander, Public Works Deputy Director N/A Steven Beavers, Planning Dept. Representative 8/30/2017 Eric Hoffman, Member 11/30/2016 John Krouse, Chair 4/30/17 John Lea-Cox, City Forester 8/30/2017 Christine O’Brien, member N/A Terry Schum, Staff Liaison 9/30/2016 Joseph Smith, Member 10/31/2016 Mark Wimer, Member ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ N/A Laura Salers, Contract Secretary Mr. Krouse called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. 1. Appointment of New Chair: Motion: Appoint Joseph Smith as the new Chair of the TLB, effective immediately. Moved: Mr. Krouse Second: Aye: Unanimous Nay: 0 Abstain: 0 2. Approval of Meeting Minutes: The minutes of the November 18, 2015 meeting were reviewed. Motion: Approval of the November 18, 2015 TLB meeting minutes as written. Moved: Mr. Smith Second: Mr. Hoffman Aye: Unanimous Nay: 0 Abstain: 0 3. Public Works Report: Ms. Alexander reported the following activity since the November meeting:  Weeding of annual beds in the city is ongoing.  Annual cleanup of Guilford Run has begun, along with vine removal and raising tree limbs.  Pruning and clean up along 54th in Lakeland has begun.  Final leaf removal in the neighborhoods is complete. Focus now is on city buildings, rights of way and planting areas. 1   The Care of Trees has begun performing contract work in the city. Scheduled work includes 14 removals, 25 prunings and 2 stump removals.  Tree City USA application has been submitted for 2015 recertification.  Submitted application for Plant Community designation for 2015.  Received blanket permit from DNR for roadside tree care work for 2016.  Three city licensed fertilizer applicators attended the required annual nutrient management training. 4. Pepco Tree Trimming: The city flier has been distributed to the City Council and Civic Association presidents for distribution through their list-serves. Highlights of the flier are showing on the city cable TV channel and it has been published in its entirety in the online Municipal Scene. Mr. Smith suggested putting a short paragraph about the document on the TLB website, with a link to the full document. Mr. Beavers suggested that the City list it as a news item on the City homepage for a couple of months, providing a link to the full document. 5. Planning Report: Mr. Beavers reported on the following activity:  The City is close to signing a contract for a bike share program in the city and hope to implement the program by April 1, 2016. There will be 14 stations in the initial launch. Seven will be on UMCP property and seven on city property. There was a discussion about the proposed locations of city stations and some concern was voiced over the proposed station on Lackawanna, near the path for the Greenbelt Metro station, due to the fact that it will be directly in front of a residential property. Motion: TLB recommends the proposed locations adjacent to residential properties be vetted through the Citizen’s Associations. Moved: Mr. Krouse Second: Mr. Hoffman Aye: Unanimous Nay: 0 Abstain: 0  Storm Water Quality Project Update: The Narragansett Parkway and Rhode Island Avenue projects have exceeded projected budgets. The City is going back to the Chesapeake Bay Trust and working on lowering the costs.  Feasibility Study for Sidewalks on Hollywood Road: City is moving forward and is currently looking for a contractor and getting paperwork in order with the State.  Bicycle Boulevard Program: The city received a grant from the Council of Governments (COG) to pay for a consultant to provide a city wide bicycle boulevard plan. This would be an enhancement to the current bike routes in the city, developing more substantial, clearly defined paths for cyclists, which would promote an alternative method of safe transportation in the city. 6. New Business: 2  Arbor Day & Earth Day: Ideas discussed include: a refresh of trees behind the Hollywood Shopping Center to include flowering trees; involving the community in invasive species removal perhaps in conjunction with Good Neighbor Day; partnering with the College Park Lions Club to do a tree planting, sapling distribution and educational activities with the 4th grade class. 7. Adjournment: Motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Krouse and seconded by Mr. Hoffman due to increasing icy/snowy conditions on the roads. The meeting adjourned at 8:08 pm. The next TLB meeting is scheduled for February 17, at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall. Minutes prepared by Laura Salers, Contract Secretary 3