Tree & Landscape Board

Minutes of the Tree and Landscape Board City of College Park Virtual Meeting Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 7:00PM Term Exp. Members Present Absent N/A Brenda Alexander, Public Works Assistant Director 04/30/2021 John Lea-Cox, City Forester 04/30/2021 Christine O’Brien, member 10/31/2021 James Meyer, member 04/09/2021 Janet Wagner, member 04/30/2021 Rashawna Alfred, member 04/30/2021 Todd Reitzel, member Dylan Burns, CBE, representative Caroline Wick, CBE representative ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Present: Carleveva Thompson, Contract Secretary Ms. Alfred called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 1. Approval of Meeting Agenda: The agenda for the October 20, 2021 meeting was reviewed. Motion: Accept agenda as presented. Moved: Ms. Alfred Second: Mr. Reitzel Aye: Unanimous Nay: 0 Abstain: 0 2. Approval of September Meeting Minutes: The Board reviewed the meeting minutes of the September 15, 2021 meeting. Motion: Defer approval of the September meeting minutes Moved: Mr. Reitzel Second: Ms. Alfred Aye: Unanimous Nay: 0 Abstain: 0 3. Public Works Department Report: Ms. Alexander shared the following highlights:  October 23rd is the last clean up Saturday at DPW.  Received pansies and spring bulbs and have started planting throughout the City.  53 street trees were ordered and should be delivered by October 21st.  There was a Calvert Hills Green team event that publicized the planting of street trees and residents signed up to have street trees planted. Half of the street trees that were ordered will be planted in Calvert Hills.  Met with CBE member and Mr. Reitzel to identify locations to place the tree ID signs along the Trolley Trail in Berwyn and Calvert Hills. 9 trees along the trail in Berwyn and 9-10 trees in Calvert Hills were marked and a crew will install the signs next week.  Good Neighbor Day is scheduled for November 13th. The project will be on Cherokee Street, which includes creation of a pollinator garden at the triangle island.  A second project will be at the permaculture garden to include weeding and mulching.  There is a Prince Georges County Green Event on October 30th. Perennials were ordered for planting at DPW. 4. CBE Report: Mr. Burns shared the following highlight:  A letter to the City Council will be drafted to express concern on tree removal due to development and that trees should be re-planted within the City. The letter will also ask the City Council to recommend to Prince Georges County for trees to be re-planted within the City and not outside of the City. 5. New Business a. Municipal Scene Article – The Board decided to create an article on Fall Leaf Color Change for the Municipal Scene. b. Annual Report – The annual report is due at the end of the year. The Board will include tree permitting, Arbor Day, and request for a City planning representative in the report. c. Online form to request tree services from the City – Ms. Alexander informed the Board of an idea to create an online form for City residents to request street tree services such as pruning, planting, or removal of a street tree. It was suggested to promote the online form on social media once it is available on the City’s website. d. Contract tree planting on private property – Prince Georges County has a stewardship grant with Chesapeake Bay Trust that focuses on storm water management for the County. The grant would cover tree planting on private property and have $50,000 – $100,000 available funding. Ms. Alexander discussed applying for this grant to cover the cost of a contract tree planter and help encourage more tree planting on private property within the City. Due to the deadline for the grant application approaching in November, the Board suggested to hold off on applying for the grant and continue to market the TCEP to encourage tree planting on private property within the City. 6. Old Business a. Next Steps following discussion with Ms. Kim Finch, Environmental Planning, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission – The Board discussed the following next steps:  Work with CBE on the letter to City Council.  Explore ways to obtain funding from Department of Energy (DOE) to write a master plan to have a road map of where trees can be planted within the City.  The Board will review master plans created by other cities to begin development of a master plan for College Park. 7. Other Business  Lakeland sidewalk repairs – Dr. Lea-Cox will draft a letter regarding the Lakeland sidewalk repair issue for the Board to review. 8. Next Meeting Date  The next scheduled meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. 9. Adjourn  Ms. Alfred motioned to adjourn the meeting. Second by Ms. O’Brien. The meeting was adjourned at 8:38 p.m.