Shade Tree Management Board

SHADE TREE MANAGEMENT BOARD Borough of Madison Madison, New Jersey 07940 Minutes of September 17, 2015 Meeting The Shade Tree Management Board held its regular monthly meeting on September 17, 2015 at 8:00 am in the Committee Room of Hartley Dodge Memorial, 50 Kings Road, Madison, New Jersey. Call to Order Alan Andreas called the meeting to order and read the Sunshine Law for compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act. Present: Alan Andreas, Steve Miller, Penny Garman, Christine Hammitt, Gene Cracovia. Also present: Paul Allocco and David Maines. Absent: Nancy Bruce, Lauren Hagerstrom, Vince Licari and Mike Kopas. Pledge of Allegiance Minutes The Board approved the August 20, 2015 minutes with changes. The Board addressed the following items of business: Budget Report A $66,201.05 balance remains ($55,167.00 of which is encumbered) of the $115,655 total budget. David will request a $2,000 increase in Maintenance in next year’s budget because tree removals are up 20% since Sandy. Council Liaison Report No report. Public Comments and Correspondence Frank Russo is in charge of planning construction and Russ Brown of enforcement. Borough Tree Maintenance Status Penny reported that 162 trees have been removed year-to-date including 23 on Ridgedale Avenue due to road construction with 15 more on the list. David will move $2200 from Agriculture to Maintenance. A tree fell onto wires at 141 Treadwell. A blue spruce will be removed in James Park at the corner of Madison Avenue and Park Avenue. Penny suggested ArborPro be included on the Borough website. TCC No cases were reviewed. FMST A fall planting is scheduled for November 9 when 11 trees will be planted on Rosedale and 3 in Memorial Park. Chris Schorr will update the planting letter. Shade Tree and Friends members are invited to take a tree from the Tree Nursery. Steve and Alan will help at Bottle Hill Day to distribute the new Landmark Tree list and free trees from the nursery. Parks Advisory Committee Mr. Crimmins at the Luke Miller House wants 2 trees removed. One tree is Borough and is in good shape. The other tree is in bad shape and Alan will ask to survey the property to determine if the bad tree is a Borough tree. Old Business Enforcement issues: The property at 37 Crestview was clear-cut. Public trees must be replaced. One tree is missing at 37 Broadview (ArborPro indicates two trees). On Samson, across from Pomeroy, a Port-A-John has been placed next to a Borough tree. Alan will ask Mike to confirm that private trees pose a public danger at 92 Greenwood, 26 Buckingham and 29 Oxford. Mike and Gene are pursuing tree removal options of the Space Shuttle tree. New Business Mike noted significant and sizeable cuts to the roots of the Kings Road zelkovas and suggested waiting until spring to see which trees leaf out and which ones die. Deep-root feeding is advised. The Board adjourned at 9:20am. Minutes submitted by Christine Hammitt.