Shade Tree Management Board

Shade Tree Management Board Madison, NJ 07940 Minutes of August 15, 2019 The Shade Tree Management Board held its regularly scheduled meeting at 8:00 am on Thursday, August 15, 2019 in the Committee Room of the Hartley Dodge Memorial, 50 Kings Road, Madison, NJ. Call to Order by Chairman Gene Cracovia. Reading of the Sunshine Law. Members present: Alan Andreas, Gene Cracovia, Judy Honohan, Vince Licari, Stephen Miller, Tom Salaki, Alice Wade, Nancy Bruce Members absent: Brian Monaghan Liaisons present: Maureen Byrne (Council), Joan Maccari (MEC) Absent: Paul Allocco (Parks Advisory) Borough Staff present: Frank Russo and Ray Codey Honored guest: Mayor Bob Conley Minutes: July minutes approved as submitted. Public contacts/correspondence: No major concerns. One phone contact from Ardsleigh resident forwarded to DPW. To date this year Vince has responded to 158 requests with two additional to be addressed. Borough Tree Status: Fall planting: 14 white oak trees will most likely be substituted for the requested yellowwood not delivered in spring. The planting sites remain the same. Cerbo should notify DPW two weeks in advance of delivery with the date and species to be delivered. Spring tree expense was $1,295 over budget ($20,000). Contacts/removals/pruning: The recently planted trees along Noe may need staking. Arbor Pro will be used to provide a list of three year old plantings that may be ready for new tree pruning. Windshield surveys: Completed NE and SW. NE had 92 potential sites for planting. Survey results were relayed to DPW. Station Rd. sites will be on hold until work on the new recycling center is completed. SW will report dead trees to DPW. While SE survey is in the process, a dead zelkova at 82 Prospect should be inspected/removed. Financial Report: 2019 Budget $130,000 Expenditures- June Cerbo (spring trees) $21,295 Honor Tree $10,480 Total expended YTD $39,161 Encumbered $66,970 Unexpended $91,339 Remaining Balance $24,369 TCC (Technical Coordinating Committee): Nothing new. Parks Advisory Committee: Committee will meet next week. The State of the Parks presentation will be done at the September 9 council meeting. It will include a complete vision list of projects for the foreseeable future. Friends of Madison Shade Trees (FMST): Provided a spring tree planting request form insert for the August electric bills. Up to $2,000 in 2019 has been pledged for the planting of trees in the MRC meadow. Old/New Business: MRC: Input from STMB will be sought when site plans are being drafted for the potential affordable housing development of about 2 acres of MRC land needing remediation. Waverly Place Trees: Tree pit details will be shared at next meeting with DDC. Plan I could increase the width of one sidewalk with roadways remaining essentially as they are. Plan II could create a plaza on one side with two way traffic on the remaining road. Tree Ordinance: Has been through initial attorney review. STMB reps (Gene, Alan, Vince, Alice with Nancy as ex officio resource) will discuss and resubmit. Final draft should be ready for introduction at a November council meeting. Madison remains the single area municipality with no tree ordinance for all trees. Station beech: Borough can use the reserved parts of the removed beech in any way it wants. Action Items: Tom: will set a meeting with DDC and Frank Russo to discuss next steps on Waverly tree replacements. Vince and Alice: identify next 25 tree replacement sites on Main Street. Maureen: contact our legislator regarding status of changes in utilities’ pruning and removal rights in NJ. All: Complete quadrant surveys by September. Include pruning, removals and plantings. Submitted by Judy Honohan