Arbor Committee

Name: Arbor Committee — Maple Grove, MN
Start: 2022-08-11
End: 2022-08-11
Location: Maple Grove, MN

Regular Meeting

Maple Grove, MN · August 11, 2022

Minutes

Maple Grove Arbor Committee Regular Meeting Minutes August 11, 2022 Town Green Meeting Room 7 p.m. Call to Order The regular meeting of the Arbor Committee was called to order by Chair Parenteau at 7 p.m. Members Present Chair Mary Parenteau, Don Varney, Bob Henke, Frank Kampel, Marilyn Arnlund and Julie Gamber. Members Absent Sarah Piket, Jake Wanek, Cody Lensing Also Present Councilmember Hanson, Jesse Corrow Approval of Agenda Item 4D – City Forester was added by Chair Parenteau. Motion Don Varney, second Bob Henke to approve the agenda. Vote all ayes. Motion passed. Approval of Minutes Motion Frank Kampel, second Julie Gamber to approve the minutes from June 9, 2022. Vote all ayes. Motion passed. Old Business Hy-Vee North Funds Ideas were discussed on appropriate uses of the money. The committee would like to pursue a parcel of land along the west side of I-94 in order to preserve the trees. Staff believes the owner would want more than the available $67,150 and will research the potential of purchasing the land as well as the possibility of acquiring an adjacent piece of T-zone property located on the Tri-Care site. The Arbor Committee feels Tri- Cares owners should donate the land to the city because of the difficulty accessing the property and previous unauthorized tree removal on the site. The committee agreed that if purchased by the city, the property should become forest preservation area and designated a T-Zone. Corrow stated that both properties are already in a T-Zone but he will research further. Another option discussed was replanting dead or dying trees within Central Park. Committee members agreed that the money should be spent on acquiring and preserving new land and not spent on park property. Ed’s Buckthorn City Council approved a proposal by Ed’s Buckthorn Control to treat the city’s forest preservation area. The owner provided examples of his previous work, including 10 acres in Minnetonka Mills park as a comparable project. Work will begin this fall in the forest preservation area. Parade Recap Since the Smokey Bear costume did not work out, the committee would prefer the inflatable Smokey Bear for future events. Varney will research further. The trees and shrubs provided by Grove Nursery looked good. Henke suggested that a pine or spruce tree is included next year. City Forester Chair Parenteau was curious on the status a new City Forester Position. Corrow said the City Administrator will discuss this with the council but does not feel it will be part of the 2023 budget. The new position will be seriously considered as part of the 2024 budget. Councilmember Hanson suggested City Forester job descriptions from other cities should be provided to the City Council for review. Committee members felt the job descriptions have been collected by the Arbor Committee. Job descriptions will be analyzed by Joe Hogeboom to see if there would any crossover with current staff positions. New Business Adopt a Street The Arbor Committee decided they will meet at Basswood Elementary on Tuesday, August 30th at 5 p.m. to pick up litter along Vicksburg Lane. Corrow will send a reminder. Parenteau asked about parking lot being blocked off so people cannot dump there and stated there is no access to the park preserve from that parking lot. City staff uses the lot for parking when mowing the ditches and for snow storage. Corrow will talk to staff about removing the curb cut, installing boulders or installing signage as a deterrent for the dumping. New Arbor Committee Parenteau and Corrow interviewed six applicants for the two Members openings on the committee. The two new members will be appointed by the city council ahead of the next Arbor Committee meeting on September 8th. Area Reports Henke suggested that Police Department should better communicate with neighbors when police involved incidents occur. Cited an occurrence in the Boundary Park neighborhood from the previous week that involved many squad cars and a police helicopter. City Administrator Nelson will be at next meeting to present on the Community Center expansion project and Addison Dahmer will also attend to talk about her girl scout project. Parenteau reported that the trees planted by MNDOT at the I- 94 and Maple Grove Parkway interchange look awful. Corrow will find out if city staff is supposed to be watering and maintaining these trees. Adjournment Motion by Bob Henke, second Don Varney to adjourn the meeting at 8:10 p.m. Vote all ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Marilyn Arnlund, Arbor Committee Member

Agenda

Chair Address: Mary Parenteau 12800 Arbor Lakes Pkwy Committee Members Maple Grove, MN 55369 Marilyn Arnlund Julie Gamber Arbor Committee Phone: Bob Henke Agenda 763-494-6040 Frank Kampel August 11, 2022 Cody Lensing 7 p.m. Website: Sarah Piket Donald Varney Town Green Meeting Room maplegrovemn.gov Jake Wanek 1. OPENING BUSINESS A. Call to Order 2. A. Approval of Agenda B. Approval of Minutes – June 9, 2022 regular meeting 3. OLD BUSINESS A. Hy-Vee North Funds B. Ed’s Buckthorn Control C. Parade Recap 4. NEW BUSINESS A. New Arbor Committee Members 5. AREA REPORTS 6. ADJOURNMENT REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: August 11, 2022 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Approval of Agenda and Minutes – Agenda Item 2A and B PREVIOUS ACTIONS: None RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Call by Chair ________________ for any additions or revisions to the agenda. Motion by Committee member ________________, seconded by Committee member __________________ to approve as proposed or approve as amended the agenda for the August 11, 2022 regular meeting. Motion by Committee member __________________, seconded by Committee member ______________ to approve the minutes of the June 9, 2022 regular meeting as presented or as amended. COMMENTS: Click or tap here to enter text. ATTACHMENTS: None Maple Grove Arbor Committee Regular Meeting Minutes June 9, 2022 Mayor’s Conference Room 7 p.m. Call to Order The regular meeting of the Arbor Committee was called to order by Chair Parenteau at 7 p.m. Members Present Chair Mary Parenteau, Sarah Piket, Cody Lensing, Don Varney, Bob Henke, Frank Kampel, Jake Wanek Marilyn Arnlund, Julie Gamber and Mike Aasen Members Absent Steven Courtney Also Present Jesse Corrow, Staff Liaison Approval of Agenda Motion Bob, second Julie to approve the agenda. Vote all ayes. Motion passed. Approval of Minutes Motion Don, second Sarah to approve the minutes from May 12, 2022. Vote all ayes. Motion passed. Old Business Hy-Vee North Property Jesse checked with parks on the lakes around the government center and parks is proposing that it remains more of a native prairie grass area. It is possible there is some room for some trees – nothing too heavy to over shade prairie grass. The Rotary Club is looking to plant trees on the east side of the lake. There may be an opportunity to extend tree plantings to the north side of the lake. The committee discussed a forested parcel of land west of 94 and north of country road 30 and north of Menards. The committee and city could partner together to use the money to purchase land to preserve trees. Sarah mentioned buying the land and using the rest of the money to plant trees around central park. Cody added that some of the money could also be used to rid the property of invasives and upping the quality of the land. Don mentioned that the committee should evaluate the land and determine its suitability. Sarah also mentioned we also should determine what designation the land would be given to ensure it was not sold and developed in the future. The group discussed what, if any, designations, or contingencies can be put in place to protect the land now and in the future. Jesse to find out if committee can put a forest preserve designation on the land. City Forester Jake and Mary met virtually with city staff on the possibility of hiring a City Forester. The city is pulling together information and will have more for the committee at a later date. The committee approved a motion to formally recommend the city hire a City Forester. Arbor Day Venue Frank visited the Central Park Pavilion and felt it was a great space for the Arbor Day Event. He did mention new signs would be needed with the new location and that there may be an issue with kid’s activities. Mary noted no separate area for kid’s activities and doesn’t know if the raptor center would be able to participate at that location. Mary was also concerned about the size of the venue and not wanting to count on the weather. Sarah mentioned scaling back kid’s activities and trying it out for a year. Need to make sure raptor center would be able to make it work. Maple Grove Days Parade The Arbor Committee is in the parade. Jesse will send parade lineup ahead of the parade. Committee will need someone to be Smokey and EAB. Jesse will deliver trees and candy. New Business Forest Preservation Area The city received two quotes for treatment of the forest Invasive Treatment preserve. Minnesota Native Landscapes and Ed’s Buckthorn Control. The two quotes also had two different approaches. Mike mentioned Ed’s proposal is much more thorough. The committee recommends Ed’s Buckthorn Control and approved motion to do so. Area Reports Cody made a report that the secondary parking lot at Forest Preservation Area had a ton of garbage. Jesse to see if it can be blocked off or a gate added so people don’t dump garbage. Adjournment Motion Julie, second Frank to adjourn the meeting at 8:44 p.m. Vote all ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Jake Wanek, Arbor Committee Member REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: August 11, 2022 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Hy-Vee Funds - Agenda Item 3A PREVIOUS ACTIONS: At their meeting on June 12, 2022, the Arbor Committee discussed options on how the spend the $67,150 cash-in-lieu received from Hy-Vee for excessive tree removal at their property at 9960 Maple Grove Parkway. RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Continue to discuss possible uses for the funds. COMMENTS: Forest Land Near Tri-Care Site: The Arbor Committee discussed allocating money in order for the city to purchase a 13-acre parcel of forested land that is located just north of Menards and alongside I-94. Securing this property would make it possible to put certain designations on the property in order to preserve this forested area. Central Park: Another option that was discussed by the Arbor Committee was planting additional trees in Central Park. The Parks Department is currently working with the Rotary Club who would like to plant significantly more trees in certain areas of Central Park. While landscape plans are currently being prepared for this project, there are concerns with the health of existing trees in the park as well. Several of the trees planted over 7 years ago are dying off due the poor soils in the park. Rather than planting additional trees at this time, Parks may focus its efforts on replacing the dying trees and amending the soils to improve survival rates. In addition to the improvements at Central Park, The Parks Department will be looking for additional trees to be planted at Gleason Fields (next year) and other new city park locations in future years. ATTACHMENTS: REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: August 11, 2022 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Ed’s Buckthorn Control – Agenda Item 3B PREVIOUS ACTIONS: The Arbor Committee inquired if Ed’s Buckthorn Control had treated any other large areas similar to the Forest Preservation Area. Below is a response from Ed. The City Council approved the proposal provided by Ed’s Buckthorn at their meeting on July 18, 2022. RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Click or tap here to enter text. COMMENTS: Please see the attached map of Mills Park at 13209 McGinty Rd East, Minnetonka, MN 55305. We removed buckthorn here in winter 2019/2020, and have maintained it with follow-up foliar sprays like we proposed for your project. We worked on the entire park outlined in blue, so if you take out the area of the creek, and other wetland spots where buckthorn did not grow, it is more than 10 acres of actual buckthorn removal area. There has been no restoration seeding or planting in this project area, except within the boardwalk area. Please call Janet Van Sloun, natural resources specialist for the City of Minnetonka. She would be happy to give you straightforward information about working with us, and the quality of the work we complete. Her number is 612-360-7534. Her supervisor is Leslie Yetka, natural resources division director 952-988-8415, but we are not in direct contact about the work. We have also removed significant buckthorn in Civic Center Park, Tower Hill Park, and Jidana Park, Hilloway Park, Lake Rose Park, and others to a lesser degree, but they are not quite as suitable for comparison. Janet can speak to these parks as well. None of our private property jobs have the same scale as your project, but the methods are the same. We have removed buckthorn for over 300 residential customers over the last 5 years, and we have not had any trouble with keeping the buckthorn under control. We have worked for Friends of the Mississippi River, and you may contact Karen Schik, senior ecologist at 651-222-2193 x15, or Alex Roth, conservation director at 651-222-2193 x33 Please call or email again if you have more questions. Thanks! Ed ATTACHMENTS: Map of Mills Park in Minnetonka REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: August 11, 2022 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Maple Grove Days Parade Recap – Agenda Item 3C PREVIOUS ACTIONS: At their meeting on June 9, 2022, the Arbor Committee planned and prepared for the Maple Grove Days Parade that took place on July 14th. RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Click or tap here to enter text. COMMENTS: Follow-up discussion after the event is important to make any needed changes for future Maple Grove Days Parade planning. ATTACHMENTS: Click or tap here to enter text. REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: August 11, 2022 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: New Arbor Committee Members – Agenda Item 4A PREVIOUS ACTIONS: Click or tap here to enter text. RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Click or tap here to enter text. COMMENTS: Seven applications were received to fill the two vacancies on the Arbor Committee. Chair Parenteau and staff recently held interviews with the candidates and the two successful candidates will be officially appointed by the City Council ahead of the September Arbor Committee meeting. ATTACHMENTS: Click or tap here to enter text. REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: August 11, 2022 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Area Reports – Agenda Item 5 PREVIOUS ACTIONS: None RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: The area reports section of the agenda provides an opportunity for any Committee member to report any item in the city that needs staff attention. Arbor related items will be forwarded to the appropriate staff member with a response provided at the next meeting. COMMENTS: Upcoming Meeting Notes: • City Administrator, Heidi Nelson will join the September 8th Arbor Committee meeting to present on the Maple Grove Community Center renovation and expansion project. • Addison Dahmer from Girl Scouts troop 16206 will present to the Arbor Committee on her Gold Award Project. • All future Arbor Committee Meetings will be returning to the Mayors Conference Room. ATTACHMENTS: None

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