Tree Board

Montpelier  Tree  Board  Minutes  for  February  7,  2013  Meeting   5:30pm  Memorial  Room,  City  Hall     In  Attendance:  Co-­‐chairs  John  Snell  &  Sarah  Hoffmeier,  Mark  Edsell,  Ken  Libertoff,   Jeff  Schumann,  John  Akielaszek,  Bob  Troester     • It  was  noted  that  the  January  Minutes  were  not  taken  as  the  meeting  was   cancelled  in  lieu  of  the  Legislative  Dinner   • Introductions  were  made  to  new  attendees   • 2013  Personal  goals:  John  Snell  gathered  a  list  from  volunteers  and  members   and  noted  that  the  two  repeated  goals  were  1)  better  tree  identification  and   2)  creating  a  booklet  or  pamphlet  for  a  Montpelier  Tree  Walk  –  It  was   suggested  to  schedule  a  tree  walk  during  the  spring  when  certain  trees  are  in   bloom.  Sarah  mentioned  that  Carole  expressed  interest  in  helping  with   designing  the  booklet.  It  would  be  good  for  folks  to  think  about  which  trees   downtown  are  of  interest.  John  Snell  said  he  had  a  google  maps  document  of   his  favorite  and  would  be  willing  to  send  around.   • Discussed  winter  activities:  Farmer's  Market  table  –  John  Snell  will   coordinate  with  Wendy  to  figure  out  dates  for  the  TB  to  have  a  table.   Pruning  workshops:  it  was  decided  to  have  3  this  coming  spring.  Sarah  will   get  dates  of  pruning  workshops  that  Dave  Wilcox  is  hosting  so  as  not  to   coincide  and  John  Snell  will  ask  the  Co-­‐op  for  dates  and  check  with  Geoff   Beyer.  It  was  suggested  to  do  a  raffle  again  giving  away  a  tree  from  the   nursery.  John  A  had  the  suggestion  to  plant  it  for  them  (which  all  agreed  on)   Bob  offered  to  take  on  checking  the  city  website  for  the  TB  to  be  able  to   update  its  information.  It  was  suggested  to  post  calendar  of  events  there   • 2011  Tree  Plan:  Sarah  will  ask  Sandy  P.  for  a  final  version  and  will  email   copies  to  volunteers  and  members  to  review   • Updates:     -­‐Sarah  updated  everyone  on  Barre  St.  TD  Bank  grant  which  the  TB  is  not   eligible  for  this  year,  but  will  hopefully  be  next  year.  John  S  mentioned  that  the   state  should  have  grants  available  (contact  Kate  Forrer)  this  spring.       -­‐John  S.  updated  on  the  status  of  grate/guard  damage.  Two  sites  were   damaged,  but  have  been  replaced  possibly  by  the  DPW.       -­‐Geoff  was  not  present  to  update  on  the  budget.       -­‐Bob  spoke  about  his  meeting  attended  also  with  John  S  and  Geoff  B  on  the   Tree  Inventory  Software  at  the  State  House.  There  was  a  motion  which  was   seconded  for  Bob,  John,  and  Geoff  to  continue  their  efforts  in  figuring  out   Tree  ID  software  and  next  steps.  Jeff  Shuman  added  that  he  has  IT  in  his   background  and  would  be  willing  to  assist.  John  A  mentioned  the  State’s  use  of   software  led  by  Eric  Engstrom  and  the  ease  of  layers  to  illustrate  information.   Geoff  has  mentioned  in  the  past  that  he  would  like  the  inventory  data  to  be  used   to  help  with  identifying  hazard  trees,  whereas,  the  public  could  use  the   information  for  IDing  purposes.        -­‐The  Bridge  is  set  to  publish  an  article  on  the  Tree  Board  on  Feb.  21.  John  S   suggested  that  perhaps  the  Bridge  could  highlight  a  tree  or  do  a  piece  on  trees  in   each  of  their  issues   • Sarah  mentioned  the  cost  of  putting  signs  with  the  species  and  common   name  of  the  tree  on  each  of  the  downtown  trees.  For  one  4x6”  black   amonized  aluminum  sign  would  be  $34  each  or  $19.80  for  an  outdoor  white   plastic  one.  She  will  continue  to  get  more  information.  It  was  suggested   that  fundraising  for  the  signs  was  a  possibility  as  well  as  getting  local   businesses  to  sponsor  a  tree  or  purchase  a  sign.  Ken  L  would  be  willing  to   assist  with  gaining  business  support  once  Sarah  is  more  organized.   • Looking  ahead:  planting  into  and  out  of  the  nursery  –  John  is  working  on   getting  the  Barre  St  plantings  for  this  coming  year  finalized  (owner   approvals)  and  it  was  suggested  that  board  members  and  volunteers  keep  an   eye  out  for  which  downtown  trees  need  to  be  replaced.   • Re-­‐appointed  members  and  openings:  John  A.  and  Ken  L.  are  applying  to   be  TB  members.  There  are  still  a  couple  of  openings.   • Other  business:  Update  email  lists,  John  A.  spoke  about  First  Detector   training  and  where  the  Emerald  Ash  Borer  is  now  located.  Sarah  also   mentioned  tracking  hours  spent  on  tree  board  projects  and  that  she  would   send  the  link  to  the  Excel  spreadsheet  for  folks  to  add  their  hours.    John  S.   mentioned  that  keeping  track  of  the  hours  was  important  for  funding   purposes.   • Adjourned  at  6:45pm   • Next  meeting  scheduled  for  Thursday,  March  7,  2013  at  5:30pm