Tree Board

Tree Board minutes 01/28/19 Morgantown Tree Board (MTB) Minutes, meeting of January 28, 2019 City Council chambers, 4:30 PM 1. ATTENDANCE: MTB members Dan Brown, Jonathan Cumming, Greg Dahle, Dave Davis, Donna Marie Foster, Secretary Jon Weems, and Chair Dave Barnett, guest Matt Cummins (First Energy), Urban Landscape Director Marchetta Maupin, City Arborist Scott Cline, and via speakerphone City Council liaison Rachel Fetty. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: D. Brown moved and D. M. Foster seconded that minutes of the December 3, 2018 meeting be approved without amendment. The motion passed. 3. REPORT FROM M. MAUPIN: M. Maupin updated MTB on her urban forest activities, including the need to assess trees near the intersection of Bradley and Amherst Streets. It was agreed that available MTB members would meet there with Ken Hacker (MUB) at 3:00 on Friday, Feb. 15. M. Maupin announced that S. Cline had been hired as full-time City Arborist, contingent upon his attaining International Society of Arboriculture certification within a year. 4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: A. Hazel Ruby McQuain Amphitheater cherry trees. The contracting of an ISA certified arborist and the likely vegetative reproduction (by MTB member D. Davis and students) of trees to be removed were discussed. B. City Tree Ordinance. D. M. Foster distributed notes about updated citations and other changes needed. It was agreed to hold a special MTB meeting to work out desired changes at 4:30 PM on Monday, Feb. 11 in City Council chambers. 5. NEW BUSINESS: A. Budget 2019-2020. D. Barnett agreed to develop a reasonable budget request based on recent history and a pledge to seek matching grant funding where possible. B. Tree Board membership. It was announced that one MTB member who has a hard time attending meetings would like to be replaced, which would create a second vacancy. New members were to be sought. C. Krepps Park tree planting. The decline of spruce trees and the desire for plants to serve as a partial sound barrier were discussed. S. Cline suggested the tree inventory would be a good place to start. It was agreed to hold a future working meeting there, possibly in April. D. Beverly streetscape. Because of recurring vandalism and accidental damage to street trees in the neighborhood causing 80% mortality of young street trees, it was unanimously agreed that planting on paper street rights of way where possible would be preferable to planting on actual streets. [Chair D. Barnett left the meeting at 5:30. D. Brown served as acting Chair.]  Tree Board minutes 01/28/19 6. OPEN DISCUSSION: A. Power line right of way work. M. Cummins revealed that First Energy Corp. had contracted with Asplundh to trim trees along rights of way in southern parts of the City in 2019. Areas involved included downtown, South Park, South Hills, First Ward, and Sabraton. 7. NEXT MEETINGS: 4:30 PM Monday, Feb. 11, City Council Chambers to work on the City Tree Ordinance, and 3:00 PM Friday, Feb. 15, corner of Bradley and Amherst, to assess trees. 8. ADJOURN: J. Cumming moved, and G. Dahle seconded, that the meeting be adjourned. Motion passed at 5:45. Respectfully submitted, ______________________ Jon Weems, Secretary