##VIDEO ID:3BG8iOROpes## e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e and say test test do test yep e menu testing e e e if we could turn our microphones on we going to for Shane well it's he's here he may have just ran something ch right okay all right I'd like to call the meeting to order in accordance with the open public meeting Act of 1975 adequate notice of this meeting has been provided and advertised if we' stand for the Pledge of Allegiance please I pledge aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under IND and jce for all all right Carol would you like to do the play yes that's what J always says um if you can call the role please Carol sure thank you uh just give me a minute Jay is excused George a here uh Barb uh is she excused I I don't know I haven't heard anything Connie did you hear anything from Barbara she excused excused she what excused okay um Carol sick here George W here Mark Mark J I'm sorry jay Jim oh Jim yeah yes here okay well it starts with a J you're getting close it's okay Frank Shane here okay all right if you would take a look at the minutes from last month's meeting we'll ask for a motion to approve 25 would anyone like to make a motion to approve the minutes from last month's meeting sure I'll make a motion second anyone second all in favor abstentions me I wasn't here all right all right we have some guests here today um Dana Nester would you please come up and if you just turn the mic micophone on hello hi afternoon I'm Dana Nester my husband and I recently purchased 1033 K May Avenue and uh I want to thank you for providing this opportunity for me to appeal the decision or the denial to remove a tree in my yard uh my reason for wanting that tree removed uh are that there are several and they are that one it is leaning while we can all agree that it's leaning as a new homeowner I'm sure whether the angle has changed over time it's possible that it has it's possible that it hasn't but should the angle change further over time I'm concerned the tree will need to be removed after it grows much larger and will become more difficult to remove here's a photo thank you it's it's growing yeah I'm surprised your neighbor I'm the one that looked at the tree I'm surprised your neighbor hasn't complained I just met the neighbor uh two weeks ago and they the first thing they said was I'm surprised you haven't removed that tree I think different angle well the thing is the tree is what type of tree alive it looks like a maple yeah it's a maple yeah it's a maple yeah I do have a little bit of information a little bit of information about the tree I don't think there's anything wrong with the tree I don't think it's infested with pests um I don't think it's invasive um so my second reason for wanting the tree removed are the neighbors uh the they are entire entirely responsible for any type of tree leaf removal and I would actually have to enter their property to prune it um or to trim it uh the another reason is it doesn't provide any shade to my yard um our family won't be able to enjoy it during the summertime the fourth reason is it's unsightly I think that my yard should be an extension of this beautiful city and the way that it looks right now it's not in my opinion so since I have not seen this tree in person I'm just looking at the photos were there other does it looks to me as if at the juncture of the trunk that there were other trunks that may have been removed over time that was possibly that was before my time with the property yeah I couldn't tell it looks like it has a couple of other trees that were growing quite close to it where they just severed the trunks but the root system they remain in place intact yeah I'm not sure okay I I don't have the answer to that but I do um I did look at this the City of Cape May's code chapter 482 regarding trees and shrubs section D1 and since the existing tree is outside the building footprint having a greater than 3in diameter trunk measured at a point 4.5 ft above the ground on it on the downhill side of of the tree should you the commission authorize the removal of this tree it will require that I the applicant plant two trees in its place so what what I've done is contracted bore landscaping and requested for them to plant four trees so doubling the amount required by the code if this is approved I already made the deposit I already paid for two of them and does that have the species of trees on it uh CRP myrtles oh I saw that crep myrtles were on the list of approved trees so this tree that's currently in the yard has a six inch um circumference right I'm sorry diameter diameter 24 in circumference so it's just about the size of a dollar bill at 4.5 ft tall right so I've also planted I upgraded the Evergreens that were going in on the property I um paid $1,290 to upgrade all of them to Cherry Laurels because I like the idea of having the leaves in the yard and the greenery so Cherry Lars are beautiful I don't know if you're familiar with them they can reach a height of 18 feet tall 18 20 feet tall 6 to 12 feet wide and they have beautiful dark green lustrous leaves um they actually Bloom producing small fragrant flowers um they attract pollinators and they contribute to the health of the overall ecosystem so any questions for me no but I'd like to thank you for planting Cherry Laurels instead of Le and Cypress cuz so many plant those and they they tend to not do well in wind and stuff like that blow yeah here's an additional photo if you'd like to see it this is just this is the tree um from the front view of the house it just so I have a couple of these as well close they lean on each other so this is thee back here that's what I'm thinking was this tree ever trimmed at any point because it's so lopsided I don't have the answer to that as a new homeowner I'm assuming the tree was shaded out by other trees at some point in time and it was reaching for the sunlight you know cuz just the the the diameter of the trunk relative to the height of the tree is off obviously um but also the way the tree reached what would have caused it to reach that way and when when that property I think it's a Maple Tree Maple when the property was cleared for construction I don't believe they took took any trees down no in fact there's a holly on the opposite side of the backyard that's now um it's blocked by the garage but we didn't take the Holly down and the Holly wouldn't be impacted by the removal of this tree or its root system I mean this is not the typical growth pattern really it's really bizarre looking it's you know it's I have to agree it's kind okay so I denied the request because the tree wasn't particularly attractive but it looked like a healthy tree that was my basis I don't disagree with that the like a healthy tree have you considered possibly cropping the top of it and is it I'm looking with the photo I have it's hard to see I do see one crotch here like sort of branching out maybe there's possibility coming down to a point like that um unfortunately there's not a lot of growth on the trunk until you get up to wow 15 to 20 ft High yeah uh I'm not able to prune it from my yard or trim it from my yard so I guess I would need permission from the neighbors if I were to do that and it looks as if I think your neighbor would be in favor oh my neighbor yeah as I mentioned my neighbor the when I met them um for the first time two weeks ago they said oh we're surprised you didn't get rid of that tree it looks like it's encroaching actually on their trees from this photo kind of hangs over their this is new construction there's a garage yes there's new construction I think I know the home I know where this is okay 10:33 I know that is as a non- voting member I'll give my opinion um I I think there's not a good future for this tree you know and uh even if you crop it off it's um it won't be pretty for a long time it might stay there for a long time but I think you've presented a uh a landscape plan that could have benefit the neighborhood and your your yard where would where would you put those four trees um so the two of the trees are going to be planted in the front of the yard the other two trees placement is pending this commission's decision to remove that tree and as far as the cropping we tend to discourage topping of trees to begin with right and and the way this I I can't see this see point on that tree where it can be even done I just don't I'm trying to look to see what that can and I think the tree has been abused at the roots yeah I think there were other trunks that were co-dominant I bet it was yeah and now it looks like it's from a Dr Seuss book we've talked about uh Lion's tails before kind of like Li Lion's Tail y I'd be amable to changing two of the trees for the backyard for the front I'm I'm going to go with crepe myrtles but for two for the two replacement trees I I'd definitely be happy to replace them with something that's a larger shade tree I'd be in favor of that well why don't we talk about that okay um well you can put another Maple if you like or that would just be one though because they get so large you can use I mean we use Hackberry we use you mean the Japanese redes beautiful but they're not really a shade tree either for the most part you're talking Crimson King the Norway uh cultivar you can use that they don't tend to get as large either the and they're a slow growing m well they have the red leaves the burgundy colored leaves um there's American hornbeam which kind of grows more cumer so it's not going to provide a lot of shade but it is a native species um you can even do if you don't if you're looking for shade of course then you know there's other options there's willow oak which has a a very small leave um that kind of thing but so on the list of approved trees there are different categories of the trees so maybe we could possibly talk about which I don't have that on me handy but if we could talk about that then I could commit to doing that because right now it's just just us talking I'll say oh I'll put something else in but where's the accountability with that yeah George may have a copy of the list he tends to be more organized with his files than I am didn't bring that file no you didn't bring that file well we do have a list some somewhere I mean if you'd like to what if we were to approve the removal of this tree now and perhaps you can come back when you take a look at the list of trees and we may be able to make some suggestions can i t i make another suggestion sure what if what if you were to go to Carol and say these are the trees that you're suggesting and just be behind the closed scenes it' be a condition of approval until we approve the trees is that more accommodating instead of you coming here next month who's Carol it would probably that's your District or or the chairman well it's my district George is probably more knowledgeable trees than I am VI CH here's a rough list and what's appropriate you can PL there's also birch trees which are really faster growing um they don't get to be huge trees but they do provide shade and there's several species that we've approved on here which I think would actually look very nice in the backyard um Yellow Birch Gray Birch we've got you flowering dogwood but they're just kind of a little and the other trees get to be quite large so if you're looking for something that's not going to be huge I think birch tree might be a nice um alternative to that I think we'd need two trees yeah so maybe one Birch and one why don't we do this George for sake of time here yeah um give individual copy of that list that we have here for the approved trees okay and um come back next month after you consult with your landscaper and tell us what you'd like to do okay is that reasonable okay thank it's a little rough copy but it's a copy anyway it'll have their species on it I don't want to commit to coming to next month's meeting until I look at the date okay that's fine um I yeah December is a busy month have river birch trees in my yard and they are very nice trees and they're not really encumbering I think they'll get tall but the leaves are small and they've done very well if that's an approved tree I have those at my house in Wilmington I I would Plant River Birches yeah but they're are they shade trees yeah they they provide they are shade trees so most of the time they come multi-trunked yeah which is fine you know they are on the approved list good in a damp area I mean if you've got any water problems that's why they were recommended to me right they have a short lifespan don't they they well about 25 years so you're not looking at you know you look at an oak or Sycamore you're talking up to 100 yeah they're doing fine yeah one issue that we're going to have with planting the new trees is that they do have to go in in the next couple of weeks MH or else we have to wait wait until the spring well they typically I mean I don't know what the invent is of of the landscapers that um that you're using but trees are typically still being dug because they're not they have an all yeah he said that he needed to thank you so much is this is this is the updated list yes notes associated with it great um he needed a couple weeks just for the Crepes okay which are going in they were supposed to have gone in before today well those are probably dug already but I'm saying a lot of the nurseries don't dig yet because until the trees go into a more dormant State okay so and and really around here you can plant you can plant pretty much most of the winter we don't really get a hard freeze here so nice you know you can plant in December or January we've seen December planting oh yeah January plantings too so oh that's interesting my landscaper said that we we have until the third week in November yeah get them in the ground shouldn't impact you too too much that December in mind talk to your landscaper for the remainder of this month and maybe visit us next month and say this is what I'd like to do Spring's best with planning anyway I was going to say if it had to be pushed off until the spring is that a matter to you or not it would just be a matter of getting removing the tree that's currently there because well it's still in the neighbor yet but it looks like you have the approval for the removal of the tree so I wouldn't be too concerned with that right now um we are in a drought as well yeah I I'm aware well would someone like to make a motion I'll make a motion to approve okay all those in favor I removal removal of the tree is approved thank you on on the condition on the conditions of the two shade trees being planted thank you on the property again convenient for you if you could come back next month Anda like to do either next month there in January I have to look at my schedule I don't have it on I have children I could suggest maybe you can email your choices in the meantime you know to the secretary and that's a great idea that if you can't make it you know okay I'll do that thank you thank you thank you for your time thank you no thank you thank you do you mind if I keep these sure thank you so I'm a neighbor I'm on the other side of K May Avenue you so welcome small it's a small grandp I don't no 17 idah I SP my sum in oh nice thank you thank you again I'm good friends with neighbor all right old business guess we'll get to that first or next Lantern fly it' be a shame yeah oh here we go you're on okay so we had a meeting with the uh subcommittee about Lantern flies as we all know the shade tree commission or the city of K May received a $20,000 Grant from the state about battling Lantern flies and a lot of it I think the decision of the city manager thought it would be within our purview because Lantern flies are attracted to the Treaty of Heaven which are also from Asia and they both uh invasive species uh We've uh we met with a subcommittee George Warner and Carol York uh we we consulted with with one of the changing commission members of West Kate may his name's uh Warren uh Hoffman Wayne hofman Wayne Hoffman excuse me and uh he actually enlighted us on a lot of things about the lantern flies um that being said we realize as a subcommittee that there are a lot of uh tree of Heaven not just in K may but also in West Cape May there are three properties currently that have over 25 trees so uh meeting with the city manager you know we came up after come up with the plan we met I met with the city manager to kind of discuss what our findings was and uh were and we said that we don't even know what trees we have in our own backyard you know City properties right uh Etc so um there's discussions of whether we spend this money essentially on the the trees that we have in the City of Cape May and then possibly come up with the 50 50 program and asking the city of C Council to come up with a amount of money to uh to do this 50-50 program we don't know if there's going to be a uh funding source from the state coming up next year am I jump on anybody's toes at this point uh or step on anybody say so we realized that there's a bigger problem than we than we knew so we are anticipating and giving some information uh the city manager wants to have two different Flyers is going out to the first quarter of the year which is the spring when all these the NY of the of the of these flies I start growing we'll give us information such as spraying them with uh uh vinegar water uh or vinegar soap water uh putting things like uh uh duct tape backwards around a tree bark you know to collect these things um before they start be to be able to fly if you spray them with the the you know the soap water or the uh vinegar they won't grow their wings there's a lot to it but that's that's a springtime uh you know assault at this problem we need to First identify where these trees are in Kate May right and we we have projects going around the town I think that's an opportunity for the city of K made to just like the trails behind a school to see where these things are to get them get rid of them while they're easily accessible um and I think that's a good plan moving forward we have time it's going to be all about uh information for the people and uh I think our committee is up for it uh we were talking about put some stuff in the newspapers you know uh bookmarks Flyers went to see Ruckers we went to go see Ruckers Cooperative Extension and see if we can get somebody up there to give kind of a discussion of how to identify see the problem right now is that we can't identify the Trees of Heaven because the trees the Lees are falling off and it's and it's all going to really be a great campaign for spring mhm so uh I think moving forward we have to consider we have to figure out you know let the people know email us at the shade tree commission let us know if you think you have tree of Heaven in your yard and then we have to come with a we have to know how much we have to determine how to create an assault on this situation right and uh we had we had a tyal Time city manager asked if we could budget this and it's a difficult number to with not knowing really how many trees we're dealing with exactly y so at this point I think uh we're in we're in an information stage and information gathering stage as a commission and subcommittee and uh once we get that information we can come up with a financial plan moving forward um that's this is all very preliminary you know this could be a catastrophic uh realization for all of us and uh we just need to we need to know the information first right yeah so for the $20,000 Grant how does this committee or this commission look to spend that money through public information if I'm hearing that no no public information is easy that's the soft cost we have printers you know we have we have paper and the real money I think with the city manager and I don't want to speak for him because he's not here right now was it to go after the trees correct that's what yeah so we we are we're going to encourage the people to email us at the shade tree commission if you think you have a tree let us know we'll have uh we'll document it and at some point we'll have an expert go out there and determine whether that tree is you know in fact the tree of heaven and discuss the cost associated with it because uh you're not just cutting down a tree you're cutting it down you're poisoning it for 30 to 60 days and then that trunk that trunk has to be or the roots have to be removed at that point so it's not just it's more costly than just removing a tree and it's one of the things that shade tree commission might want to be thinking about is are we going to be focus on the giant trees that cost thousands of dollars to bring down or trees are about this big you know they can do quicker and faster you know I think the 50-50 program can kind of help us out when it comes to the private residents and if we can get this under a a bid threshold you know annually we can probably you know trip away at this annually you know I think people would want to be encouraged to get rid of these trees and I think the shade tree commission should you know give them all the uh waivers of fees Etc and you know we want to encourage them to plant two more trees but I don't think that's necessarily the what we're asking for at this point right that's not the focus the 5050 conception that you have suggest good it's a great idea makes some sense it relieves doesn't reli the pressure responsibility but it lessens the financial impact to the people and have the city participates nice little partnership go right we'll see we see where the Trail Ends it gives the people an option it's their property you know after all right um would you like Casey to do a Facebook post with the information or I have information I can give out I think it's premature so right now uh for people that are out there listening there's ALS I didn't realize I me to me this to you George there's a uh if you look on the website there's a lot of information under the uh environmental commission about this right now and there's some fantastic uh uh links to it so I think it's already there yep but I I would prefer the city city manager to come up and speak financially and what what he's looking for you know and he's super uh you know I think he's really into this I think he's given us a lot of opportunity here to really shine okay Shane if I can ask any environmental concerns with the poisoning of the tree roots and well that is a concern but the other concerns was how to get rid of the uh the lantern flies there was discussions about uh having a a company like Viking or you know pest control company come out and spray even though it's a a spray that doesn't kind guess dries up over time over you know a day or whatever we don't want to encourage people to spray uh chemicals or P or pesticides on the island you know we all know that goes into the ocean uh the city of Kate May has banned herbicides from the from the uh the uh public works you know they're not happy about but makes her hard jobs harder but essentially we're trying to keep an environmentally safe uh City and so we wanted more incourage people to be their own uh Advocates by spraying the vinegar or soap water and these these Critters are you know uh elusive but my question is with the the poisoning that you were talking about with the why can't the stump just be ground out like a typical tree I'm not a tree expert okay but that's the course of action that has been brought to my attention through multiple sources been led to believe that that these roots will'll send out Runners and right yeah the runners okay that it's just not typical tree roots these things are are out there like Rome is basically the soil and brain that's why you start off with one and you end up with a Grove okay basically you know what's fully matured size of these trees I'm not that familiar with them gigantic you ever seen a big tree they look just like that big ones yeah very big when they're young they're easily confused with uh sumac which are a good native species that's the that's the only other problem too so identifying them is definitely something that we need to make sure we the leaves are they they're similar to a palm typ type of leaf with the different little fingers coming out it's a special way to look at the leaves at the at the nub but these trees can be as tall as 50 60 ft tall oh absolutely yeah really okay wow they're all over the island and they uh if we don't control this it could affect our agricultural uh aspects of our life especially in our you know great there has been reports of infestation in West Cape oh West Cape May yeah um you here we've been blessed but so far but how long that'll last is yeah I think we have to be proactive in ensuring that we don't get it so the course of action I think right now is we we're going to gather information about who thinks they have these trees we're want to get information about how to identify these trees how to you know get rid of these bugs and we're going to wait till the city manager comes back to give us a a full uh program of how to approach the city city council for funding okay sounds good so they can email the commission email the commission please Connie what's that email pardon me what's the email for the commission I'll have to send it to okay just want to make sure we get the info we can put that on the website yeah that's what I'm thinking I'll give you some uh some uh stuff to put on the website yep not a problem I believe it what is this and with uh with regards to that on a different note I want to work on that list that that official list of approved trees and I want to get that on the uh website as soon as possible especially before the spring yeah because we we worked on that months ago I have no problem I'll come up with a uh a draft list a revised list sent it to you guys tell me how to change it I'll be happy to do it oh great thank you yeah all right I don't know the letter to contractors I want to say one more thing uh uh Joel Jaden Joel Joel Jaden uh uh Perez is here he he uh ran uh a uh positive campaign for the city of Kate May he's thinking about getting involved they invited him here today uh to tell him about what we do here you know uh I'm just the aison but all these Commissioners here they have a responsibility of a district in town and people ask and I save these for you to take a look at what we were talking about uh we approve or deny trees uh removal or or trimming and uh it's it's kind of evasive but when I mean it's a little bit overwhelming to be a judge in that sense if anybody else wants to join in but when you're member of the boards or this Commission you know it's it's a tough role to play to say you're not making friends you're not making friends and you're making tough judgments friend and a lot of times it comes like what we just saw here today which is a positive positive exchange and and uh negotiation that we establish and uh I you know if you're ever interested in the future joining us we' be happy to have you as well as other things in the city of Kate may just stay involved come to the meetings that's how you become you know more known by the public you know and more you'll not sir there's a flag up on the yeah that was a big achievement on the stage there is city city 40 years yeah we want to keep that app guys are basically the borax pretty much we tried friend of mine actually sent me LIC I really do appreciate intruction everything and I alwaysed working helping people very interested you got it you were the only one out there with your photo on your lawn signs actually I'm so glad you that's probably the best uh campaign sign the city's ever seen yeah yeah it was it was a good one absolutely yeah true all right well thank you welcome and please join us another time and I'll give you these photos so you know what we're talking about and uh city manager or Deputy city manager did you have anything else I didn't mean to cut you off because I came up here you might have had other things nope you're fine if if you have anything for me obviously um Paul couldn't make the meeting but um if you have anything from me I'm available questions comments I do have one question do you have any idea what the start date is for the construction on Franklin Street on with the uh yeah with the with the block where the library is is supposed to be redone with the brick sidewalks and and different Landscaping I'll give you the exact date I think we're still trying to work on work on that there might be still some stuff to be done underground oh okay right it's possible so and then City Hall lot was supposed to be November 18th but um trying to work with the contractor to see when the exact date is I sounds like he has to move the date a little bit so while we're talking about the city hall lot oh my gosh the tree that was removed that is the only tree that's going to be removed out there there was a maple tree in the center that was cut down Frank do you know that's the only one I know that's okay because that's a good question because I was going to say why would they do it at different times we do different trees yeah so that's not a bad tradeoff yeah no cuz at first it was mentioned about the oak and that one is that's a beautiful tree all the way at the end and I I really don't want to see that yeah as far as I know that is the only one that was on our radar right it's it's reproved I don't have any other questions that's my is there anything any updates with the 50/50 sidewalk program that's been discussed over the last few few meetings no update no update okay good all right wow 35 minutes contract yeah I think J yeah that's I wonder the things I brought up before the meeting I don't mean to you know Connie already has a list that was established you know before she became our uh our secretary uh is that the right word yeah so I asked if there's a spreadsheet that explains all the approvals of trimming and and cutdowns for all of us and there is one you know just that we don't we don't have ex access to it because it's it's it's on her computer but you know when you wake up in the morning you hear a chainsaw in your backyard or whatever uh we're like oh is that do I have to call Connie and say make her flip through a bunch of paperwork to decide whether this was approved I think it' be great to have some kind of platform you can maybe you can help us with this Justin with this spreadsheet that we can all access uh it says when the approvals were so they they only have one year so after that approval they're off the list you know they're no longer have that permit and also it gives us an opportunity not us you folks as Commissioners an opport opportunity to say well was there should be some kind of followup right this was this a permit uh you know followed through followed through exactly I think that's an opportunity for all of us to say listen if I hear a chainsaw we know if it's approved or not you know if if if we look at this we should we should reconcile this list every year or or on a a certain annual basis or multiannual basis to determine was a job done because chances are a lot of people put their permits in they got approvals there's got to be a few trees out there that never WR down and then we have the replacement clause and we have to make sure we follow up on that too so that should be part of the same so a simple spreadsheet for all of us to look at you know I'm a you know a nosy person I like to look at that stuff too so Shane wasn't wasn't code enforcement supposed to follow up on that uh they got such a large job I think as Commissioners that's it's kind of your job we should check our I think we should check our own district and see like just like going back to 20 Patterson so we we kept after it and code enforcement and you know how that played and it was successful they ended up completing the you know the plan as as they had accepted that also was tenacious oh definitely Commissioners tenacious code enforcement right exactly um Everybody working in I think that's a great idea obviously you know do your thing reach out to code enforcement as as needed and working together um I think is kind of I think the spirit of the commission and how we get things done um you know more efficiently I just wanted to add to talk about projects if you go on Kem city.com at the top there's like a scrolling Banner you can see where the updates are for all the construction projects um in the city so and there's plans PD F things like that Paul tries to update it or I try to update it as we get the information there's a lot of projects good thank you oh one more thing before you before you're left off the hook I know keep thing on yeah as far as Kanas Park mhm oh I don't know what the you have information I'm not sure sure what the contract was and who the contract was even with with the Landscaping but with the trees that did not survive did they have a replacement clause in that contract or would that be something that so that was we did a punchless walk through about two weeks ago at this point um the mayor myself councilman Meyer and the engineer and on that punch list are the trees that didn't make it and if you recall the Three Trees closest to like where the tennis courts are we told them you got to find a better spot cuz there's no irrigation over there so there's a plan to replace the trees that didn't make it okay and do they have do you have an idea of the species or would they come up with the species cuz we had suggested it could be documented it might be documented on the uh on the website plan okay I can find out more specifics about species well we did well I don't know but we dis we did discuss at one of the meetings when Paul was here um that I questioned why some of those species were used because they were small ornamental trees and we have large open spaces there where we could have used trees that we can't use along the streets like beach trees which would be beautiful you know we really don't have we have no beach trees that I'm aware of left in the city we had two on Washington do do you have recommendations on one a few lar a few trees that they could look at well it would be nice to have an American Beach or a copper leaf Beach that would be one thing I would suggest um there's hickory too the only thing with Hickory is sometimes they produce umist know but we have the tree list but I would suggest um the large species of trees that we approved especially those for Park settings you know we can even do a metas seoa in there which is a Dawn Redwood they get to be huge tree but we've got if we've got the open space there that it's not being used I don't think that they can put any trees in where they had the Three Trees I don't think they canant any trees there because there's no irrigation there's no way right now basically Public Works has to come on a golf cart and hand waterer it or find another mechanism to to water we had contracted to have the trees watered that we planted around the city which is pretty costly and we did look at the budget on that and just it's it's not not going to be feasible long term out there because we've had one of our most successful planting years by yes we you know it was a costly expense but it was well worth it because we have a much greater rate of survival I think looking at like I said in the punch list looking at a better location for the trees would do better um I can certainly recommend looking at the types of species out there that would would do better MH um well I think you can backtrack a little bit the whole concept of the trees at at ku's Park was a sensory garden those are people with special needs so these trees were you know about all about being touched tactile yeah tactile you know the soft leaves and these different other type of things it was it was a uh that's that was a focus on these type of trees you the Braille uh uh you know identifications of these trees I think that was a concept but I totally agree with you and you know that is close to a very uh it's close to a water source MH we got a pond right there you know the a huge tree if you know 20 30 50 feet from that pond is going to find access to that water MH I think uh it's not a terrible idea to put some big trees in that area and I to bring that up the only reason I bring that up is because we've uh tried to grow some uh uh blight resistance uh chest Chestnut trees and and K May Avenue and that's just dry as a desert up there and and and the Garden on the corner there is the whole concept of that Garden is to Bel low water you know so but just keep in mind there is a bunch of pipes that runne that ground there that run that whole entire drainage throughout the whole city there well we can find out where those they are I know where they are it's it's just keep that in mind it's there's a lot of drainage that through the whole entire area for the whole oh I know I know there's drainage it's some bizarre drainage over that area too you know going through people's property I don't know how the hell that happened but uh yeah I don't really understand what you're saying but if there's a will is way yeah like I said we can take a look um I I just don't know about that specific area but like I said we can take a look at um the species and the punch list and where the contractor going with it especially if we're talking tactile you know and sensory garden uh Japanese katsura trees they're known for their leaves the the fragrance from their leaves smells like bubble gum and uh we don't have any of those in the city either they're typically not good on a street skate but in a park setting they'd be and this is a mild point of view come from us uh we were never involved in any of this process years ago and obviously this project started where Paul got here before I got here but if we something we're looking at and and obviously that's why you know hey I'm sitting here to get your input as well cuz if involved in the beginning we would have had a list of trees that are acceptable tactile you know sry we would have also said you can't just plant a tree you can't just build a a park you got to have a maintenance plan and everybody forgets the maintenance plan yeah so then you have dead trees that cost a lot of money we're correct yeah uh last thing I would like to bring up to the uh commission it's more to the uh public we have a aqua that goes what is it 800t down in the ground yes even though we're in in a drought we are you know we're water you know soluble yeah so at this point uh I would ask people to volunteer for themselves to water their trees on their yard and water their trees in the street you know I think uh it doesn't take much to do it once a week you know watering can and a gown on your uh Street tree save the trees they're they're in need of uh help right now and um and I'm going to go up down my street because I see a number of trees that need help yeah so you know just ask that from the people uh yeah um the trees we had a conversation with Rob Kaminsky he's our wood and Sewer superintendent to just confirm you know obviously with the drought people are obviously concerned about you know hey what does that mean for the city there's no cause for alarm or anything like that like councilman Meer said it's the aquafer that we um tap into is about 800 ft below ground so I think we're okay on our water source but people should be mindful and like the councilman said you know take that opportunity to you know as the trees are not looking so great you know water them and keep up with it thank you should that be something that's maybe in the star and wave that alert the community what are your trees trees oh well that's uh as part of my list I'm gonna I'm G to come with a meeting with Justin and uh Jason excuse me uh and uh put on a website one of those things excuse me I'm sorry it's Justin you got it oh sorry sorry but uh there a number of things I should put on the website including Watering your trees I think yeah and we were looking at you know various you know looking at various topics and things like that to you know make sure that we're you know staying up to date with um things going on with the city so yeah go go to the website because we're trying to do a better job at updating people through that mechanism um like I said with the projects and various contexts and things like that what I'm going to talk with him is about the website uh the sh tree email uh the the approved tree list and water your trees and then we'll talk about uh other things with the flight uh Shane I excuse me I think it should really be in the paper too A lot of the population's older and they don't go to the website they you know they subscribe to the star and wave and they'll pick that up and read it on a front page you know water your trees help your street trees put on list I mean I think more you talk about it at these public meetings I think the star and wave listens into to our Council meetings and the various boards and commissions I think allow them that that opportunity to to report on that we can always do a press release too absolutely I think that's yeah that's a good idea if you get me the information I'll work with Casey and we'll get that information out there cool that meet up with you thank you can somebody refresh my memory on the duration of the contract we have with topnotch for watering of the trees well that that's over that expired at the end of September it already expired however he did ask for permission to continue with that because we this trout is with payment with payment absolutely moving and so far um I don't even know how many waterings he's done since that contract expired maybe two I think that's all which we did say was okay and I know Jay was in on that decision too I think you want to just um make sure that the commission has that opportunity to review what that number looks like so you guys can have that budget discussion um so maybe someone should have that conversation with topnotch and say Hey you know you're authorized up to X number and then you have to come back to the the commission to make sure that the you're not overexp your funds yeah that that would be my recommendation I think that that's what we tried to do yeah okay any other new business at this point does anybody have anything they'd like to bring up no new business we need to figure out well maybe we can wait till Jay's back but I'm not exactly sure what's remaining in our budget for this year and if we can allocate the funds into different areas if needed that's what kind of well if we so from my understanding our tree maintenance fund which we pay man's Landscaping through we're pretty much out of out of money that's yeah for that what we had budgeted for that but we have other monies left and I think we're able to there's a point I don't know what the point is but we're able to shift the money I don't know about that I would caution you and be very careful with doing that um because that could affect future budgets down the line because because you know when you're looking at it um you know obviously if you're looking to increase one side you got to look at decreasing another side otherwise you're going to over the total budget itself so I would caution you and that's why I was saying whatever Top Notch is coming in at make sure you you kind of have that hard stop and say hey you can't go past this point until you get further permission from the shade tree that way everyone has that opportunity to right review where you're at I think we're going to just have to look at the budget in general well that's I mean you know definitely legislative versus executive branch um we need to look at the budget yeah because it's not working for us exactly and I would encourage leison to city council yeah I would encourage you to have that conversation sooner than later cuz we are in that process right now to start looking at the budget for 2025 okay okay can I just make a suggestion with the um watering of trees you know voluntarily by neighbors and such and um you know so large trees require a lot of water um going out there with just a a garden hose and and sprinkl some water around you could just be really wasting water um a gallon or two of water is going to do nothing for a very large tree The Roots aren't even at the trunk you'd have to you know try to find where the drip line is and most of the drip line is typically covered by Street or sidewalk or whatever the case might be um you could be really just wasting water at this point I mean we're at a time of the year where the decidious trees are now dropping the leaves anyhow they conserve water naturally um this may be more of a concern when we go into early spring I would think right now I just don't see how that's going to be all that advantageous of going out there and trying to just throw a little bit of water on on a tree well I think if it's a if it's a tree that's been planted within the last few years that root system is still not established enough granted right I mean I know the tree in front of my house right is it's this is it thir I just don't want to get the information out there incorrectly right that that I'll agree with things of course and I mean that's not technically considered new at this point it's 3 years but it is still you know um in the the root system is still very much so uh not developed and not extensive so it does need that extra water if you're talking about one of the large sycamores that's 100 years old on Washington Street it may you may be right that it won't do much but if it's a smaller tree especially if it's been planted within the last few years it definitely can still use water this time the other thing that happens at this time of the year also being that the ground is as dry as it is most of that little bit of water that you'll start out with will just be run off anyhow until you saturate the soil so you'd have to leave a hose running for that's basically what I do considerable amount of time at a low drip or whatever it would be just going out there with some water and pouring out most 90% of it's just going to be runoff it's not going to reach the roots anyhow you know you're you're exactly right when I brought this up I was thinking about the smaller trees um but you know when it said when you say that the rain that we just had you know is it gonna is it did it have a big impact no did we need it yes and if the people are willing to help a tree especially their own trees that they they planted and paid for themselves I think they're doing themselves a service and they're spending their own money on on water anyway so I think I think it's all positive okay and there's no restriction as you said so correct also a good thing to we do have a number of New Street trees throughout the community that U would be positively impacted by residents where those trees are located what are the way to order that if you can get us you know typical lawn sprinkler out there on a low flow and just let it saturate and let it really yeah I just I take my garden hose and put out a really slow drip and it's it's on that tree for four to five hours usually once or twice a week good point excellent all right anything else any new business no new applications all right if there's nothing else I'll entertain a motion to adjourn anyone want to make that motion motion to adjourn seconded by sure Carol all in favor all right thank you thank you well thank you Justin