CITY OF CRYSTAL RIVER
TREE BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
Friday, November 21, 2014
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Littrell.
Present were members Mark Littrell, Cajie Peardon, Tom McCarty, Sharon Kerner, and Kitty Ebert. Dave Burnell and Ken Brown were also in attendance.
The agenda was approved as published.
The following were elected as officers for the coming year: Chairman, Mark Littrell; Vice Chairman, Cajie Peardon; Secretary, Tom McCarty
The minutes of the prior meeting were approved as published.
· Current Business
· Continued Discussion of the Tree Board Role
Ken Brown and Dave Burnell expressed and led a discussion of the Council's preferred areas of concentration for the Tree Board, as follows:
§ Monitor the health status of trees in the City, and attend to tree maintenance needs.
§ An inventory of trees (required for performance of the above)
§ Arbor Day proceedings and related educational activities.
It was discussed that this Council’s preferences did not preclude any specific activities, and that the door was open to discussion of any reasonable and germane projects.
· Possible Development of a Comprehensive Tree Inventory
A meeting has been arranged with Eric Hoyer, formerly of Florida Urban Forestry, on December 1. The purpose of the meeting is to understand the implications of a complete, professional level, tree inventory. Questions include; who can do it, can we be trained to do it ourselves, how much would it cost and could we possibly receive a grant for such a project?
§ Kitty Ebert provided photos of “blighted” trees she identified around town. In essence, this was the beginning of an inventory which can be used to deal with blighted trees or tree clusters.
Note: Cutler Spur bids are due on December 1st, concurrent with the planned “Tree Inventory Workshop”, above.
Tree Board Minutes
November 21, 2014
Page 2
· Exploring the Availability of Arborists' Services
Kitty Ebert proposed that she be given authority to meet with local vendor firms which have Certified Arborists on staff. The purpose of the individual meetings would be to understand their respective capabilities, modes of operation, etc. No discussion of service prices or related matters will be included. Ultimately this exploration would be helpful in selection of an Arborist(s) to assist in Tree Board work. This motion was passed unanimously.
· Information about Local Beautification Efforts in Progress
The current focus for local beautification activity is the train station, 5th Street, the CRA and parking lot landscaping. The Tree Board is invited to comment but at present has no formal responsibilities defined for those areas. The CRA will have a resident steering committee to guide activities.
· City Work Order System
Dave Burnell introduced the group to the City Work Order System and indicated that it might be used to authorize and accomplish smaller, non-contract jobs. This needs to be followed up with additional information and training.
· New Meeting Day for 2015
Kitty proposed that regularly scheduled meetings in 2015 be held on the last Wednesday of each month. The motion carried unanimously.
· By Laws Review
A comprehensive review of the By Laws was conducted. Several non-consequential changes were recommended, e.g. changes in reporting channels, titles, etc. The suggested changes will be finalized at the next meeting and submitted for approval and re-issuing. It is assumed that these changes can be approved by executive action.
· Citizen Committees
Catherine Ebert suggested that citizens committees be formed to comprehensively catalog vegetative blight, primarily damaged or unsightly trees. No action was taken to form committees; however, it was agreed that vegetative blight be identified and recorded during the contemplated field trips to various areas of the City.
· Special Business
Dave Burnell attended the last half of the meeting and engaged in a very helpful question and answer discussion of Board finances and business procedures, providing notable clarifications in several areas, including carryover of annual routine funding: The annual five thousand dollar allotment for routine projects does not carry over into the next year unless realistically attached to completion of a current year project. Also discussed were several “sunshine” issues. A dedicated voice recorder for board meetings, including field trips was discussed.
Tree Board Minutes
November 21, 2014
Page 3
· New Business (postponed until next meeting)
· Election of officers
· Dates and venues of field trips
· Identifying parks and parking lots for attention
· Staff Comments:
See “Special Business”, above.
Prepared by Tom McCarty