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HomeMy Public PortalAbout09-19-2018 Minutes Tree BoardPage 1 of 4 Minutes Tree Board 9 a.m. Sept. 19, 2018 Board Meeting Room, 105 E. Corbin St. Present: Chair Andrea Lewis, Vice Chair Frances Harris, Casey Collins, Tim Logue, Phyllis Simon, Bryan Stuart and Liz Waters Absent: Greg Yavelak (ex officio) Staff: Public Space Manager Stephanie Trueblood Item 1: Call to order, roll call, and confirmation of quorum Chair Andrea Lewis called the meeting to order at 9 a.m. Public Space Manager Stephanie Trueblood called the roll and confirmed the presence of a quorum. Item 2: Additions to the agenda and agenda adjustment There were no changes or adjustments. Item 3: Approval of minutes from Aug. 15, 2018, meeting Motion: Vice Chair Frances Harris moved to approve the minutes as amended. Member Phyllis Simon seconded. Vote: Unanimous Changes: No changes. Item 4: Hear proposal by Casey Collins on behalf of property owner to plant three street trees in the East Tryon Street right of way at 144 E. Tryon St. Members Casey Collins and Bryan Stuart asked to be recused from this item because Collins was presenting for the property owner and Stuart lives across the street from the property and wished to be free to speak as a neighboring property owner. Motion: Member Tim Logue moved to recuse Collins and Stuart for this agenda item. Member Liz Waters seconded. Vote: Unanimous Collins said the proposal is to plant three male ginkgo trees that do not release a bad odor. She noted ginkgo trees have been planted in the rights of way in Hillsborough in the past. Collins also added that there would be shrubs planted at the entranceway to the apartment complex at this location. Page 2 of 4 Trueblood said it needs to be specified who would care for these trees. Collins said a landscaping crew hired by the property owner could potentially care for the trees. Motion: Harris moved to approve the application with the condition that the owners maintain in perpetuity the three ginkgo trees planted and select trees that do not have a bad odor. Waters seconded. Vote: Unanimous Collins and Stuart rejoined the board. Item 5: Hear proposal from Chad Abbot on behalf of the property owner to remove three trees from the West King Street right of way at 111 Jones Ave. Chad Abbott said he recently received permission on behalf of the owner to subdivide this property into 12 lots. Abbott explained that to install sewer lines, a stormwater basin, and a sidewalk, he needs to remove one hornbeam tree. Two others might die due to root disturbance. He asked the Tree Board for thoughts on whether to remove all three at the start of the project. Trueblood added that the last time a plan for this property came before the Tree Board , this board determined that the trees should be saved and a curb-and-gutter sidewalk should be installed in order to do that. However, the curb -and-gutter sidewalk causes complications on this site. Stormwater and Environmental Services Manager Terry Hackett has informed Trueblood that he would prefer a sidewalk to be installed behind a stormwater ditch to help treat stormwater runoff at this location. Harris noted that willow oak trees, which the owner plans to plant as replacement canopy trees, grow large fairly quickly and would take up most of the available planting space. She suggested removing the one hornbeam tree that is in the way of the sidewalk and seeing how long the other two live. Trueblood said when they die, the cost of removal would fall to the town because they are in the right of way. Trueblood made clear that the property owner is already required to plant the canopy trees noted on the plans. The Tree Board can determine whether to also require some understory trees. The Tree Board expressed a preference for three redbuds. Motion: Collins moved to approve the request to remove the three trees in the West King Street right of way at 111 Jones Ave. with the condition that the owner plant three understory trees on the north side of the new sidewalk in a location appropriate to meet the standards of the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Redbuds are preferred, and the planting needs to be coordinated with town staff. Harris seconded. Vote: Unanimous Page 3 of 4 Item 6: Prioritize recommendations for 2018 fall plantings Trueblood noted the decision for 2018 fall plantings can be finalized next month. She reported that 27 crepe myrtle trees are downtown and they could all benefit with a deep-root injection of fertilizer. She said seven need aeration because the soil is compacted. This would cost just under $2,000, which is half of the planting budget. Harris thought it would be worth the money to take care of these crepe myrtle trees. Others agreed. Trueblood reviewed the rest of the planting list generated at the August meeting: • The entrance to Cates Creek Park. • A hydrangea in the empty planter on West King Street. • A replacement for the cherry tree that died and was removed on the corner of the Margaret Lane Cemetery. • A crepe myrtle tree in a vacant spot in front of the Hot Tin Roof on West Margaret Lane. • Replacements for trees on Eno Street that were removed for stormwater improvements. • Possible replacement trees at Murray Street Park. Trueblood believes a sycamore and two crabapple trees are not doing well in that park. • Flowering trees along Riverwalk (perhaps starting with behind the interpretive sign near the Calvin Street entrance). • A chaste tree in the downtown pollinator garden near the restaurants. Trueblood noted the board may wish to plant a tree on the Riverwalk greenway as a tribute to the southern red oak that fell near the Calvin Street entrance to the greenway in September. Also, the sourwood tree for the Arbor Day planting cost s $60. The Tree Board decided the priorities are: • Planting a sourwood tree on Riverwalk near the Calvin Street entrance. • Caring for the downtown crepe myrtles. • Planting one or two hydrangeas in the planters on West King Street. • Planting a sourwood tree across from the Gold Park pollinator garden. Item 7: Finalize Arbor Day Celebration Trueblood asked for a show of hands of those who would be attending the Arbor Day celebration and noted who was available. Harris said a workday for the pollinator garden would be taking place before the ceremony that morning. Item 8: Updates • Hillsborough Garden Club — Lewis noted that the garden club had recently been in the paper. • Bee City initiative — Collins reported that she had noticed there is no milkweed growing in public spaces. Trueblood said the Tree Board could look at planting milkweed in each park. Page 4 of 4 Simon volunteered to research applying for a grant to get hundreds of milkweed plants for the town’s public spaces. Lewis said the Hillsborough Garden Club is interested in creating a pollinator garden highway. Trueblood offered to help map it. • Trueblood reported that: o The southern red oak at the Calvin Street entrance fell and the wood can likely be donated to a nonprofit organization. o Gold Park would reopen as soon as some minimal flood cleanup took place. Item 8: Adjournment Lewis adjourned the meeting at 10:31 a.m.