20210413 - Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission Meeting Minutes
Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission
Meeting Minutes
April 13, 2021
Opening
The regular meeting of the Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission was called to order at 7:35PM on April 13, 2021 by Andrew Lowry. The meeting was held virtually on Zoom.
Present
Andrew Lowry, Michael Sedon, Melody Corcoran, Ian Keller, Carolyn Jacoby, Declan Madden, Steve McCabe
Approval of Minutes
Motion to approve the minutes for March 9, 2010 was made by Carolyn Jacoby, seconded by Andrew Lowry, and approved by all present.
EAB Presentation
An EAB presentation to the village council is tentatively set for April 28th. Andrew Lowry has already sent a final EAB recommendation and treatment cost comparison spreadsheet to Heather Mailander. Mike Sedon will setup a meeting with Heather Mailander and circulate the information to the council members. Instead of a slide presentation in the middle of the public meeting, Ian Keller will reference the EAB information previously given to the council and will address any questions raised. The CFO and village manager are already on board with the recommendations.
Ash Trees
Declan Madden said that the pricing on treatment for additional ash trees is pending. If the total cost for the additional treatments is under $17,500, it does not have to go out for bid.
An extra 90 trees need to be removed including trees on Eastern Ct., Abbey Ct., Oak St., and Whithill Rd. Still in the budget is $125,000 for tree removal and $110,00 for tree planting.
Grant Applications
It is a New Jersey state requirement that a press release must be made to residents before a grant application is made.
Civil Solutions must be paid in full before the state will release the $10,000 grant the village received for the tree survey.
Fall 2021 Tree Plantings
Possible CBD locations for trees other than tree wells include the Stop and Shop parking lot and the bus terminal. CBD locations need to in the village right of way.
The 2021 tree planting bid includes two fall waterings of the new trees. Chris Ruitishauser will additionally include summer waterings in the bids.
Carolyn Jacoby is coordinating with Dina Kat on the postcards to be sent to residents who had street trees planted last fall. The postcards will have instructions on watering the trees whenever the gator bag is empty.
Andrew Lowry is working on having labels printed for the gator bags with new tree care instructions.
To date this year, twenty to twenty-five residents have requested a street tree.
Arbor Day
Over 50 residents have already requested a free tree seedling. The trees will be given out at Graydon on May 1st from 10 am to 12 noon. Because of the good response, a call is into NJ Reforestation requesting more seedlings. The trees will be picked up on April 22nd by Steve McCabe and delivered to Carolyn Jacoby’s house. Several members of the STC will meet at 2pm on Friday April 30th at Carolyn’s house to prepare the trees for distribution.
STC Website
The village website is not fulfilling the needs of the STC. The STC needs to explore setting up its own, separate site.
Train Overpass Sign
A sign advertising the STC and Arbor Day will be designed by Mary Hefferan of the Parks Department. The sign will be displayed on the train overpass on Franklin Avenue from April 26 to May 2. The $250 cost for the sign will be paid for out of the STC trust fund. The sign will be reusable and can be used again in future years.
Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 8:45PM by: Andrew Lowry.
Minutes submitted by: Melody Corcoran
Volunteer Hours: 4.5
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