January 23, 2007

Members present: June Hutson, Bill Ruppert, Roger Vonder Bruegge, Paul Loida, Jenny O’Toole, and Judy Wickersham. Curt Carron, as City liaison, and Councilman Joe Godi, as Council liaison, were also present. Lorri Grueber was absent.

One guest was present, Ginny Garesche of 435 N. Harrison.

Call to order: the meeting was called to order at 7:08 pm.

Citizen comments: none.

I.                    Minutes from 12-12-06: action will be delayed on approving the minutes until after January 29. The next subcommittee meeting on the tree code will be held then, and since the meeting on December 12, 2006, consisted primarily of a work session on the tree code, it would be judicious to wait on approval until all the tree code revisions are in place.

II.                Communications

A.     June Hutson introduced the new member of the KUFC, Roger Vonder Bruegge. Roger is an architect who has been instrumental in helping to shape the revisions on the tree code.

B.     404 E. Elliot: KUFC members were invited to view the six trees in question. Curt Carron passed around a site plan and summarized Skip Kincaid’s report. Five trees were labeled as “hazard” and one tree as deformed. He also said it appears that some limbs are broken off. June Hutson said the plans to pave the area would impact the trees’ root system. Bill Ruppert made the recommendation that the replacement trees should be selected from our Recommended Street Tree Guide.  June Hutson said this is another case of losing more of the urban forest, so if we can require the owner to replace these trees, we are better off. Paul Loida made a motion to write a letter to the Public Works Department stating that the trees may be removed at the owner’s expense and replacement trees selected from the Kirkwood Recommended Street Tree Guide. The motion passed.

III.             Public Works Department – Ken Yost

June Hutson announced that Ken Yost will not be able to attend KUFC meetings on a regular basis due to other responsibilities that have strained his schedule. She voiced the opinion of all the members when she said this will be a real loss to us. Ken Yost answered many questions and contributed a great deal of time and expertise on the many drafts of the Tree Code. Bill Ruppert said Ken Yost has gone beyond the call of duty to assist with crafting the foundation of the tree code. Ken Yost will continue to be copied on future drafts for his review and comments.

IV.              City Liaison Report – Curt Carron

A.     21 Willow Oaks have been ordered for the schools to give out for Arbor Day at a cost of $588. They were not able to get the extra large size.

B.     There is nothing to report regarding a phone request from a resident on Sunny Drive who called about a tree removal.

C.     The city is in the midst of another storm cleanup. Curt said he bought a GPS locator so he can give a location to any park trees that required pruning or removal as a result of storm damage. This was necessary because FEMA may require address documentation for purposes of reimbursement.

D.     Bill Ruppert said he received a letter from Bill Burckhalter asking if Kirkwood would have any volunteers to monitor ice damage. Curt Carron replied that although monitors are a reimbursable expense from FEMA, the Street Department manpower is overextended and cannot provide the time for monitoring. June Hutson said volunteers who worked on the street tree inventory showed a wide range of diversity, but monitoring ice storm damage is one time you would want someone with expertise. Curt Carron said there is a large group of Master Naturalists in training who are looking for service hours. This is an untapped resource. However, both Bill Ruppert and Curt Carron think too much time might be involved with coordinating these volunteers.

E.      The street tree inventory needs to be updated to reflect any tree that is being removed. Curt Carron said the city is receiving tree removal records that could be used to make necessary revisions to the inventory.

V.                 Council Liaison Report – Councilman Joe Godi

A.     Councilman Godi reported that Paul Loida gave a good presentation to the Kiwanis Club and received a donation for the Jr. Treekeepers.

B.   Regarding storm damage, Councilman Godi reported that the company doing the city’s brush removal has tried to put an addendum on their contract to include pruning and tree limb removal.  To his knowledge, the city has not received a commitment from FEMA for storm damage reimbursement, and this will be a big bucks expense to the city. In his opinion, in the future we should let the residents take care of their own property and we’ll take care of the streets. Roger Vonder Bruegge asked if this is the first time the city has picked up the expense for brush removal, and Councilman Godi said yes.

VI.              Jr. Treekeepers – KUFC member Paul Loida

A.     Some donations have been accepted, $1,000 from the 25 Gardeners Club, $500 from Kiwanis Club, and $100 from the Kirkwood Garden Club. Paul Loida thanked Councilman Godi for helping them to get the donation from Kiwanis.

B.     The $1,000 donation will cover the $588 expense for the tree seedlings and pay for certificates and other expenses to finish out the school year. The rest of the money should take us through the fall. Councilman Godi asked if any more schools will be involved next year, and Paul Loida said not that we know of yet.

C.     Paul Loida said he would like to make a big deal out of the Arbor Day seedlings this year. He hopes to get Rob Emmett involved and drum up publicity on the theme of using these seedlings as a way to replace the trees that were destroyed in all the storms. Judy Wickersham suggested that some of the publicity mention that the species of seedlings, Willow Oaks, are stronger and more resistant to storm damage. Curt Carron said Arbor Day magazine features a “Tree of the Month,” and their archives might have some useful information on Willow Oaks that could be included.

VII.           Commission items

A.     Planning & Zoning (P & Z) subcommittee meetings: June Hutson, Bill Ruppert, and Judy Wickersham expressed concern that Lorri Grueber has not been attending any of these meetings and has not responded to June Hutson’s messages requesting her plans for this participation. It is very important that we are represented on issues such as infill housing. Bill Ruppert said representation is also critical on other issues, such as the review of the 2015 Plan.

B.     Bill Ruppert said he went to the citizens’ committee on the tax referendum to identify questions that need answers. He was approached by Alan Agathen at the meeting regarding an Ash tree that had been removed from the tree lawn on his property on Cornhill Lane. Mr. Agathen thinks citizens should be given the courtesy of an advance notice from the city when a tree is slated for removal on their property easement or Right-of-Way. Judy Wickersham said sending at least a postcard would be good PR for the city. Bill Ruppert agreed to draft a recommendation report based on their conversation.

VIII.        Old Business

A.     Bill Ruppert thanked Roger Vonder Bruegge for his help with the tree code revisions. He said this prompted him to do some research on the makeup of the membership of the KUFC since 1998. He found that the majority of members came from two groups: people in the forestry or horticulture professions, and people in the educational profession. No one who is a community business owner, and no one from the building and development professions has been a member of the KUFC. He passed around a draft of a letter to the city council asking to expand the diversity of Kirkwood citizen talents on the commission. Roger Vonder Bruegge said this recommendation is a very good start to include a wider representation of members of the community. Bill Ruppert said it’s important for the KUFC to evolve. The commission agreed they would vote on a recommendation.

B.     June Hutson reported that at the last subcommittee meeting they determined that the Tree and Landscape Manual needs to be revised to be a Tree Manual, but it’s a formidable task, and we need to devise a plan to get this done. According to Roger Vonder Bruegge, the scope of the manual is very limited and deals only with public land. Bill Ruppert said it’s important for the city council to realize that the delay in resubmitting the revised draft of the tree code is due to the delay in updating the manual. Roger Vonder Bruegge volunteered to work on the subcommittee for the Landscape Manual. He was also asked if he would be willing to attend P & Z subcommittee meetings in Lorri Grueber’s absence. Bill Ruppert said the biggest issue at these meetings is the infill issue. June Hutson said it isn’t simply a matter of the footprint, it’s also hardscape and impervious areas like driveways and patios.

IX.              Other Business: Kirkwood in Bloom     

Bill Ruppert reported that Kirkwood in Bloom activity is moving along at a fast pace. There will be an insert in the March utility bill about coming events and encouraging citizen participation. He said that no tax dollars are going into this; it is all supported by private donations. He discussed items from the KUFC that might be included in the Brag Book and noticed that the KUFC Vision Statement on the City of Kirkwood website is dated 2003 and needs to be updated. The next meeting of Kirkwood in Bloom will be held February 6 at 7 pm at the Chamber of Commerce.

X.                 Adjourn: the meeting was adjourned at 9:05 pm.

The next meeting is February 27, 2007. Councilman Godi was invited to attend.

The City is interested in effective communication for all people. Upon request, these minutes can be made available in an alternate format, such as audio tape, by calling 314-822-5894.