2-26-07

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

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm.

Citizen comments: none.

I.                    Minutes: the minutes from January 22 were approved with corrections.

II.                Communications

June Hutson summarized a letter from the Park Board President, Gerry Biedenstein, to Michael Brown, regarding Curt Carron. The letter stated that Curt Carron’s many responsibilities have stretched him to the limit and requested he be relieved of his role as city liaison to the KUFC. Michael Brown responded with a letter to June Hutson stating that after March 31, 2007, Curt Carron will not longer serve as city liaison. June spoke for all the KUFC members when she praised Curt Carron for all the work he has done to support this commission and what a loss his leaving represents, although everyone knows he is overextended and needs to devote his time to other priorities. Bill Ruppert said that the commission is really more closely related to Public Works and this may present an opportunity to open a discussion with Michael Brown about developing a relationship with them. June Hutson pointed out that the annual street tree inventory is generated for Public Works, so it makes sense to have representation from them. Curt Carron agreed, saying that the KUFC is really about street trees. He became involved because for many years he was the closest thing the city had to a forester on staff. Bill Ruppert stated that this community benefits from the number of professionals who volunteer on this commission, and it would be good practice to establish an ongoing dialog with some member or members of management in our government. This is the only commission that lists a staff liaison; it’s important we have a discussion about this. We should have a member of the city staff at every meeting. June Hutson said we really need a contact person.

III.             City Liaison Report – Curt Carron

A.     Justine Gartner at the Missouri Department of Conservation sent a document titled “Trees & Ice Storms” that has been updated. Curt Carron will forward a PDF copy to everyone.

B.     Curt Carron produced a storm cleanup report for FEMA. 48 park trees were damaged and one tree required removal. Two-thirds of the park property was affected to some extent. FEMA will cover 75% of the cost, SEMA 15%, and the remaining 10% is covered by the City. Total cost came to $4,835. He plans to copy reports of the city trees that were affected to update the street tree inventory.

C.     Judy Wickersham asked if Curt Carron will continue to ask Parks & Recreation counter staff to compile the annual street tree inventory, and he said he would.

D.     Bill Ruppert asked whatever happened to Firemen’s Park & MSD. Curt Carron said it appears to be heading for litigation.

IV.              Council Liaison Report – Councilman Joe Godi
Councilman Joe Godi was absent. June Hutson invited him to the next meeting.

V.                 Jr. Treekeepers Report – Paul Loida

A.     Seedlings and certificates have been ordered and graduations are being planned.

B.     There is an article coming in the Suburban Journal about the Jr. Treekeepers.

C.      Judy Wickersham asked how Jr. Treekeepers will purchase supplies now that Curt Carron will no longer be liaison. Curt Carron said that is a question for Mike Brown.

VI.              Commission Items

A.     The draft of the Tree Code is still in progress. June Hutson sent an email to Skip Kincaid who serves on the subcommittee, but she has not received a response yet. She said they need to discuss some legal and philosophical issues. Bill Ruppert said they still have work to do on the Tree & Landscape Manual. It comes down to how we do ordinances. Curt Carron said we can always file addendums as needed. Roger Vonder Bruegge said he has been looking into what is already in city policies and passed around a copy of the April 4, 2006, “Site Plan Review for New Family Residences.” This document gets into some of the issues covered in the proposed tree code. We have to make sure our code meshes with what is already in place. Right now, if someone came to City Hall seeking information on requirements for a site plan, this is the document he or she would get. We need to know what’s in city policy and what has been struck.

B.     America In Bloom

Bill Ruppert said we need to summarize some of the awards and key things the community has done, such as Jr. Treekeepers, the annual street tree inventory, the Pioneer Tree program, and participation in the Greentree Festival. Judy Wickersham volunteered to prepare a summary in MS/WORD. Bill announced there is a kick-off activity planned for Saturday, March 31. It is a tie-in with the “Brunch with the Bunny” at the Kirkwood Train Station. The mayor will read the proclamation at the last seating for the brunch to kick-off the America in Bloom competition. Bill Ruppert also said he met with Councilman Connie Karr and representatives from the Missouri Department of Transportation and from Kirkwood Inn about improving the south entrance to the city of Kirkwood at Lindbergh and I-44.

VII.           Other Business

A.     The commission discussed Bill Ruppert’s recommendation regarding expanding the background and occupational diversity of citizen participation on this commission. Bill Ruppert said it is important and helpful to have citizens from other walks of life who have been traditionally underrepresented on KUFC. He said it’s healthy for any board to be diverse. He said his recommendation should be regarded more as a guideline than any attempt to make policy. Judy Wickersham recommended providing new members who may have limited knowledge about forestry with some kind of an orientation, such as taking the Treekeepers class taught by Forest ReLeaf. She moved to forward Bill Ruppert’s recommendation to the mayor. It was seconded by Jenny O’Toole. The motion passed.

B.     The commission discussed Bill Ruppert’s other recommendation to improve communication with homeowners who have street trees slated for removal. This recommendation suggested that Public Works should send an advance notice as a courtesy. Judy Wickersham moved to support this recommendation. It was seconded by Jenny O’Toole. The motion passed.

C.     Judy Wickersham asked if the Strategic Plan could be made an agenda item in the next few months.

D.     Bill Ruppert would like to schedule a meeting with Mark Petty at Kirkwood Electric about what trees are planted under utility lines. He wonders how the KUFC can take a leadership role in assisting Mark Petty with this matter.

E.      Roger Vonder Bruegge reported that MSD is doing some kind of major work in Sugar Creek Valley, and he expressed concern for what may be happening there.

VIII.         Adjourn: the meeting was adjourned at 8:55.

Next meeting: March 27, 2007

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.