October 23, 2007

Members present: Bill Ruppert, Roger Vonder Bruegge, Jenny O’Toole, Susan Renard, June Hutson, Paul Loida, and Judy Wickersham.

I.                    The meeting was called to order at 7:07 pm.

II.                 Citizen Comments: no comments

III.               Secretary Report: the minutes from September 25, 2007, were approved with corrections.

IV.              Chair Report: Bill Ruppert

The meeting with Mark Petty last month was beneficial. Bill Ruppert reported he received an email from Mark Petty saying Kirkwood Electric would sponsor the reprinting of the “Recommended Street Tree” booklets. Claire Budd will work on condensing the pages. Kirkwood Electric has had some savings, and they would like to spend some money on tree planting. Bill Ruppert asked how we go about doing this. We want to make sure the money is spent wisely. Mark Petty said he needs to spend the money by April 1; he even talked about putting a tree planting project out to bid. To be good stewards, said Bill Ruppert, maintenance is the key. Roger Vonder Bruegge said we could make a proposal for a city truck that takes care of the trees. There should be a way to get a division of Public Works to take care of the trees. Susan Renard said we first identify available planting space. Bill Ruppert said one area is the downtown business district. He would like to put watering bags around any trees planted by Kirkwood Electric with a logo or statement on the bags stating that this tree is being supported by Kirkwood Electric. He has talked to one of the gatorbag suppliers, Hummerts, about getting the bags printed. These watering bags have the added advantage of keeping weed-eaters away from the trees. He said this could be part of a city-wide tree planting campaign. Bill Ruppert said another project could be aligning our street tree inventory with the Electric Department’s utility line mapping. Susan Renard said it would save a lot of time to have a GIS map. We need to find a way to get that into the system.

V.                 Council Liaison Report: Councilman Joe Godi was not present. He is invited to the next meeting.

VI.              Community Department Guest for October: no guest this month.

VII.            Activity Reports

A.     Planning & Zoning: Roger Vonder Bruegge. Nothing impacting KUFC currently. Roger Vonder Bruegge reported that he attended a meeting of Kirkwood Alliance. The speaker urged homeowners to put covenants on their property titles so that the next owner has to abide by restrictions. City Council held its second meeting on infill housing. One problem is the term “historic” needs definition. No one mentioned trees.

B.     Jr. TreeKeepers: Paul Loida. There are nine classes with 205 kids. All classes have started. They spent $600 on supplies. Bill Ruppert asked if the Jr. TreeKeepers can incorporate a poster contest like the one that was done in Rockford, Illinois as a way to raise community awareness of tree planting. Jenny O’Toole thinks we might involve the middle school students. Nipher has a very enthusiastic art teacher, and there are plenty of tree planting opportunities there. Bill Ruppert asked Jenny O’Toole if she would discuss this with Wayne Baldwin, a Nipher science teacher.

C.     Tree Inventory: Susan Renard said she will call Curt Carron to find out where things stand regarding the last tree inventory to see what trees have been removed. Judy Wickersham asked if there is a grant possibility to facilitate an upgraded data compilation system that can be coordinated with Kirkwood Electric. Bill Ruppert said a Trim II grant would be a possibility, but that would pay only 75% of the cost. Judy Wickersham asked if Kirkwood Electric could cover the difference. Bill Ruppert thought maybe Public Works could. Judy Wickersham said the data from the tree inventory needs analysis. The only information used so far is that trees marked “hazardous” are removed by Public Works. Bill Ruppert questions whether we are using the volunteers’ time wisely.

D.     Greentree Festival: June Hutson. We still need to schedule a tree planting for the Arbor Day Celebration. Susan Renard suggested Veterans’ Day on Sunday, November 11. Everyone thought this was a good idea, and Bill Ruppert suggested contacting the local veterans group and planting the tree in the Veterans’ Memorial Park near City Hall.

E.      Tree City USA/Growth Award: Judy Wickersham. She will start working on the applications in early November.

F.      KUFC Annual Report: Judy Wickersham. No activity on this yet.

G.     Kirkwood Tree Code/Tree Manual: Bill Ruppert reported that he met with the City Council at a work session and told them the current draft is on the city’s website. He said Councilman Mike Lynch made an interesting comment that when a homeowner reimburses the city for removing a public tree, the money needs to be set aside for trees. Another issue that came up was how the tree ordinance would affect infill housing. At this point, the tree ordinance is in the hands of the Public Works Director Ken Yost and City Attorney John Hessel. What we need is a roundtable discussion. Jenny O’Toole asked how the ordinance ties in with the Park Board. Bill Ruppert replied that the language of the ordinance is geared toward private landowners. He would like to discuss the proposed tree ordinance with the Parks Department and will put together a list of talking points. A discussion followed as to whether the Public Works Department and the Parks Department would be subject to the provisions of the tree ordinance. Jenny O’Toole asked what kind of tree management the Parks Department is used to. Bill Ruppert distributed copies of a letter he received from Gerry Biedenstein, President of the Kirkwood Park Board. The use of a logo separate from the city’s logo and the tone of the letter indicate some kind of autonomy. Bill Ruppert said it is not the intent of KUFC to control the Parks Department. The proposed tree ordinance is not a power deal, only a recommendation. Roger Vonder Bruegge said he will look at the Parks Department charter to see who is their final authority.

VIII.         Adjourn: the meeting was adjourned at 9:40 pm.

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.