Tree Committee 

Minutes for meeting on 29 September 2004 

  


Next meeting: to be scheduled 

  

Members Clarissa Rowe, Walter Phillips, Ed Trembly, and Pat Thomas were present, along with webmaster Daniel Foskett. 

  

Minutes from August 29 meeting were approved. 

  

The meeting focused on the committee’s website-in-progress, and we began putting together a timetable with the idea of launching the site in January. The rationale is that this will give people time to order street trees from DPW for spring planting, and perhaps by January we’ll know what trees the mitigation funds from the reservoir dam project will purchase. 

  

Tentative schedule (feel free to send comments, changes to me): 
  * October 15 – all available content, text and pictures to Dan, who will hook everything up to the draft site 
  * As soon as Dan is ready, committee members review and discuss – either via instant messaging or at a meeting with a working laptop. 
  * By Oct 29 – Dan meets with designer Nancy Cowen, and when Nancy’s design is complete, Dan puts together a prettier version of the site for review. 
  * November (if possible) – send “final draft” of website to John Sanchez as basis for discussion about two important, unresolved issues: posting notices on all trees scheduled for removal and increasing the number of street trees planted by using mitigation money from reservoir dam project, using Trees Please funding, seeking grants, and/or encouraging residents to purchase street trees. 
  * November or early December – Pat, Walter, and possibly Clarissa schedule meeting with Sanchez to negotiate new policies, obtain agreement to funnel material to committee web site and link with DPW site. 
  * January 2005 – site goes live with article in Advocate, announcements on all appropriate Arlington-related web sites, whatever other promotional activities we can come up with. 

  

In the meantime, here is what everyone has agreed to do. When sending text to Dan, remember that he wants it as PDF files or in body of email message, NOT as Word attachments. 

  


Clarissa 
  * Meet with Jim Marzilli  re: using Trees Please fund, or obtaining grant, to perform needed work on elm tree on grounds of Town Hall. This is part of her excellent web page about the return of elm trees and outstanding examples in Arlington. 
  * Meet with Leslie Mayer (Park and Rec Commission) about possibility of using tree mitigation money from reservoir dam project to increase street tree plantings. 
  * Send Dan and Ed complete list of recommended trees for planting, in body of email (not document attachment). 
  * Write disclaimer for list of recommended arborists, to make sure that it’s clear town does not endorse these or incur any liability. Get boilerplate wording from John Maher? 

  


Ed 
  * Photograph notable oak trees on Hathaway Circle and Maple Street and have Walter scan them for posting on site. 
  * Find URLs for description information about all trees on recommended planting list; send to Dan.

  


Walter 
  * Join Pat for meeting with John Sanchez about policy changes, after John has had chance to look at draft site. 
  * Photograph elm trees at Town Hall and in front of 80 Brantwood, as well as exceptional Katsura tree at Sally Parker’s house on Walnut Street. 
  * Send pictures to Dan for posting; elm pictures go on Clarissa’s page about renaissance of this species. 
  * Check with Nathaniel Stevens of Conservation Commission to obtain text of new wetlands regulations that apply to trees; get in digital form and send to Dan for posting. 
  * Locate chapter 87 of general laws and send precise URL to Dan, for link.

  


Pat 
  * With Walter, meet with John Sanchez about policy changes regarding notification of removals, increasing street tree replacements. 
  * In advance, sound out Jean Smith and Ruth Yannetti in DPW about how tree department work orders are prepared and distributed, asking if Dan could make it technically easier for them. Also finding out who really fills out the Tree City USA application and how Arbor Day plans are made and communicated – again to make sure we get them on the site. Ask them about posting work orders monthly, rather than weekly. What contact info if you don’t see your street. 
  * Check with urban forester Jane Calvin about getting digital version of 1998 tree survey so we can post it on the site. 
  * Schedule committee session to review draft site in late October – either live or online 

  


Dan 
  * Add home button to navigation bar. 
  * Continue adding content as it arrives from committee members; have all content hooked up to draft site by October 15 – figure out how best to review 
  * November – meet with Nancy Cowen about design, prettify the site. 
  * Work with Pat and DPW employees (Jean Smith, Ruth Yannetti) about how to post pending work orders, removal notices, hearing notices. 

  
--- Patricia Thomas 
--- pthomas@tiac.net 
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