Mountain Lakes Shade Tree Commission

Minutes of Meeting

October 16, 2008

In Attendance:

Commissioners: H. Carr, T. Caine, J. Best, B. Rosenthall, L. Connor, M. Vyff

S. Marshall. Alternate: J. Eveleth.

1. There were no comments from the public.

2. The September minutes were approved as submitted.

3. Prune and Remove Data Entry Progress: Most commissioners are almost finished with data input; a couple are about half finished. Joan stated that it should be finished by October 31^st so that the prune and remove work can be put out to bid.

4. Not all locations for the trees to be planted have been confirmed yet. We will be meeting with several homeowners over the next few days to choose species and locations. Language has been written for the tree being planted in memory of Ann Barton’s mother: “In memory of Jean Steinetz, the lady who owned the lake.” The tree will be planted either at Island Beach or the Midvale Dock area Also, Heather has given Tony a list of trees planted last year that seem to be failing. Some may be replaced.

5. We discussed the possibility of keeping a list of borough property locations for future tree plantings such as the Esplanade, the station, and the corner of Boulevard and Rock Lane. Because this year finishes the 3 year planting contract we decided no formal list is necessary.

6. We agreed that education about invasive plants should be a high priority.

7. After the fall tree planting is completed, our new focus should be to find as many avenues for education for our residents as possible. Laura expressed interest working with local papers to publish articles about tree care and invasive species. Heather stated that there may be a meeting in November with members from the STC, EC and Woodlands to discuss invasive plants in the borough.

8. C-SIP Grant Funding: We are eligible to apply for these grants because we have a Community Forestry Management Plan filed with the state. Grant applications are due December 15. Joan will check with Joe Tempesta to see if he is working on a grant application for funding for tree planting.

9. Sue pointed out that setback tree protection plan forms are not consistently included in the construction permit packets. Joan will ask Rita to make sure that they are distributed in the packets. Sue also reported that the neighbor notification requirement for permission for removal of more than 3 or 50% of setback trees and the permit fee structure is working to protect trees. Recently a homeowner applied to remove 10 setback trees, but when he was told that he needed to notify his neighbors and if there were no objections permits for the other 7 trees would be $250.00 each, he decided not to remove any of the other 7.

10.Heather announced that Bonnie has agreed to be the chair of the commission in January. There was unanimous approval by all members.

11.Old Business:

1. Heather reported that the illegal plaque at the base of a memorial redbud tree has been removed as requested by the borough.

2. She also noted that the Golden Raintree at the corner of Boulevard and N. Briarcliff continues to be heavily adorned with ornaments for every season. Joan suggested we ask Joe Tempesta’s permission to submit work orders to DPW to have the decorations removed as needed. 3. The FAQ’s have not been completed and posted on the website. Joan and Sue will work on this in early December.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, November 13^th at 8:30am.