Minutes of a meeting of
The Old Lyme Tree Commission
April 16, 2009
Attendance:
Regular members present: Joanne DiCamillo, Anne Bing, Gerry Foster, Adela Wilmerding, Emily Griswold
Ex-officio members present: Tom Degnan arrived at 4:30
Members absent: Joan Flynn (alternate), Pat Moll (alternate)
A quorum being present, Chairman Joanne DiCamillo called the meeting to order at 4:10 PM.
REPORTS
Clerk’s Report
The minutes of the 3/19/09 meeting were reviewed. Gerry Foster moved to accept the minutes as presented. Anne Bing seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Budget Report
Mrs. DiCamillo reported that the balance in the General Fund (Tree Commission and Public Works) was $19,046.82 as of 2-21-09. Cathy Frank checked the account balance for March. The Clerk’s invoice for $75.00 was the only charge posted. Adela Wilmerding requested a detailed printout of all the charges for the fiscal year beginning July 2008 and ending June 30, 2009.
OLD BUSINESS - None
NEW BUSINESS - None
MEMBER REPORTS
Joanne DiCamillo and Adela Wilmerding trimmed the azaleas at Town Hall.
OTHER BUSINESS
Church Corner Construction Project
Jim Bechtel of the Historic District Commission was contacted by a representative of the Church Corner Construction Committee and asked if the HDC would object to having the construction materials (gravel, pipes, granite curbing, etc.) stored on the Town Green during the upcoming project. Mrs. DiCamillo, who is a member of the Historic District Commission, objected to the storage of materials under any of the trees on or near the Green. It may cause soil compaction which would damage the root systems causing injury to the trees.
Tree Mulch – member’s requests
The members can pick up tree mulch at Mrs. DiCamillo’s house.
Emily Griswold - 3 bags
Gerry Foster - 2 bags
Anne Bing - 2 bags
Adela Wilmerding - 2 bags
The Chairman asked Emily Griswold and Adela Wilmerding to remove the cloth wrapping from the trunks of the newly planted trees, the wrapping should be replaced in the fall to protect the trees from deer damage. The stakes should be left in place until fall.
Bids – Cross Lane baseball field
Bids have been sent out to Wilcox Tree Experts, Bombaci Tree Service and Lomas Tree Service. The Chairman will be meeting with them at the baseball field on Monday, April 20 @ 3:00 to conduct an onsite inspection of the work requested and to answer any questions. All bids are due on April 28 by 4:00 PM. Mrs. DiCamillo and the members will meet to select the contractor that afternoon at 4:05 PM.
Care of Trees - fertilizing proposal - Town Hall Elm trees
The Care of Trees uses Dutch Trig to protect elm trees against Dutch elm disease. The treatment is done annually in the spring, and is more expensive but less toxic than Fungisol. At a workshop the commission members attended recently, Chris Donnelly, CT DEP Urban Forestry Educator, recommended Dutch Trig as the preventative treatment for elm trees.
Tom Degnan, Tree Warden, will research the chemical ingredients and the proven effectiveness of Dutch Trig. He will notify the Chairman of his recommendation. A few of the members expressed concern about the use of fungicides and their effect on the environment and humans at the March meeting. Mr. Degnan feels that fungicides are very selective and do not usually cause problems for people or animals.
Wilcox - fertilizing proposal - Town Elm trees
The Wilcox Tree Experts fertilizing proposal for six town elm trees was $900. Wilcox uses Fungisol to prevent Dutch elm disease.
Tree Inventory – Mr. Degnan, Tree Warden
The Town Tree Inventory was discussed. Mr. Degnan recommended that the commission members decide how a Tree Inventory would be useful before going ahead with one. He also recommended hiring an arborist who provides all the necessary equipment to perform a tree inventory. The town should not purchase or rent any of the equipment. The town may need to purchase tree inventory software that is compatible with the town’s ArcView GIS system.
Basic Tree Works software, available from the Kenerson Group, is about $700, a version which includes maintenance and reporting features will cost around $3,000. The cost increases as more features are added. The Tree Inventory should be updated regularly to keep the information current. All of the tree information from the past 8 years (trimming, removals, fertilizing, etc.) can be entered. Ruth Roach is currently receiving ArcView GIS training.
Gerry Foster agreed to contact the Kenerson Group for current information about their Tree Inventory services and software.
The FEMA Tree Inventory will take place in May at no cost to the town. The FEMA inventory, which surveys a percentage of all the trees town wide, is necessary to receive FEMA funding to replace trees damaged in a catastrophic storm. The Tree Commission is gathering information on doing a Town Tree Inventory, which includes trees on all town-owned property.
REMINDER
Next Meeting
Next scheduled meeting is on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 4 PM at the Town Hall.
ADJOURNMENT
Anne Bing moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:55 PM. Gerry Foster seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved.
Respectfully Submitted
Martha Hansen
Clerk
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