HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-05-13-TREE-min
Minutes - Lexington Town Tree Committee
May 13, 2004 @ 7:30 AM
Town Office Building: Rm. 111
Attendance: J. Frey, J. Jones, K. Longeteig, D. Pinsonneault, A. Senning, S. Solomon, N. Walker, J. Krieger (Selectman
Representative), Steven Ervin (Professor of Landscape Architecture at Harvard Univ. & Lexington resident - invited to share his
experience with tree inventory procedures) and Sherri Brockoff and Brian Bean (Vista volunteer) from the Urban Forest Institute
[UFI has a grant for establishing tree inventory programs for Boston and Cambridge.]
1. Minutes of the April 8 meeting were approved as amended.
2. Tree Inventory Issues:
On April 29, 2004, a subcommittee (J. Frey, A. Senning, S. Solomon and J. Wood) of the Lexington Tree Committee had visited
the Boston College office of the UFI to evaluate the potential for a partnership.
their customized software that is being used for the tree inventory programs. The UFI
UFI demonstrated hardware (PDAs) and
software is easily customizable, as opposed to the Univ. Massachusetts (Amherst) package.
UFI would like to be written into Lexington's DEM grant application (due June 30, 2004).
Some Questions: Would software licenses of $50/ unit be available?
Who would own the software?
How often can our updates be made and accessed?
3. Town Personnel Involvement:
Wayne Brooks (Mgr. Operations/Hwy. Supervisor), Peter Karalexis (Engineering Div.) and Connie Rawson (MIS Mgr.) Joined
the meeting at 8:30 to present information on the Town GIS system.
P. Karalexis reported that that ~ 80% of the assessors maps have been converted from AutoCad to ARC format. The maps include
waterways, sidewalks, sewers, manholes and storm drains in addition to numbered house lots and buildings (utility poles and wires
are not included). About 700 man hours are needed to complete the conversion. The map database requires significant upkeep.
C. Rawson would accept responsibility for integration of the tree inventory into the Town's GPS system.
4. Community Forest Partnership Mission:
UFI has contracts to survey forests in the metropolitan Boston area. Their software provides 4 map layers (tree species, size,
location and condition) of information.
The Univ. Massachusetts has a package, available at no charge, that also uses PDAs. This package has been found to be difficult
to use.
C. Rawson and A. Senning will evaluate the competing systems .
5. Rindge Park:
Planting was done May 1 from 8 to 11 AM by neighbors and the Town DPW. It was completed. A watering schedule has been
posted on the Rindge Park web site. A Senning circulated 'before and after' photographs.
6. Tree Manual:
Several request, from other communities, for Tree Manuals and by-law passage strategies have been received. It was voted to
send free Manual copies to appropriate entities and offer assistance as possible.
7. Reminder:D. Pinsonneault has 2 'Tree City USA' banners with 15 year tags to be displayed on appropriate occasions.
8. Tree Removals: 176 calls, 240 removals, 521 replacements and 84 completed
9. Fee Discussi
on: postponed.
Meeting adjourned at 10:00 AM.
Next meeting: Thursday, June 10, 2004 at 7:30 AM in Rm. 111, Town Office Bldg.
Respectfully submitted:
Susan Snell Solomon