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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-08-09-TREE-min Minutes Lexington Tree Committee Meeting August 9, 2007 1. Gerry Paul was appointed scribe. 2. Attending were John Frey, David Pinsonneault, Jeanne Krieger, Karen Longeteig, Gerry Paul, Anne Senning and Susan Solomon. 3. Richard Canale from the Planning Board reviewed the plan for the Journey's End development on Shade Street. He pointed out that Shade Street has lost a number of street trees over the years. He requested our input in terms of possible mitigations the developer could provide not only for the property itself but for the street in general. We suggested that a fund be established from a mitigation payment from the developer; the fund would be used to plant street trees on other sections of the street but in a way which would not present "line-of-sight" problems on the narrow street. 4. Dave Pinsonneault said that the DPW could pick up trees for planting which the High School Landscaping committee has purchased and could excavate the planting holes for these trees. The plan is to plant them the week of August 20. 5. Gerry Paul reported that there is a need for additional members for the Friends of Trees Board. Any suggestions should be sent to Gerry. 6. Matt Foti will spray and fertilize the Dolberg Scarlet Oak on the Battle Green. 7. Matt Foti will be contracted by DPW to provide care as needed (spraying, fertilizing, etc) at the Tree Farm. Costs incurred will be tracked so we can understand the total cost of maintaining the tree farm. Matt Foti will not store any of his trees at the Tree Farm. 8. Concerning construction impact to the tree in the Lowell Street traffic island near Arlington, a hose bib will not be used by the tree but the tree will be watered. Anne Senning offered to provide a replacement tree from her tree farm if requested. 9. Dave Pinsonneault requested suggestions for the types of trees to be planted in the section of sidewalk being reconstructed between Waltham Street and the alley next to Michelson's Shoes. The Committee voted that 3 trees of one species and 2 trees of another be planted in alternating fashion; all of the trees should be shade trees. Dave agreed to look for Green Ash and Silver Linden. 10. Inventory has collected data on 2600 ++ trees, about 20% of the Town. Anne Senning submitted a progress report, highlights of which are: -- we used UEI Dell handheld computers -- software was modified to include groves, the distance from the street, the width of planting strips, and potential planting sites. At the request of Peter K, of the engineering department, we also flagged for him the houses that had footprints varying from what was shown on the screen. Max Horn has written a document on how to use the handhelds, and another on how to select data and make a map. It will be useful in training Tree Committee members. David Hattis wrote a piece on how to synchronize data from the handheld into the laptop, with 56 steps. He trained two TC members. He also wrote on how to extract data and make tables. At the request of the Tree Warden, the interns highlighted 599 trees that are in "fair" or "poor" condition (22.5% of total so far). Anne presented the interns with appreciation gifts of a Tree Identification book (by Symonds) and a packet of Technu for poison ivy. 11. David Pinsonneault's report under the Bylaw: 521 sites, of which 420 closed. 1,483 trees required to plant, of which 1,071 planted. 618 trees approved for removal, of which 476 removed. We are one month away from the Attorney General's ruling on our changes to the Tree Bylaw, so he is not yet enforcing these proposed rules. When they come into force, he will disseminate an update sheet in the Planning and permit departments, and the TC will come up with an article for the Minuteman, also addressing the Bylaw in general and clearing up misconceptions. Battle Green Inn construction site took down two street trees; one was failing and the other was sitting on top of all the major utility lines. The developer will replant on Mass Ave. Town sidewalk project: it was excavated to 4 ft, and the structural soil has been added. Dave says they will add additional loam to planting pit, and there will be underground drip irrigation installed by the contractor. We noted that there is an asphalt base to go in under the brick layer -- which Karen noted will possibly seal off water and air and cause the whole structural soil concept to fail. Nevertheless, the tree pits will be larger and there will be underground watering. The asphalt layer was specified at request of local ADA group, which demanded a completely level surface. The NSTAR parking lot traffic island also used structural soil. The contractor is in charge of watering for 1 year. 12. Belfry Hill: Jim Wood will assist Anne Senning with a proposal for a grant. Dave Hattis will do some graphics to back up the proposal. 13. Karen toured the Avalon Bay housing site at the former Met State property, and reports that they have preserved all the trees we asked them to. Meeting adjourned.