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Town of Lexington
Lexington Tree Committee Minutes
November 14, 2013
A meeting of the Lexington Tree Committee was held on November 14, 2013, 7:30-9:30
a.m. at the Samuel Hadley Public Services Building, Room 125. A quorum of six was
present.
Members Present: John Frey (chair), Karen Longeteig, Jewel Kuljian, Gerry Paul, Anne
Senning, Jim Wood
Members Absent: Deborah Mauger (Selectman Liaison), Nell Walker
Guests: David L. George, Zoning Administrator, Board of Appeals,Gary Larson ASLA,
Warner Larson, Principal, Landscape Architect, John C. Bartenstein, Attorney, Matt R.
Foti,
Matthew R Foti Landscape & Tree Service
The meeting acted on the following items:
1.
Anne Senning was appointed asscribe, and the minutes of the meeting of October 10,
2013, and special meeting October 24 were approved with minor corrections.
2. Toyota: Review of Tree Committee Recommendations to ZBA:
The Tree
Committee made a thorough review of the ZBA written documents and landscape plans.
The unanimous recommendation was to replace all ten Callery Pear trees that had been
removed with ten honeylocust trees in the same street locations, thus providing screening
between the Toyota dealership and the residential abutters.
3. Bylaw tree removal applications and activity:
Chris Filadoro will email figures to
John Frey.
4. Fall Tree Planting:
Inventory; Chris will provide a spreadsheet of the tree locations to
Anne Senning when the planting is complete. Jewel Kuljian and Anne Senning provided
lists of fall planting locations. Trees were also placed in groupings on town land on
Emerson Road, on Grant Street, and at Mass Ave and Worthen Road. Emerson Gardens
Road turned out to have cable lines running the length of the planting strip, eliminating
places for eight trees.
5. Fall Planting Dig Safe:
Jim Wood stated that he was not notified by Dig Safe of the
problem with the cable lines at Emerson Gardens Road. In a discussion a suggestion was
made to remedy this for the future and to include notice to the DPW. Clarification was
made that Dig Safe clears 18 inches either side of any obstruction.
6. 38 Somerset Rd WWII Memorial Grove:
New owner of 38 Somerset Rd removed
trees from WWII memorial grove. A neighbor requested that new trees be replanted in
nearby public lands. Chris Filadoro plans to move some parts of the stone memorial to
some public area yet to be determined in town. He also plans to review a large traffic
island in the neighborhood with Anne Senning for planting a tree or trees in spring 2014.
7. Cumberland Farms: Buffer Strip Recommendations to ZBA:
The Tree Committee
along with Matt Foti made a through review of the Cumberland Farms written documents
and landscape plans. The unanimous recommendation of the Tree Committee to the ZBA
for the buffer strip was to include seven (7) trees, five (5) Rosebay Rhododendrons, three
(3) upright Chinese Junipers, and four (4) Red Cedars as drafted in the revised buffer
planting plan 11/13/13, MHF Design Consultants, Inc.
8. Bylaw conflict:
Matt Foti raised an issue of a conflict between setback bylaws as
stated in two places in the Tree Management Manual. Chris Filadoro acknowledged the
practical difficulty of administering the bylaw in a few cases where this conflict arises.
John Frey, Gerry Paul, and Jim Wood agreed to form a work group to look into this issue.
9. Norway Maples, a Protected Street Tree:
Matt Foti questioned the DPW policy of
having Norway Maples being a protected street tree. The discussion was postponed until
a later meeting.
10. Gary Larson ASLA, Warner Larson, Principal, Landscape Architect Presents
Toyota’s Replanting Proposal:
The Tree Committee reviewed and discussed Gary Larson’s Lexington Toyota Proposed
Planting Plan of 11/12/13, which showed seven Honeylocusts along Mass. Ave. to screen
between the Toyota dealership and residential abutters across Mass. Ave.. The Tree
Committee approved of the species, but unanimously recommended that the number of
trees be increased to ten as required on “Scheme D” of Toyota’s 1988 Special Permit.
Gary Larson will take the Tree Committee’s position to Lexington Toyota.
11. Meeting with Carl Valente 11/15/13: $45,000 DPW request
Gerry Paul and John Frey plan to meet with Carl Valente to clarify any questions he may
have as a follow up to Chris Filadoro’s earlier meeting.
There was no remote participation. The meeting was not recorded.
Respectfully submitted, Anne Senning, Scribe
Next regular meeting: December 12, 2013, 7:30 a.m. at Samuel Hadley Public
Services Building, Room 125