HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-12-10-TREE-min Lexington Tree Committee
Meeting Minutes
December 10, 2020
The meeting was held via zoom and started at 7:36 am.
Members Present: Gerry Paul, (Chair), Gloria Bloom, Nancy Sofen, Pat Moyer,James Wood, Marty
Kvaal, Mark Connor (Scribe)
Guests: Mark Sandeen (Select Board Liaison), Marc Valenti (DPW), Marcia Gens, Rick Reibstein, Stella
Ca rr.
1. The November meeting minutes were accepted.
2. The Fourth edition of the tree manual was submitted to the Select Board.
Nancy is currently reviewing/incorporating proposed changes suggested by the Select Board.
3. The Tree Committee proposed articles for Annual Town Meeting were submitted to the Select
Board and some changes were suggested.
Discussion: Article 1
A. The focus of Article 1 is to require anyone removing a town owned tree pay the appraised value
to the tree fund unless the tree is determined to be a hazard.
The article should be modified to allow the Select Board to adjust the appraised value if there
are "unforeseen difficulties due to the tree".
The appraisal shall be conducted by a member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists
mutually agreed upon by the Town and Applicant.
The sentence beginning with "if the tree is removed..." should be replaced by, "If the tree is
removed, the applicant shall pay its appraised value to the tree fund, as determined by an
arborist mutually agreed upon by the Town and the Applicant".
B. Mark Valenti (DPW) expressed concern over the language and requirements outlined in Section
2 of Article 1 including:
1. Difficulty for developers/builders to identify tree species
2. Added cost associated with "as built" second survey
Gerry Paul and Mark Connor defined the proposal as similar to a town building permit process
where the builder is required to provide a site survey for the existing/proposed project as well
as a confirmation "as built" survey at the completion of the project.
Flexibility was agreed to regarding the identification of plant species.
C. Section 3 of Article 1 was discussed: The focus of the conversation centered on implementation
impacts on private property rights and actual benefits of a new permit requirements. Mark
Valenti focused on how the permit process would impact the DPW staff in terms of additional
manpower requirement to process permits and respond to applicant questions. He indicated
that existing DPW resources could not absorb the time and costs associated with a private
property tree removal permit process.
Gerry Paul indicated that the goal of the permit was not punitive, but educational and data
collection focused. The permit application process would be electronic, online and
automatically approved. Mark Sandeen expressed the desire to understand the overarching
intent of the new permit and explore/exhaust other options that could achieve the same goals
of the permit process.
The Tree Committee and the DPW agreed to continue to discuss and collaborate on a process
that would document private tree removals while not adding additional staff and financial
burdens on existing DPW resources.
D. Section 4 of Article 1:
A discussion of Fees associated with the removal of trees protected under the Bylaw took place.
General agreement was universal for increasing fees. The conversation focused on which
method of calculating fees should be proposed (area vs. diameter). I was agreed that final
decision on the method of calculation and specific fees will determined during the next several
meetings.
E. The Committee decided to form a subcommittee consisting of Gerry Paul, Nancy Sofen and
Mark Connor to prepare a presentation of the final proposed Articles for Town Meeting.
4. Mark Valenti indicated that the tree inventory proposals have been submitted to the DPW for
review.
5. 5G Impacts on Trees:
An initial discussion of the impact of 5G on trees occurred. The agreed upon goal of the
Committee is to be proactive in terms of tree protection and the implementation of regulations
that limit the negative impacts 5G installations will have on the existing tree canopy.
The Tree Committee voted 4-0 in favor of a resolution to authorize Gerry to create a letter to
the Select Board supporting "strong regulations to protect trees with regards to 5G
installation."
6. Hartwell Ave Rezoning:
The Tree Committee is in support of the proposed "natives only" requirement for tree plantings
in the rezoning proposal. We recommend our Large Shade Tree list as the basis of the new
guideline.
7. The next meeting of the Tree Committee is on December 17, 2020 at 8 am on Zoom.