City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire Trees & Greenery Committee, 8 Jun 2022

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From YouTube: 6.8.2022 Trees & Public Greenery Committee

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6.8.2022 Trees & Public Greenery Committee

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Scott richardson, representing eversource this morning for those three removal requests.

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um We had two of them, one of them right there being at riverbrook entrance condos, there's a.

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Pine tree an oak tree and a cherry tree, I believe uh the pine and the oak are both just growing.

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Up under the phases and they're getting kind of hammered from both ends of us trimming it down and.

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The condo association trimming the site clearance to come out of their parking lot. They're. Just me.

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Going to be destroyed so we'd like to remove those and the cherry tree grows up out of the wall. It's.

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Got a big rock spot on the side of it. That's that situation, the other one is on the corner of middle.

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And sweat, I believe yes yeah, that uh big locust there. It's got some pretty bad rod. Issues at the.

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Base of it further up into the approaches, got some other issues going on up there again take that out.

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Any comments or questions well, I did talk with a couple neighbors when I was at the uh the site.

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Of three of those trees, you probably know as well, so there's also going to be putting a pedestrian.

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Triggered light, I don't know what they call those rocket fashion beacons nationally.

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The neighbor told me, but I I said okay and um and she talked liz hewitt is who I spoke with, and she.

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Talked a lot: why is it here? Why is he answered? uh She talked about how.

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Those trees are also would be impeding how high that that is going to be, that rabbit, beacon.

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um And so with all that back story that was kind of interesting to me that there was more than just.

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Tree removal and she had talked to people at the condo association management team.

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Which she said, I have been really terrific, neighbors um and everyone seems to be in.

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A great agreement on that, so a little extra back story on that. I like support.

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Any other questions or comments um sure I was just gonna, I'm in support of those.

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As well, palmer trees put on location.

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And that black locust doesn't have any more years left it's so architecturally. It's a beauty and you.

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Know how I love big trees and just the bark has gotten to where it's such depth and motion in it.

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I saw that I got out and looked around back and you keep telling me to go.

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And I saw a big haul for all the animals to live there.

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But yeah okay, do we have a motion recommending.

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I recommend that those four trees.

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I'll hand out our uh this is our watering list, which is in terms of planting list, so it's got.

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All your locations and species- um we really, if you look at our species or you tally these up from the.

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Order we're pretty equal along the board. um The only thing that we have to take into account is.

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For example, like under the wires, we want to plant trees that don't grow over 25 feet and so does.

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Every other municipality in new england, so it's really difficult to get a lot of diversity in.

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Trees that are under 25 feet um kind of limited to a handful of species or on paper here you have.

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A ton of options, but then you call the nursery it's just so competitive but anyways. We have.

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A ton of different species this year, um which is which is awesome, and I don't know why. But um this.

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Year last year was our zelda kova's that struggled and five of them were. We thought were definitely.

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Not going to make it and they actually broke budge over the fourth of july and now they're like.

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Thriving which is really wild this year, it's the uh we didn't, have a ton of these, but the.

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Capsuras uh are struggling and we have a couple tree lilacs, which are one of the ones that we.

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Try to plant less of because we have a lot of them and they're they're, beautiful they're, so.

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Much generic, but it's one of those species that stays under 25 feet and does really well and we'll.

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Take what we can get, um but we have a few that are struggling so you'll see my hope is. As of.

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The zelkova's last year, you really don't know until year, two we've seen with these trees, so.

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They might look dead or close to it, but um we'll wait and see, but it seems like this year the.

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Cat stores are the batch that, for whatever reason, are really struggling, I'm not sure.

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Exactly why that is it's the same as elko was last year, but they worked out.

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A lot of the cats.

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The weird thing is same nursery same stock last year did excellent we're watering about.

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Once a week right now, the rain sometimes twice a week uh and we water on top of these.

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Are just the 2022 trees on top of these we're watering 100 trees in 2021? So it's a combined.

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List with two employees watering, so it's kind of our main priority right now. Unfortunately,.

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Anyways just uh thought you'd like to see your in your free time. You want to take a drive around.

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Gold for next here will be to try and incorporate some new areas.

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I know it laid eyes on a section of state.

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Like street park, there columbia street at state street they've redone the sidewalk. um It's kind of.

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Heavy motorcycle areas, kind of lacking trees so and there will be more sidewalks. So if we can.

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Get some in there and uh some other neighborhoods as well.

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Feel free to think about. The only thing we try to focus on is having them somewhat root.

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Together for watering purposes, we're not bouncing all over the city.

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Yeah so chuck since there's not a lot of variety. Just it's just a sourcing issue.

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Do you just kind of just table that and just hope for next next year, you might have more.

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A variety and just take it out. No, I could say this I will. I should have corrected that there.

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Is a lot of variety? It's just with some of the smaller trees. You don't get as many small tree.

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Ops as shades, which say, we have five different species, but compared to other municipalities,.

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Our varieties through the roof, I think, we're at like 15 different species and no more than.

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Five or something I have the tally, but there's really compared to other municipalities in.

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New hampshire and massachusetts work through the roof in terms of diversity.

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Almost uh almost inconveniently, diverse, probably in terms of creating the order.

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We prioritize so it's a lot of tedious work, but um I think most municipalities are planting like.

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25 30 of the species um but anyways would there be any point in asking the nursery.

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uh Presenting them with a list of desired trees and events they couldn't comply next year, maybe.

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Yes, and we do we do that- actually um the biggest thing is they don't do a custom order like that.

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But they will they'll, have them it's just. I don't know if it's ever since 2020 or what, but it seems.

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Like the competition is higher every year with other municipalities, but we have, I have considered.

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It wouldn't the first time multiple nurseries wouldn't create our own, like.

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Plot um they just won't do that, but it's worth having a conversation.

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Are we looking? Are you also looking into neighborhoods of like where the.

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Housing authorities are the workforce, housing places or those neighborhoods and winchester.

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And gosling do we do we have a lot going on in those neighborhoods? That's a good question. No.

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We haven't, um you know some of those are managed by the housing authority, so they're really not.

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City purview, um we have close relationships with the housing authority and michael's on the board.

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um So you know we work with them on many things, um so yeah, I'm sure we could explore.

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The possibility of adding you know if we could have your staff watering. That would make a big.

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Big difference for us, because we plant more.

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They did well around the building. Those are all cypress green ashes. Where is.

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Separate trucks- and these are gonna- escape we're actually looking for here. Yes, so so.

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We have two trucks, and this is just the 2022 list, but the way we actually do the.

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The proper watering list is it's combined, 21 and 22.. So it's actually about this size list.

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The 2122 for each truck and we're looking to add a third tank just to try and get ahead because.

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It's a ton of time and next year you know we're going to be adding a lot more treats. You know what.

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We're planning on doing is having a private public partnership residents to take half of those, so 200.

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But we're going to have you know instead of 100 things to be 200, so that's.

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That's a big big impact on terms of staffing yeah. This is basically a priority and if it stops.

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Raining it starts getting really dry, then we're not doing any tree work and right now our tree.

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Work is pretty much solely street clearance for trash trucks. Unfortunately, just that time of year.

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um It's a never ending, you can do the whole city, and now this has to be honey in terms of 18.

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15 feet of clearance, but also without illegitimate, there's a balance. You know.

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You have to make proper cuts, so we don't want focus thinking that we're.

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Coming through, okay, are we seeing above average growth this year on some plants? Yes,.

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We just did a couple of peruvian workshops, a couple of different towns and some plants.

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I mean it just taken off the spread. It's crazy um that little warm break that we had. I.

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Just got things going, got things taken off how we did a lot of that classes around the state.

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What do you find? I don't know what to compare it to so. Does the tree actually tell itself.

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Yeah, it drove three years ago yeah, let's back off and the abundant rain last year,.

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And starting out this year, the trees are a year to two behind okay. So that's why you.

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Know whether whether it's construction damage or drought or whatever else it takes time.

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You know for that problem to to show itself up in the tree like if you dig a ditch on the.

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Side of the tree, you won't see damage you'll, see a couple of leaves missing or back over.

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The side of the tree, but you'll see that damage three or four years into the future that it knows.

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It's know, slowed down or missing some growth or whatever so you've grown that you're getting now.

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We talked about it to itself a couple years ago. um This might be a strange question, but.

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Where does the water come from? Is it just sales? This is some city, water, yes anymore,.

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I didn't wonder if it was just a simple little. That's a good question. I will say for our.

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Compost tea that we do on ball fields, and we do then at least we'll do it once.

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That's here at all the trees, you have to use a de-chlorinated water, so you can let the water.

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Dechlorinate itself, but we actually have a hydrant in the rye that we take care of.

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That is I'm chlorinated. I don't know why that is. I'd have to ask gentlemen: what is the difference.

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Between that, what effect does the chlorine have? The chlorine can kill biology on the compost.

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And all these trees this year, we also inoculated at the time of planting with mycorrhizae, uh which.

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Is a fungus that has a symbiotic relationship with the roots to help water uptake, so we're hoping.

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Now, to be honest, that don't look as awesome as last year, but the ones that were kind.

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Of on the fence last year are off and on this year, so I'm not not terribly worried.

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It's not like they're stone dead, it's just their leaves are smaller.

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Some of them are a little wilted. That was the case last year, and this year those ones are massive.

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We've had huge growth on the second year trees this year. I think that diversification.

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That you're doing is fantastic. Peter probably remembers at one point. We had this this nativist.

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Kick that uh we only could plant um a recommendation only to plant.

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Native species just limited to a bit and then when you try to get under 30 feet,.

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Limited a bit more, and so I think this is great and and if, if you, if this, I think.

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My personal feelings it's important to plant as many as we can not miss a year because of supply.

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So, like the kids missing in here with schools, you know you can't make that up very easily and.

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So I think, that's obvious and we do still try and I mean we do still have a ton of natives.

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It's almost like, we have all the natives you can plant, but then we add in some that are.

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Not native just we really don't think it's gonna hurt chuck. Would you like to.

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Just sort of give your immediate my native speech field yeah, I think, just like bald cypress.

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We go off the eastern united states as native for us, I'm not saying that classifies it as native.

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But with temperatures that we've had in the past few years, six years and winters that.

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Are a little different than I remember them being, for example, like the bald cypress, is.

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Native to the southeast, it probably dies out somewhere. If I had to guess around new york.

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But they've proven to be an excellent street stream. You don't see them anywhere and.

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They're completely underutilized as a street tree, but they're really tolerant, of all conditions.

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And we've had great success that they are difficult to source. We, um yes they're difficult.

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But anyways eastern united states is what we're going off of now, because I also we're looking.

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At predictions and our zones might mimic the southeast in 20 years, so we can be ready for that.

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A little sensitive to wind and that kind of stuff we've had.

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In the operating for over 30 and one of our best examples is if you're headed to pierson.

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Just before you get to the bridge in prescott park on the left, there there's a bald cypress.

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It's like the most exposed spot in the city with the uh river right. There.

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I remember that day we were attempting to pop that tree and people came out of the house.

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We met last week to look at some tree identification and.

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We talked about native and non-native. I really appreciate that.

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Absolutely you know when, when I go down streets that the city of century planning programs.

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Either directly or through contracts, market street extension, graphical role by baron, and now this.

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That was a few years ago, and I know when we had the discussion with panaway about.

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Trees wooden kind of lifetime, not too much you get out of saginaw.

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And it's very significant and the same with mike street extension and uh daniel street.

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Global congress street uh um state street I mean you can I'm very proud. I live in the city that.

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It takes care and has planted those things. I was driving down the other night down.

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It's winter street and run in the evening around five o'clock and spectacular and uh it's my wife.

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Is peter this isn't history so harvard? What are you going to do something about that.

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Oh yeah be patient and the other night I'm right there and it's.

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It's just those little things, somebody in the city um thought about and made it happen. It's just.

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Gratifying but I we can't really take the claim, we're responsive. We implement.

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What the residents are requesting- and you know, fortunately, you know we're able to.

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Have supportive residents as well as uh you all, so it's really it's it's. I would love to take the.

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Credit, um but it's really the the impetus that you guys brought to the table that allowed the.

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City to be able to focus on this stuff and get it done. Ultimately, we do what you allocate money.

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I appreciate it. Thank you. I always find peter a conversation game changer when we're talking.

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People are talking about city stuff, and then they go down that negative path. And I'm like.

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What about this tree here and people are like? Oh, no, okay, it's a good game! Changer! It's a positive.

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Thing it's a value. The example I have in mind is the tree in the parking lot here um for the years.

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That was the hospital. It was just a painted island and for years, went to city hall, but somebody maybe.

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Peter, I don't know somebody said, came up with the idea of putting a tree there and not a painted.

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Island but a raised landscaper and somebody got put into a budget somebody got it approved.

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And it's those thoughtful processes that made life better. You know for everybody that comes here.

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So, anyway, yeah I have one more because I was just the other day out of pierce island.

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You've done a fabulous job out there, all right.

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And it's going to look really really good in the future, so yeah did a great job. Thank you and it's.

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An educational learning, nice right, I mean you're, going to see. What's going to be able to have some.

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Tree id out there there are a little disclaimer, those fallen cyprus. I warned you at arbor, david.

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And the nursery warned us as well but they're difficult to transplant bare roots. So.

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I don't know if those are going to going to make it, but the rest of them.

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Separate on that point all seem to be doing well so yeah, hopefully that's a spot in the future.

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Different trees.

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Assistant mayor kelly, uh posed that, and I think he'll be first reading the 21st.

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I think I I didn't look this up, but I suspect we may be one of the few committees that doesn't.

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Have a council representative, um I believe that is true. I'm trying to think this is.

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The only committee that I involved that doesn't have any parking traffic safety does.

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The uh power aggregate power does skate park. Does silent committee does um yeah, so we will.

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Be created by mayor sorel, um so it was sort of a mayor's committee. It wasn't a standard committee.

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We've been switched over now and, um and I suspect that it's a history of why there isn't a council.

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Because we were sort of an extension of the mayor and- uh and I should point out and confess that.

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And uh so it'll be good to have some, it's always been the feel good committee for me yeah. You know.

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Except for the little harbor, I'm still scarred by that a little bit, you know for the most part.

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Opposed to that, take them all down there now, because, when there's lots of other trees, there.

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The impact is just so much less and I think that's an important lesson for everybody.

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That was my lesson from little harbor was. I wasn't on the committee, then, is that I started to look.

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At row two what was row two looking like and I thought and I looked and row two was going to.

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Get a moment to shine, and it was great so when we go out and we're walking around we're. Looking at.

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Trees to be slated to be removed. Now I look like what is behind it. What is contextually around it.

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Is there a tree across the street to balance out the so that was a wonderful learning experience.

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That's what my takeaway was to us dennis I'd be happy to let you take a group of people down there.

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I'm gonna say it sit back in the office all right.

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Well, we can just put a couple of postings out, and everyone will just come.

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um Anything else on the panaway contract or what did.

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uh No, it did not, but what? What is the status of that? The status of that is that we uh separated.

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State street sidewalks from panaway and maple haven and we are planning to circle back with.

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Those two commit uh two neighborhoods uh for a fall bid for spring construction.

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So did anyone bid on.

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The 14th that year.

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Also, I'm a little lost, um so just I we tabled that for um kind of a recommended vote.

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And now that the sense that I was getting at that juncture, when we met last time, you know with whom.

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Showed up and the conversation that we were sort of might have been directing towards a more no.

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um And so are we going to revisit that as a committee to weigh in on that, or is it.

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Is that going to happen with the bidding process, that sort of.

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Leads me to believe that now those trees are all going to come down.

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Impacts to the trees, are you still interested in doing this.

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We'll have another public meeting, we'll point out specifically the trees that.

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Are going to be taken down, I think the idea of a sidewalk probably a good idea. um You know it's a.

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As we as peter pointed out, the chairman pointed out that areas that have had trees removed.

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And then replanted do come back and have an improvement, a short period, yes or not. Large.

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Majestic trees, but there are, there are benefits in the near term. You know within five years.

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Ten years you you experience um a foliage and a canopy again um that do benefit the community.

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To the residents, so it's not like you know within our lifetimes we're not going to see the benefits.

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So if there's a balance, you know we've been asked to put sidewalks out there and you know.

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Yes, people say well who asked you to do that. You know. Well, the city government council allocated.

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Money for us to do this, we've been asked to move forward by the council. um The council is also.

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Asking us to make sure that the residents want to do this, um so you know, frankly, if people do not.

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Want sidewalks in the area, that is something that I'd be more than happy to comply with.

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And so my question is: what kind of process do we have to figure out.

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What that community wants, and how do you make, is it if 51 of the residents want to have.

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Sidewalks then you're going to have sidewalks or what's your decision-making rule for those.

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To make those decisions, does it 75 have to be in favor of there's a lot of great life.

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And to try to come up with a metric that uh fits all situations, it's impossible, but here's. So it's.

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A combination of things we look at, we look at safety if it's an unsafe situation and only 20.

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Of the people want it well, you know, even if zero percent of the people want it, we may do it anyway.

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That's a safety issue right if 50 of the people want it and there's a minimum impact to the trees.

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Maybe it's a relatively easy thing to do if 50 and it's a huge impact of trees. Well then,.

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There's a there's, a huge there's, a balance there, so this is a calculus that is not.

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Always clear, and so what we do is we hold public meetings? We we have done surveys we try to to.

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Work with the residents so that they can work with each other and come up with some sort of consensus.

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You know, obviously it's nice to have a solid majority. You know above 50 solidly, um but it's.

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Not always that way, so I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna, define how we I would make the final decision at.

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This point but like in that last meeting you had a group of people here that were really opposed to.

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Taking down all those trees but which we didn't have was a bunch of people here that felt strongly.

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About taking down those trees and putting in sidewalks sure- and it's always it's always.

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Going to be that way where the you're going to have- and I don't know if it's fair to say a.

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Minority of people, but people who don't want to do something are always going to be much more visible.

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Than people that want to do it, and so then there's always the people that don't want to do it. It's.

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Like oh, my gosh government is, you know, shoving this down our throats and when, in fact, that's not.

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What's happening so, following up what dennis is saying the hearing public process isn't, I presume.

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Isn't going to be just focused on the trees, it's going to be a broader, hey! Everybody in.

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Panama: here's what here's, what we're proposing here's what's involved for trees! What do you.

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Think and- um and I suspect in peter's position in the city administration that um important to be.

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Steeped in um some old testament sections with solomon and um trying to decide.

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How to weigh these things, and we can't really split any babies here, but yeah you can at least.

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100 of this committee does not favor removing the trees. Do we have? Does our opinion come from.

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That's a good question.

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Again, it comes down to the context of the of the situation. um You know when we look.

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At sidewalks we look at volume, traffic, speed and traffic density of population, and you know.

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You know I would have to talk to our legal department relative to um your jurisdiction and.

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Your ability to dictate um city policy, but I would hazard a guess. uh You know the push.

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Game to shove, I think uh city is exempt from um a lot of the requirements of the landing sports.

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If, if it's in the city's best, it is the so I'm not saying that you know that's what's going to happen.

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Because we try to you know we try to be very respectful of the landing sports. We try to follow.

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um You know requirements the opinion as best possible. um I would like to believe that we would.

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Get to a point that we wouldn't have unanimous, you know absolutely not that they would be compromised.

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When we figure out how to make work and whether that means that we, you know have sidewalks with.

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Asphalt in certain spots that are humped over root systems that we talk to residents and we get.

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Bumps into private property get easements uh whether you know whether we narrow a section of.

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Sidewalk in one spot, I would like to think that you know we'd be able to get to some compromise.

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That we, wouldn't it, wouldn't become a constitutional crisis um if it goes deep that way.

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I mean if all the residents said they want it. You all say absolutely not I, it would be challenging.

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Well, I don't think that we would not be.

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Unresponsive to the wishes of the community, but I think our sense at the last meeting was that.

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Number one that people didn't fully understand that how many.

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Trees would come down and what it would look like.

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I I would think the city has the capacity to to make some kind of a.

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Photoshopped image or whatever they have to do just to show.

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What it would look like with the removal of 30 plus trees,.

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um I would think that would have a powerful effect on the communities. So the thing I remember.

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Dick too is oftentimes folks, who are opposed to something.

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Look for any um reason to be opposed to it, and trees just happen to be the.

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Their venue or their avenue, to be opposed with all the people that spoke were opposed to the.

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Sidewalks already had nothing to do with the trees. Originally, you know yes, the trees are an impact.

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And- and we need to make sure people are clear, but we did make it clear during our presentation.

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Said the number of trees we're going to take it now we did show pictures of the trees and.

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You know that doesn't mean they can conceptualize what it really means when it's gone.

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um But you know there is an effort to educate. There is an effort to make it clear.

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Types of impacts, photoshopping in a bunch of pictures, uh could be a useful exercise.

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However, there is an expense to that. There's a time to that. We don't have that in-house expertise.

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To do it more than just you know, cutting and pasting a section.

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um You might be able to try it, but it's still not going to take away the shading.

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That's already there, you know, so you take a picture. Is it going to change anybody's mind.

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um I I have the same sensitivity as dick when I was looking when it first came in. I thought well.

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The city council had somebody had hearings on this. I knew that there was an active community that was.

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Calling for um and because I heard from them afterwards, they call into the sidewalks and um and.

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And my thought was: um if the community called for a city council approved it, I'm not going to step.

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In the way and say you can't do it because I don't, I don't think she'd be able to cut the trees down.

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But then, when you had the hearing it became the real question was: was there a keynote? What was.

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The extent of the community process- and we didn't have that input- I mean peter- had some of it, but.

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We, um I think what was decided was we would have a new process and um people can come out and say.

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It's a broader approach to sidewalks entries and everything else. Safety and the public says yes,.

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And, and what came true to me was that this was a very long process. It was 10 years is.

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That true peter, that when it started to initiate and then evolve and get into the cpi- and you know.

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It's just it's, you know it's just how things are done and then, by the time we got to where we I.

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Feel like we were late to the party, you know that this committee was and sort of playing catch-up.

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um And so then it it just seemed sensible to go ahead, to take a pause and to take a uh you know, a.

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Moment to take the pulse of truly what the will of that neighborhood is so, and you know the c.

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Cip process uh is advertised. It's the public hearings. There are ample opportunity for.

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Residents to participate in this to involve every potential committee, that's impacted by.

D

A capital improvement plan- it's not it's not feasible the. If, if, if somebody had told me.

D

uh Two years ago or a year ago, that people would be against putting sidewalks in the neighborhood.

D

I would have said that you know residents been pounding on us to give them sidewalks forever.

D

And to have a group of residents in two neighborhoods uh to say absolutely not.

D

You know it's like our job is not to make people's lives mistaken.

D

If they don't want sidewalks great, that's right, it's infrastructure. We don't have to maintain.

D

It's capital expenses. We don't have to spend um it's maintenance, we don't have to deal with it.

D

So um you know- and we are not going to take a lot of energy.

D

If this neighborhood is, they don't have consensus, we're not going to go we're not going to spend the.

D

Money yet we're going to just go somewhere else. We've got plenty of work to do, and it's really.

B

um So I think that's that's the other good great take away from little harbor is that when we look.

B

At uh removals, at a scale of I don't know what the number is: 15 trees, 20 trees, that maybe we do jump.

B

In with a new kind of process and mechanism- and we do this- take the time to do a sidewalk closer.

B

To when the removal will happen, maybe that I I don't know, but that's what I learned from little.

B

Harbor- and I think we ended up with a better situation for everyone, and I think this might be.

B

Another opportunity is when we look at things on large scale that maybe we just want to.

B

Be a little more sensitive to the quicker real time. The different piece.

A

Is that a little harder was it's a destination that people go to walk? We heard that from.

A

I doubt somebody's driving across the city to walk around can't wait a minute.

A

It's a resident's face, it seems little teardrop they'd.

A

And this is my opinion.

D

I would not encourage this committee to expand their involvement into things that could become.

D

More political in nature, I would think you know, focusing on the trees, has been a great thing in.

D

The greenery, it's been a great thing, educating the public, it's been a great thing, but to wade.

D

Into the challenging topics may distract from the mission and may erode some of the support you see.

D

So I would encourage us all to focus on you know what we do well.

D

um And I don't think, there's an issue I think we've had we have it comes up. We've got the group.

D

Of people that are intelligent and responsive and thoughtful um and we respond appropriately.

B

There is no life is great, there is no one-size-fits-all, and I guess at that point last.

B

Meeting I didn't feel like I had all the pieces. I couldn't make an intelligent decision because.

B

The people that did show up were not supportive of tree removal, so if I just based it on that.

B

I was saying no um and then peter you know, got other voices that came that we have been working.

B

On this, and then I was like oh so I just need. I need to know all the facts. I can't make a decision.

B

Without it, because I do believe, the will of the people are what we should work to reflect and to.

B

Balance truths. I I do get that sure I I would say the process works, we've got tables, that's.

D

Going to come back with additional information and options, so I feel like the system works.

D

I don't think we need to, I don't think, there's anything we need to to change in a sense except.

D

You know yes residents. We all need to be aware of. What's going on around us, this information.

D

Out there um and I think, it's incumbent upon residents to keep themselves informed.

A

uh Andy, if there's nothing else on that, I was thinking about uh fixing the agendas the update.

A

On the portsmouth 400- and you touched on that peter but uh well we maybe funding from the.

D

Rotary to purchase the additional monies uh chuck, um it's been very clear that we.

D

Need to start thinking about you know, adding a third watering uh system, trucks and gearing up.

D

We're going to be needing additional staff, um probably additional seasonal staff- to be.

D

Able to help assist with that, and that's why I jokingly said michael: if your guys can help.

D

That would be great, but you know we need to. We need to start thinking about an outreach effort.

D

For residents and aj, you know from the state side, um you know we're defining that.

D

Yeah, so it may be worth it at our next meeting. You know kind of fleshing out what that means.

D

um And kind of putting together kind of an outline of you know how we think we're going.

D

To execute this, so the goal is 400 trees for 400 yeah and what was the breakdown of.

D

Some come from the rotary or hoping I mean realistically this it's a huge stretch for this.

D

City to plant 200 trees right now, we couldn't do it. Definitely not if we had two seasonal watering.

C

Staff extra and a new watering tank we could, um but we could plant it just we couldn't maintain it.

C

And that's a waste of money, so the thought was to have 200 of those streams that we do.

C

We make work because we'll hire a summer uh person that just waters um and the other 200 hope was.

C

Possibly sourcing them from the state or or something where we're giving them to residents.

C

There could be some education around that and then the residents get to plant them.

C

um On their own property, and they maintain them and also the benefit, is that to that is.

C

You're getting trees planted not just in the green strips city right aways, but in neighborhoods that.

A

There might be side yards or backyards kind of a tree grant type thing. um So that was the thought.

A

Because for us to plant 400 total, unless we had a drastic uh change in staffing, it would be.

C

So it's undecided as to what we would give the residents whether they be smaller trees like.

C

Saplings or whether they would be they, I don't think that'd be possible to do the ball.

C

Or give them away.

C

I think it'd be too heavy for residents to move.

C

You couldn't do the bare root, but that would be a really difficult time.

C

We could do 200 bare root trees for us, but to give those threats just to be.

C

Too complicated, okay, you have 10 days to get home, and this is how you do it.

D

Yeah yeah and I'm thinking you know the arbor day this year they were in exeter.

D

um But if we looked at uh the arborists around the seacoast, if we you know reach.

D

Out to michael and that crew uh and plant the seed to say, hey, it's amazing to do.

D

Unintended um to to get you know, get them excited about it, and maybe you know what they're always.

D

Going to do some education, it's also a marketing opportunity for them to talk to residents.

D

And then you don't have a big push on that at harvard day.

B

And scott, did you say that every source is donating, 100, trees,.

C

Could be close to ten thousand dollars so in terms of bare root trees that very well could be. If I.

C

Said: hey we'd rather have ten trees, but that could turn into it. You know that could be a hundred.

C

Close to 100 bare root trees, so I haven't taken them up on the offer for the centuries, because.

C

We already have 107, I think, in the ground and would just.

C

Be extra work for us, but they will gladly scott would would ever source be willing to to plant.

D

Pantries, I really don't know I'd have to, because that would be eleven. The effort.

D

For next year, definitely sure will be that for next year or they could buy half of 200 of our. We.

C

Could work this out, but if we were doing something like smaller trees from the state nursery ever.

C

Source, the cost of that would be um good stuff. We covered the cost of all that gross retreat.

A

Wholesale trees, they keep them, they water them. They sit on them.

A

You pay a fee to, you, know, have them sitting at their place. Saturday morning everybody just roll.

A

It with your minivan get your treats out the back window. I think that's, probably the most workable.

A

Solution because you know we have you know right now, you used to bring your trees over my place.

A

And throw them in the mulch pile all that stuff. But that's you know it's a hundred feet. I mean.

A

Okay, that's not you're! Looking at you know, 500 5, gallon pail sitting in somebody's driveway yeah.

B

I don't think we should underestimate my fine lilacs. um It's amazing when I walk around town.

B

Listening to tourists, what is this? I don't know you know, so we thought we'd label some.

B

Lilacs, you know when there's some beautiful specimens of that purple, coarse and white.

B

This is our state flower, even though it's not native, but who knows.

A

But there's way, there's.

A

Three four five feet tall easy to stick in a car or anything or you know whatever.

A

You're sticking it in um a couple of quick little education programs, little pamphlet.

A

And this room flare well um and yeah: that's why we did it in concord for several years with, with the.

C

Greenworks, you know situational third deal but yeah you can have a dpw even in the parking lot.

D

That's a very good idea: well would we start to kind of message status well,.

B

Peter would this uh integrate the messaging of this project integrate into the 400th.

B

Pr, you know all the content that they, because they're putting out a lot.

B

Could and you would reach out and said you know, could you get involved? It would be beneficial.

D

And I- and I said yes as an individual that'd- be no problem, but as a committee, if, if we deputize.

D

To represent for the 400th or dick or aj, whoever, whoever wants to be, uh I could be dick's assistant.

B

Okay, I like co-chairing code, that's fine so, but I think that's a great idea because there are, I mean.

D

There are some divisions of the 400th committee that are it's a non-profit now, but.

D

It would be beneficial because they would kind of define how that that activity dovetails into the.

D

Other activities how they you know, it's one more thing around the time. I think it's a great idea.

D

And it's an early thing in the year, so it would be one of the things that kicks off um the effort. So.

D

I reached out to stephanie and she was gonna. uh Did she reach out to you in terms of contest, not.

D

Yet, okay, well I'll remind her and dick you want to be involved. Are you are involved already? Okay,.

D

So I would make a motion that um dick and deb uh participate in the 400th process and be our eyes.

D

And ears voices to help coordinate I'll start with that: okay, um any old or new business. um Well, this.

B

Also kind of was working, and I don't know if it complicates it more, but I know that dennis had.

B

Done some work on the tree, trust, and I know that it's I don't know really much of this background.

B

The whole conversation of it, but I was thinking again, would that be kind of a legacy opportunity.

B

A fund where um people that wanted to participate in 400 and lived in apartments and didn't.

B

Couldn't plant a tree or a lilac or whatever, might you might reignite that fun or rule that fund as.

B

An option to you know park your legacy dollars here and we'll do something with it. You know in.

D

um I don't believe we ever really rolled out, I mean the trust was discussed. Maybe four years ago.

C

Five years ago I know it was formed yeah and we had, I think, michael davis, but one donation in.

C

The tree trust, I think, that's it. We haven't done much with it. Yeah.

C

I actually, I actually don't know how it works, uh but I do remember when I.

C

Was kind of freshly formed he donated that arbor day and then there may be a simple.

B

It's not encouraging, but you're like oh. I don't know if I want to give to.

B

Didn't have much in it was it didn't, look active, let's put it that way. Well, I'm more than happy to.

D

Help facilitate getting content on the web. If you would like to generate something, that'd be great.

B

An opportunity to give people a place to donate uh that don't have you know.

B

Land yards, I don't know- and it's certainly worthy and chuck, probably has some other ideas than just.

B

Actual plant material that he'd like to have you know whether it's expanding your tree.

B

Powder most or having better compost mulch, I don't know oh yeah, there's there's just always.

C

Things to buy a gift, it's been a lifetime on non-profit committees, trying to raise money and.

A

To me it's I hate faith being on a committee and they just say we gotta raise money and I'm.

A

Thinking uh it's just awful. I mean some people love that stuff right.

A

We're not raising money, we're just highlighting a place where you could park your legacy. One.

B

That was always the impression I got about the truth. Was there wasn't.

B

A lot of support for it among the committee.

B

That was a good idea, but there was a lot of support for it. That's my worry about.

B

It it's as soon as someone says: hey, do you ask somebody for a dog, we wouldn't be asking you for.

B

People do live in apartments and do live in places and are very.

B

Green conscious and would like to pretend.

B

B

Any other old and new business you know, I just know that.

A

At the pierce island near the parking lot, uh which in turn is near the fisherman's wharf, uh there's a.

A

Row of probably 30 or 40 gorgeous purple irises that are quite tall. It's just worth going out.

A

To look at they're so perfect, and I I wonder who who put those in and how did that happen.

A

I think it was probably earl like yeah. It was so, though I can't speak to the process of that.

A

Parking lot, but that was built and there was a um rough landscaping plan with some uh trees.

D

B

um One little thing I was thinking I I saw this uh there's been such I sent it all to everyone, an.

B

Article about the increase of monarch, butterflies, you know it's been just a terrific effort in in.

B

The whole nation to bring back milkweed, although it's god awful looking, you know, but it's doing its.

B

Work there's a 35 increase in the tallies of monarchs, and particularly in the mid west and.

B

Going up through the migration, but I was wondering about the open space that we have. That is what do.

B

You call that it's not uh you don't take care of it. You just go. We just own it. What are you doing.

B

Like the great followers yeah conservation, so it's just what the city owns, but if there's not pass, we.

D

Don't maintain it yeah right, do we do we have opportunities to put like things like milkweed.

B

Just sprinkle around or just sort of add to the um just just thinking about that myself. Yeah of.

D

Course we do residents yeah, I mean we're more than happy for you to take on that initiative. No, no! I'm.

C

Not I'm not seriously like that's not something that we tree. Crews could do, but if the right.

D

You know we haven't, we have a horticulturist that we work with, uh that the budget was passed and.

D

Includes for the prescott park, so we have a actual formal horticulturalist. Now that is going to be.

D

You know he does our gardens, he does all these all the ordering. So that's great, so it's something.

D

That you know I'll introduce you to them. Okay, I don't know what it takes to plant milkweed, but.

B

I don't think it's daunting. Just take a bunch of stocks that have already gone to seed.

B

Right as simple as that right, I think it was just an intention yeah. That would be it.

B

And so you're telling me that we have four city arborists and eight horticulturalists.

B

On staff: well, we have one city, iris, one city, our first time we have staff that are licensed.

B

Yes, and now we have a license for our culturalists.

B

So they're all certified certified horticulturalists and I think it's important.

A

In that in the tree report, I tried to make it as clear as I could that that we we have somehow.

A

Been able to in a time when nobody was very hard to hire anybody, peter and company have.

A

Been able to hire people who, among their other towns, are certified address and we don't have.

A

Three or four people that only look at trees every single day and.

A

uh That that it's not, I was afraid that the city council is saying. Oh look at that.

A

We don't need three arbors. Well, we have. We have people who have have that skill and.

A

Make that contribution, but that's one of the many skills there and we're very fortunate and.

D

And frankly, you know if, if we only have one arborist and three people working with them,.

D

Those three people would be working to become arborists, um because that's what we do. We train.

D

And we want to elevate their abilities because you need that depth of team yeah, one of our.

D

Certified arborists on the crew started here as a summer. Health with no horticulture is that steven.

C

But also yeah there's well, they do maintain that certification they plow snow, do all sorts of odd.

C

Projects that have nothing to do with trees, but uh yeah, it's just a banana. It's an extra and it.

A

I just didn't want it to be seen as as um oh we're talking with you know, these are people that I mean.

A

You could have hired a guy that you know did something like peter. Whoever does the hiring.

A

Kind of my opinion foresight just look at people that had those special skills or willing to appear.

B

In those special skills, all right I did too, I think I think that reflects the values of.

B

Our town, our city, well, the other thing to be aware of is that you know prior to having a skilled help.

D

We were not able to accomplish what we can accomplish now and having having a foreman.

D

That are, professionals uh allows us to get more accomplished because staff are managed better.

D

um In not too distant past, um you know we did not have confident foremen. They were nice enough.

D

People but their their areas of expertise were not. They know those sprints, they had other strengths.

D

And their focus was not necessarily on managing their staff because they were putting on other.

D

Fires, because they didn't have the organization to support. uh You know people get upset about.

D

Additional staff- and I appreciate the cost associated with that and how you reduce staffing.

D

Is by professionalizing it making sure the staff you do have to do the most they can, but you got.

D

To compensate them, um if you're asking them to be professionals, okay and retention is terrific.

B

So far oh you're gonna be so smart.

D

It's a big deal when and when solid waste is what drives the organization.

D

We're stealing truck staff, we're stealing corn staff to be on the back of packer trucks.

D

Which is extremely dangerous, so they're, like you know, I didn't, I didn't sign up for a trash.

D

Tower you know, and if you do that too many times there, they walk. So it's it's a vicious circle.

D

And it's you know, I know people get upset, they say the city's fat, you know whatever, but you know you.

D

Want services, you know that, and I want to run, if not I'm fine with that too, if the consensus is no.

D

We're willing to you know, do other stuff except less. That's fine. um You know we'll manage to that.

D

But that's not what I hear you might say something yeah. I just want to offer a little historical.

A

Context, I think this committee was formed in 2002 peter and I will both chart members and yeah.

A

I remember speaking to uh individuals who got a name, but he was a powerful person on city staff.

A

And I said, I think it would be highly desirable if we had a full-time artist and his response was.

A

No, we don't need that. Someone who puts about 15 of his time into dreamwork would be adequate.

D

A

Was probably being generous on his part in his mind, uh but anyway, there's no new or.

A