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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-22-2010 TC Minutes1 TREE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2010 Corporation Yard Conference Room 25 Prado Road, San Luis Obispo MEMBERS PRESENT:Matt Ritter, Ellen Dollar, David Savory, Craig Kincaid STAFF PRESENT:Keith Pellemeier and Ron Combs PUBLIC COMMENT Greg Saenz and Eric Woodyard from PGE spoke about a removal/replacement program that PGE has funded for the past 3 years. They will remove a tree if it’s in the power lines or breaking up a sidewalk and can also help with replacement costs. Cleaning up of the area and stump grinding will be the City’s responsibility. Greg passed out his card. MINUTES: Approval of Minutes of January 25, 2010 Ms. Dollar moved to approve the minutes. Mr. Savory seconded the motion.The motion passed unanimously. TREE REMOVAL APPLICATION 1. 1842 San Luis Drive (Mexican Evergreen Ash) The applicant, Maxine Baker stated that the tree was old, messy, and diseased and she wanted it removed. Mr. Combs stated that it’s a large ash tree with a bungee type system attached to it. Ms. Baker said it was added so if the tree fell it wouldn’t fall on her house. Mr. Combs noted that the tree could have some decay but it was not hollow and explained that Ash trees do have periodic anthracnose and aphids. Ms. Dollar asked Mr. Combs how long he thought the tree would survive. He said there are lots of variables but he did see that it was also lifting their driveway. Mr. Ritter said the tree was actually a Mexican Evergreen Ash. He asked about the Solanum replacement tree she noted on her application and that it wasn’t an “approved” tree. She said she really wanted either a Japanese Maple or a Crape Mrytle. Mr. Kincaid stated that he thought that pruning would be helpful and asked the owner if they had ever pruned it and she said they had. Mr. Savory did notice some surface roots but no damage. He thought that if the limb hanging over the neighbor’s fence was pruned it would help. He thought it was a nice tree well cared for and he would like to see it preserved. 2 Ms. Dollar motioned to deny the removal request, as she could not make the findings necessary for approval. Mr. Kincaid seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 2.2013 Binns Court (2 Monterey Pines, 2 oaks) Neither the applicant nor his representative was present. It was noted that one of the pines that was applied for, had been removed. 3.176 Del Norte Way (Liquidamber) Neither the applicant nor their representative was present. 4.332 TWINRIDGE DR. (2 Sycamores) Both Mr. and Mrs. Misson were in attendance. Mr. Misson said there were two reasons why they wanted the trees removed; They obscured their view of Madonna Mountain and they were ugly when leafed out. The leaves are blotchy with mold and it makes the leaves drop. They’ve had the trees cut back five times and have had them sprayed. Mr. Combs stated that they are actually two small London Plane trees that were planted too close. They will eventually lift the sidewalk. They are prone to Anthracnose and powdery mildew. Ms. Misson noted that one of the trees was too close to the lamp post. Mr. Ritter said he was ok with their removal because they are still small and were an inappropriate species for the area. Mr. Combs suggested planting the replacement trees back so their view would not be obscured. Mr. Ritter motioned to approve the removal request, based on good arboricultural practice and required 2-15 gallon replacement trees from the Master Street Tree list. Mr. Savory seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 3 5.3122 Flora St. (Two poplars, 1 Redwood) The owner, Steve Davies, was present. He stated that he’d recently purchased the property and that the redwood was situated under the power lines and one of the poplars was under sized and the other is large and dominates the yard. Mr. Combs stated that they are Lombardi poplars and that the redwood is not attractive. Ms. Dollar stated that the redwood had been topped and the owner assumed it was because of the power lines. She asked Mr. Combs if he thought the poplar was in danger of falling and he said “no”. Mr. Ritter stated that the poplars are not a long lived tree and he motioned to approve the removal of the redwood and the two poplars, based on good arboricultural practice. Mr. Kincaid seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously and no replacement trees were required. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Pellemeier reminded the committee about the five upcoming appointments that were noted on the agenda. Mr. Pellemeier thanked everyone for the comments they made in regards to the re-writing of the proclamation. Mr. Ritter suggested we hold an Arbor Day celebration at one of our Parks. Mr. Pellemeier asked if they could consider that for next year. Mr. Pellemeier discussed the upcoming Neighborhood planting that would be taking place on February 25, 2010. Eight new trees will be planted on BeeBee St. OLD BUSINESS Ms. Dollar asked about Grace Church tree removal application. She was told that they were still considering removing the tree. Mr. Ritter asked about the procedures for fining homeowners that remove their trees without a permit and Mr. Combs explained that they use the ISA standards when figuring the fine. ARBORIST REPORT Mr. Combs reported that he had approved 16 removals; most of them trees that were damaged in the recent storms. 4 There was discussion regarding the rewriting of the ordinance. According to the ordinance, if the removal is for a street tree or a condition of a building permit; the owners must replant. If the removal is in the backyard, our current ordinance doesn’t require a replacement. LIAISON REPORT Mr. Pellemeier explained that the tree inventory was completed but the contractor still needs to return to go over everything. He also mentioned that he wanted to change the measurements for removing a tree without a permit from 12” for native and 24” for a non-native to 10” for a native and 20” for a non-native. The committee voted and it was in agreement to make that change to the ordinance. After a citizen complained about trees removed that were nesting sites, Mr. Pellemeier contacted Neil Havlik. He asked that the committee consider nesting times and explained that if the tree crew notices active nests, that they will not prune the trees. Mr. Pellemeier announced that Ben Parker will be taking Ms. Dollar’s place on the Tree Committee. She will attend the March meeting and Ben will be sworn in at the beginning of the April 26th meeting. The meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m. to next regular meeting scheduled for Monday, March 22, 2010, at 5:00 p.m. in the Corporation Yard Conference Room, 25 Prado Road. Respectfully submitted, Sheila New, Recording Secretary