WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=K2YiSIY6Ris

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: K2YiSIY6Ris):
- 00:00:06: Meeting Start, Roll Call, Minutes Review Discussion
- 00:03:33: Bill Brooks' Report, Replacement Search, Code Enforcement
- 00:07:02: Arbor Day Tree Giveaway Recap and Feedback
- 00:12:50: Third Grade Tree Survey and Planting Follow-Up
- 00:18:21: Improving Tree Planting Success Rate and School Programs
- 00:22:27: Resident Reimbursements, Shade Tree Commission Programs
- 00:23:48: Ordinance Review, Tree Removal Costs, Property Responsibility
- 00:28:04: Adopt-A-Tree Program, Tree Maintenance, Public Responsibility
- 00:31:13: Public Works, Nursery Management and Community Plan
- 00:34:30: Inspiring Residents and Tax Funding for Trees
- 00:36:38: Shade Tree Funds, Township Funds, Changing Ordinances
- 00:39:02: Bucket Truck Usage, High Power Lines and Safety
- 00:41:27: Transparency, Consulting and Quarterly Reports Needed
- 00:43:52: Land Use Law Changes, Revenue from Construction Discussion
- 00:45:15: Meeting Dates for Next Year and Schedule Adjustment
- 00:48:39: Community Forestry Plan and Educational Resources
- 00:50:04: Neighbor Concerns About Tree Removal Permits
- 00:51:50: Public Comment: Tree Removal at Wayside Property
- 00:56:58: Outlawed Tree List


Part: 1

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Notice meetings of the open public meeting for this cha tree commission of the tricotion meeting have been satisfied. A copy of the annual notice was sent to the ed press and the coast are posted in town hall and filed in the office of the township clerk on June June 23rd 2025. This meeting will be

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recorded and available on township's YouTube channel. So we'll start with a roll call. Sure. Person is finally here. >> Member Kronheim >> here. >> Vanish here. >> Gordet >> here. >> Gordon.

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I don't see people. No. >> Lutz here and Armstrong >> here. Councilwoman Terico >> here. >> Presence. >> I was in Disney last month. I was at the council meeting at the

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Beast Castle in Magic Kingdom. So I I sorry I missed last month, but that's where I was. >> So you're so guilty that you came this time. >> No, no, I would have been here last month if I was physically in New Jersey, but I'm sorry. >> I wasn't here. >> Okay.

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>> Anyway, >> okay. Go on. So that that said, so we do have uh couple of sets of minutes uh to review if people get a chance to review the minutes or more

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February 5th and March 5th. >> Okay. So I read the good to me. So I didn't have any any have any suggested changes to the February minutes? Anybody who was here want to make a motion about

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approving these minutes? >> I wasn't here. >> It says here that I was here and was here and Jean and Kim were here. >> February. >> Yeah, remember. >> I guess

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>> I'm just reading. I'm just reading. So, right. So, >> I'll make a motion. I made a motion to approve. Seconded. a vote. >> Oh, I I actually didn't read it. So,

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>> we have a vote at this meeting. >> We have a vote at this meeting. >> Well, Ken, you were the first ultimate. >> You didn't. >> Okay. So, all in favor? Hi. >> Okay. Minutes of February 5th. >> Okay. So, this meeting this is going to

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be an interesting one. Okay. Because there were we had a legal meeting, but the only people at the March meeting were myself, Mr. Fette, and Gordon who was on uh TV. >> So, we had a meeting. So I let the

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meeting >> move to I'll move to second it and twothirds of the people who are here are going to vote to approve >> y that's pretty that's pretty good uh percentage

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okay All right. So, we can move on with So, one of the things uh that we usually have is Bill Brooks with his reporting things. Okay. And he said that things

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slower than usual, which is the standard thing. There haven't been a lot of anything going on. Getting the permit was worthy of note. He's getting He's getting the permits out. >> He's getting the permits out. >> And uh >> I'm curious how the town's doing on

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finding a replacement. >> Well, I spoke to him. I'm not sure. I have to talk to some people. Okay. I don't know. For those who don't know, Mr. Brooks, he informed me that he closed on his house the other day. He's staying somewhere. Okay. He expects to

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be here with us through August or into August. Sometime >> possibly. >> Possibly. possibly stay with us. >> So, >> okay. So, he uh so we need to come up with a town needs to come up with a plan

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to replace him somewhere that >> Yeah. Hopefully >> can can get out there >> and he's been going. >> Yeah. A lot of towns are looking but they >> not a lot of people out there. >> I'm tell you right now, >> you know, so he's uh Yeah. So, he's he's but he's spending the time. He's out

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he's having the battle. >> Yeah. Oh, yeah. He's he got some stuff to move so long >> timely fashion >> and he knows what he's seeing. >> So that's been good. >> But I think once he's gone, >> what's his official title? So I can

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>> his official title >> with the town. Yeah, >> I think it's code enforcement. >> Code enforcement. But we should check the current day for what exactly they're looking for.

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They're moving it under um public works as well. They're planning on moving on to public works and as we know from the um from the uh comprehensive forest management plan. There's money allocated in the next few years to bring more people in and trying to create a shape

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department under public works. So I don't know what the title or new title will be. No, >> it's still a work in progress. >> Well, certainly functionally code enforcement is is what it is regardless of what they

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want. So, they're going to call >> sign. They're going to move it to the road department, which is what Aspbury Park does at this time. And I'm telling you what, they don't got nobody. And it's it's bad. It's real bad. And I'm not looking forward to anything like

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that here. I'm gonna I'm gonna go have a meeting with Mr. Higgins. You know, >> I'll try to get there next week sometime >> and just talk since I've always found him to be uh easy to talk to.

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>> You can keep me in the loop. >> When you say a loop, you mean like a rope? >> Yeah. >> We're going to hang it from >> Sorry, I just I just enjoyed that. Just that's okay. So, all right. So, we'll move on

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to the agenda. So, um so we had the trees, we ordered a assortment of of plants, which I forgot to bring a list with me. >> Yeah, if you there's something that I want to give a little feedback. >> That minute will be in a moment. >> Great.

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>> So, anyway, uh we had there were two things. The first thing is that we usually historically give out trees to the third graders and this year that there almost was a free program giving up red oak seedlings

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that state had but they had a crop failure probably due to the fact that there was no error I think for some I don't know but they sometimes may have gotten something but we didn't so We gave out um

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tupelo or black gum se ceilings. This is svatica to the third graders that I got. I found that so that the state that most of the half of the trees they were giving away were evergreens, you know, and I know that we last year the trees

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we last year's giveaway we got had a bunch of evergreens and they didn't no one wanted it, right? >> So that that wasn't a good thing. So, so I found this. There's a nursery in South Jersey, um, AA nursery that does seal, you know,

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produce. Who knows how many millions of seedlings they must produce, but they're beautiful seeds. >> Yeah. >> Superior to anything state anyway. And the school was was good to them. uh

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Megan Hson in one of her classes preparing for the students >> and as I understand from here you know >> going to tell us okay tell us but she she helped so long come home to grandson

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and uh they were nice okay and um then we uh we started having issue with where we were going to hold the giveaway because we were going to it was supposed to rain, >> which it didn't, but if if it if we didn't have cover, I guarantee it would have been pouring.

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>> Yeah. >> Okay. And so we wound up over it, which probably is a good place to go all the time now. >> The uh picnic area over at Martin Place over there. And uh we had

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we we had a lot of stuff. We gave away a lot of stuff. >> Yeah. >> Um >> how many did we give away? Do we know? >> Well, well, we had I I have the list. Okay. Well, we had we

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had you know >> 500 4 500. >> Yeah, I think I think you had total like almost 600. I think you had 600 total. >> Well, you count in the the >> if you count the school if you don't count the school. Now the way the schools worked, we had

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uh we gave the schools 220 sens. >> Okay. >> There were about 26 third graders, a few extra, you know, whatever. >> Yeah. >> And we gave 10 each give or take to the SH school and search state program and

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Hill School. Hill's plan was plant them on their property. Some of them go home. I'm not sure exactly. But but we were giving them all those, you know, there was a year or a few years that we gave the Hill and they gave them out to all the third graders also in their school, but they figured

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that they're not planting. So they so they were so we just gave them what they hopefully they'll plant them on on property there and they'll they'll grow into something >> and um so yeah so that was that was where we as far as that was concerned then well the

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rest of the things were that was uh 250 right so the rest of them were designated for the giveaway >> and let >> well first of all I want to say that I Norm did a great job picking out the

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selection of trees. Yeah. >> Because every year we get some feedback that people want smaller things and you picked a lot of great smaller things and people were really happy >> and they I think they were all native except heard the lilac and people were happy to take the lilock so it didn't really matter. >> So um so that first of all that I think

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that was great. Second of all the trees went somehow. Norm took a few home and I took like 30 home and posted it on um I had there were about 30 left and I posted it on the Ocean Township Garden Club page and that was Sunday afternoon and by Tuesday morning they were gone.

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People came to my house, picked them up, neighbors saw, took them. So that I think that was >> I don't know how many I wound up with maybe 30 whatever but I ped them all up. >> Yeah. >> In like three gallon containers with in the talents compost

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>> that they have there. So they're sitting there at bots. >> What kind do you have, Norm? >> I have some of most of the things except the ones that went fast like the two viburnum >> fast. Although I might have one or two of those, but I'm not sure.

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>> I know we have some sweet sweet bnus. I've got some This is >> I think there is some taxodium there. >> Cypus. >> There might be some uh

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some purchase there. My plan was I just took I know what some of them were, but was to when they leaf out, I'll figure out what they are. If they leave out, if they don't leave out, I don't really care what they are were, >> right? >> And we >> and then I'll once I see what they are, we'll try to talk it up and try.

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>> But I just wanted to suggest something for you guys to think about next year. Ped and I had a had just had a passing conversation on the street about I wonder how many of these third grade trees get in the ground. So, I just want to relate the story of my third grader. So, my third grader grandson in Wamasa

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is OCD. If you tell him to take the tree home, he's taking the tree home. And he did. And I immediately got a phone call from my daughter. We're going to need help getting this tree in the ground. That was Thursday. All, you know, like they can't be out of the refrigerator for too long. You know, you leave them out for too long, they're not going to grow. So, you know, where are you going

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to plant it? Oh, she couldn't decide where she wanted to plant it. What do you want to do with it? She couldn't decide. So, you know, back and forth, back and forth. So it was almost a week by the time I got over and helped him put it in a pot that I brought with the dirt and the compost and the fertilizer. So that was that was a case where like

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everything's going the kid behaves. The mom asked for help and the grandmother sort of knew what she was doing. So I wonder of the other 250 and so I wonder if maybe it would be not be a bad thing to draw up a kid-based survey and the

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questions for the teachers to get out like in May, the end of May. And the questions would be something like did your tree make it home? Did you plant your tree? Did you water your tree? Does your tree have leaves? Just to get like a little idea of what's

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happening. >> I do have a mini anecote. Okay. >> I called uh I called the recreation department because I wanted to talk to my you know and I said we got another place to do and whoever answered the phone there

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said that she used to live in water. She doesn't live there now but >> they got tree ceilings that they planted >> and when we moved out of one they were bigger than the house. M >> I do cut some down on occasion. >> Do your

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I love that. I love that idea. >> Finally died, right? >> And years. >> Yeah, exactly. >> I I love that idea. And I I I think paired with that is the idea that we prep the teachers for how the kids can

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take it home and maybe provide some sort of potting or something for them to make it easier for families that need that from from inception to follow preventative >> yes they so they do have they do have

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the uh instructions. No. >> Yes. I don't know what they did, right? Because I know they've got the the sheet that shows how to plant it and all that kind of stuff. But >> I saw the instructions were really good. >> Soon they sent them home. >> I saw that on the plant that he brought. >> It was really good.

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>> So between that and everything else, they got they got a chance. >> Yeah. Right. >> But there's also left it on the bus. >> I'll tell I'm not gonna say I'll take the head alone on this because no one suggested, but we probably should a month before Arbor Day

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>> start making some kind of publicity. They're going to be get looking in the mouth blah blah blah blah >> and and and and even have a survey uh that's more public than just asking school kids a question

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>> and yeah and and try and get anecdotal information from people >> about trees that that made it home got planted and now either loved or hated. >> Yeah. You know, it's not too late. It's not too late to do something fun like that now where you could simply say,

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"Hey, have you have you got a tree? We just gave out do a little blurb on either on your ocean care or or >> one of the sides say we just gave away and the number of trees. It's really simple. Um, if you planted a tree, you know, take a picture of it and share it.

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And if you planted a tree in years past, take a picture of it and share it. I've got a beautiful beach plum. I'm sure we all have trees. we could all just probably among those of us at our table put a whole bunch of trees up and just to show that we are doing this. So yeah, that would just be a really quick easy thing to do just using social media,

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right? >> That's what people look at. >> I think that would be good because I think sometimes people go home with them and are a little a little taken back by the eight inches of of you know twig with no leaves on it and it would be very inspiring for them to see oh in

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four years we'll put on that, you know. >> Yeah. And they do keep, you know, one year I had back of whatever in my refrigerator, you know, but they were still viable once in the refrigerator. >> Can I say one thing to you? So um I went

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over to Wamasa. I probably met your grandson and we um helped with I guess I forgot Supervisor O'Neal and they brought us over with me and Robert and we did like a little presentation about why Earth Day and the trees and all was

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important >> and we tried to get the kids excited about the trees. So, kind of like what you're talking about, I was thinking for next year, me and me, the council can go to each of the three grammar schools because we did one of Masa just because of the time, but the other two would be

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great, too. And we brought them out to the garden. And it was like a little thing. >> Yeah, it was really fun, too. And the kids were excited. They couldn't wait to take their trees home. So, I don't know if maybe we can do something like that next year. >> Um, it's all good stuff. you take these

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things, you know, we also take about the deer, you know, protect the deer and whatever. So, >> I I still like Diane's suggestion about a follow-up survey because if we fine trees are not getting planted, we're going to find out why and how we how we could facilitate

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>> and maybe pivot, maybe do a planting on each school ground. >> Yeah. >> You know, the kids that don't want to take a train. >> Well, we have to figure out what success is because I put 10 in the ground last week. So, I'm thinking if two of them make it to next year, it was a success.

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So, if we're looking at 20% success, I think that's pretty good. >> Yeah. >> And if kids aren't going to plant them in their own yards or their parents say, "No, don't bring a tree home. I don't have a place to put a tree." >> Maybe there can be an adopted tree

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planted for the kids or they can have a tree that's planted somewhere else like either on their school or public park like this is a tree. You want this tree. >> Yeah. >> This is your tree. my diet kid, but you know, but still it's you can we can engage them. The school is so amenable.

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>> It was all good. And I did notice that that you probably was waiting for me to leave so you could go get the trees. >> Well, I took a couple >> and I didn't want to be that guy. >> I think I have one of each. I'll let you know.

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>> Experiment. It's all good. You know, we used There's only so many things you can get, you know, but the things that go with flowering plants and so forth, which >> yeah, >> it was a great >> I decided to give a a tree tree to the kids

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>> and the other ones still were some that all of those are some very nice stuff. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> To the ground. >> Yeah. Can we ask the schools if they would like some of the ones that are extra because I know in Wasa there was

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um Mr. Bosman asked about a tree for memorial um for somebody that had passed there. So I don't know if we can reach out. >> I think that I mean for what it's worth and if it's a memorial tree they should go get something that's at least

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>> good >> that will survive. We don't want >> you put something you put something around for example. Okay, I have at my house right now in a pot. The pot's maybe a 12 gallon container

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>> or so. Okay, it's a sale conceal steak. Okay, it's about this big. And now out of the pot, it's about five feet, but it's still only as thick as my thumb. >> Yeah. >> Even though it's five feet, maybe this

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wide. Okay. So, I'm waiting to get to get it to be something kill, you know, some size on it because it came with a certificate. Now, people don't know what the Salem warp is. This was a very very very old spoke in Salem, New Jersey that

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literally dropped dead. It fell over two years ago or so. And they had about they must have had about 400 million acorns from the streets and they but they were giving them out, you know, with the certificate and so on and so forth. It had It's at some point it had its own website something like that.

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>> It was wasn't it like old didn't have like historic significance around during the >> It might have been 300 years old but it didn't it wasn't though a specific tree like they you know that people met around it or something like that but it wasn't very nice.

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>> Okay. So anyway, so that's something >> and I actually have actually have a second I got from someone in Eagle Town got two of them >> and someone in their town she was supposed to and she was going to and she told me oh we got two trees but other

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people said we don't want we're not going to plant more than one tree. So she somehow she got my name. So I have that one still kind of doesn't look any better two years later then but it's alive doesn't have leaves now but uh so

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but theoretically we have two >> so who would Mr. Bosman talk to about getting a tree do we donate trees and another resident asked me about if they bought a tree which they did if we reimbured them for the tree. to three

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questions. >> I'm sorry. They bought a tree for for their property and they wanted to be reimbured for that. >> Oh gosh. >> Well, no, we don't have a direct we don't write. Now, Bill Brooks lives in Red. Okay.

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>> Okay. >> And he's on their sh and he told me that their shape commission has a program. I'm not sure exactly how they determine who or what, but they're actually buying trees, B&B trees, and giving them to someone.

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>> Here it is. I don't know if they sign up to do something or not. Okay. >> But it's a real tree. It's not a seedling or something. >> No, I think it was a real tree. Okay. And I don't know, I don't know how much the budget is for how many trees. Okay. Because a tree, a decent sized tree used

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to cost like a $100. Now they cost3 $400 for for a tree that's not all that gigantic, but it's still a a tree real tree. >> Yeah. >> So anyway, um so so it's variable. Okay. So I was

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thinking if we do had a we'll move on to that in a second. Okay. So right now we have to figure out what the rules of engagement are. Now in Treehold I back because I know someone got one of these you call up the shaitra commission there and say I'd like to get a tree >> and when they get to you however they

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decide that they come and plant it. So I sorted this guy's tree. It was about a almost about a 2 inch tree. >> You mean the shade tree? >> Their shade commission plants it >> their shade tree commission planted it on his property. >> Okay. >> Near the street, but they planted it and

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it was there, you know, had a you know, I think they put mulch around had two stakes and it was and they said, "Okay, here's your tree." And I don't know what the rules of engagement are. Okay. right now in this town. Okay. >> Right. >> Um the way the rules are, which we're trying to I assume that they're working

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on working on getting the rules changed that I don't like, you know, if you read the read the ordinance about the shade tree commission and look at the things that the powers of shade, all that sort of stuff. >> So what it says there is that if

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>> um there's a tree that's the town's tree in front of your home, right? and it has to come down. What the ordinance actually says is this town will take it down, which they don't do anyway, but the town will take it down and then build you for the post.

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Now, if you put a lean on your property, etc., etc. Or if see, right now, we can't do that because we don't have spaces where you can expect a tree to live in front of most homes in the town really. Okay? But if we did, we could come and plant a tree there.

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>> Okay? and then build new for that. Okay. Now, in other towns, I keep saying I'm going to do this and give everyone a list of towns to call, but I know Bill has called a few of them, right? But the question is, what is it like with other towns? To me, let's go back to the old days when there'd be a town and a fire

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would break out. Okay? Everyone in town would grab a bucket and head to that fire. No matter whose house was on fire, everybody was there fighting that fire. Okay? So now you got a town where some people have no trees in front of their house and some people are unlucky enough to have a giant tree that's going to

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cost them $4,000 if it dies to take it down. Okay? As opposed to everyone in town paying about 50 cents to pay to take that tree down. So I think that so we're working on trying to get those rules changed. So those rules were in in the draft of the

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sha tree plan, the short sha tree plan I wrote up and I spoke with you before last meeting that you could intend it and and the rest of the sha tree uh commission agreed I should send those to the mayor and Dave which I did. I have not heard back yet but I'm going to

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follow up with that. So they have them and that has those two ordinances. is the ordinance that town will pay for removal of dying trees on town property even if it's on the other side of your sidewalk. Um, and if you can plant a tree, the other one is that because we

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don't have spaces, we want treeline streets, we need to be able to plant on people's properties that that will change that and we and changing that ordinance. The town would put that in work on an ordinance that used to put a tree in there and the town would put it in, public works would put it in be

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responsible for keeping it alive for a couple of years, whatever town would you know there for advice, help, whatever. And uh we'd be able to get more trees. That piece is probably make sense. We change that ordinance then that makes

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sense to work with big streets programs and folks working on that possibility. So we are moving forward with changing these things but >> right I think right but I think that uh at some point I think a lot of people will want to get treat so much so I

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think at some point >> from the beginning even we may have to have some kind of a lottery type of a thing so that you're not >> yeah but that gets to be I don't know >> I think >> you mean for the what we're doing

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currently you want to start upgrade larger trees >> on the owner side of the sidewalk, not the curb side where where technically it's not our township land, but that's where you can have a tree that lives. If you want treeline streets in order

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trees, we create an adopt a tree kind of a program. We have to change the ordinance. So, we can do that money, use township, you know, public works inside the sidewalk should be at least three or four. >> Yeah. and create like an adopt a tree

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program. >> And that's where shade tree money, it's a great use of shade tree money because it's a tree at a time. It's not, you know, the other things that are in the plan I wrote are are big projects that require grants. Um, some of them very

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available grants the township and write. Um, but this is like just a really good use of shade tree funds just to get trees all over town. So would you for that would you approach property owners and ask if you can plant a tree there or would you wait for people to come to the

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town? >> We'd wait for people to come to town I think but we'd have to do a lot of work on promoting it and making it public. application probably may not be suitable for whatever there has to be some there's a lot of

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work to figure out exactly what I'll tell you a story towards is a bad story but we decided to do some planting >> we planted in the the development uh near Mammoth College this Albert and >> Parad

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name that area >> yeah it doesn't matter >> yeah The the planning all went very well. Point is it follow >> it went too well. >> Yeah. But there was no follow. >> So we planted all these things. They're

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legacy. They're all legacy. >> Hit them. >> Trucks hit them >> and we didn't we didn't do any we didn't do there was no plan to prune them up or anything like that. Okay. It was bad news. I saw you know we'll talk a little bit more about these things you get for CUS. One of the things I watched a

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couple years ago talked about and they shown a tree and it looked like it was maybe a two or three two and a half to three inch caliper tree but it was a good size one was 12 14t tall or something like that and the guy basically said you see that tree not a single branch that's on that tree will

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be on that tree and it's true because as they start to get bigger you got you start living up tree >> you know as it starts to the diameter grows you should be taken off the branches is that the top the the lowest branches might be 20 15 to 20 feet in

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the air on a tree. Okay. I see in my own neighborhood I see people that have trees. Matter of fact, there's a guy I stopped and talked to him but never did anything. He's got a tree on his on his property, a sugar maple of some kind on his property and the branches now that

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you can just put your arm on. They're like four or five inch branches. But when I told them five years ago was they weren't. But uh but those that's what that's that's what we didn't do on those

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streets. So now those trees that we were so glad that we put them in are a hazard to to navigation and who knows what. >> I don't think they've done anything to this day. >> That's why we need public. >> They us.

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>> Yeah. But has you hadn't even looked at the numbers to put together something like that and what it would cost? It's really not >> Well, Stephen Hing actually did put together numbers and budget. >> But well but like you say the work that needed to be done there they could have

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done but they never did. >> That could have been done without getting into big big >> equipment. So new new administration, new head of public works world and We've learned from

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our inexperience and not the town I grew up in up in Massachusetts 50 years ago had a small nursery that they put in. It was managed by public works. It was a tree division portion of that and that's where the trees came

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from to rep to redo the town. >> Yeah. We we fed we planted trees on it, you know, over in Player Park area >> before it was a Jo player park even, >> right? >> And uh and we wound up with a nice

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clust, you know, very heavily wooded section. >> Yeah. Eatontown did the same thing. They planted a bunch of stuff the intent of using them. >> But it's the same thing if you don't have people managing it and and

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following through with it, you've got nothing. >> I think there's more interest even in the town even, you know, between the council and public works. I think there's an interest in doing things. Okay. The question is to try and

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do as many things correctly as we can so that we don't create another problem and so on. That's why we need all these things spelled out in the community forest stream management plan >> which is they they were uh but I think the uh >> it's a longterm

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>> play there and you talk you talk about putting a bunch of trees in a public space where the township is responsible for maintaining them is very different from putting a tree on somebody's property and saying you are responsible for >> that's what I'm worried about. I feel like like something happens and a branch

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falls and crashes on someone's car, they're going to be like, "Your tree caused damage to my car." That's why insurance. >> I know, but it's just like >> people are like what I learned in Ocean Township last year is everybody's ready

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to blame somebody else for >> Well, right now it says right now the ordinance says our property. Okay. We have to have all the lawyers get together and come up with a contract with whoever's going to get a tree on their property. and we give it to them

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where we can. However that works out that part, but there should be some kind of a contract that says that once this plate is in the ground, it is your tree, you know, and not >> we have to work and other towns do this. I mean, this is not a

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>> I'm just saying so there must be there must be plenty of right there must be plenty of other towns that have done this things in place that we should be able to educate ourselves. copy that right. >> I just wonder if people are willing to

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go through all this work because they want to save a couple hundred bucks to treat themselves. >> No, I think you want to inspire people to do it who actually care about having tree on the streets care about the community >> and that it's I mean I think you try to appeal to people's veterans, >> right? I think the one that Grace An's

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talking about is someone they planted a tree and they're hoping to pay for it, which I don't think is going to happen, >> right? But that doesn't mean that it can't that it can't start happening for for some people. Okay? And that's why I said the lottery thing because you don't

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want to be oh you knew so and so and you knew so and so what happened, >> right? But but how do we get this started? There are people that want trees. We have to change the ordinance. >> And how do we do that? >> We have the ordinance and we also have to have the budget. Okay. Now I did some

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quick math. I got some information on the tax assessor >> of how many assessable properties there are so on and so forth. There's there's a lot of them. >> There's a lot of Okay. >> Okay. >> So, if you have say 20,000,000

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>> assessed properties, right? >> That's what I heard. >> And each one of them was assessed $10. >> No, $10 for taxes. Did taxes go up $10? That's $200,000.

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Okay, just saying so it doesn't take a lot of money across the number of properties we have overall. You know, they they don't want to the council, I'm sure, is sensitive to raising the tax rate, so on so forth. But it turns out with the amount of ratables we have, you don't have to raise it very much to

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raise a lot of money. And my own personal gut feeling is when people find out that their taxes went up $5 or $10, but it's because we want to make the town more habitable and we're going to plant trees all over the place. Okay. And we're going to have a program even where people could get the trees on

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their property potentially. Whatever it is, I think that'd be it wouldn't be as much kick back. >> I'm gonna I'm gonna take a little issue with this because I think we do have funds that come into the state tree fund that can be used for this. We've taken in the comprehensive planetary plan,

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we've taken tree removal out of the shade tree budget and said it shouldn't be used for that. So that has to be budgeted now for the tree tree removal. So it's just maintenance and planting of trees the shade tree is used for. So those funds can be used for that. Well, you know that money already coming in

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and then for larger projects and planting you use grants, you get grants. So for just for for homeowners having trees, we should have enough funds to plant a substantial number of trees every year just as what comes into the shade tree fund. I don't think we need

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to tax anything. But what needs to be changed is an ordinance that allows the town to actually plant on private property. And I so in the treat plan that I gave you the first it's in that I sent to the mayor and I think it's going

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to be up to the council to take to look at this now and see and the lawyers and see what they can do a to get so that you know the township pays for the removal of trees on township property change that ordinance which we know needs changing and B to be able to plant

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trees on private land and be able to create >> purpose of of street trees >> for the purpose of Street trees, not in their backyard. The purpose of street trees. Yes. Thank you, Kevin, for that clarification. >> We're not going to plant them next to the tennis court or beside the swimming pool.

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>> No, they wouldn't want next to swimming pool. Anyway, um question I'm the new guy, but I did ask some questions to J Brown about the money and I was told there's $48,000

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in the shade tree fund. But they also told me that they used it for a bucket truck. >> The bucket and they bought a lot of >> somebody could have been it was for planting and

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maintenance of trees. So and then norm the township needs to pay for the removal of the trees or the township or the um property owner because if we just I I even though the the ordinance says

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what I said, I don't believe anyone's read it. I think the township's been spending a spending money on contracts for tree removal. >> They do >> out of the but it's been coming for some not all >> but a lot of it's been coming out of the shade tree, >> right? And they just bought this bucket

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truck. Isn't that supposed to be used to take the trees down? So why would we be >> It's not big enough. It's small. Here's Bill. One of the Bill Brooks, >> one of the bill things that Bill Brooks is worried about, one thing worried

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about is if the town the town takes over responsibly for old trees, let's say, >> okay, >> and they don't contract. Okay. The bucket truck right now only goes up so high. Okay. Um the high t the high power lines, >> they're not even allowed to go near

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them. are are some No, but no, but if they really were to take on all the responsibility and they got a bigger truck that would get up there, they meant there's a big risk. There was a there was a sort of a renegade tree guy

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>> who came and went told me about it some point in time >> had a guy I think he was doing some work in Aspbury Park and he he was killed. >> Oh, that was >> that was West. West.

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>> I'm saying the point I'm making is it was in that area somewhere but that was about two years >> probably two years ago. >> Okay. So it's very dangerous up there. Okay. So I think that as long as the town does work that they have got the equipment. I think they should start off

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smaller with the equipment they have the they have the >> there's a lot they can do. >> There's plenty of work they can do. put in trees and they can >> you know you're talking about buying like you know the big bucks like I have >> I'm not talking about buying big >> I have never I have never said

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>> they have a bucket now that they could be doing a lot >> with and they're not so they could be doing a lot of elevation along the streets >> they could be going over by the college and doing those trees we were talking

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for a bucket truck to take down trees to save money for the property owners and we're not doing that, right? >> That's a problem, right? I mean, why would we use the $200,000 for a bucket truck that we can't take the trees down that we need to take down >> or we can't find a qualified people to

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>> Well, that's happen. >> You got the workman's comp. >> Eventually, eventually we might get to that point, but there are plenty of trees that they could take now. >> Yeah. And I would say the amount of work they need to do to work on the trees so that

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they don't have to come down >> because they're limiting them >> and there's a lot less weight on them and everything else, you know. >> So what would you suggest? I mean what's the >> we need first of all the township needs to come to the shade tree commission

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before they tap into those funds which they haven't done. They just >> consult with us. >> Yes. without consulting at all. >> And we're also supposed to be given, you know, quarterly reports of what's in the shade tree fund. >> I mean, this is why I asked, you know,

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because we didn't know. >> I don't know. I don't know. >> 48,000. >> We have 48,000 left. >> Correct. >> For 2026. >> Yes. >> I don't know if we've ever received the funds from what Paramount Reality. I asked that question too and did not have

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an answer yet. >> Nobody knows. That's a big problem though because we could have money right wasn't for each >> something like you got you've got you know >> no 750 just just became a number

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>> yeah I think it's >> the commercial number the commercial number was 350 >> right >> and it only just changed this year >> so it was 350 >> homeowner thing if Home owners when we

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put it in went up to 750. Given that it's only >> a lot of money. So now, so now construction 752 >> million minimum >> minimum depending on

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>> it went from do something like And we don't even know if that change was signed into the law. >> I I 350 to 750. >> No, no, but we have proposed other changes to the um land use law to bring

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the tree portion in line with the residential law. And uh Julia presented that to the council shot a couple months ago. It's not just 750, but it's 750 and >> commercial has to pay the same rate going rate as res

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>> but you know depending on the size. >> I thought that went through that. >> There's so much building going on. >> Trees being cut. I reminded her >> they should have a lot of money.

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>> I mean there's no doubt about it. So the overall theme here is that we need better transparency about >> things being cut things what what funds come in how they come in where they go >> how they're used I mean it's just and shri just like everyone else by the

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council we need the same level of transparency >> like with residential >> with the permits we we know what that is >> the construction part >> well that's a tough one >> that's a whole another animal >> like even Bill does not know what's

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going on. >> So that's where the and that's where the big money would be >> wise to make that the same. Let's table this for now. >> We'll talk about a couple more things. >> Okay, there aren't that many things to talk about. Okay, but one of the things

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we got to move to it right away. >> One of the things on the agenda, I'll jump over a few things right now, is to talk about the meeting dates for next year. So our fiscal year ends. >> So the June meeting, the next meeting is the last meeting that we have a date

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for. >> So uh so we need to take a look at the dates. >> Are there any? >> Well, obviously the first week of July we have to change because it's July 4th. >> Yes. >> Weekend and people aren't going to be

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around. Probably not. >> Well, in your agenda, you say the second or the ninth, >> right? Yeah. The second >> is Well, it's Yeah. So I think

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a couple of these things I was looking >> they're not in my >> and then you said September 3rd or the 10th because Labor Day >> in the link this year actually earlier but they fit in.

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>> Do you want a motion? >> So uh yeah I was just trying to think if there was something I was looking to think I don't know what I did with that piece of paper. So much for that anyway. >> Okay. So anyone want to move anything about right now we're discussing moving the the making the July meeting on the

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9th and the September meeting on the 10th. You know, I think the me the motion ought to say our meeting dates for the 2026 27 should be July 9th, August 6th, September 10th,

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October 1st, November 5th, December 3rd, January 7th, February 4th, March 4th, April 1st, May 6th, and June 3rd. There is a council meeting on the 7 or I'm sorry the 9th July 9th. So it might

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be late. >> Are they in this room? >> They're downstairs. >> Yeah, that's probably almost the second cookies to draw you up. >> Hey Julia.

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>> And then September. Ken, what does your phone say? >> What this calendar is helping me out, but always change the dates are always subject to change. >> Okay. All right. So,

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>> okay. So, so we have a motion. Does anyone approve that? >> I'll second. >> Steve seconded the motion. >> All in favor? >> All in favor? >> All right. It's not the first item. Okay. Okay. So, there's a few little other things worth worth mentioning.

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Uh, one is the community forestry management plan has been submitted. Okay. But we're still waiting to pay. We haven't paid Ted yet because Ricky has some kind of piece of paper that Ted has never.

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Okay. Well, so until that happens, we can't send in the report until he gets paid. We can't send in trying to try which just as well in my case because I haven't put all pieces together which we spend in matching labor community and volunteer so on so

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forth. It's not just a piece of information. The um every so often I'm going to send out a thing about things you can see. Okay, there there's more than one, but this is the community forestry type thing. One's

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called backyard forestry and the other one I for one is from University of Massachusetts, one from the New Jersey Forestry Association, but they're educational, you know, some are at lunchtime and another one's I think in the evening, but you'll get the thing. There's something that there's some more

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important ones for the foresters especially that they charge for but but the regular ones for normal people to just watch and learn something or uh any person who get CEOs it's any person who lives in town or works in a town you get CEOs you only

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have to get eight CEUs here with at least two people getting CEOs but it doesn't hurt if more than eight people actually learn So, uh, so but but every year we're fiddling around in December where

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>> No, the point I'm making is that we should just knock it off. But, but, but first of all, but I think you'll find some of these things quite interesting. >> There was one I saw one time that was basically uh, street trees in the law. That was a very interesting about what the liability is and isn't

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and so on. All the reason we get to see news, we fill out the reports and everything and we're indemnified if we tell someone not to take down a tree and then it goes to >> I want to ask you that. So when there is a permit to take down a tree, how do

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neighbors know that there's a permit taken? Is it like >> it should be in the window? >> It's in the window, but isn't that beyond like so it could be seen? >> It should be in the window. It's in the front window from the street.

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>> The neighbors the neighbors don't really >> like orange. >> It's 8 and 12 by 11. It's green light. >> But >> you can't really see. >> We don't have a thing. It's not like when someone's going to do something with property and they have to notify all this property owners within how many

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feet and stuff like that. We don't have anything like that. >> Yeah. property owners in general should know that every >> everybody out there working the truck needs to have a sticker on the >> windshield. You had a concern about something.

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>> Yeah. Well, I was hoping Bill Brooks would be here because it it's mostly about trees that he said he Are you Chloe? Yes. I on the phone. >> Yeah. But I I know a bit about um >> what was your concern on >> my concern? Do you know what I'm talking

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about? property. >> Oh, a property and he wouldn't give you the permit or what it was called. >> It was the house I grew up in in Wayside. We moved out. We had to move out like two years ago, but it's 116 year old house. >> That's where they're going to cut cut the >> They already

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cut um two Norway spruces that were over 100 years old. One was struck by lightning. >> So, and then I I think Bill Brooks had five total. So then there were four >> um what are they called? Eastern white tides or something.

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>> Um and I submitted an opera request or opra request and because he said he went through the permits, >> right? >> And um she just emailed me today and said that there were no documents to support any permits. >> Yeah. There was no like certified tree

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expert report saying bad or anything like that. So I'm just Well, they're going >> normally technically you can do three healthy >> right >> right off the bat, >> right? >> So they said that two were d well let's see the lightning strike

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or damage. >> So then you would that would not count towards the three. >> So my concern now is about replanting because I just want to know like what are the rules for replanting? You could >> I'm going to say on a regular residential there is no replanting.

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Normally in construction there would be >> the property like the new property owner said that the only reason Bill Brooks allowed him to cut down these like super mature trees is because he promised to replant. >> Oh yeah. So I don't but there's no >> and there hasn't been

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>> but that's yeah that's kind of out of the loop because definitely yeah like you said they automatically do pretty healthy ones and not have to replant >> and is that so I I researched you know I don't know anything. I love trees. This broke my heart. Like grief. Like

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>> um >> I looked that up. The three trees every three years. And is that has that gotten stricter as we've gone along or looser? >> Stricter. >> Stricter. >> And is that like in the same realm of many towns or is that considered a

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pretty loose? >> Like I don't understand if we just lost 4,000 trees in this town. >> Some towns are much stricter. I mean there is a state ordinance now. Yeah, >> you go online and read that one. Okay, >> that one would require you to read, >> right? >> But like is there a way to make it

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stricter because why are we allowing three healthy trees to be cut down? >> Ken, you're you have the commission which I'm going to discuss in the next. >> I'm sure Ken would like to have it stricter. I personal version of the ordinance

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>> that the environment was three trees every time. >> Right. >> And then there was a meeting that involved uh tree removal people who came in and said look that's

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too strict blah blah blah. council decided to make the actual ordinance three years, three trees within three years, right? Okay. And then there's other things as part of the ordinance depending on this there's there's

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different kinds of things. There's also things that come in from these are things that go to the planning board. >> I'm going to say but the pools are an addition. So that's not going to fall under that. You know, it's The plan is

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the ones that come through the uh building. Okay. Where you want to put in the pool, you know, it doesn't go through the planning board whatever adjustment as long as there's no variances specific. >> But now norm on those those trees they

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should be paying for the replacement. So they should be paying >> like 750. That's why I wonder why the number is so low because there's tons of projects going on like that. So where >> I don't know if that's getting directed

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to the spine. >> Yeah, it seems like it might not be going. >> Oh, there's tons of >> those big trees up now. That should have been they should have been assessed extremely >> those two trees. Absolutely. I was

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definitely going to bring up your issue, but wasn't >> I didn't even as you're saying I'm looking at >> anyway. I'll follow up on >> There's a new tree band list.

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There's 30 new species. >> Oh, yeah. Yeah, just added 30 new species like two weeks ago. >> Yeah. >> Norway maple. >> Okay. selling these trees anymore because

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>> so one would argue in favor of >> second >> Jean Ken And I call it the Diane ordinance to put it in your window because she brought it to