##VIDEO ID:NulCcfBVGbM## e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e you want hey guys we're just waiting on a couple more people we're here C than like on the way you want a [Music] agenda actually I do not know I that see she also hears everything so I didn't know when do that word comment again because it's at the end of today's meeting comment yes and I did I did that you're waiting on to more people meeting tree committee meeting December 11 2024 4 4 403 R Paul thank you um Mr Wallace is on the way Miss Smith here Mr Perez is on the way Miss Grace here chair Valentine here Mission Le is on Jones here the okay we'll go ahead and start would someone like to approve our meetings our minutes for January 31st 2024 approve that's from January we have an approval have we got a second second second second all in favor all in favor say I any opposed motion pass okay move on to public comments is anyone here uh from the public that would like to make any comments nobody does so we'll move on out of that we'll go into regular business first on the agenda is recommendation of arbit proclamation to the city Commission um Valentine in your pocket you have a copy of the Proclamation from last year if you'd like me to present it as is we would just be looking for a motion to recommend if you have any changes or if you'd like to designate someone to write a new Proclamation for this year um those motions could also be entertained everything looks in order for the pl Proclamation um Nicole stood in for me on this field didn't reading it so we appreciate that um it looks fine to me if there's anybody else that would like to change anything in it if they could let us know now anybody for changes I okay so we make a motion to approve is there second Nicole has the second are you first oh you can't oh sorry uh I make move that we U approve the proclamation with a change for the uh date second we have a second favor all in favor I I any n n we would and approve that Proclamation the next on agenda moving along pretty good here the regular business planning of the city's Black's Arbor Day celebration was at the St John grber junor State College and recommendation to purchase a 30-gallon tree um I think we did have the tree donated is that correct so we do not have to purchase it so F's Landscaping has agreed to donate the tree any comments on that um Mr chair in your in your packet you have the Arbor Day celebration it's on the very last page gotcha um program from last year um staff would be looking um to follow up with this body's previous motion made at the January meeting that you would like to collaborate again with the college um the date that you had picked at the January meeting was January 17th 2024 at 10:00 um and we do have Miss seon slift joining us via Zoom uh from the college um so you can speak more on the partnership um they did request a live oak tree from from the city for this year's ceremony um so she's here in can ask answer any questions regarding the college's accommodations of the celebration that sh okay and we appreciate the city letting us host again this year and doing this partnership with us we appreciate that we're glad that we could be there again this year it's yes a favorite place of ours so we're excited to be there again okay we have a lot of construction going on right now for our student housing project so as it gets closer to time we'll figure out you know where we'll want to place the tree and my maintenance guys did ask if we would be able to leave it in the bucket for a little while um because we may not know the exact final location for the tree so if that's okay with the city we can you know go through the motions of planning it like we've done in the past so if that's okay with with your people okay just stick it down in the hole and then bring it back out yes sir and of course we'll keep it watered and take care of it until we actually get it planted okay all right thank you you okay with that if everybody else is that would be great we're never actually shoving the dirt in okay yeah and president Pickins he um he right now he's planning to be here to give the welcome great okay thank you we're excited okay thank you um do we want to plan the program like like is it going to stay the same agenda that we do have are we just same uh we've got to come up with our speakers and we do that in this meeting okay great recogniz oh Jia welcome sorry I'm late I was all kind of combobulated I I came actually last Friday thought it was next this next Friday and sorry I'm here present we used to have it on Mondays at 4 Wednesdays was great Wednesdays is great so if we keep it on that that's okay but I guess we'll plan it according each each year figure out what's good for everyone um Earl will be showing up Earl's always a staple with our committee so it be good to have him so do we want to ask who who's going to be doing the speaking do we want to stick to close to the same land that we have any comments I think it works well the way it's written and then um if the city staff wouldn't mind just reaching out to like Mr kiner Mr I had sent Mr ker if I may Mr an email regarding today's meeting and did not receive a reply and I do not have a valid phone number for him I do but because he's in my community garden Club um I'll I'll pack them down so what do you want me to ask them exactly if he's willing to be a speaker at the Arbor Day function Palmer's a good one yeah so that would be great if you could do that sure yeah I'm happy to do that we'll use Palmer we want uh back to the welcome and that will be Mr Pickins will start that the college president again the same thing is that correct yes she's shaking her head so that's good Joe Pickins will keep that now Proclamation Bobby did that last year um do we want to do the same thing and see if Robbie Robbie it's not Bobby Robbie see if Robbie will do that again I mean I think Robbie would be good mayor that's right that um so we don't have to reconvene that for some reason Palmer is unable to be a speaker do you have a backup Nicole um are you on here the speaker yeah okay um would you like commissioner Jones to be a back up to read the proclamation that Rob's not available sure that would great commiss your Jones would you do that for us if be a backup for us if Palmer can't May K yes mayor Korea he's maybe he's not on no he just unmuted himself okay sure okay there's our backup and then the back up on Palmer Caroline any interest no okay no any other tree people members would we ask someone from uh the tree committee at the college since um it is a joint effort um Miss Susan I can put um put this out to our committee and see if anybody's interested sure and let you know I that's their judgment as far as um her selection okay that'd be great okay that'll be for a backup okay if Palmer is not available okay who was that backup she's going okay um okay uh we're going to stick with the same program is that all right everybody on number five will have a inspirational reading nice will you be involved in keep putting beautiful again or not no okay another okay gotcha um I can reach out to our board and ask if anyone um is available for that okay Nicole Fine okay all on un we'll have if something happens we'll we'll definitely have somebody there or that if Nicole doesn't come up with somebody okay and then of course we invite all the the uh three planning for the ceremony hopefully we'll have we don't have um Blake with us anymore do we he is on the way the last I heard okay so he'll still be here I wonder if he'll still want to do his games I hope so those were so fun yeah okay oh there's okay welcome Mr wat thank you we were just just going over the Arbor Day celebration agenda for this next year and it's in your packet there and we're going to have the same same layout that we've always had and um our speakers we've got people checking on what speakers that we're going to have Mr old be wonderful as an inspirational speak who's that Mr Earl no I don't speak okay I'll keep looking I'll keep looking I heard that Jane was going to talk to us about the legality of the whole thing oh all right welcome ear we'll move on along here we've got the uh Arbor Day celebration the place our our layout will go for the same so I have one quick question who's going to pick up the proclamation this year this time I just happen to be at the the commission uh the County Commission when they did the proclamation so if I need to be there again for that to be the representative to pick that up I just need to know ahead of time but usually somebody needs to be there to pick it up and that'll be good if you could um can you give me a reminder when that it's January 9th 6 you can always call me um because I'll be at City Hall with the proclamation okay all right is anything else over that the regular business we need to discuss anything we need to bring up is there any additional details the college needs I imagine we need our I was going to say magical but that's not the word magical shovels I say the golden the Golden shovels that were green last year and just new um and I I would love to see the flag I've beg um Public Works to pick up our really really big tall flag that's at the price Martin Center that says Arbor Day USA on it but they couldn't find it and then when I went to price Martin it was in the same place I last saw it at the middle the same so maybe Eddie can magically make someone from Public Works get the flag that would be awesome well you know we that g make them but we will suggest strongly that last year might take a different and we can always move the flag from The Boardroom out to where we're planting the tree you know if something happens to where you can't get the one from Public Works it's not a big flag it's one like you see in a meeting room so it's what three by five maybe I don't think it's four by six so okay so I would just ask if there's anything else they need from us like what time they since no one from Public Works is here I would ask what time they need the tree to be there in the [Music] morning usually my maintenance guys coordinate with the public works guys and they work that out between themselves um if that is okay with your committee yeah that's fine okay assuming it's the same people um it'll probably be either Daniel Nicholson or um Betty Parish okay Earl We're Not Gonna did you hear we're not going to plant the tree we're going to leave it in the bucket till the construction work finishes but we're going to act like we planed it I just recommend rather than having somebody dig a hole just say this is the location we're going to have it in rather than yes do that whole manual labor to dig a hole to put the plant in there just to take it back out in the pot so I would just recommend keeping it in the pot saying this is the future location of it and um be just wait to suggested location that's why we're yes suggested location and maybe keep since it's going be in the pot we can borrow it that afternoon for the garden glove that's right we can loan it out maybe make some money on donate that to the tree for the next year okay great we're excited to be at the college again excited to have that there how are our trees doing that we put in over the years they're doing well the guys kept them water you know the amount of time they were supposed to and they they're really looking good good yes yes okay Al righty well let's any any anything else before we Mo move to board comments well do we know that Blake is going to be able to donate the free saplings is he committed to that at all I'm 80% sure he's going to do it okay UMC if as long as he's as far as I know he's still our Forester yeah um they should have the budget okay theoretically like I said 80% that's not what size is it going to be no remember those were all the little you're talking about oh okay I thought you were about tree PL that's a good Tre sen your packet there looks like two and a half inch by 10 to 12 foot tall it also looks like he got ran over by a tractor but you know tractor wheels there yeah am I out to ask how much we got it was donated from where from pin's landscape I saw that somewhere the other day in your minut said we emailed to you but you don't get email right no I get email oh okay all right any other comments before we move to one subject did we need to go over that at all this I don't I think that was just a reminder all right on board comments we have so she oh okay so if you recall um last year the tree committee made some important changes to the tree protection ordinance that basically um sealed up a loophole that you had on residential being able to get out of the tree protection ordinance so you did a great job with fixing that and um the city commission went ahead and adopted your suggested changes so congratulations on affording a lot more protection for the the city's residential tree canopy that was a big move for the city however there's still more work to be done and so I'm picking up on some of the suggestions made by the former planning director Lisa Walsh and these would be changes proposed changes to section 94-294 of the the code right now it's just one sentence that reads the mayor shall appoint a tree committee consisting of one commissioner and six citizens who will serve at the pleasure of the commission she had some suggested changes um to add to this because it's well it's kind of you know just a oneliner there so her suggestions were the tree committee's purpose shall be one to establish procedures and standards for the administration and enforcement of this section currently you don't have that two promote creative site development Concepts in order to promote water and energy conservation and three assist in public information the education of its citizens and the effective implementation of this article and finally further the tree committee's duties may include the planting of trees in honor of Arbor which you have been doing the promotion of Municipal ification projects and funding for the same hi Blake hey and advocacy of the benefits of Herb in trees to the general public so these are all things that she suggested that you could do that you aren't currently doing but it's an opportunity uh to weigh in a little bit more um to beef up this portion of the code we don't have to select all of them um I'm throwing it out there for your discussion and direction to staff on how you would like me to proceed if you like all of her ideas you could potentially make a motion to have me um draft a a proposed ordinance for the City commissioners to consider if you only like a couple of these ideas then direct me that way if you don't like any of them tell me to stand down as Mr cutright likes to say every once in a while my question is that I thought we were more of a advocacy group I don't know if that's the right word for it but more of a give the commissioner suggestions on things rather than to be to establish uh procedures um that would be my question is that I thought people more of a make a suggestion rather than like an advisory voice yeah um so you Advisory Board actually does have a lot of power so for example the planning board is an Advisory board but they make suggested ordinance recommendations to the city commission all the time um the tree committee is kind of very Loosely uh defined committee it doesn't even say really that it's functioning in an advisory capacity so I think Miss Walsh was simply trying to get some meat on the bones in terms of what you can do but you you're correct you're simply an Advisory Board you're not involved in permitting you can't pass ordinances but you can direct staff me and sunny um to accomplish some of the goals of the cre up to you where are those at in here do we have not in theet it was a separate hand out I can get um looking at this I sure um number one that seems to be what we are kind of currently doing establish procedures and standards uh for the administration and placement of infection so that seems to be one that you know is a yes because we're we're there already um I am not sure uh where it says assist public information education of it citizens number three and the effective uh implementation of this article um I I know that the city itself has done something similar I know we had a um there was a uh one that was having to do with urban planning and it was our tree canopy and we did a survey of it and we did have a grant that went along with it and distributed trees to Citizens and and I know we planted some and I want to say it's the crep myrtles that are long short curl I've always wanted to say short curl in the middle very um so you know I mean if if we're going to uh have imp on some of that I mean that seems it seems like that aligns I'm a little outside of the creative site development um and maybe keep in mind a plan or draft in this okay so um I know that we have expressed in our board comments um you know our desire for uh for these things to happen that we you know want more citizens to have access to plant to trees and if there was a grant to have trees to give out again uh people were interested in that um and expressing concern like with me properties that did not trees because they were outside of the but I don't know that I'm not sure how that goes together and I think that's a um more of a Jan West so I'm and what I'm hearing from un ni call just to recap for everyone one and three make a lot of sense kind of a continuation of what this committee is already doing but to promote creative site development Concepts is probably a little bit out of um the purview of this committee and maybe leave that to plan that sounds about right okay um and of course the last one uh furthermore we are also as you mentioned we are already planting TRS in honor of so commissioner Jones here yes commission uh as we as we uh respect and listen to the recommendation by the mayor uh I think the committee and the committee's responsibility is almost like the not almost like is like the airport committee to suggest but uh they can't mandate and um I I think that we we we people that take their valuable time and be on these committees I do appreciate them coming up with ideas but let's be mindful that it is an advisory committee and the revisory it's not a committee that actually give direction to the commission and uh almost what you presented was almost a uh direction that we were going to go that's how it appears to me just listening so um I just wanted to add that so that we consider that I would suggest that um as you just presented maybe everyone take those four points into consideration and maybe come back our next meeting and think about you know that's a lot make a decision right now but to think about uh where we want to be and what role we really want to play uh with is advisory committee so that's just my two cents on it super number four I think we're already doing though so I don't know that that's a maybe just go with approving that one and then you want it brought to the commission to have them look over it has to well before we come back and look at it well I think with the mayor presenting it to you guys and with we got to also be mindful that that was an ex planner we have a planner now so I would like for it to go before our current planner so that we can have a concurrence or take there you know because we have a different plan we have a different person there and I think that it' be uh respectful to have them either buy into it or tell us maybe a different a procedure um you know he may have different experiences with it that would be my suggestion so commissioner Jones just so you know this is the City attorney not the mayor the mayor's not here right I didn't you say the mayor suggested it or did you oh I'm sorry well well the city well the city the city uh attorney suggestion because uh that's also a you know the suggestive part uh I I have I I kind of have uh caution on that too as far as the suggesting the way we operate you know I I I thought it was that the attorney make sure we're in Balance legally but to direct us which way we go that that's a borderline uh function that neither I should go through or you now if I'm wrong correct me if I'm wrong uh commissioner just just for clarification what merely was being sought here uh the tree committee deals with the tree protection ordinance and they function in an advisory role where they can direct staff which is me um to modify the tree protection ordinance which they did last year and it goes up to the city commission for approval um so this is simply the board functioning in an advisory capacity and these were some ideas um that have been sitting for a couple of years um that the board can consider as a recommendation only to the city commission and it would simply be within the purview of the city commission to adopt that change to the city ordinance or no understood and dly not do have a plan we do have planning on on this meeting just so you know yeah I haven't heard from them so I just again I try to just be sounding board and listen more than participate but at this point I wanted to actually give input on this particular matter so we haven't heard from the planner at this point that was just my suggestion to actually hear it from the planers perspective any comments from the planning Miss Rene Renee okay ret table this the problem is you only meet once a year right um so or or we could treat his suggestions like he treats ours they just so one thing that you could do is like we did last year remember when we had um that proposed change you guys had to come back like a month later yeah we could have a special meeting if we need to do you want to do that okay um we'll come up with a a date that we can go over this again if you'd like I don't mind at all and if you have other changes that are on your mind when changes to the verbiage here you know right just like last time I'm happy to take into consideration we appreciate you working this out for us what we're supposed to be looking at is the three articles there that Lisa recommended yes sir yes because somebody said four and I the further where it starts with the word further that should be number four yes sir okay then number two is none of our business really y got that okay and we might end up taking that off then number two that's what I'm do we have a date I know we're coming up on holidays here I don't know that we can meet before Christmas or not so we'll can we hear from you sunny when you let us know we can all get back together and talk over this what month are you guys looking at or did you want me to send out a Google call whatever that thing was you the okay we'll do a doodle poll and have another meeting and and go over this a little bit more I'm glad we're doing this because it's things that need to be taken care of and a year a pretty long time we used to meet every month didn't we ear so whatever we can do we will I think everybody's in favor of that before we move on past that let's go back to our tree man yeah I'm sorry I red light as you brought trees it's okay yeah so um just pull out the list of trees that I got here so you are providing trees that's the first question yes um right now the the funding that we get typically every year is around $500 but this year I'm gonna see if I can get additional funding just because we have um more municipalities um than most other counties you know we have interlockin blacka B the paraka and Crescent City um so I'm going to request that but right now I would say it's going to be about um 12 Trees per City I think somewhere around there um and then my list uh I'm going to narrow it down probably to six different types of tree but the uh current list of species is um which the uh the nursery this year had a very wide selection they really um did a great job this year they have common percent Simon dun Holly swamp Red Bay Southern live o red maple pride of Houston variety Eon Holly white flowering inise swamp aelia green Dera blueberry Mayberry Eastern red bud hotor beam Florida Red Bay soap Berry long leaf pine probably not going to plant that one in this the city um southern magnolia Florida sugar maple red Mulberry American Plum red cedar and French train wow I want to jum where you're going like better than a dessert is that at at chipis yes that's at ch's Native Farm nury yeah I think they got a they're Under New Management the swamp is that what's that's the native one all of us or I don't know about all of us but I in the woods is that the wilda that you see yeah you're going give GL um I'm going to have to do some further research on the site needs for each of those trees but that's just kind of going through and seeing what they had in stock this year that's what they had um you know we're also probably going to do another activity I think um probably not going to be exactly the same as last year I still have to do a little bit of planning um but uh it's probably going to be a tree related activity should I change the program to say tree activ acties how would you and how do you feel about an inspirational message what sorry Nicole won't be doing the inspirational message and she's looking for volunteer to yeah yeah sure yeah sure fantastic idea he just does it all trying to think um boy yeah if you could um if anyone has any of the material from last year or something just so I can have like a what's the word a starting board your kind of um that' be that' be helpful do that just ch yes about bre it before you say [Laughter] it yeah no um actually um I have done two different poems um last two years um yeah I think games to game to win a free sapling or games to win a free sapling or tree giveaway I would say Activity yeah tree giveaway activity be the broadest what's there's like a word interactive well I don't I don't know I I'm it doesn't really matter does it you did a great job last year yeah you know I I found that people really liked the rolling the dice in the park better than they like the the trivia games so I'm gonna try to make it a little bit more um Dynamic I think this year uh also just regarding the tree ordinance I forgot if I brought this up last year um but the Arbor Day Foundation does publish a tree ordinance guide um I I use that guide the suggestions dropped to us all right it's great um yeah I just I just had remember if I brought that up yet or not that's pretty much it and what was the date of the college obvious the 17th of January that's the third Friday of January 17 17th oh the 17th yep 17th on third fry it says January 19 this paperwork was from last year see yeah that's why [Music] I I don't think the college will be open on Sunday uh we qu madebe 2025 it's 10 a.m. again all right yeah I think interlocking is doing theirs uh at about noon so I should have plenty of time to do both that day I try to have them push it back but we'll see okay great any other board comments and the application and everything went through for the city the Tre C still as far as I know from Public Works they were able to get us back on the primary tier of the USA um I tried to get a representative Public Works to be and for some reason they're not so but from what I understand from what they've told me yes we have a sign at the foot of the bridge now Burg King we can't afford another two of them it used to be foot of the bridge and when you were coming into town from PL this to be a true City and we get another sign I'll notify Public Works that the tree committee would like to see a sign at F bridge is that is that from Arbor Day or would probably reach out to Bar they handle all communication with your AR Foundation okay how I would think it should be on one of the entrances to the city and not over by Burger King that is well C is an entry cor or in the city yeah down not at Burger King but is is that where the city limit starts though Burger [Music] King Hospital part of the city city oh over the years the city V so where you wanting where do you think a good place on the bridge where the guy the soldier holds up the Doughboy there down down at the foot of the bridge when you coming off the bridge coming into town right over there on the bridge then not not well just wherever we can get it put you know the state's going to have to put it I would imagine even though well we need to make that suggestion for that so that they will you could do it coming into town on 17 or coming into town on 20 out there but Burger King is kind of to me and I mean that's just my opinion Burger King is kind of a weird place to it's not K it's it's the the the fence with all the the representations of the community it's on a that's on this side of black west of FL it yeah and the only place Julio the only place we got though those there's one over in East Paca and there's one up by truck guy can't no there's another one down by there they have another one but it's I think it's churches specifically that are on that board it's welcome to pla by church but that's okay doesn't yeah but still we're looking at one at the bottom Bridge okay all right well let's go ahead and move ahead um any other board comments before I read this one yeah all right city of pla tree committee dear members of the do I read this out Nicole all right there um uh dear members of the city PLA and black tree committee I'm resigning for my position as Vice chair of the City FL tree committee effective uh the end of today's meeting I wanted to make our meeting functions normally uh it's been an honor to serve and I'm grateful for the opportunity to um contribute to our community my association with the committee s for my role as executive director of keep putam beautiful although traditionally it has been a nonvoting um position um not unlike well actually just like uh the IIs Horticultural agent um and it may be beneficial for the city to go back to that because I think I joined as an individual citizen outside of keep puton beautiful but um that way you know we can have someone in in a seat from P putting beautiful um you know even when we experience change over in leadership um thank you for understanding this has been a wonderful experience I appreciate all that we're doing here and I certainly um wish many success and I will continue with my efforts on a personal level outside of that do you do you just not want to do it or do you think it should be somebody it so this seat traditionally has been uh for a representative usually the executive director from Kei putner beautiful usually it's um I think Rica came in as a non-executive director um she was I don't know she had a part-time position and Jim cson had a full-time but she's this committee as well so for the most part it is um it's it's tied to keep putting beautiful so that we have so that might be a potential change you want to suggest to the ordinance because that is not specified it's just six citizens we we used to V we used to V and Carolyn VI were there and keth you were there we were just six citizens we didn't have anybody we had a we had um a um commission lat us on and that was George Sanders remember he wanted Plastic Trees the leaves would fall but we that was what that was the only official we had on the communion is that the way you remember it car you can't remember that that far oh we had we had algra well but but alra was she wasn't the uh on the board or anything she at that time I don't think she got on the board yet the city commission so she was at a citizen yeah so what do we why are we saying all this because if Nico if Nicole truly wants to stay she's welcome to stay because it doesn't happen have to be a representative of keep putting I'm beautiful did I get that said right yeah I think the incoming person would like to be I think I think Nicole doesn't want to stay with us I like I said I'll continue the work um on the private side um but yeah I think the person that's coming in with keep cutting beautiful uh would would very much like to participate and that gives us access to um priv um a nonprofit entity and the uh keep America beautiful Affiliates do this commonly where they're tied in some ways to the municipality where maybe black cannot access a grant but um keep put beautiful can and then go a I am so sorry about that that down um but that is a a mutually benefiting do we know who that incoming person is I I cannot I don't have that information to disclos this is a public meeting Earl ask me at Rotary okay um if I can piggy back on this when this committee um meets again um my recommendation would be for you guys to think based upon a recommendation for an ordinance change of course like commissioner Jones says it's got to go before two hearings before the commission you're not making the final decision but so that staff can prepare the ordinance to be differently rather than the mayor appoints six citizens if you feel that it should be your pH versus the fact that you're a citizen who happens to also be the Forester because like I know that's happened with Forester that's happened with UF it's happened with he put and beautiful the mayor typically picks who's in those roles to be on this committee but it's not required by ordinance so if you guys feel that it should be required by ordinance so that when you leave your position your predecessor automatically becomes on this committee rather than them having to go back to the commission fill out an application get appointed if you want it to be more of an automatic thing it's got to go in an ordinance and be approved by the commission as part of the ordinance um so I would recommend that you guys consider it not just R and beautiful but also the rest of you for those that are typically play picked based upon your position I need to make sure that if in the uh however we do this that I am at ex officio non voting um um because I can't hold I can't be off I can't hold uh positions and I can only be an advisor as per my position which is why in the past this board was kept as an Advisory Board and always okay this do we need a I need it for the commission so that I can present the commission with your resignation so it'll be presented to the jary 9 City commission meeting no problem okay any other board comments or anything that we need to bring up I guess I actually probably bring that up but don't you have to vote on a new vice president or is that at the next chair Vice chair don't ask no so there's only two people that convened I think Carolyn I think know I'm getting too old through this kind of stuff so I'm old than I don't think so I do well we don't have to make that vote today so let's hold off on that that's called pushing down the road kicking the yeah all right we have to kick that can then there you go um um nothing else I move that we adjourn this meeting do we have a second turn to 453