CHARLOTTESVILLE TREE COMMISSION Tuesday, February 1, 2022 5:00 – 7:00 pm Virtual|Electronic Meeting Call to Order (P. Van Yahres) 5:00 • Welcome and Update • Approval of November, December & January Minutes Staff Report (R. Anthony, C. Gensic) 5:10 • Urban Forester • Preliminary Assessment of Storm Tree Damage • New Tree Planting • USFS Grant Committee Organization and Priorities ( P. Van Yahres) 5:20 • Education & Advocacy (Mark R) • Arbor (J. Aten) • Codes and Practices (T. Padalino) Canopy Study (J. Aten) 5:50 Annual Report & Presentation to City Council (B. Menard) 6:20 Report on “Climate Action Together” (J. Umiker-Seboek) 6:30 General Public Comment 6:40 Items/Announcements Not on Agenda 6:45 Action Items for Next Meeting 6:55 Adjourn 7:00 At the discretion of the Chair, public comments related to particular agenda items may be (†) solicited at that point in the meeting. This virtual/electronic meeting is open to the public. You may participate electronically by registering at www.charlottesville.gov/zoom or via telephone by using the number provided with the Zoom registration. Or you may contact staff at 434-970-3182 to receive the dial in number. In addition to the Zoom webinar, this meeting will be available on the City's streaming platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and www.charlottesville.gov/streaming. Individuals with disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to participate in the public meeting may call the ADA Coordinator at (434) 970-3182 or submit a request via email to ada@charlottesville.gov. The City of Charlottesville requests that you provide a 48-hour notice so that proper arrangements may be made. Tree Commission January 2022 Minutes Date: January 4, 2022 Time: 5:00PM – 7:00PM Location: Remotely via Zoom meeting Attending: Mark Zollinhofer, Brian Menard, Jeffrey Aten, Peggy Van Yahres, Jean Umiker-Sebeok, Tim Padalino, Mark Rylander, Jody Lahendro, Jacqueline Dugery Absent: Anson Parker, Jeff Pacelli, Remy Trail, Victoria Metcalf, Vic Garber Staff: Paige Lyons, Chris Gensic, Dana Kasler, Riaan Anthony Attendees: Guests: Dana Kasler The meeting was called to order at 5:05 p.m. November, December, and January minutes to be ready for February Updates - Brian Menard Brian introduced the commission to the new Director of Parks and Rec, Dana Kasler. CIP Updates - Brian Menard, Jody, Jean, Riaan The budget staff had reduced CIP amounts, but the planning commission reversed their recommendation, and the city council will vote on the $105,000 asked for Emerald Ash Borer and the $100,000 for tree planting. Money asked for the mitigation of the Emerald Ash Borer comes from a 5- year plan developed with Mike. Jean reported that funding looks tight in the upcoming years and suggested the commission look towards building alliances and focusing on messaging. Riaan reported that Parks & Rec does accept donations for trees, and he is working on getting a “donate” button for trees on the Parks & Rec website. Jaquelin volunteered to generate a list for future partnerships. Committees – Brian, Jean This past year, the Tree Commission’s committees have been ad-hoc. Jean asked about the rules. Brian explained that the committee meetings need to be open to the public which is a problem because historically there is no designated meeting space. Post-pandemic, it will be slightly easier to schedule meeting because we don’t need help from city staff to help coordinate like we do virtually. Tree Planting - Riaan Jerimiah Landscaping out of North Carolina was selected for the tree planting for the price of $70,000.99 and Riaan hopes to meet with them at some point next week. The remaining $5,000 will go towards getting a certified arborist to make sure the right trees are planted in the right place. Mark Rylander asked if Parks and Rec staff planted trees in the past. Chris thinks the horticulture team did some tree planting years ago but now focuses on watering and the City contracts out the tree planting. Jacqueline asked if the vendor had a guarantee and Riaan answered the contract has a 1-year warrantee. Brian brought up that tree planting should be assumed part of the budget. Jeff advocated for making sure code requires developers to replace and plant trees. Peggy mentioned that Richmond has good tree planting policy in regard to developers that could serve as an example. Urban Forester- Riaan The urban forester job posting closed on December 20th and the city received 5 applications. The predicted schedule is virtual interviews around January 18th and then a face-to-face interview later in the month. The new goal is to have applicant selected by the end of February. All commissioners should send potential interview questions to Peggy. Canopy Study - Chris Chris spoke with the contractor and the fact sheet and presentation will be delivered on Friday, January 7th. Then there will be two rounds for comments. He suggested the commission looks over the report for 2 weeks and then submits questions. Jeff will collect questions. Report and Presentation for Council – Chris, Peggy, Brian Brian Chris & Peggy will meet to produce a 4-page report for the last fiscal year to go out to the commission to review, and then it can go to city council at any time. Brian Chris & Peggy will also put together a presentation with the 3-4 messaging points they want to get across to council. It was scheduled for the 18th but looks like it may be pushed back to give more time to refine pitch. Friendship Court Redesign- Chris, Brian, Jeff, Peggy, Mark Ground has been broken at Friendship Court. Chris was concerned about the trees nominated on Garrett Street and asked if they are on the final site plans. The commission has not seen the site plans and has not been part of the development process. It is not clear to the commission if there is someone in NDS who is knowledgeable and advocating for trees. A discussion of the Commission’s past role in Site Plan Review was summarized. Brian’s understanding is that the Friendship Court trees will be affected but not taken down. Peggy mentioned how she went with Paul Josey a few years ago and submitted a request to move the buildings back to protect the tree roots but has had no follow up with NCS. Riaan said that he just got the site plans and because they have been held up at NCS. Riaan asked the commission if Mike had gone over with the commission to review site plans. Chris brought up that we need to find out the legality of the commission reviewing site plans. Tim brought up that these questions would be useful to raise during the zoning review. Chris emphasized that our goal should be to get this written into the code in the upcoming zoning rewrite. Releaf C’ville - Peggy Peggy updated the commission on the plans to engage teens in the community with teaching them about green jobs. She and Jaquelin are thinking of having an event near Earth Day or Arbor Day at CHS, and are asking commissioners to send in recommendations for professionals in the area. They are hoping to have 10-15 vendors for students to talk to. Elections - In 2022 Brian will be stepping down. On March 1st the applications will close and then the commission will make recommendations to the council for an April 1st start. Brian asked commissioners to think of good people in the community and invite them to apply. Brian nominated Peggy for Chair and Jody seconded. Peggy nominated Jeff for Vice Chair and Mark seconded. Both were nominated by the commission and accepted the roles. Public Comment Rory, a resident on Water Street asked what the plan was for repairing our trees after the storm and suggested the commission make an effort to educate the public on shaking snow off trees to avoid future damage. Riaan said staff would be going around on Wednesday to make an assessment of the damage. Chris suggested getting local television to broadcast how to shake off a tree (use a shovel? A broom?). Overall, the commission agreed that educating the public on shaking off the snow from tree was worthwhile. Next Meeting – Mark Z Mark asked if the issue of the transition from Emmet and Ivy to Barracks could be added to the agenda next meeting. There is concern the city doesn’t have the funds to match the university’s plans to widen the sidewalk and invest in landscaping. 7:13 END Tree Commission December 2021 Minutes Date: December 7, 2021 Time: 5:00PM – 7:00PM Location: Remotely via Zoom meeting Attending: Mark Zollinhofer, Brian Menard, Jeffrey Aten, Peggy Van Yahres, Chris Gensic, Remy Trail, Victoria Metcalf, Vic Gaber, Jean Umiker-Sebeok, Tim Padalino, Mark Rylander Absent: Anson Parker, Jeff Pacelli, Jacqueline Dugery, Jody Lahendro Staff: Paige Lyons, Chris Gensic, Vic Garber, Riaan Anthony Attendees: Guests: none The meeting was called to order at 5:02 p.m. November minutes to be ready for January Hiring Updates - Brian Menard A new director of Parks and Rec, Dana Kessler, is scheduled to start in January. The next major hire will be an Urban Forester. Hiring & Tree Planting Updates - Riaan Anthony Riaan described how City is needs toto keep up with tree maintenance, and so hiring an urban forester is a high priority. The job description for the Urban Forester position was posted and closes on December 20th. He aims complete interviews by the end of January. One member of Tree Commission to be part of the hiring panel. The RFQ for tree planting is posted on the city page and closes Friday, December 10 at 2 pm. The next step after receiving bids will be negotiations. A staff member will identify selected locations for each tree. Urban Tree Canopy Study - Chris Gensic, Mike, Peggy, Jody Last week Chris spoke to the Colorado contractor who delivered 75% complete report and maps. Mike noted that 2018 data was used since 2019 imagery was unavailable. Peggy noted that the rate of decline has doubled, where from 2004 to 2014 we lost 5%, we lost 5% again in just 5 years. Jody clarified that the historical data was: 2004 - 50% tree cover, 2009 - 47% tree cover, 2014 - 45% tree cover, and 2018 40% tree cover. The final report is expected at the end of the month with a completion date of January 18th. Riann said he will include the report on Council’s agenda for January 18th, with a request to prioritize hiring. Annual Calendar Review – Victoria, Peggy Victoria suggested that in November 2022 the Commission submit proposed legislative agenda items to Council. Peggy Proposed the City Council report be moved to March or April instead of February This will also allow the new City Forester time to prepare. Jeffery suggested that the commission look at planting trees two times a year to catch up with the lag, but Riaan proposed it will be more cost effective to go through just one RFP process and for contractor to do a single planting. Mark Rylander suggested the commission invite ask the CATS representative to provide updates quarterly instead of annually. The Commission’s meetings are scheduled for the First Tuesday of each month with the exception of July and August. Urban Forester Job Interview Questions and Description Proposed interview questions had been shared with TC members as part of the agenda packet. Jeff Werner suggested that some interview questions should be more open-ended. The TC members agrees with the proposed interview questions. Mark Zollinhofer suggested job description clarify the relationship between the Tree Commission and the Urban Forester. Budget The commission asked for $100,000 for planting and $105,000 for protection against the emerald ash borer but proposed budget allocated $75,000 for planting and only $50,000 for emerald ash borer. Jody: public can advocate for higher budget at the public hearing next Tuesday. Dec 14 - planning commission public hearing. UVA Project - Mark Zollinfer Mary Hughes, UVA’s Landscape Architect, relayed to CATS that she was concerned that the city wasn’t budgeting or planning for the connection between Emmet and Ivy to Barracks. UVA is planning on widening sidewalks and planting but needs a city contact to plant. Work starts for this project in 2022. Mary is leaving and Rachel Llyod will be the new Landscape Architect. Mark Z. sent Missy a note asking for the name of the UVA liaison coordinating with the city. CATS Updates - Mark Zollinfer Mark reported that this year CATS: • hosted a potting party which sold 285 trees • hosted a tree sale at Tufton farm sold 304 trees • planted a memorial tree in the art department • hosted 11 educational classes which had a total of 450 attendees • trained 26 new tree stewards with a hybrid model • has several invasive control projects at schools • preformed basic tree care around the city • planted 37 trees planted Darden Towe $2,500 in funding from the Kaplan Foundation helped in CATS efforts this year. The communications committee now has a listserv of 1,000+, had CBS media coverage of training classes, and has invested in a website redesign. ReLeaf Charlottesville – Peggy The new logo is complete. The goal of ReLeaf Charlottesville is to plant trees, preserve trees, and educate children and families. The organization I also excited to partner with other organizations such as the climate justice group at St. Paul’s Church. ReLeaf is planning a spring event Washington Park. One goal is introducing teens to the green industry. Teenagers will work with volunteers to educate families about the trees and the benefits available for home energy efficiency. CVille Plans Together - Tim Padalino Tim reported there is no update on zoning rewrite production work and the Steering Committee will meet in January for zoning kickoff. The Tree Commission will be responsible for articulating its recommendations once the next phase of the process is underway. Tim will clarify the process of the how the consultants work will be translated to City ordinances. Chair and vice chair elections will be in January. Meeting Ended 7:15 1 Tree Commission November 2021 Minutes Date: November 2, 2021 Time: 5:00PM – 7:00PM Location: Remotely via Zoom meeting Attending: Brian Menard, Peggy Van Yahres, Jeffrey Aten, Jacqueline Dugery, Jody Lahendro, Jeff Pacelli, Tim Padalino, Mark Rylander, Mark Zollinhofer Absent: Vicki Metcalf, Anson Parker, Jean Umiker-Sebeok Staff: Mike Ronayne Guests: none The meeting was called to order at 5:02 p.m. October Minutes – By motion duly made and seconded, the October minutes were approved. Chair Report Brian informed the Commission about the removal of the post oak that collapsed in Maplewood Cemetery in early October. Besides devastation to the tree there had been considerable damage done to numerous burial plots beneath it. The Commission and Martha Jefferson Neighborhood Association are prepared to work with Parks & Recreation in the coming months to assess and remediate the damage as best as possible given the mix of public and private property involved. Parks & Recreation Leadership Changes Mike Ronayne informed the Commission that he was resigning his position effective November 10. He expressed his appreciation of the Commission’s work on behalf of trees and its advocacy for financial and staff resources within Parks & Recreation. Commissioners shared their appreciation for Mike’s work over five years and wished him well in his future endeavors. Brian noted that he and Peggy would be meeting with Mike to ensure an effective transition of current projects and time-sensitive matters. Mark R. suggested that the meeting include an exit interview with Mike. Brian and Peggy briefed the Commission on the recent rounds of interviews for the positions of Director and Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation. An announcement of the new Deputy Director was expected soon. Mark R. would be participating as the Commission’s representative in the upcoming final round of interviews for Director. 2 Committee Reports Education and Advocacy – Peggy updated the Commission on the work of the Releaf Cville organization, including an urban forest presentation she and others had made to city school students. Brian discussed progress on the annual report and presentation to City Council. This year’s report is delayed as the Commission waits to acquire final data for the fiscal year and the canopy study report. The Commission aims to report to Council in January. Arbor – Mike and Brian briefed the Commission on the status of the tree nomination packet for Garrett & Second Streets. Mike has revised the site map in the packet and Brian will prepare the cover letter. Mike presented the final plan for planting approximately 160 trees in the upcoming months. He assured the Commission that there would be sufficient staff by spring to water and otherwise maintain the trees. The RFQ will be issued prior to Mike’s departure. The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. CHARLOTTESVILLE TREE COMMISSION 2022 Organization TC Objectives— • Advise | Educate | Advocate • Plant | Preserve | Commemorate • Monitor | Review | Seek Compliance TC Annual Goals—Committees will establish goals and an action plan for review by the Commission to ensure that its overall objectives are being met Committee Structure & Composition— Education & Advocacy • Educate community at all levels on the range of benefits of urban trees • Advocate at all levels of government for funding and support for trees • Collaborate with groups with aligned goals for the urban forest, sustainability, environment/climate—Cville Climate Collaborative, CATS, Master Naturalists, Public Works • Maintain Tree Commission and Urban Forestry webpages and provide social media and email (Utility Notes) content for city communications office to post • Develop strategies and execute projects to increase urban canopy through public and private planting initiatives Members: Mark R. (chair), Roxanne, Peggy Arbor • Maintain and evaluate performance measures for city trees through review of the Commission’s annual tree data report • Review City Arborist’s annual tree planting list and work plan and provide input as needed • Manage tree nominations process to recognize significant trees and encourage preservation • Work with City Arborist and CATS to commemorate a significant tree on Arbor Day • Coordinate with City Arborist on Urban Canopy Assessment Members: Jeff A, (chair), Mark Z. (CATS), Jean Codes & Practices • Provide input to city planning [code/ordinances, Comprehensive Plan, zoning ordinances, SDM, BMPs] • Work with City Arborist to update and maintain City Tree List and revise Urban Forest Management Plan • Review tree legislation and ordinances in other localities • Review and comment on site plans • Represent TC on roadway projects (esp. entry corridors/gateways) Members: Tim (chair), Jeff P, Vicky, Brian In general— • Committees should meet to review TC and committee objectives and develop a list of attainable goals and an action plan for the year • Committees lead but all commissioners can participate in supporting the action plan and projects (e.g., tree-planting, serving as liaisons, nominating trees, attending public hearings) Commission Representatives—(Smart Scale Projects to be confirmed) • Comprehensive Plan Update Tim Padalino • East High Streetscape Brian Menard • Barracks/Emmet Street Improvement Brian Menard • Fontaine Streetscape Jody Lahendro • Emmett and Ivy Roads • Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Vacant • PLACE commission Mark Rylander 2 Charlottesville Tree Commission 2022 Calendar JANUARY Elect Chair & Vice-Chair Review Commission goals, annual objectives & membership Receive Staff Report on proposed CIP & Operating Budgets FEBRUARY Receive Committee annual work-plans USFS Grant due (when provided) MARCH Receive Arbor Committee report on Arbor Day Celebration Receive ReLeaf Cville’s plans for Arbor Day Prepare for April meeting with NDS & PW Staff [Codes & Practices] APRIL Receive presentation from NDS (tree-related code & code compliance process) Receive presentation from DPW/Utilities (SmartScale Projects) MAY Receive Staff IPM report Review Commission Bylaws (odd years) Review nominees for tree conservation JUNE Receive Arborist work-plan for upcoming fiscal year Receive Arborist annual update on Urban Forest Management Plan Receive by biannual report from Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards JULY (tentative) AUGUST Receive Arborist Annual Dashboard report (tree data and financial data) Receive Arborist report on previous fiscal year Receive Arborist & Arbor Committee report on preliminary fall plant list & planting locations Receive Staff report on draft proposed CIP Budget request SEPTEMBER Review Education & Advocacy Committee draft of Commission’s Annual Report to Council Receive Arborist final tree planting list & schedule 2 OCTOBER Approve Commission’s Annual Report to Council Review CIP in preparation for Planning Commission review Receive Staff report on proposed Operating Budget request NOVEMBER Present Commission’s Annual Report to Council Receive CIP Update - Planning Commission Submit comments on Legislative Agenda to City Council DECEMBER Receive by biannual report from Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards Receive update on CIP & Operating Budgets Review & revise Annual Calendar 2022 Meeting Dates January 4 February 1 March 1 April 5 May 3 June 7 July 12 (tentative) August 2 September 6 October 4 November 1 December 6