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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-01-03 Arborist Advisory Committee minutes ARBORIST ADVISORY COMMITTEE c/o Office of the Mayor, 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603 Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 ARBORIST ADVISORY COMMITTEE JANUARY 3, 2020 MEETING MINUTES HAWAI‘I COUNTY BUILDING, PUNA CONFERENCE ROOM – HILO 25 AUPUNI STREET, SUITE 1501, HILO, HAWAI‘I ATTENDANCE Committee Members Present: Leonard Bisel, Chairperson James Boyd Friday Jonathan Sudler, Vice-Chairperson Carol Wyban Maurice Messina (Executive Assistant to the Mayor) Committee Members Excused: Roy Takemoto Bobby Camara GUEST Deborah Dickson, Karen Fitzgerald, Karen Allard, Christie Brookman, Zach Pratt, Margie Cooper, Sherman Austin, Evelyn Burnett, Desiree Mairs, Susie Repeimbal. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 10:02 a.m. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC Various guests from the public expressed their concerns about the removal of the Monkey Pod Trees at the Panaewa Equestrian Center. Some concerns were:  Removing the trees to create more accessible parking stalls  Monkey Pod trees help provide shade for horses and people.  County not notifying the public before deciding to cut down the trees. Chair Bisel informed the public about the Arborist Advisory Committees role in nominating trees and making sure they are properly cared for. He also stressed that the process to nominate it as an exceptional tree will take some time because it will need to pass through Council. Maurice Messina from the Mayor’s Office suggested to call Parks and Rec and request a meeting with the Director, Roxcie Waltjen and her Park Planner, James Komata. Arborist Advisory Committee January 3, 2020 meeting minutes APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 6, 2019 COMMITTEE MINUTES th Vice Chair Sudler moved to approve the December 6 minutes. Committee member Friday seconded the motion. The Committee voted 5-0 with one excused to approve the minutes. COUNTY HUMAN RESOURCES REP. TO ATTEND MEETING TO DISCUSS NEW ARBORIST POSITION No Human Resources representative was present to discuss the new Arborist position. Chair Bisel asked that we carry this agenda item over to the next meeting. DISCUSSION OF DRAFT COUNTY PLAN OF ACTION FOR TO ADVISE THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND THE MAYOR’S OFFICE TO PURSUE ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGISLATIVE CHANGES TO ESTABLISH A TREE MAINTENANCE CREW THROUGH A REORGANIZATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION Executive Assistant Messina met with Roxcie Waltjen and was informed that Parks and Rec would love to have an Arborist Position. Committee member Friday questioned if this position would be flexible under different departments. Messina, replied HR would be the department that would be in charge of shaping this position. Chair Bisel, asked to keep this agenda item for the next meeting. STATUS OF COMMITTEE MEMBER EXCEPTIONAL TREE NOMINATIONS Chair Bisel explained that this would be a good way to jump start the exceptional tree nominations by learning the process and completing the forms by the first quarter of 2020. Committee member Wyban, did some research on the coconut groves along the bayfront highway. She discovered that those trees were donated by Shipman and planted by boy scouts for shoreline resiliency. Vice Chair Sudler pointed out that only Big Island doesn’t have any neighborhood boards. *Jonathan pointed this out as one reason why the issue at the Panaewa Equestrian Center got to this point with no public notice or outcry. Committee member Friday suggested that the Committee start with a single tree nomination. Chair Bisel also mentioned that homeowners can get a tax break if they have an exceptional tree on their property. 2 Arborist Advisory Committee January 3, 2020 meeting minutes STATUS OF RETRIEVAL OF COUNTY TREE ORDINANCES RELATED TO EXISTING EXCEPTIONAL TREES The Committee was informed that the County Tree Ordinances of Existing Exceptional Trees are now available on the County’s website. The Committee reviewed the Exceptional Trees database listed in the Arborist Advisory Committee Folder. Chair Bisel offered to consolidate all the files into one spot for then send a link to the rest of the Committee through dropbox. REVIEW OF EXCEPTIONAL TREE ORDINANCES AND APPLICATIONS No Completed Applications ANNOUNCEMENTS No Announcements ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:35 a.m. 3