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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-06-15 Arborist Advisory Committee Minutes Harry Kim Mayor County of Hawaii ARBORIST ADVISORY COMMITTEE Aupuni Center 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Phone (808) 961-8288 Fax (808) 961-8742 Minutes Meeting on June 15, 2006 Planning Department Conference Room – Aupuni Center – Hilo, Hawaii Present: AAC members: Chairperson Leonard Bisel, Jan Anderson, Sharron Stanbro & Esther Imamura (Planning staff) State and County Agency Representative: Gordon Heit, DLNR Public: Rene Siracusa, Kaliko Chun and Kathleen Montvel-Cohen CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 10:15 am. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES It was moved by J. Anderson and seconded by S. Stanbro to accept the minutes, as corrected, of the May 18, 2006 meeting. Motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC STATEMENTS R. Siracusa expressed her disappointment with the winning logo contest entry as 1) depicting a group of people who don’t look like people in Hawaii, and, 2) it doesn’t say exceptional tree on it. However, it was pointed out that the design was for a logo only, and not a sign. In reference to the design, everyone concurred that the imagery was very appropriate but because of others who had similar comments, Rose Foggia will be contacted to see if the attire could be modified a bit. Kaliko Chun was at the meeting to represent her Aunt and family in the nomination of the Morton Bay Fig. Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1.Display of Logo Contest Entries – J. Anderson. J. Anderson reported that the display is up along the walkway adjacent to the Department of Public Works office until the end of June. A press release and picture of the logo was submitted to 3 newspapers for publication. A display of the winning logo at the Mayor’s Office will be done at a later time. R. Siracusa volunteered to do a write up for the Puna News. A listing of newspapers was also compiled for future use. After the display is removed, all other submittals will be returned to the entrants. A copy of each entry, however, will be kept for our records. 2.Proposal for a Site Inspection to Assess all the Exceptional Trees – J. Anderson. J. Anderson noted that since S. Stanbro verified that one of our trees (‘Ohe) was no longer alive, we need to take an assessment of all the trees on the list. S. Stanbro mentioned that the Koki‘o Tree (at Manuka State Park) has termite damage on one side of the trunk, but the other side of the tree was really healthy. Something should be done to treat it. She left a message for M. Kraus to look at the tree if he was in that area. J. Anderson will also contact him to see if he can come up with a proposal to tackle that project. She will check with Corporation Counsel D. Noda regarding appropriate protocol for the proposal. 3.Sample Tree Signs – S. Stanbro. Based on comments from the last meeting, S. Stanbro presented several revised versions of the sign. After discussion on centering, changing the location and size of the County seal and deleting some wording, S. Stanbro will further revise the design and bring it to the next meeting. Chair Bisel mentioned that when the signs are fabricated, the design may still need to be “tweaked” to fit that medium. Chair Bisel reminded the public that although he appreciates their presence and comments, the portion of the meeting for the public to get involved in discussions was at the beginning of the meeting. The Committee will discuss items on the agenda and if questions arise or if clarification is required, they would then ask for further input from the public. Change in agenda order to accommodate the public: NEW BUSINESS 2.Nomination of Banyan Tree on TMK: 7-5-7:20 (State of Hawaii) – S. Stanbro. S. Stanbro received a June 6, 2006 letter from Peter Young of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Regarding the Banyan Tree at Hulihee Palace, he recommended contacting the Daughters of Hawaii who have a lease with the Palace. She will be meeting with Aunty Fanny of the Daughters of Hawaii. In reference to the Banyan Tree on Alii Drive, the tree may canopy over State, County and/or the King Kamehameha Hotel property. Landownership needs to be clarified. Therefore, additional work needs to be done before these two applications can be considered. 1.Nomination of Morton Bay Fig on TMK: 7-5-6:12 (Amelia Burgess) – S. Stanbro. K. Chun stated that her family considers the Morton Bay Fig as a member of the family. S. Stanbro mentioned that people were astonished that it wasn’t already a protected tree. She reported that it was her understanding that this tree is the sister tree to the one that was at Banyans, the surf spot, that was pruned massively and poisoned. S. Stanbro said that people stand inside the top part of the tree and have their pictures taken. At triathlons, they all come by, hug the tree and take pictures. According to Sadie Seymore’s son, his mother said that it was planted by Princess Kapiolani at the same time as the other sister tree that was killed. The owner of this tree, Mrs. Amelia Burgess, is 91 years old. K. Chun stated that the family wanted this tree protected for some time. People though it was already on the list. The family’s very much in support of it. Chair Bisel mentioned that it was an almost complete application with just the height and circumference missing. However, S. Stanbro stated that she had inadvertently left that information out. J. Anderson wanted the comment that the tree was considered by the owner and family as a family member to be included on the application. Chair Bisel stated that the motion is to accept the application and forward it to Council. J. Anderson seconded it. Motion passed unanimously. K. Chun asked if the nomination could come up at a full Council meeting in Kona. The Committee and staff will check the schedule and see how that could be arranged. J. Anderson stated that we should take advantage of the opportunity to publicize a nomination from the west side of the island. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 4.Nomination of Brazilian Bower (Tower) Tree on TMK: 7-5-1:114 (Gwen Hobbs) - S. Stanbro (correction from Shower to Bower [Tower]) According to S. Stanbro, the Brazilian Bower Tree (Schizolobium) is along Mamalahoa Highway, almost directly across Onizuka Store (Nelson Onizuka’s family store). It’s the progenitor of any Brazilian Bower Tree that’s around. It doesn’t naturally seed. The photograph is not very good because it was raining, but the tree has bright yellow flowers that are visible from Mamalahoa Highway. It’s located near the 7 mile marker in Holualoa on Mamalahoa Highway, the upper road. It was planted by S. Seymore, who started the Outdoor Circle. According to some arborists and landscape people on both sides of the island, it is the only one of its size. Although S. Seymore sold that part of the property to Gwen Hobbs, the Seymore family still maintains an interest in the tree. S. Stanbro reported that she fowarded the information on tax exemption for exceptional trees to A. Burgess and G. Hobbs. It was moved by S. Stranbro and seconded by J. Anderson to accept the nomination and have the language drafted by Counsel Noda to submit to Council. Motion passed unanimously. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS None ANNOUNCEMENTS The next meeting will be held on Thursday, July 27, 2006 in the Planning Department Conference Room at 10:00 am. The following meeting will be held on Thursday, August 24, 2006 in the Planning Department Conference Room at 10:00 am. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:25 am. Approved: August24, 2006