Forestation Board Meeting
Prospect Forestation Board Meeting Minutes
March 14, 2024, 2:00 pm via WebEx
Present: Linda Knox, Connie Kuhn, Sylvia Quaye, Herb Shulhafer, Mayor Farnsley, Ron Cundiff, Don Gibson, Linda Wardell
Minutes from January 11, January 19, and February 8 were reviewed and approved with a minor correction to February noting that Sutherland Farm had been stated as Sutherland Park Drive.
Mayor Farnsley commented on Beech Craigmyle award recognizing Lee’s ongoing and significant contribution to Prospect for 17 years as part of Forestation and his many years as Chairman.
He shared the success of the first Art in Prospect exhibition at City Hall. The closing event had over 40 people in attendance and featured Professor John Begley from the University of Louisville. Current plans are to have 3 exhibits per year, with the next event to focus on Prospect artists.
He also discussed work being done on the City budget. One key item will be police expenses and our ability to attract and retain qualified officers.
There are two tree cases that will be visited in the next week. There was also a question about tree planning for the new roundabout program. Herb commented that plans were still being finalized, but he did not anticipate a significant loss of trees. He also said the best approach would be to wait until construction was completed so soils would be settled, could be amended as needed, and best locations and species evaluated.
Connie suggested more sidewalks for 42, and Herb agreed if the project moves forward. However, Don cautioned that it would not be prudent to do any work now, as the work would most likely be removed with any new construction
Ongoing discussions between the Council Special Committee and Forestation concerning Ordinance Chapter 97 have been productive. The recent amendment to the Nuisance Ordinance has added clarity to the responsibility issue. Several suggestions have been made. The Mayor is hoping that an updated version can be presented for first reading at the May Council meeting.
The 2024-2025 City Tree Plan is due by the end of April. Several ideas and corrections were mentioned that will be discussed further at the April Forestation meeting.
As noted at the opening of the meeting, Lee had recently asked me to chair this meeting. He and I had also previously discussed my assuming chairmanship of Forestation, and I agreed. He discussed this change with the Mayor. A motion was made and approved for my becoming Forestation chairman.
The next meeting will be on April 11 at 2 p.m. via Webex.
Respectfully submitted, Linda Knox