Forestation Board Special Meeting
Prospect Forestation Board Special Meeting Minutes
December 4, 2023, 1:00 pm
Present: Lee Tucci, Linda Knox, Connie Kuhn, Herb Shulhafer, Mayor Farnsley, John Clark, John Evans, Sandra Leonard
The group discussed topics expressed at the recent Council Sub-Committee to address Chapter 97 of the Ordinance and proposed changes.
Some of the concerns were directed to criteria on trees being hazardous or not. Some trees previously identified as hazardous did not fail during spring storms, but some did. Comments were that trees with imminent danger do not have a timeline of when they will or not fail, but we should be aware of potential risks.
In some cases, the tree in question is not a street tree, but on private property. The question was how to address evaluation. In some cases, a complaining neighbor has invited Forestation on their property for a better look. In other cases, there are enough public, street views to gather necessary information. Sheriff Sherrard could be consulted. The other issue is addressing owner responsibility, when public property is not involved.
There were further considerations dealing with the revised Ordinance 632/ nuisance and how to better coordinate the two ordinances and provide further direction for enforcement.
Further work and revision seems likely. The Sub-Committee is also working on resources to help the process. The group agreed that Linda and former Council member Sandra Leonard would meet to review the current language and proposed changes for further improvement.
The regular Forestation meeting will be Dec. 14th via Webex.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Knox