Based on the context provided and the dialogue within the transcript, here is the formatted version with speaker names identified. **Note on Identifications:** * **Marge Sager** is identified as the Vice Chair. * **Chair Cantola** is the Board Chair who arrives late. * **Tim** is the Staff Liaison (likely a forestry or public works staff member reporting to Director Cory Tietz). * **Mike Bender** is a Board Member (referenced as Mike). * **Katie Wrich** is a Council Member but is present for the roll call as "Board Member KD." * **Christina Volkers** is the City Administrator (identified in text as "Chris Vulker"). * **Sarah** is a staff member or consultant helping with the zoning code. *** [00:00] **Marge Sager:** Okay, let's call this meeting to order. My name is Marge Sager, Vice Chair, Vice President of the board. Um, let's do a roll call. Sorry, our president can't make it today. I don't have my list. Yep, Tim, you want to go through it? [00:15] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Yes, thank you. Board member Bender? [00:17] **Mike Bender:** Present. [00:18] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Board member Gia Salto? Jaalto? Not here. Board member Pearson? [00:22] **Board Member Pearson:** In there. [00:23] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Chair... in the back. Oh, actually here it is. Chair Cantola? Tardy. Vice Chair Sader? [00:28] **Marge Sager:** That's me, yes. [00:30] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Board member Sella? Board member KD? [00:33] **Katie Wrich:** Present. [00:35] **Marge Sager:** All right, thank you. I'm not sure if we have to vote on anything today, but we could be short then on our count, right? We have four. Okay. All right, so all good. All right, um, let's rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. [00:45] **Group:** I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [00:58] **Marge Sager:** All right, thank you. Okay, approval of the minutes. Um, did everyone get a chance to read the minutes and any comments? Approval of the agenda... I'm sorry, approval of the agenda. Oh, we need to... I skipped an item. We need to approve the agenda for tonight. Are there any comments or questions? I think we have seven items. [01:15] **Mike Bender:** I make a motion that we approve the agenda as presented. Thanks. [01:18] **Marge Sager:** Thanks, Mike. Second? [01:20] **Laura (Board Member):** I second that. [01:21] **Marge Sager:** Thanks, Laura. All right. All right, now we need to approve the minutes from June 18th, 2024, a regular meeting. I do have one comment, I'll just start if that's okay. Um, under the "arbitrary giveaway"—no page number, but Item B under old business—it looks like there's a typo perhaps about halfway through the paragraph. Um, there was a proposal from Mike, so residents who maybe didn't come and pick up their tree, but they asked if the city could make residents who sign up for two consecutive years but did not pick up their... and then I think we need to insert "tree," they would be ineligible for sign-up in the future years. Was the proposal okay? So just... yeah, or as Dallas says, put on the waitlist. Yeah, which is probably more appropriate. Great. Are there any other comments or suggestions, corrections to the minutes? If none, I believe we need to vote on that. Um, all in favor of approving the minutes as is with that last addition? Oh, we need a motion. Could someone please make a motion? [02:30] **Laura (Board Member):** Okay, I'll make a motion to approve those minutes with the added amendment or the changes. [02:35] **Marge Sager:** Okay. Second? [02:36] **Mike Bender:** Second. [02:37] **Marge Sager:** Thanks, Mike. All right, all in favor? [02:39] **Group:** Aye. [02:40] **Marge Sager:** Opposed? All right. Okay, next item: Open Forum. This is an opportunity, I think, for anyone to step up and speak. I have one announcement that I'd like to make. We have been asked about Buckthorn training or information that's available to the public, and the Master Gardeners are offering a Buckthorn class out at the Discovery Center on September 28th. I believe it's at 10:00 in the morning. Um, so and it's open to the public, it's free. We'll take a little walk outside assuming the weather's nice, but so a short PowerPoint in the training room there and then a walk outside. So come and join us for the Buckthorn class if you have any interest. Again, please, September 28th—it says Saturday—at 10:00 a.m. Yep, and that's offered by the way through the Oakdale 50 Plus group, they're sponsoring it. All right, anything else on the Open Forum? Anyone like to comment, take the floor? [03:45] **Chair Cantola:** Right, we're on Item 6. I figured when we were on Open Forum. Sorry I'm late, guys. I tried to get over from Minnetonka and traffic got... oh, horrible. Life goes on. All right, well welcome. [03:55] **Marge Sager:** I'm turning the gavel right back to you. [03:57] **Chair Cantola:** Oh man, Marge, I want it! Okay, um, okay well on to Item 7: Tree Board Review. Then Old Business. Do we have an update on the zoning code update project that we looked at last time? [04:10] **Mike Bender:** Yeah, I sent some stuff in because we talked about trees, not the plant, and I would recommend that the city consider adopting the list that the Minnesota DNR establishes for trees and shrubs they discourage planting—not that they can't plant them, but they discourage them. And those trees are Amur Maple, Black Locust, Norway Maples (and their subspecies), Siberian Elm, and Russian Olive. On the shrub one, they had exotic honeysuckle like Tartarian Honeysuckle and Morrow's Honeysuckle, and then they had Japanese Barberry, which kind of surprised me because there's still a lot of those on sale. So I did a little bit more digging and it's super invasive. It's the ones that are seeded, so it's mostly the 'Carpel' series that they're recommending not planting. Okay. Um, and then the other one is a Siberian Peashrub, which is Caragana as I always know it, and then Winged Euonymus, which you can't even buy anymore. [05:15] **Chair Cantola:** And yet they persist. I have never seen those things seed themselves even though people tell me they do. [05:21] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** I've seen it a handful of times, but not often. [05:25] **Chair Cantola:** Well, I love that idea of just adopting the DNR's list. I think that makes it super easy. Sarah, what do you need from us on that? Do we need like a motion to recommend that the code be considered? [05:35] **Sarah (Staff):** I don't think a formal motion is necessary. We as staff can share that with the consultant and Max and Luke for consideration as proposed by the board. [05:45] **Chair Cantola:** Sure. Well, Mike, I think that's the way to go. [05:48] **Mike Bender:** Yeah, there's one other thing because I brought it up about when they were suggesting shrubs, they said five-gallon, which they're not five gallons anymore, they're number fives. And I said that we should have a minimum because of issues I've seen in the past. And um, I would recommend that for the minimums they should follow the American Nursery standards for Nursery Stock, because they've got them in different classes for the type of shrubs and then they have sizes for those. So I would recommend that also. [06:18] **Chair Cantola:** I'm on board with that. I think that makes a lot of sense. Marge, do you have...? [06:21] **Marge Sager:** No, it sounds like great ideas. The work's been done. Yep. [06:24] **Chair Cantola:** Yeah, let's go with it. Right, does anybody have anything else they wanted to bring up on the code update project? Weren't you going to look into tree replacements, like the language around what's required? I mean size, because right now it says 3 inches and we were going to look at that, and then also the number that they had to plant because we kind of thought that number was a little high? [06:45] **Chair Cantola:** Yes, yes, I was going to look into that. I did not. I apologize, that is on me, guys. Three months in between meetings is like... it just went out my brain and I apologize, but I do agree that when we were looking at the code, it seemed a little Draconian. [07:01] **Mike Bender:** Yeah, the diameter seemed to be the more important choice to be made. [07:05] **Chair Cantola:** Absolutely. Okay, well, um, if we're feeling good about where we're at on the zoning code update project—my contribution notwithstanding—we can move on to the Tree City USA Growth Award. [07:18] **Marge Sager:** Sure, I can mention that. Yeah. Um, so I just mentioned to Tim shortly before the meeting started is that, you know, we put together—Mike Bender and I—about 10 or 15 items of the 85 total that are opportunities for us to do for the Growth Award for the Tree City USA. There's 85 total categories. So, um, we picked some that we thought were pretty straightforward, some that we're automatically doing every year, so why not take those points? And then some things that maybe could happen in the future. And if you look at 2024 and just total up kind of what we've done already, it looks like we have doubled the number of points we need to apply for that. So, um, I can send off, if you want, Tim, or talk to you afterwards about the suggestions where we can have the points. They're all pretty straightforward and things that we've been doing: tree debris recycling, fall Buckthorn, our spring planting, our fall Buckthorn, your giveaway... all of those things count for points. So this award should be pretty straightforward to get every year by even just limiting it to this shortened list of 15 from the 85. [08:25] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Okay, and then there's lots of things if we wanted to really go all out some year and do some big festival or something for Arbor Day, we could do that. So we tried to, you know, put the sure things on the list and then maybe some hopeful-to-do someday. And of course, this can change every year. Okay, yes, and if you can send that over, then we are working... myself and other staff will work through the application process. I believe it's due in like December, the same time as the Tree City USA award. It's like a subset or something. So not till December, I think. But yes, um, and yeah, why don't I send it through and then I can put in the points for 2024, but you certainly decide what you want to provide. [09:05] **Mike Bender:** Okay, thanks. Yeah, could you also include that Buckthorn class that you had mentioned to me? [09:11] **Marge Sager:** Oh, the Shade Tree Short Course! Yes, yes, because that is one of the items that for continued education we can get three points every year. And that's something I know the other foresters have attended. I'm not sure if any other staff go to that. It's a full two days away from the office, but it's very, very well done. You'd be impressed, I think, the first year. And oh, of course, you attend as well. [09:35] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Yeah, I got to speak at it last year. It was great. [09:38] **Marge Sager:** Yeah, I missed your class. [09:40] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** That's okay, it wasn't that good. [09:41] **Marge Sager:** I'm sure it was great. Okay, all right. We'll send that both to you, Tim. [09:44] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Thank you. [09:45] **Chair Cantola:** All right, thank you, Marge. Yeah, um, then the next thing on the agenda is the 2024 Scott Carver Buckthorn Removal Event. That is Saturday, October 12th. Anybody else? You have an update on that for us, Tim? [09:58] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Yes, 9:00 to noon. Um, we'll be providing lunch for volunteers. We have sent out to Hill-Murray, North St. Paul, and Tartan High School for volunteers from the Honor Society. So we're waiting to hear back. I've been busy... as I saw Nick today at a tree, it's consumed me for two days straight now. So I'm not sure they might have already heard back from one of them. And yes, I had chosen Walton Park, right here on the back, the West and Northwest corners of it, behind the ballfields and the backstop. I think it's a nice location for me just coming on board here to start out with. We have the pavilions nearby, but also just with the sports activities there to kind of clean it up, let some air flow through there. I imagine it gets really buggy with the swamp in the background there. So that's kind of why I chose that spot to start out with. And I did find there's a decent amount of old growth in there—the berries and... yeah. Although I do realize now getting around the city, I mean, there's numerous spots that we could choose, but each year we'll try and narrow it down to the most advantageous for us. [11:00] **Chair Cantola:** That's a great spot. Yeah, if you ever want, I'd be happy to tag along and show you where we've done stuff in, like, the Discovery Center where we've been the last several years as well, so you just kind of have a map of what has been done. [11:12] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Yeah, see what's up. Yeah, that'd be great. I can kind of see where it has been done just from noticing that it's cleaned out in areas and stuff, but I... yeah, I'd love that. [11:21] **Chair Cantola:** But it's a super fun event. Anyone who wants to come hang out, drag brush for a couple hours—it's really fun. [11:27] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Yes, it doesn't sound fun, but it is. [11:30] **Chair Cantola:** Yeah, it's good exercise. [11:31] **Mike Bender:** Very good. [11:32] **Chair Cantola:** Yeah. Awesome, thank you, Tim. Uh, and then we've got an update on the Tree Track at Oakdale Park Reserve, it looks like. So you guys did some work on this map. This is fantastic. Mike, do you want to speak to this? Mike is really, you know, instrumental in cleaning this up, I guess, from when we installed the Tree Track. But you want to talk a little bit about this and what we did this summer? [11:55] **Mike Bender:** I want to be like Nick and say it's been so long I forgot! Well, the map... but a lot of what we did was if there were issues, we took them off the map because they weren't getting fixed. So we figured, why have them on the map if they're not getting fixed? And then, um, I think on some of them, I also updated the GPS locations on coordinates on them, too. Cool. But um, I'm curious to find out if that group that we took around, Marge, if they enjoyed that, if they would go on their own and look at those trees again or look at the rest of them. You know, that's a question. Maybe if we do it again, we should ask them if they think they'll come back. [12:35] **Marge Sager:** I've only heard positive comments from the Oakdale 50 Plus group that we took—about, what, 15 people through when this was finished, maybe mid-June or mid-July. I think it was mid-July. So once the map was updated, then we had a guided Tree Track. So we took the people through... you know, people were interested in trees. I think they were surprised at how much we had out there. Some of them are hidden in the woods, right? You have to take some little paths... um, but I just heard some anecdotal comments, but I think that would be good. There is another class being held at the Discovery Center called "Nature Heals," and AARP is the requester. After that, I'm going to be taking up to, I know, 20 or 30 people out for a short walk—as many people as want to join for the walk after the Nature Heals class. We're going to do this again, so I'll make sure to add that. And then of course we show them Buckthorn, that's, you know, very important. So um, I thought this was wonderful and Mike really helped to get this map put together. And then Laura Linmeyer from the Discovery Center created this larger map. The existing map was a tri-fold and so it was so small. This is only one-third of the Tree Track, so there's two-thirds that we still have a goal, I think, to update and correct, make sure everything is accurate. And then probably having a map like this because... what did we spend, an hour and a half maybe, with the folks on this map? [14:12] **Mike Bender:** Yeah. [14:13] **Marge Sager:** There's a lot of questions. I just think it's a really nice way to get people involved in trees. And um, I know the Ginkgo Pine that was out there—that was kind of interesting because it's a huge tree and most of us know it as a shrub in the home landscape. But so I thought it was a good learning experience for everybody. But I really want to thank... that was the question I was going to ask: is Laura back? [14:38] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** No, she's not back till the end of October. [14:40] **Mike Bender:** Because I was going to finish off the other two so they could get those corrected and in a format like this, because this is a lot easier to read than the one they had. [14:49] **Marge Sager:** So much easier, yes. This is a beautiful map. You did a good job on this one. My only suggestion was that Staghorn Sumac way down in the bottom, the lower left—you know, I wondered what does that fit better with, Map 2 or 3? I don't know the sequence. But um, we never made it down there on our... well, actually it does fit better with this one. [15:10] **Mike Bender:** It does. Okay. [15:11] **Marge Sager:** We just never got down there. Maybe some of those other folks, the walkers, did. But um, anyway, so this is a good improvement from the installation, I think, of the Tree Track back in 2021 maybe, to take it to the next level and get some guided tours going. Anyway, any questions about this? [15:30] **Chair Cantola:** Just a fun thing to take around and take a little walk on a nice day, see if you could find them. They're all labeled. Does make tree ID easier when they're labeled. [15:40] **Marge Sager:** Yeah, there is still always an issue about... because when they selected trees, they're not always right on the path. And so if there's a label on the path and... I forget which ones... Mike, you probably remember... the Eastern Redbud? [15:53] **Mike Bender:** The Redbud. They're farther back in, you know, maybe 30 feet or 40 feet off the path. [15:58] **Marge Sager:** So the sign is here and if you're not there when they're blooming, you might have a hard time, you know, someone who doesn't know what that tree looks like. Even the forest garden—it's got an apple tree on the pathway, but it's in about 10 yards too. But I think people know what an apple tree is. [16:15] **Chair Cantola:** Yeah, good luck getting back into the forest garden to find it. [16:18] **Marge Sager:** Yeah, anyway, um, so that's just a little challenge just because of how we set it up originally, assuming people are going to stay on the path. But then there's a really interesting tree out there that we want to point out. [16:28] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** And there is an incorrect label there. Have there been some that have been incorrectly labeled or the label was missing? [16:34] **Mike Bender:** Well, High Bush Cranberry. They've got it as *Viburnum opulus*, which is European High Bush, and this is American, so it should be *Viburnum trilobum*. Like I told Marge, only somebody like me would notice that. [16:47] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** I will look into with the DNR about getting that corrected. I'm assuming they provide the signage for that? [16:53] **Mike Bender:** No, we did it all in-house here. [16:55] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Oh, you did? [16:56] **Mike Bender:** Yeah, the DNR approved the writing of what's on the label, but they didn't come and look at the tree. You know, we told them what the trees were. From the staff, you know, the crew went out and identified these trees. [17:08] **Marge Sager:** And I actually wrote the description, the DNR approved it, and then the QR code takes the visitors to a—I think it's a DNR Weebly site—that lists all these trees in much more description than what's on the label. Okay, so that's how it works. [17:25] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Okay. [17:26] **Marge Sager:** Um, yeah, I guess I could mention that Sally Manzere Nature Center, which is just on the road towards Lake Elmo—they're putting one in, but they're actually planting new trees along the guided path, so the trees will be like right adjacent to the path. So it might be a little easier to follow. And then they have a medicine man, a Native American man named Paul Red Elk, who teaches tree medicine classes there. So they're adding that twist in with their information. So that's another one to go investigate if you want on a nice day. [17:58] **Chair Cantola:** Okay, anything else? Any questions, comments? Okay, that's it. Thank you, Marge and Mike, for the work you put in on that. All right, on to 7B: New Business. We've got to talk about the Pete Graske Arbor Tree Giveaway. Now, I'd like to get started on that because last year it got, you know, because of complications, I don't think any of us knew what trees we were getting until we showed up at to give them away. I think Tim's got an update for us. [18:24] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** I do, yes. So I have already put in an order. I did quite a bit of research through different nurseries to see if there were any other options besides Bailey's. I found out that there really isn't; they provide almost every other nursery with all their stock. So I did order four trees, different species, just to kind of get ahead of it on the ball. They have an early bird order date, especially that pertains to containerized. We have one species in that that will be containerized: it's a White Pine. Then I ordered—and this is... I ordered 50 of each—then I ordered 50 Honeycrisp Apple, 50 River Birch, and 50 Japanese Lilac. [19:07] **Mike Bender:** Just a straight one or one of the cultivars? [19:09] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Nope, the straight. That order isn't necessarily set in stone. I just wanted to... after working with Amanda at Bailey's, I realized logistically you can run into issues. From what it sounded like from last year, they came very close to the due date when we needed them. So I want to kind of get on top of that. It's not, like I said, set in stone. If there's any tweaks to be made, I'm open to different options that you may come up with. [19:33] **Mike Bender:** I got a question about the River Birch. Was... is it going to be like a single stem selection? [19:39] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** It's a clump of three. [19:41] **Mike Bender:** Okay. Yeah, would you be open to a single stem selection instead of a clump of three? [19:45] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Yep. Okay, I can check back with her and make sure. I'm assuming that they would carry both. So with these four species, also, these are also all local pickup. So we're avoiding the shipping cost and the logistics of getting them shipped here from their nursery in Oregon, sure, which was a substantial amount of money. We're saving on the shipping cost, and I just think it'll avoid an extra headache that week if our staff can pick them up locally from Woodbury and their Newport location, I believe, for all four species. [20:15] **Chair Cantola:** Sure. Yeah, certainly not opposed to that. I just would rather see a single stem rather than a clump, just for longevity purposes for those trees, rather than giving people a tree that's prone to falling apart. Worth...? Yep. Mike, I know you got opinions. I'd love to hear them. [20:30] **Mike Bender:** No, that's fine. I mean, I just wanted to make sure that we got... yeah, because typically at Bailey's you need to get your order in by August. Because then when they get all the orders in and then when they go through their inventory in the wintertime, then they can fulfill them. And if a lot of the people who get their orders in early do get what they want. [20:48] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** She... Amanda had notified me, I have had multiple conversations, and she said it was September 15th. [20:54] **Mike Bender:** Cool, maybe it changed. And I do know that your salesperson, Paul Hassink, would like to meet you too. [20:59] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Oh, Amanda is his helper? Yes, I believe I've spoke with him actually. He was the one who did the final invoice because she was out of the office when I had called her. [21:08] **Mike Bender:** What size White Pines did you order? [21:10] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Those were, I believe, the number five containerized. [21:13] **Chair Cantola:** Holy... yes! Okay. I just am imagining people with their two-door Honda Civics trying to go home with a containerized White Pine. [21:22] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Not any worse than those Buckeyes last year. Those 2-inch diameter Buckeyes—those were insane. [21:27] **Chair Cantola:** Yeah. Yeah, no, I like that selection. No crabapples—I'm happy to see that. Yeah, any other questions or comments on selection? Anything else to do with the tree giveaway? [21:40] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** We... I have one more thing to add to that. There has also been discussion about possibly moving it to the North Fire Station, for an indoor event situation, yes, utilizing one of their bays just in case weather were to cause any issues. And that is still in discussion. [21:58] **Chair Cantola:** Okay, yeah, I'd support that. That'd be cool, way closer to my house. [22:02] **Mike Bender:** Me too. We're good with that. [22:04] **Chair Cantola:** Awesome, well keep us posted on that because that'd be really cool. All right, let's talk 2025 work plan then. Looks like we've got our 2024 work plan for reference back here. Um, are you guys just looking for us to, like, recommend moving forward with a slightly modified version of this work plan? [22:18] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Yes. Okay, and if there was anything else you'd like to add. [22:21] **Marge Sager:** I guess I'd have one comment on the increased public communication related to our events. I'm not sure they've all been in, like, the Oakdale Update this year—this past year. And I don't know, I remember talking to the Mayor about... maybe it was our tree planting that wasn't listed in there, and that was always open to the community. But if it's not... I know everybody's going online, but not everybody's going online. We still read that. You know, I have both and I still look at things in that book, that Oakdale Update book. So I'd just like to remind us and the staff that we should get those—whatever has to happen to get it in on a deadline for printing—because... and I know social media is going to be a lot faster, but I'd like to see that happen this year. I think we were short volunteers. We still got the work done with some teenagers that were there to help, but it's always nice to see, you know, we've had parents with kids come and really make it a community-wide event. So just my two cents. [23:25] **Chair Cantola:** Okay, yeah, I like our three events that we do are super fun. I hope we could keep doing those as long as the city's got an appetite for it. Um, are you looking for us to maybe come back to the next meeting with recommendations or like an approval, or like, what would the timeline be that you guys are looking for from us on this? [23:45] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Yeah, I think next meeting if there was any additions or any other thoughts on it, or just an approval of what we currently have. So there will be a discussion with the Council, too, before you guys do your final approval. So yeah, if you can bring your ideas and any suggested changes to the January meeting. It won't be approved before you have that discussion with the Council. [24:08] **Chair Cantola:** Lovely, we will do that. Okay, I'll make sure I write it down so I do it this time. [24:14] **Marge Sager:** Do I have... I just have a question. Since this was our first year, I think, having the work... a work plan... so this is like the goal of next year. But then when we do things like the Tree Track or anything else like that, that's something that happens after this is created. So do we ever have to capture that, or our minutes are adequate for that? [24:35] **Christina Volkers (City Administrator):** Mr. Chair, Tree Board, Chris Volker, City Administrator. Great question. I want to clarify a couple of things. Sarah's right that the next meeting you'll talk about it, although we haven't set the Council workshops yet. So however that works, you might have the Council discussion before or might be even at that meeting, actually. Then you'll come back and approve your work plan after the feedback from the Council. Okay. Just so you have a little time. This is great that they're getting this to you early, that you're the first ones, the first commission. So if you do have more ideas, I encourage you to let Tim know about what else. My caution, though, is the staff cannot take work direction from the Tree Board—that does have to go through Council and me, because I'm the only one that can give them that work direction. So if you're creating new events like that Tree Track, that hasn't been blessed by the Council yet. So it's not a permanent thing. But it can be. So I encourage you to put it on the work plan. That answers your question: let the Council... or have that discussion with the Council, see if the Council wants to take it on as a city event, and then they'll ask about the workload and stuff, and staff will reply, and that's kind of how it goes. So the more communication the better, I think, is what I'm encouraging. [26:00] **Marge Sager:** Okay, thanks. [26:01] **Chair Cantola:** Thank you. Thank you, Chris. Okay, cool. So everybody put some time into thoughts on our work plan for 2025 and we will discuss it with Council when we see them in probably January, likely. Yeah. [26:15] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Okay. [26:16] **Chair Cantola:** Excellent, we can do that. Okay, um, we're on to the second number six on your agenda. Other...? [26:22] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** The dangers of cut and paste. [26:24] **Chair Cantola:** Yeah, all right. We can make that an eight, but it was funny the other way. Um, yeah, Staff Liaison updates? [26:31] **Tim (Staff Liaison):** Yeah, so we have a few updates here. Our crews, all departments of the Public Works, have been extremely busy with all sorts of different tree issues just with storm damage. The amount of rain we've had, every tree has soaked up that much more weight this season. And also EAB has kept us very busy. In between those few storms since I've been here—I've only been here a brief amount of time—but we've been very busy and we've had numerous occasions where all departments, Streets and Utilities, are sending crews out to help us out with that. We, however—in saying that—when we do get the opportunity, there are also issues that I would like to kind of per se tackle. One being the Discovery Center parking lot there... you can all... sure, I'm sure you know, there's an issue with Oak Wilt and Two-lined Chestnut Borer out there. So those are some things. And our own parks that still have... they have low priority stumps. A lot of the EAB trees have been removed out of the parks, but the priority on the stump grinding right now falls towards the residents and the boulevards. We're trying to take care of those. With that, we also... with the more and more utilities that are in the ground, you want to take on as much of that as possible. When you call in locates for those utilities, that is a two-week window you get on that locate. And so far, the seven that I've had ground out, our crews... we've had to locate multiple utilities on each one. So it's not as fast as you... a lot of residents think you know, just come up, "I need you to come out and grind our stumps." So we are trying to tackle those ones and then move on to the parks when we kind of get more time to do so. But like I said, the Discovery Center parking lot there, I'd like to... I have multiple trees marked right now just for when the leaves do fall, that will be removed. Yeah, and then another one: Buckthorn curbside pickup starts next Tuesday, the 24th, is the first one. We already have waivers that have been coming into us, people signing up for it. And then the next date—we have three different dates for that—the next one is October 8th and October 22nd. And the guidelines are on the city website for what the residents need to do, and on the waiver as well. The Citywide cleanup is this Saturday, September 21st, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Public Works facility. And then the Willowbrook Commons grand opening, the new park up there, is on Saturday, October 12th from 1:00 to 3:00, open to all residents. And the Tanner Lake Park concepts are live on the park system plan. This survey will close on September 30th, so in a couple weeks here. That's all I have for updates. [29:35] **Chair Cantola:** Excellent, thank you. Good question? [29:38] **Board Member (Off-camera):** Yeah, I may have missed it earlier because I was otherwise occupied, but there's an event coming up on the 28th in the Discovery Center about Buckthorn. Did you guys talk about that earlier? [29:48] **Marge Sager:** Yes. [29:49] **Board Member (Off-camera):** Okay, then I won't interrupt. [29:50] **Marge Sager:** And you're invited! [29:51] **Board Member (Off-camera):** I'm hoping to come so that I can learn how to identify buckthorn... finally. [29:55] **Marge Sager:** I'll be looking for you. Yeah. [29:57] **Chair Cantola:** Okay, um, well thank you for the updates. Um, board members, does anybody have any updates that we haven't... we've been kind of updating as we go. Did anybody else watch that University of Massachusetts...? [30:08] **Mike Bender:** Not me. [30:09] **Chair Cantola:** Was it good? [30:10] **Mike Bender:** You didn't... you didn't miss anything. This was... this was the most boring one I've ever listened to. It was saying something. It was geared mostly for management. [30:18] **Chair Cantola:** Oh, send it to Tim. [30:20] **Mike Bender:** It was an hour, hour something long, and I... I was going, "Why am I even here?" This is... there's nothing. The only thing I learned about, where I was kind of surprised about, was the amount of Norway Maples that they still have in the upper East Coast, because I've heard for years that they were banned up there. So... because they don't want them to take over the Sugar Maples, which is their main crop up there. But I was... I was surprised that they said that that's still one of the predominant trees on the East Coast. But other than that, I mean, if you've got your Board Certified Master Arborist, those management credits are hard to come by for your continuing education, so yeah. That may have been the goal. But there's another one, I think, on October 8th. [31:05] **Chair Cantola:** I mean, you sold that last one so well. [31:08] **Mike Bender:** No, I sold the first one so well because the first one was interesting. [31:11] **Chair Cantola:** Well, thanks for keeping an eye out for us. Thank you, yeah. Our education continuing credits. Nope, I think no other updates. All right. Council Liaison, what do you have for us? [31:22] **Council Liaison:** Well, good evening. And Tim took all of my updates, but I will tell you this: I was... today I went to the dermatologist for my annual skin cancer check. Skin cancer... Minnesota is the third highest skin cancer rates in the country. So I just want to encourage all you to get your cancer checks. [31:42] **Chair Cantola:** Sunscreen! [31:43] **Council Liaison:** And sunscreen, thank you. Yep. And happy to answer any questions if you have any. [31:48] **Chair Cantola:** No? Any questions for our council person? Okay, thank you. Thank you for coming out. Short and sweet. You're cooking. Well, that is everything on our agenda. Does anybody have anything else before I seek a motion to adjourn? [32:02] **Mike Bender:** I move to adjourn. [32:03] **Marge Sager:** Second. [32:04] **Chair Cantola:** All in favor? [32:05] **Group:** Aye. [32:06] **Chair Cantola:** All opposed? We will adjourn. Thanks. I think we're going to have a little meet and greet.