Galesburg Reporter

City of Galesburg Tree Commission met April 6.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Meeting Called to Order: Meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Ann Pennington

Attendance: Members Present:

Jane Easterly, Ann Pennington, Dan Thompson, Bill Sime, Pat Trant,

City of Galesburg:

Larry Cox, Alderman

Don Miles, Superintendent of Parks

Absent:

Larry Cox, Alderman

Guest:

Robert and Lea Cain

Minutes:

Minutes of the March 2023 meeting were approved with motions from Jane Easterly and Bill Sime.

Forestry Report:

Don Miles provided copies of the Forestry report for commissioners to review. It was noted that Pickard Road Oversized Brush site opened on March 17, 2023. The days of operation are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8:30 am to 4:30 p.m. There were twenty-six loads of brush hauled by City Divisions, with 35 loads of brush dumped. The Emerald Ash Bore Trees are close to being removed. Forestry has been treating some; while some have died, and others have flourished. Forestry is treating around 40-50 trees total.

Old Business:

Updates were provided on the tree tags for Standish Park. It should take about six weeks to hear back from the company. Proof will be provided for final approval. Thank you to Dan Thompson and Bill Sime for the generous donation of tree tags to make this possible. Tree tag information was once again reviewed.

Elizabeth Varner has given the Champion Tree form to City Clerk, Ms. Kelli Benewitz to have added to the city website. She will check the status of the form. It was suggested to have more spaces on the paper copy to make filling it in easier.

Ann Pennington found out Knox College’s group is known as Tree Campus of Higher Education. She will ask the Mayor about this groups involvement.

New Business:

Elizabeth provided an update on the Arbor Day tree planting and an invitation for the Tree Commission to be present. The tree planting is to be April 28, 2023 at Steele School. She has Steve Davis attending to capture a picture. Don Miles is taking care of the locates and getting the tree on site. Pat asked that the picture be sent to the Burg.

Tree City USA® and the Tree Growth Awards have been sent to the City of Galesburg. This is the 23rd year as Tree City USA and the 6th time receiving the Tree Growth Award. Don will check on updating the street sign entrances.

Earth Day is on April 22, 2023 and there will be tree plantings with Project 350 in the morning and a special tree planting at 1:00 p.m. at Kiwanis Park. There is also a clean up day at Kiwanis Park, led by United Way and the Kiwanis Club.

Additional Comments:

None

Citizen Comments: Robert and Lea Cain were present. They would like to get tree seedlings for two sections in the city tree farm. Don explained there is no location for seedlings.

Meeting Adjourned: 4:38 p.m. with motions from Jane Easterly and Bill Sime. Next Meeting: Monday, May 8, 2023.

https://cms7files.revize.com/galesburg/Document_Center/Agendas%20and%20Minutes/Tree/2023/Tree%20Commission%20Meeting%20Minutes%20041023.pdf