Galesburg Reporter

City of Galesburg Tree Commission met Nov. 13.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

Meeting Called to Order: Meeting was called to order at 4:05 p.m. by Pat Trant in absence of Ann Pennington.

Attendance: Members Present: Jane Easterly, Bill Sime, Dan Thompson, Pat Trant City of Galesburg: Elizabeth Varner, Director of Parks and Recreation

Absent: Don Miles -Superintendent of Parks , Ann Pennington

Minutes: 

The minutes of the October 2023 meeting were approved with motions from Jane Easterly and Dan Thompson.

Forestry Report: 

A Forestry report was provided for October 2023. Elizabeth Varner, Director of Parks and Recreation provided an overview. It is hard to determine the number of trees planted if the report is missing Project 350 trees. Elizabeth will ask to add a line for Project 350 on future reports. There were recently 12 planted at Dale Kelley Tot Lot, 9 at the Galesburg Public Library and 5 at Prairie and Tompkins. Pat inquired about our new Forestry staff, Bryce Harter. He would still be interested in adding an Arborist.

Old Business: 

Jane Easterly stated the Galesburg Public Library is schedule to plant an Arbor Day tree.

New Business: 

Pat Trant asked about the gazebo at Standish Park and wanted to know if the Tree Commission had any say. Elizabeth explained that their opinion is always wanted. Pat assumed a gazebo would be replacing the old one. Bill Sime thinks Knox College assisted with the Gazebo in the past. He thought it came from the Advancement Office. Elizabeth stated that she would be talking with Knox College about possibilities. Jane Easterly told the Commissioners about the solar benches the library is getting. It will include phone chargers. (Archasol.com) This was very interesting.

Jane Easterly provided information on the namesake of Standish Park. It was founded by Dr. John Van Ness Standish, a direct descendent of Captain Miles Standish of the Mayflower Colony, in 1873. He was a horticulture specialist at Knox College and oversaw the planting of 122 trees and 115 shrubs. He also was involved with the establishment of the Galesburg Horticultural Society in 1873 and the Park Commission Board in 1876.

Additional Comments: Commissioners asked if Tom Simkins can attend the December meeting to provide a year-end report. Elizabeth will contact him. Elizabeth asked about meeting in December and it was agreed to meet. Pat suggested that Commissioners discuss meeting in January 2024. There was some discussion on migratory birds.

Meeting Adjourned: The meeting was adjourned at 4:38 p.m.

https://cms7files.revize.com/galesburg/Document_Center/Agendas%20and%20Minutes/Tree/2023/Tree%20Commission%20Meeting%20Minutes%20111323.pdf