HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-02-18 YTB MinutesCity of Yakima Tree City USA Board of Advisors
Meeting Minutes of April 2, 2018
YTCUSA Members Present: Lance Forsee, Jheri Ketcham, Jim Hertel, Chip Rognlie
Absent and Excused: Daniel Layton
City Staff: Eric Crowell (Associate Planner)
Introduction and Welcome
Jheri Ketcham convened the monthly meeting of the Yakima Tree City USA (YTCUSA) Board at
City Hall in the City Council Chambers, 129 N. 2nd Street, Yakima, Washington.
Approval of the Meeting Minutes from March 5, 2018
Lance made the motion to approve the previous meeting's minutes with one minor correction,
and Chip seconded the motion.
Arbor Day Proclamation—Arbor Day Festival
Associate Planner Eric Crowell believes that the Arboretum needs to submit the proclamation in
order to satisfy the Tree City USA requirements that an Arbor Day celebration be held every year,
and the proclamation would make it official. Eric will check with the City Clerk to figure out how
to set up the proclamation.
Jheri showed the Board the new Tree City USA flag that the City of Yakima had received, along
with a "2 Years' sticker and a plaque. It was suggested that Mayor Coffey could be invited to the
Arbor Festival to accept the new plaque; Eric will look into this.
Jheri noted that the Arbor Festival will include 30 to 40 stations, and the theme this year is "Be a
Tree Champion." The Board decided to skip on having a City booth this year when there will
probably be more content to show the public next year, especially regarding the tree inventory.
Street Tree Inventory
Chip has inventoried approximately a total of 4,200 trees. March was his best month, as he
counted a total of 245 trees. Jheri would like the Board to set goals with the tree inventory results.
Eric said he could probably get a spreadsheet from Tom regarding the current mapping results
so the data can be analyzed.
Staff Report—Chip Rognlie
Chip reported that there is a new Randall Park pathway. He has appreciated the care people have
taken when performing work around trees. He has been raising the tree canopies up to four feet
at Franklin Park as there have been reports of people living in them.
Chip noted that there are 2,300 trees in the parks, but only two Japanese Maples in the entire park
system.
For the Good of the Order
The Southwest Rotary has $2,500 it wants to use for planting 50 trees in April. They might be up
to five feet tali when planted, though the Board personally felt that 25 trees might be more doable.
It was noted that it might be a good idea to create a list for areas that are in need of street trees.
Adjournment
Chip made the motion to adjourn the meeting and Lance seconded. The next YTCUSA Board of
Advisors meeting will be held on June 4, 2018 at 5:00 pm in the City Council Chambers.