Environmental Commission - Regular Meeting

Meeting of the Tree Advisory Board for the City of Joliet, calling it to order. And I will do roll call. Karen Fonte? Here. Rita Runwick, I'm here. Betsy Satcher is absent. Mary Schoenheider, here. Jim Testin? Here. Ron Van Dyke is absent. And Eric Moon? Here. Our new member is here. So the first order of business is approval of minutes. We met last April 3.

That's kind of hard to believe, but that's how long ago we met. Those are always in fact, I did forward that, all the minutes, and the agenda packet to everybody. So hopefully you read the minutes. And are you doing Okay?

Oh, is that what you're Oh. Hear an echo. Okay.

That's weird. I'm not hearing it, but we're Okay anyway. All right. So are there any corrections or additions to those minutes of April 3? Hearing none, I'd ask for a motion to approve. I approve. Mary. No. Your motion?

Motion.

Okay. Is there a second?

Second.

Second, Jim? All in favor, aye. Aye. Opposed? Okay. And we do have a quorum. We've got five people here. Okay. Are there any citizens to be heard on agenda items? Seeing none, we will move on. First of all, we have a new board member joining us, Eric Moon. Eric, you want to tell us why you? What your interest is

in I really like trees. So this is a great opportunity. But Jane Bernard with the city reached out to me and asked me if I'd be interested in this. I live in Kappa now, our cathedral area now. Our neighborhood and a lot of other old neighborhoods have been ravaged by storms. And I'd like to see some more trees planted. Maybe we can put pressure on people that either donate trees or pay for trees to get them in people's hands again. Because I don't know what it's going to be like in fifty years when we're all gone and so are all the trees.

Right. So you will be fully immersed in everything that's going on with trees and the city. We're really happy to have you on board because you've got a lot of enthusiasm. We need that.

I'll bring shovels to the next meeting.

Oh, oh, woah. We haven't got our

hands dirty, though.

Oh. Yeah.

I mean, once a year. But maybe but we Maybe we will be now. The Arbor Day twenty twenty five seems like a long time ago. But I would ask for people's reflections on that. How do you think it went? Anything we need to change? We were at Edna Keith School. And this year, the city purchased the tree. Arbor Tech planted the tree. Willie Yeager, our former tree board member, made the bow again so the tree would stand out.

And we had I'm trying to remember what grade levels. Was it kindergarten? Just kindergarten, yeah. There were a lot of kids, though. We also ordered last year, through Schumacher's, I think, Public Works got, I asked for, we got 150 crabapple trees.

And those went about 100 to the school, and 50 went to the Spanish Center. And then 50 river birch went to Caton Crossing's HOA. They've been planting trees along their detention pond, which has been eroding. So I think they've planted cypress trees for a few years. And then this year, we got rid of birch for them.

And you know, so we had no problem getting trees, and they were distributed. And we had had seven fifty trees the year before because we thought we were we thought we were going to be doing the event that was out at Brown Farm. Oh, yeah. Blue Blue Stem Earth Festival, and they didn't do it. Yeah.

They didn't do it. So we had participated in some of those events in years past, we gave away hundreds of trees. But, you know, so we didn't get as many trees this year. So, you know, for next year, we we will need another school. And we should try to plan what we're gonna do.

If we weren't gonna do extra trees somewhere or what our efforts are gonna be because, really, those trees should be ordered by, like, November. Yeah. So you get You know, so we could get what we want. I mean, I I think we don't wanna make a lot of work for ourselves. Karen and I were giving them away at the Bicentennial Park Pavilion. The year before? That was the year before when we hit all those trees. So we will be having this is August. We will be having another meeting October. October, the first Thursday in October.

So by then, maybe we can be thinking about what we want to do. We can be thinking about schools. We used to go back and forth between the East Side and the Far West Side, schools that were maybe Troy schools, but they were in Joliet, or Plainfield schools, but they were in Joliet.

Yeah. And the last time, we just basically write the school district, but I'm I'm missing some schools then by doing that. Right?

Right. But we couldn't do like the

We couldn't do tell us what school wants. Right.

And, honestly, that's probably the best way to do it.

But I I gotta figure out who I'm missing.

I just Well, we could the district Do you have to the Troy District? Have we had one of them lately? Oh, we have. I mean, not within the last few years. Yeah. But we could just send a letter to we could send a letter to the Troy District and to the Plainfield District and just say for any schools that are in Joliet in their in their district, is there anyone? So it could go to could go to district eighty six and those two districts.

Well, I could do that. Send out a message. Because you go online on our website, it's really easy to just send a note. Sure. I can do that.

Alright. Karen, I've got you down for doing that. Yeah. And then we can Before October? Or That's probably kinda early, don't you think? I don't know. Maybe the the December meeting. Or do it after the October meeting because they'll be so busy with the beginning school Yeah. That that'll get lost, I think, in the mail. You know? They'll be getting they'll be inundated with business. So I think Alright. Okay. Till that maybe we can select in December or whatever. Sure. We'll know Yeah. Better who's you know, maybe we'll get a Shirley response. Bless you.

And This is just an idea I just had, so I haven't thought it through. But is there any way I don't have to Facebook. Facebook. So is there any way of finding out somebody whom I planted one of our trees, like, twenty years ago and could get a picture of it? That'd be a nice little press release. So I'm gonna

Do you know that I one year, the nuns who ran the Early Learning Center over next to behind well, it was it was a it's a women's shelter now. What was it? The oh, can't remember the name of that. It was an orphanage a long time ago. Guardian Angel Home. Yeah. So there was a

The University School of San Francis now.

Yes. Mhmm. Well, they had a preschool there, and my kids had gone there. And this is after my kids were long gone from there. But one of the nuns got hold of me and said, we'd like to help. We'd like to celebrate Arbor Day. Do you have any? And so they were just crabapple trees. And one of the nuns sent me a picture last year of one of the kids who is now, like, 25 or 30 years old next to a mature, blooming crabapple tree. And said it was one of our trees.

And do you still have that one? I've got it somewhere. Yeah. But, you know, also, some of the schools like, there's a there is a big tree in front of Thomas Jefferson that we stood there with Josh and Tina and, Before Hurricane. Yeah. And there's also a tree down at Bicentennial Park on the north side of the building along the water that we planted in memory of Mary Winter Rose, who was on our board. That tree is still there. So there are trees in schoolyards and mhmm. That are around. Yeah. That that's kind

of a neat idea. How many years are we you know, you were at the original tree board.

Right. What are we on? We well, we just were designated Tree City USA for the thirty fourth year. So see, my son will be 35 this year. So I know Yeah. Exactly when we when we started. We're on the board and and got the board started in '91. '91 was the first year. Okay. We kind of Don Fisher got us together in '90, some of us. It was everybody who was calling

the city. Thirty

Thirty years.

Next year, are

we thirty five? Mhmm.

We should do something special. Well, this year. Actually, this is our thirty fifth year. Oh. Because we would be designated a Tree City USA next year. If we get all the paperwork turned in and get approved, it would be we would celebrate the thirty fifth year when we are recognized for that, when we are awarded that in the spring of next year. And and that is for It's for this year. Mhmm. Right. So I believe, anyway, we can check the records.

I mean, it is a long time to be doing that. Any other any other reflections? I always think we could do more around Arbor Day. And maybe because we're doing this inventory grant, and we're supposed to be doing community outreach Oh, yeah. I had met with Ryan this Ryan Sweeney. I've met with him twice. Oh, here he is. Great. Ryan, would you sign in, please?

Yeah. Absolutely. I apologize for my tardiness.

No. That's okay. I'm sure it

was traffic.

Finding your way here.

Yeah. Parking was a little this is my first time here. So Oh, no. I should have known. I went to the Mhmm. To the North Side.

Okay. You have a choice of sitting with us or talking at the podium. We can't let you just stand there. Okay. Maybe

you prefer sitting. I don't know. Up to you.

Yeah. I think I'd probably prefer sitting if that's okay

with everyone.

Mean, any chair here.

Yeah. Come over by me.

So we were we were just completing our Arbor Day. Here's a copy of the agenda.

I'm Karen.

Oh, you should have a

very second.

Karen. I'm Karen Funky.

I'm Rita Renwick.

Eric Moon. Karen Tester.

Mary Sean Hager. Eric just started today.

Today's first day. Yeah.

So maybe you're not the

only newbie here. Great. Great. Well, you were on time, so I think you're you're you're beating me out as far as.

We were any

other business to talk about.

Right. We were just talking about next year's Arbor Day that we might be able to tie it in with one of the events related to the inventory grant. I mean, we're just thinking that. Because the inventory grant is the next thing on our agenda, which Perfect timing. So that's one thing to consider. So Ryan, I've spoken with twice and met with twice. And he is the community specialist with the Chicago Region Trees Initiative. And he's also the administrator of our inventory grant.

Right? That's correct. Yes.

So maybe you can tell us a little bit about I mean, I don't even know where to start. We do need to do some coordination.

Yeah. Absolutely. So the inventory grant requires so basically, that is underway, is is my understanding, and it has been completed for certain areas of Joliet. I'm working with Joe Nordmann to complete that inventory. As I'm sure many of you know, Great Lakes Urban Forestry, using their related entity, Graft Tree Care, been performing that inventory.

And then they will also be doing the urban forest management plan, so drafting that management plan, preparing that management plan. Part of that, large especially from CRTI's perspective, is community engagement. And previously, we had been working with Jim Typer, the city forester. And my understanding is that Jim has recently decided to seek another position with the city. So I I think we're kind of in a little bit of limbo there, but I think really coordinating with the tree advisory board and with Joe Nordmann to see if we can really step up our community engagement efforts over the next several months as the inventory is completed.

Typically, there is what we've seen with many of the vendors and how they like to do things, and I think that it's usually a good start, is to have a community meeting, a public meeting, to provide the results of the tree inventory so that we know where everybody stands. And usually, I'll provide a presentation on the bigger picture as far as Joliet's Canopy percentage compared to the entire county, compared to other municipalities around the region, and see exactly where we're at. Certainly, Joliet has challenges that other municipalities don't have, but that's kind of the bigger picture. And then the vendor, when they present on the results of the inventory, they typically provide a more granular look at Joliet's trees. So

So if we did an outreach, you would present something. And probably Greg Lakes would do grass tree care. I don't know. What do they go by?

Yeah. So I've been trying to untangle this. I'm relatively new to CRTI. I've been there about a year now. But my understanding is that Great Lakes spun off from Graf Tree Care, and I'm not sure if that means that Great Lakes is a subsidiary of Graf, but Graf does a lot of the on the ground work, like tree inventories, whereas Great Lakes will do more of the they will perform the drafting of the the management plan.

So they do a little bit more of the more administrative behind the scenes work, I I think. But I'm not really sure exactly how that works.

Right. But somebody from one of those entities would be present and do a presentation.

Yes. Yeah. And I have seen a lot of overlap between GRAPH and Great Lakes. So, you know, usually, there's somebody from both both Great Lakes and GRAPH who will show up, but it is the Great Lakes people who will be providing the presentation.

Right. And and

go ahead. What are we expecting from the public from that kind of a meeting?

Yeah. So from that kind of a meeting, we want to basically introduce, in addition to providing information about the inventory, we want to introduce the public engagement process. So community engagement will involve setting priorities for the urban forest management plan. So setting the goals that Joliet is going want to work toward, and then the methods that Joliet wants to use. Depending on the results of the inventory, if the inventory shows that there are significant there's only a majority of one species, for example, that will be a huge goal for Joliet, would be to diversify, to make sure that you're not going to be susceptible to pests and diseases.

So that's kind of sort of the one of the types of goals that we would want to be introducing to the public to make sure that people know these are the challenges that Joliet is facing. These are the options that you have on the table. And while the initial meeting, especially, will not be deciding what kind of options you're going to choose or what direction or or or goal you're seeking, it will open the conversation to say, this is the process for drafting the management plan, and we wanna get community input. This is your management plan. This is you know, we don't want this to be just a top down management plan that's drafted from the city itself because that's no way to get the long term engagement.

You know, we want to have long term engagement with residents who feel invested in the urban forest here in Joliet, who feel like they have a place and that they have a voice as far as Joliet's trees are concerned.

So I think the big challenge is figuring out how to like, where to have a meeting, how to get people there. We talked about, you know, if we did one toward fall, that we could maybe get small trees to get away, something like that. And I'm I'm confident, actually, I think. I mean, everything I asked for for Arbor Day, they ordered, and we were given that. So So I I don't think that would be a problem that, you know, if we want

people to show up. Yeah.

Can we can we have them come to the neighborhood meetings?

Well Somebody from the initiative? The thing is we wanna we have to figure out where to do like, probably we'll be doing, what, three meetings maybe?

I would recommend at least three. I mean, certainly, we could do more. And sometimes, you know, meetings, they may not be the most attended events of the year. You know, we've had some large communities that hold public engagement meetings and, you know, seven people show up. Yeah. But it's still it's still counts as a as public engagement. So, you know, the more the better, you know, certainly. So I

would say before the meeting, you get people to go to

the Oh, sure. Yeah.

We can

we can advertise it.

St. Pats. You know?

All those people.

All those neighborhood groups. And then, I mean, people people love going those people love going to meetings already.

Oh, yeah.

So if now there's another meeting they need to go to, then, you know, they might be able to get people.

Because because you are an officer in the Kappa. Yeah. Right? Yes. So the trick too is that this inventory and the actual some actual extra planting and pruning and so on is focused on the underserved parts of the city.

So, you know, we we kind of struggle sometimes to get those people to come. So, you know, trying to find a location where they would come to a meeting and be enticed somehow to be there, that is the tricky thing. I do think that we can work together and and accomplish all of this, really. I mean, we've done just even a tree educational tree walk, and we had quite a few, maybe 15

But we

were gonna, like, try to get a document

as a result of our Right. So this is

I mean, I've been to a million me I used to work in government. I've been to a million meetings. You remember I get you get the five stickers? You ever been to one of those kind of meetings?

No. The five stickers.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. You put it on your boards.

And you have, like, whatever how many options, and you tell the people, put the sticker by your favorite option. You know? There's all different techniques.

Yeah. Yeah.

So I didn't know what we're how we envision it.

Well, I have a question. When you said three meetings, do you mean three identical just at different times or a successive thing? A beginning? Yeah.

More of a successive thing. Yeah. And, certainly, you know, we can multiple of the same meeting if we feel like the first meeting didn't have the the type of reach that

we want. These meetings start?

So we would like to you know, I I I think that it is possible to do a meeting before the inventory is completed. And Great. You know, I'm I'm certainly available if we would just like to give more of the high level overview of of Joliet's Canopy. You know, I'd be happy to do that either, you know, maybe try and market or or or push Yeah. The future tree advisory board meeting to members of the public and see if we can you know, I'd be happy to give a presentation here at the next meeting.

Do the do the schools that we do the Arbor Day thing, do they or do we have relationships with all these schools?

Well, you mean to use their space?

Well, it'd be more like like

I I work at Elwood School.

We have a family reading night every fall, early fall. And there's other ones too. There's, like, steam night and other. There's, like, sports night. If we can get brochure like, a teacher could say, hey. This is your like, the principal can tell a teacher

you're pushing the tree deal to the you know?

I mean, those people live in the communities here and across city up at the city.

If we can get

is there

a brochure? What what is there

Well, we would need

to come

up with just a flyer.

A flyer.

A flyer. The people know.

That is an idea to use the school, but it would take

Somebody's just gonna do it in the school. Yeah.

You can't be everywhere.

But but doing a, you know, doing a public meeting I mean, I don't know where where people was gonna try the October. Pay some $9.99.

How do we do it?

We can come try to come here. I'm trying

to think of what

you know, Bicentennial Park is another

place. Library.

The library? The library? Yeah.

Yeah. The burn room. We were discussing some of the, I think, the the junior college public library Yeah. Forest Park Community Center.

Yeah. Think the one on his side, the Spanish Center? The Spanish Center.

The Spanish Center.

We were a little concerned because we think people are a little worried about coming to Oh, yes. Know, a public place. Mhmm. Yes. Oh, yeah.

Library's got security.

Okay. You can And there's construction too downtown. So Is

there anything can be counted as public input that's online where people could

Survey.

Look at something on the website, comment Mhmm. To save people.

You don't do that.

We're a new age. I don't know how to do it. But

Ah, somebody would.

Yeah. Somebody would.

Would that

count for it somewhere in public input?

So the minimum standard, I believe, in the grants I can pull it up here specifically, but I believe it's two public meetings is required. Most of our larger communities are face to face. You know, most of our larger communities are doing more public meetings. But certainly, you know, we would really suggest that if you have, you know, online connections in terms of social media or if you have a newsletter or listserv that you, you know, can, you know, blast information out to, I think that all of that helpful.

It can

be very helpful.

But trying to do it in person,

I think, would be

you know? But, of course, like, we meet from three people schedule. Yeah. We meet at 03:30, and so nobody can I mean, not many people would be able to make three thirty? But a lot of people go to Bicentennial Park. I mean, that is on this side of the river, but it is still I think those areas are included in the underserved portion of the city. I know that the area South Of Jefferson, all that area, is, I think, in that.

Otherwise You said the meetings are only at seven at one. But what else have you learned from these other communities doing this?

Yeah. I think that there has been a lot of collaboration between different public entities. So the schools, public libraries, know, they'll there will be a a public library event that there's a booth that's set up for you know, by the tree advisory board or, you know, there may be a presence from the public works department itself that is, you know, come ask us about the the tree inventory so you can kinda tag along with some larger events. That's what I've seen most from the communities that are doing engagement outside of just direct public meetings.

Right. And the interesting thing is that when we applied for this grant, the junior college has a horticulture program. And those people were very interested in helping out. They said, oh, we can have our students come and talk about the benefits of trees. And, you know, they can talk about their hort program, that kind of thing. I mean, we could we could include that.

I think if you're tied to doing something else, maybe you would

Although people. Although we talked about this at the other meeting that, really, for the grant, you need to have, like it shouldn't be just, like, a little table at some other event.

Kinda like the ones for the downtown square. Right?

Right. Yeah.

It's gotta be like that. And they just had one for the bridge. Like, Ida had one for all the people affected by the new I-eighty bridge over the Des Plaines River. Oh. That was a big that was a big open house type thing. You know, is that well attended? I have no idea. Leader. Yeah. They had food. They had Yeah. You know? I don't know how many people went.

There's a lot of these things.

I know. Oh, yeah. Food.

And and that's something that also, like, I would be happy to come out and just, you know, table it myself, and if anyone would would like to join me. Are is there, like, an events calendar or a list of events kind of throughout Joliet that,

you

know, that that I can show up to.

We do have a new new community events person that was hired, and I did get you the media communication director's card. She's on vacation right now. Although I was told, oh, you can get in touch with her. She brought both of her laptops with her. And I'm like, who's in Florida? No. Don't do that. But but, yeah, I think we just need to decide.

I mean, we We can try to get these people so they know that this is happening at the neighbor groups. Oh, yeah. Those things first.

We can we can get communication.

Whenever this is gonna be planned. Sure. Whenever the meetings start the official meetings.

When do you think we're what time of year are we talking about these meetings? Because our meeting our meeting is until next

October. Well, in October. We could have to have a sub interim

committee meeting or something

like that. Right. And I have to figure out how committee the committee works.

Yeah.

Because you can do that. Yeah. I think we have to get public notice for a committee meeting that is not a quorum. I don't know. Do you people know any

of the

rules? I'll have to figure.

I didn't take the thing yet. I said I had nine days to take

the public

The open meetings act? The open meetings. The open meeting. Meeting.

Is quite lengthy.

I think if it's a if it's a majority of a quorum, that needs to to be noticed. So whatever it is, it's a five member.

No. It's a seven member. Seven member quorum. Yeah. So a quorum is four. And if you have three, you'd have to have public notice. If you have two people, I guess but I would check with the city clerk's office on that. Yeah.

I'll also send that

pass that down. Are you the one that comes to speak at events? Because, you I mean, I don't want you to waste your time.

Yeah. Yeah. I I I I can speak at events, present on the benefits of trees, and then so provide a general presentation, which, you know, unfortunately, lot of people don't know benefits of trees, you know, what trees do for for their communities. And then also more Joliet specific information. But also what we're seeing with a lot of communities, and I've received a lot of interest in this, is a presentation on trees below ground. So roots and how they interact with sewer systems and foundations and things like that. Can we meet each other? Yes. Yes. My grass.

So fart.

Yeah. The networks.

So we should very

You know? I, yeah, I think we should try to plan something for do you think October is too late? It's August. Or do you do you think we should try for sooner than that?

I had to be done this year? We're gonna grant.

Like, we should start.

Rules for the

Yeah. So that's something that I have I have been I've had some communications with with Joe. I think my communications with Jim were being you know, they they were pretty fruitful already. Unfortunately, he's no longer going to be an official part of the part of the project if the transfer goes through. That's my understanding.

But I I have tried to obtain a little bit more information from the official channels that I have, and it has been a little bit difficult to get information. So right now, that's kind of my next step is to maybe be a little bit more assertive about, you know, we do hold the purse strings at CRTI, and, you know, that means that if the community engagement, if if we don't get the cooperation that we're seeing and some of the cooperation that I really need to see right now is I need the contract. I need the procurement request. So And you

don't have those yet?

I don't

have those yet. So that's something that you know, we've kind of been in communication about that over the last several months, but it's

We've been

through that stuff.

That's that's I've been told that that that is something that I need to watch out for.

So, you know, we I mean, I the answer, I think, is that we do need to have a meeting sometime this fall. I mean, I I feel like we must wanna get that far. Just to under our Like, the value of trees, whatever, something about the inventory that's going on and start getting people aware of it.

If he talks about the tree benefits, does that come towards our education for that other

thing you do, the tree city? Probably. I I have to I have to look and see.

Because we're supposed to do a certain amount of education.

Sure. I mean, I'm comfortable. Yeah.

We work you know, we certainly work with Tree City USA and Arbor Day Foundation and their requirements, and we help communities meet those requirements. Yeah. And I don't think that that would count as you know, the thing that we have to watch out for is if there is any overlapping grants funding,

you know, making sure

that it's not double dipping. Sure. You know, we can certainly it's part of my job description to provide education regardless of how how I'm doing it. You know, we we're certainly not funded to you know, nobody's paying me to go out and give these presentations separate from my normal role.

So Yeah. So, I mean, we we could try to I mean, this does have screens. It has the technology to be able to show the public. You know? I mean, I I I think it would be worthwhile trying to find a date and just do it here in an evening. Right? Mhmm. Like

Yep. Early

early evening. Yeah. Right. So why don't we just pursue that

Yeah.

For our first meeting, and then we can see what kind of turnout we get. We could, you know, we could try somewhere else after that, or we could do some smaller contact, you know, with with the neighborhoods?

Obviously, we'd have to get people to come to the the real thing. We have dates set. Yeah. And then

you go out

to the neighborhood and say, hey. On October 7.

Oh, yes. Right. A lot. I agree with you.

Advertise. Advertise. Sure. Sure. We

get up to all of the neighborhoods. The neighborhood. Yeah. Ageways. And the neighborhood councils, like, Betsy is part of the east side neighborhood council.

Forest Park has a neighborhood council. And those are in those areas where we want The area. We want input from them especially about what they what they perceive as their needs as far as what are their concerns? I mean, I think it's interesting to talk to people who may have a different viewpoint than than we do. And it's like, they're most concerned about dead trees just sitting there and, you know, that kind of thing and pruning because the trees are overhanging, that kind of thing.

But then we do want to reach them and talk about the benefits of having new trees and what it means, you know, to pull the streets and so on.

Yeah. One good example, too, that we've seen with and it depends on, you know, what the canopy data is showing and what the species data is showing. But for Cicero, Tom Cicero, that they recently completed their tree inventory. It shows that they are the red maple capital of the world. It's something like 90% red maple. It's something crazy. So diversity is important. But given their the percentage canopy from the most recent LIDAR surveys, it's showing that they had only 12% canopy, which compared to the rest of Cook County was at 28% canopy. So

We were we were 13 last lunar Yeah.

And so that that would be something that typically with a community, and I've spoken with people at at Great Lakes. I've spoken with people at Davie about what your expectation would be for a normal cyclical pruning schedule. And they told me that 10% trees needing to be pruned yearly is a that's a reasonable number to have. Cicero had less than 10% that required priority pruning. But given the fact that they have such low percentage canopy, we decided that this is a high priority.

We need to take care of these trees and get them pruned right away. So that's something that we were able to work both into negotiating the grant and modifying the budget so that we can get the priority pruning taken care of. We're still working through that. But then that's also something that's going to be very important for them, for their community to set as a goal. You know, we need to make sure that every tree that we've got, we're taking really good care of.

Right. Because our I think the plan we have right now, which also was done by Great Lakes, projected, like, a seven year cycle of pruning all the trees. We really once the inventory is done, least we'll know how many trees we have, how many planting spaces. And I I did see Jim did have numbers, or he didn't have numbers. He had addresses and things, but but no compilation of what it all meant, you know, from the underserved areas.

Because supposedly, they're done with all of that. Guess my concern is how do we make sure that they don't put together the urban forest management plan before we have input. Because I can see a lot of it is just you a lot of times, it's just kind of a rope type Yeah. Thing that's done. They plug in all the numbers and then See

what comes up.

Come up with the plan, but without public input.

Yeah. And that's that's really where I'm gonna be taking the lead on on that in terms of pumping the brakes and making sure that we are getting enough community engagement before the management plan is drafted. Typically, as far as the timeline is concerned, and that's where I need a little bit more of the specifics from Joe, is, you know, depending on how long the inventory takes to complete. It might be close to completion right now. But it could also be it it could also take until October for that to be completed depending on, yeah, really just the challenges that they've found going through the inventory, the prior timeline that they had agreed upon in the contract.

But typically, for our larger communities, we generally allow within the timeline about a year for the inventories from the initial draft of the procurement request through completion of the inventory. And then we generally we we do allow within our grant timeline for another year for drafting the management plan. But, typically, we're seeing that it only takes maybe six months at the at the outside. So that is something that within that process, you know, we wanna make sure that it's not gonna be three months, that it's not just gonna be pushed through. So, yeah, I'm gonna be working on that with with Joe.

And I did I did ask if they had an estimate on when it would be for the whole city would be complete, and it says the original schedule is for completion at the end of the calendar year.

Oh, okay. Got it.

So and it says the consultant is on track to finish finish on that schedule. So and then they're working on the tree planting contract, which would go out for the fall season. To me, though, if you have that, you'd have to have all your management plan and everything together. I don't know. Maybe not. You would have an idea of how many trees you could project that you wanna plant each year for the next if it's a three year contract or five year contract, I guess. So

Yeah. And and what I have been seeing with some of the other community large communities that the large vendors have been doing the inventories is that while the initial grant timeline set, a year or yeah. About a year for a lot of them for the inventory. Once the inventory gets started, it's been a lot quicker than than I'd expected. So Rockford Park District, we were expecting them to be done by q two of of twenty twenty five. They were done by q one. They were done by basically mid February.

So,

yeah, it's just it's been a lot quicker than I've seen, but it does kinda stand. I

mean, it's I haven't seen have you seen anybody out of inventory? I haven't even. Well, mine was done in the initial. Yeah. But I I don't think they're gonna re would they redo? They did part of it. Yeah. They did some more years ago. The big order. Did. We had a grant, and they did. And then did they cross Midland and do yours or not? We are we were in that. In that too. They went all the way to Larkin. That's one about three. And they did a cathedral area. Yeah. But I don't know if they're redoing that or not.

Yeah. That's a good question.

I wonder. Well and

is it

the same people doing it? Yep. Yeah. Okay. Then maybe they won't. You know? Although stuff would have happened to those trees. Yeah. Yeah. A huge storm. The storm. See. Yeah. On the duration a couple years ago. Right. So okay. I I will try to work with somebody at the city to set up a meeting on an evening in October. How's that? And And they will do all the PR and all that. Right? Well, we just have to get them information. But they'll spread it. Sure. They will. You know, I'll work with, like, Rosemarie, she'll get it out on their website. We're trying to schedule. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Include me in on those conversations because set setting up that meeting, but then also if there are other public meetings for other, you know, other public entities around town that that Rosemaria is aware of. And she lets me know that we do have the ability to go out and you know, because some places, you know, I've gone out and said that we are available to table, and they've said, well, we're all booked up. We don't have any more space.

Oh, come on. Tell me to bring your own table.

Yeah. I'll bring my own table. I'll set up shop in the parking lot behind. People can come come talk to me. But, yeah, I am available to provide those sorts of presentations to maybe lead up to the larger meeting, especially if and I'll keep you aware, Rita, we've been chatting, so we can continue talking.

But I'd be happy to include anyone else on those communications as well. Once I get a little bit more of the specifics from Joe, we are going into our q three check ins coming up here, so scheduling that here shortly. So I I hope to within the next several weeks, I hope to have some more very specific details and very specific commitments.

So if we wanted to do you think a small tree giveaway would be good for October? Or what do you what do you perceive as something? Or just handouts on tree care or what are the involved? Multiple. It's hard

to know when trees what do you do with the trees? It's not not

you then you go to neighborhoods, HOAs. Yeah. Saying, Yeah. Would you like Uh-huh. I mean, they're not they're usually I I I just think even if they gave us, I don't know, many fully

A couple of years ago, we did a a tree planting event after one of our other events, and we had 10 trees that we purchased from the Will County.

Oh, Soil and Water Conservation District.

Yeah. Or the the the thing they do

at Isle Lache in Romeoville.

Oh. Plant sale.

Oh, yes. Yeah.

They I don't remember what the exact organization. We'll count

on something.

Of course. Whatever.

And we we got rid of those trees immediately. Right after we announced that we were we had 10 trees to

give away.

We received 30 requests

for trees.

And what size were they? Small. Small?

Small size trees. Like the ones so I got we went to an event at the Farnsworth House, and there was some white oak commission white oak tree commission there, and they gave me two white oak trees.

Mhmm.

They had two trays that ran off very quickly. So Mhmm. People want trees.

Right. Mhmm.

And and we also have trees available for giveaway usually as well. So, like, if there's an event where it would be separate, I'm on the community team at CRTI, but we also have a stewardship team that loves to get out and and Well, the make new connections.

The thing that those the reason those trees went so quick from Cat was because we told everybody that we'd plant them.

Oh, there you

go. So well, there you go.

Yeah. Pretty pretty attractive.

If notice if you use 10 I mean, it was

easy. It was really just slow.

Because it was little,

you know, mowing a little hole.

And they were in private on private property.

They were on

private property.

Yeah. Yeah.

And Mhmm. Which is

Right. Okay.

I mean yeah. Yeah.

Because there are rules against, you know, six inch stems or whatever. They're the rules are for planting trees in the parkway.

Oh, yeah.

Right. So Mhmm. Yeah. We focus on private property. Mhmm.

As far as private property is I think, like, 70% of all trees are located on private property. And so, I mean, that's where we really need people to understand the benefits of trees on their own properties. Know? I mean, you know, it's great in in the public know, right away, but it it would also be great if people understood, like, if you've got a space, you know, put a tree there.

Yeah. And that's I think that's something that I mean, I I said it probably the last three Arbor days when we've done our thing here that I thought it was something like 90% of trees are on private property. So it was encouraging people to plant trees. But I'm seeing more people cutting trees down because every time there's a storm or whatever, that's what you see on the news is trees falling.

Yeah.

Hitting cars And and all of I I said to my husband, oh, no. Here we go again.

Peter does it all.

They yeah. So okay. So we will we'll try to set something

great event that Ryan can go to is one of the concerts in the park. He's like, I don't know, 300 people there?

Oh, yeah. Excellent.

Let's see. There's one up this Friday. Yeah. Have this September.

Out of the day. Oh, man. Or Portion Park Fest. That's another big one. That's August 16.

That's really

There's gonna be, I don't know, thousands of people here. They're not all from Joliet, though.

Do you have a place where booths are?

Anywhere along the the route.

Touring is

touring Portrait Park Fest. Walk. People have bands on their front porches.

I don't bands on their front porches. Portrait Park. Yeah. Portrait Park Fest.

And that's in the area. Reservation Park is the concerts.

That's where everybody goes at the end of the night. They all gather at the park

after the September or is that August?

August 16.

That's this weekend. It's kinda

I think it's a little soon.

Yeah. Like, tons of commitments, but no follow throughs. Yeah.

That's this weekend. So maybe. Do you think we should involve the junior college at this point at the beginning?

Yeah. Why not?

Yeah. Maybe they'll have some so by October, I will get in touch with the people who are so anxiously communicating with me a year ago Oh, yeah. And saying, you know, can we how can we be involved? Because they well, they no. It was the it was the instructors. Oh, okay. Yeah. They signed on to the grant and said they would love to be part of it. So that would be good. Alright. We can work out the details more details later,

I think. Yeah.

One other thing too that I wanted to to mention, Karen, you mentioned the the the stickers. And and that would be something it's certainly as we get into the community engagement meetings and we're deciding priorities, things like that, certainly something to do in those meetings. But we could also you know, I'd be happy to set up, like, a survey on SurveyMonkey that can you know, at the meeting to say, anyone who wants to provide their input. And, you know, we can you know, I'm I'm not sure if you would get a whole lot of, you know, ballot box stuffing, if that would be a a worry. But you can, you know, you can see where the IP addresses are coming from.

But that would be something that we could certainly do to get follow-up. So you have the the input at the meeting itself, but then later on, you have the digital follow-up. Maybe it's easier for some people to maybe they couldn't make the meeting, but they still wanna provide their input. I'd be happy to set something like that up and host that.

Mhmm. I'm thinking our parking sometimes down here is a problem. But Bicentennial Park, I mean, that is really kind of a good place because people can park. Yeah. A lot of people can park there. And, I mean, it has a stage, which is is an amphitheater type seating. But maybe are in the city? Oh, yeah. They are sitting. Wanted to pay. Right? So maybe that would be better than here.

Inside too.

Well, the inside is where you wanna be. Yeah. Just thinking I want something there, and, you know, people just parked everywhere. Yeah. But it's easy walking to get in. And And there's

more trees there. There are

more trees. And there's our native plants.

Well, they look terrible.

How about Daryl's? Did you go down there? Well, some were

really good, but there's a lot of weeds.

Oh, yeah. We did very good. So I've been down here Good. Like, three hours so far.

Fourth of July took a peak, and I was like

It needs work. Yeah. So I I think Yeah. You think we pretty much covered? So then I'm thinking, alright. If we did something in October, for sure, we should do something around Arbor Day again. Yeah. And by then, I mean, do we wait that long? I don't know. Or we could do March.

Yeah. Yeah. March. You know, it's I know it's

April's very busy with all the Earth Day things. Yeah. It's almost

I I have had some communities do events kind of in the the doldrums of of winter, you know, deep, like, in in February. And and I think it's it's a little harder to envision what you know, that it's ever gonna be green again at those points. But, you know, that can maybe, you know, keep some inertia going, you know, if you get that started in the in the fall and then, you know, have another event, you know, maybe mid October. Well, guess if if yeah. October is the next tree advisory board meeting.

But then, yeah, January, February, March, those are always, you know, months where you can kinda keep the momentum going.

And so then what then say a third one would be at the very end of the grant the whole grant thing and the management plan or before you have the management plan?

We would want

it to be before we have the management plan or right about the time where we're working on the the final draft, where we've gotten community input. And the final meeting would be to be another educational meeting primarily, but also maybe fine tuning the last draft. It really kind of depends on how much prior engagement we've received, how much interest there is in sometimes there is dramatic amounts of interest. You're surprised at how much enthusiasm there is. And And that can sometimes be challenging for the city officials to manage all of that.

And so working through a process, it kind of depends on that's part of my job, is to make sure that that process, if it does get to be very enthusiastic and we do get a lot of interest, is that we are, making sure that all of that interest, all of that input is, gonna be organized and productive in a way that is going toward the final finished product. So it really just kinda depends.

Sure. Okay. Well, thanks so much for coming because otherwise, we would be just vlogging out. You know? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, I'm I'm happy to to be here. Thank you for the invitation. Yeah. Yeah. I'd to come to all future meetings.

Sure. Well, we have a question. Coming up in the next month or two, do you have any other community events that we could attend maybe to see what they're doing?

The next month or two, I'm trying to think right now.

Some of those communities you've mentioned. But you could give that to me,

and I

can Yeah. Yeah. I I can It help us.

Yeah. To see. Yeah. Yeah. Recently so recently, Cicero had one. Okay. But then they've also done other this past week, they they did two other meetings for one was a public meeting on their they got a grant from HUD for $96,000,000 to deal with stormwater infrastructure. Oh, no. They they flooding is a major problem that they deal with. And as kinda part of that, we kinda piggybacked on that.

They also had a back to school fest on Sunday. But I am pushing my contact there to engage in more public meetings. So we don't have one scheduled just yet. He's been a little preoccupied with the the HUD grant. So but we did have a a public meeting back in June.

I'm trying

to think I I can't think of any off the top of my head that we have specific do what they need

right now.

Yeah. Yeah. I'll let you know. Right now, Rockford Park District and Cicero have completed their inventories. So those are the only communities that we're really

working actively.

Pushing working actively with as far as the community engagement. Chicago Park District and City of Chicago, they already have pre existing community engagement set up. Chicago Park Districts with park advisory boards for each park. And then the city of Chicago has its urban forestry advisory board and tree equity working group. But those are still a ways away from getting their inventories completed, so we're still in initial stages of community engagement.

Well, I I will look for events here. And we can or people, if you see things, you can You can't burn him out. He's He's he's he's so so enthusiastic. Enthusiastic from Oh, you're the other side. Sounding

too nice. I've got a I yeah. I do have a vacuum right now as far as you

know, I'm I'm really

the time

of someone.

Yeah. Exactly. So

And and I'll look into I think maybe Vicentennial Park would be a better Venue. Choice venue for the for a meeting. Yeah. I I like it better. And I'll I'll look into trees, I'll I'll talk to you, Ryan, about what kind of trees you think. I mean, October, of course, is the big Mhmm. Bone month. Yeah. So we could kinda try to get trees for that, and that would be you could call it, you know, a combined. Bring that to people's attention.

Yeah. I think I don't know. If there's anything you well, I I do keep asking questions on our behalf of the city. If you can think of questions that we could also ask if you need information.

Yeah. One thing, actually, that I and we've discussed this a little bit, too is providing access, and my understanding is there aren't any and and correct me if I'm wrong. If there are other languages that are spoken other than English and Spanish, like, heavily in Joliet, but Spanish speaking, getting translation services for, you know, any flyers that are created. Oh, yes. We do have Spanish speakers at the Arboretum, and, you know, I'm trying to I would love to, on my on my off hours, start to learn Spanish myself.

I can understand it. I can't speak it that well. But in the meantime, you know, I'm trying to work and get people to come along with me to translate.

And and the Spanish Center, actually, you know, we've been working with them and getting them trees the last couple of years, and they they sounded like they could provide maybe something too.

Yeah. That would be excellent. That would be great.

So we can look at that. Okay. And the junior college, their their input. I think we're I think we're good on that. Anybody else have questions about

the Is growing contract?

Do we Well, growing update? All we know is they say they're going to come up with something by the end of the year, go out for bid somehow, and it will be done in house. I don't know what that means. Who will be prepared? By them. Well, somebody. So But there's no update. There's no update. That's the latest that I heard. Okay.

The other thing that I did that we can move on to just newer old business. I did get something from Open Lands, and they are they do have grant possibilities, which I thought, this guy is so interested in planting trees. Yeah. They they have grant opportunities to plant trees in neighborhoods. And you just I don't know what the paperwork involves.

But, you know, either we could do it through the city or I thought, you know, Forest Park Community Center now is the count or the township is doing that. They have the the community center in Forest. Yeah. And the lines go to Little County? Or they Oh, yeah. Yep. Okay. Yeah. They will. I mean, it's so we could look at that. I sent you all a copy of that, I think. I forwarded the insurance. Yeah. But maybe you should. And and I don't know if we really wanna do it right

now if

we don't have on our plate. But it sounds like they you could do grants for now or later. You know? I mean, I could try to find out from from them. I'm gonna be busy with this right now. Right. Yeah. But, you know, if we have and get people together in plants, you know, we could help facilitate it and not necessarily plan it all. Right. I mean, at one time, we did that CN grant. We planted trees at Forest Park Community Park. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Or it could be you know, whatever.

But but do read that and see what you think, and we can decide whether we wanna pursue that or not. Does anybody else have any other business?

Yeah. Just one other thing.

Mhmm.

I've been looking into the label pretty

Oh, yes. I was hoping. Talked about.

What what I've gotten a lot of information from the arboretum engineer, and one of the key things that I really like is also sent me a list. I guess there's there's groups that you do mapping for where the trees are so someone can get on the phone as well get a lot

more information. Like a QR code or something?

Or You can do QR codes, but also mapping itself. Oh. Literally showing where all the different trees are.

Oh, that would be great.

And so if you're walking in that area, you know what you're you're coming to. There's probably eight different softwares.

Yeah. Oh my gosh.

And I'm not sure if there's a recommend or whether we've ever done anything in the first place or whether there's a recommendation of one

Yeah.

In particular.

So one that we have been I believe it's Trees at Work through the US Forest Service, and I believe Davey assisted them on producing that map. But we also, at the Arboretum at CRTI, we've got a great data specialist, Lindsey Darling. She's amazing. She created canopy counts. So that's more of our so any planting that we do that our stewardship team does or any of our communities do, particularly communities that are through our stewardship team.

You know, we don't wanna push our own proprietary software on any communities themselves. But CanopyCounts, enter all that data, and you can see you can access all the trees that are available there. I think you can you can access that through a link on our website, but I think also you can just Google it, Canopy Counts, Morton Arboretum, CRTI. And you can enter your own trees.

So

other, tree mapping services like Trees at Work, that's not something that you can add trees to it. But Canopy Counts, you can say, hey, this tree is not marked on the list. Act I can add the species and the health, and here's a picture and all that stuff.

It's kinda like e instead of eBird, it's e tree or something. Okay. That sounds great because

My phone came with the psyche. He take a picture, and it told me what it is. It's not always a 100% accurate.

And we you know?

It's like, wow. Everybody's got that now.

We don't know what all of those are. Jim knows all the

names. No. That's what worries me is trying to get this wrapped up. Yeah. So pick his brain.

Yeah. I'm hoping we can I'm hoping. Because that was we the scalp created we had a greenway. Oh. And so it was somebody from my my son's scalp troop for an Eagle project. Label all the trees and, you know, that kind of thing. And then we the city put a big sign that said Broadway Greenway Arboretum. Well, now they've changed the name of the park to the Route 66 Oh, yeah. Park, but they do have a couple of really nice signs that say this area is an arboretum, and it's it's set up so that people can see what mature trees look like or different species of trees. But then we don't have all the trees ID.

So that's the missing part. They were not we we lost all the signs. Right? Well

some of them put

it in. Yeah. Scout they were on, like, a plastic base with a sign that we got, but then they were broken and mowed over. They were you know, that was a lot of years ago. Yeah. So when we went with Jim and did that educational walk, we used zip ties and, like, a plastic something that would print it up with the name of the tree, but that isn't really the greatest either. I mean, I don't know. No.

So, Gemma,

I'm glad you followed through. I thought, oh, it's in a minute.

So I

haven't checked with you,

but that's great. I like the online. They bring it up on their phone because it gets so much more information on the front looks like. Oh, yeah. Even if they're here the wintertime, they can see what your leaves look like. You know? And if there are parks.

Oh, yes. So there's

just so much more information.

Right. That would be great.

It's a good idea.

So but if you've got somebody that that has a specialist who's worked on these Yeah. I'd like to get in contact.

Okay. Yeah. I can absolutely I I think you got my card. If if you can send me a message, and then I will connect you with Lindsay. And that's something that I don't think that we have.

Like, now that you mentioned that, like, having more more data, like, I don't think Canopy Counts has like, if they could put a link to, you know, maybe the Arboretum's site for that particular species so that you can see, you know, what a mature tree will look like, what the fruits will look like. Right now, I think it's just information that's specific to that tree itself, like that particular one. But, yeah, if if we could incorporate something that includes, like, a link to, you know, more you know, this is the species itself or species in general, that'd

be cool. K. Yeah. I'll be happy. Yeah.

Thank you. That sounds good because there was something we needed to we need to do.

I know.

Finish it. So anything else? Anybody? Well, thank you all for coming. We will I'll ask for a motion to adjourn.

Motion.

Okay. Eric. And a second? Second. By Karen. All in favor, aye. Aye. Opposed?

We're good.