February 26, 2025

CITY OF BAYFIELD TREE BOARD MEETING MINUTES Thursday February 26, 2025 CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was convened by B. Cozzi, City Forester and Chairperson of the Tree Board at 5:03PM. MEMBERS PRESENT: Beth Cozzi, Jane Edwards, Sherman Edwards, Paul Delmain, James Kuzzy, Tad Paavola, and Jacob Geisler. MEMBERS EXCUSED: Kevon Dietel. GUESTS: None. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: The approval of the agenda was dispensed with. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: A motion was made by J. Edwards to approve the minutes of the meeting of January 29, 2025. P. Delmain seconded the motion. The motion carried. FINANCIAL REPORT: Current CY 2025 financial information is not available, nor is a final statement of CY 2024 expenditures. OLD BUSINESS: 1. The application for the City of Bayfield for continued designation as a Tree City will be completed by the City Forester. 2. The city’s designation for the Tree Growth Award is also being pursued. In and of themselves these designations may be primarily honorary in nature, but they are taken into account by grantors when evaluating grant applications and awarding grant funding. 3. B. Cozzi, P. Delmain, and J. Geisler met with Joel Weber, the director of the Public Works Department, to discuss the proposed street and utility construction on Manypenny Avenue between 9th Street and the city limits. The concern of the members of the Tree Board was the planned removal of 12 or more trees. The project has been under consideration for a number of years. The final design had been approved and the contract was finalized last fall. Particulars of the project cannot be revisited and/or modified at this time. Manypenny Avenue will be widened in this area, but the city was able to obtain a variance from the state so that the final width will be narrower than state mandates for city streets. This reduced the number of trees that would have otherwise been slated for removal. Construction is to begin June 1st with an estimated 60-day timeframe. The project must be completed by Apple Fest of this year. Mr. Weber is quite new to his current position. He assured the members of the Tree Board that in the future he would engage with the City Forester and the members of the Tree Board whenever the Department of Public Works is contemplating the removal of trees in construction and other projects of the department. Planting replacement trees in the construction area is tentatively slated for later this fall once all construction has been completed. The Tree Board will take responsibility for the selection and planting of the replacement trees in consultation with the residents who had been directly impacted by the construction. 4. The tree trimming work detail previously scheduled for February 22nd was cancelled. 5. The Board was informed of work being done on the Gil Larsen Trail located in the Big Ravine north of the intersection of Washington Avenue and Broad Street. This activity is being undertaken by the Bayfield Area Trails and the City of Bayfield Department of Public Works. (Additional information can be found on the organization’s website: Hike Bayfield | Bayfield Area Trails) NEW BUSINESS: 1. There was a general discussion of available forestry grants. The city forester will coordinate an effort to draft and submit a grant application later this calendar year. 2. A work detail for the members of the Tree Board has been scheduled for Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 9:00AM, weather permitting. Folks will meet at the Fire Hall. The focus will be on trimming and pruning. April 5, 2025 has been selected as an alternate date. 3. The 2025 Arbor Day celebration will involve the Bayfield School 4th grade students in a tree planting project. The preferred activity would be to plant several trees. A general discussion followed. The City of Bayfield swimming beach area (Halvor Reiten Park) was suggested as a possible site. If this project is pursued, it would be advisable to communicate and coordinate planning with the City of Bayfield Parks and Recreation Committee and the condominium association of Reiten Boatyard Condominiums. FOLLOW-UP MEETING: The next meeting of the Tree Board is scheduled for Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 5:00PM at the City Firehall. ADJOURNMENT: A motion for adjournment was made by T. Paavola and seconded by J. Edwards. The motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 5:39PM. Respectfully Submitted, Jacob Geisler