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Menomonie Urban Forestry Board Minutes Wednesday, March 18, 2026 @ 1:00pm – Council Chambers 1st Floor - City Hall –in Menomonie, Wisconsin Committee Members Naomi Cummings (1.0 hrs.) Keith Gilland (12.0 hrs.) Barbara Hauck (1.0 hrs.) Monika Herrmann (1.0 hrs.) Liz Usborne (Chair) (2.0 hrs.) Dave Williams (2.0 hrs.) Lee Schwebs (1.0 hrs.) Porter Swartz (Absent) Others present: David Schofield, Derek Kahl, Zariah Whitacre, Nolan Dowd, and Tammy Eckert Roll Call: The meeting was called to order by Chair Liz Usborne. Roll call and volunteer hours sheet was distributed to each attending board member. The previous board minutes were sent to the committee prior to this meeting and were reviewed. Nolan Dowd appears as possible Candidate to join the Urban Forestry Board as a member. Public comments: None Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Monika Herrmann to approve the February 18, 2026 Urban Forestry Board meeting minutes, seconded by Naomi Cummings. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: Forestry Friends Award A motion by Schwebs and seconded by Williams to award the Menomonie Public Library (MPL) the Forestry Friends Award. Hines will contact the Menomonie Public Library to notify them of the award. Kahl will coordinate with Bobolink’s during the week of the event regarding the commemorative tree choice. He will also arrange the ordering and preparation of the winner's plaque. Arbor Day Event Planning The Board decided that the Annual Arbor Day Celebration will be held Friday, April 24, 2026 with a tentative start time of 9:30 AM at the Menomonie Public Library. Riverside Park is a tentative backup location for tree planting. Further plans will be contingent upon the library’s approval and availability. The Board centered its discussion on the events regarding speakers, awards, activities, brochure creation, advertising, and refreshments. Final decisions will be made at the next Urban Forestry Board meeting on April 15th. 2026 Field Day for Tree Planting/Site Visit A motion was made by Gilland and seconded by Herrmann to agree to meet at Phelan Park to visit the tree planting site Friday, March 27th, from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM and finalize plans. Additionally, staff will create a promotional flyer to invite the Friends of Red Cedar and Hoffmans Hills. UW-Stout Campus Exterior Development Committee Update There is currently no update. Keith, who authored the plan and gave it to the Exterior Development Committee . He has not yet been contacted by the committee. Tree Planting/Tree Care Door Hanger Whitacre presented the edited flyer to the board with suggested feedback included from the February meeting. Schwebs makes a motion to accept the new draft as is and to proceed with printing the design as it currently stands, Williams seconded. Potential Urban Forestry Board Vacancy The board met with Nolan Dowd today regarding the current vacancy. Mr. Dowd is a Menomonie native and a UW-Stout alumnus who previously owned a local landscaping business. After serving five years in the landscape department at UW-Stout, he was recently promoted to Grounds Supervisor following the retirement of Mike Smith. Schwebs made a motion to recommend Nolan Dowd for the vacant position, which was seconded by Williams. The motion passed unanimously. This recommendation is now being moved forward for the City Council's consideration. NEW BUSINESS: Parking Lot Items added: Review & Update Packet for Board Recruitment and Welcome Information. Refer to Porter Swartz, who was the most recently nominated Urban Forestry Board member for his council regarding the effectiveness of the packet. Urban Forester Report? Kahl provided an update on our tree removal progress. The city has removed up to 240 trees this year. There are about 8 yet remaining on the boulevard on Elm West. This number 240 does not include trees removed from Lakeside or Butches. There are no more ash trees on the boulevard to be removed. In total there have been around a thousand trees taken down and not all of them have been ash trees. About – 85% were ash and the rest were other types of trees. City Council Report: Spring Break week - there is no agenda posted at this time but Schwebs reported on t he mayoral candidate forum that is scheduled for 5:00 PM at the Rassbach Museum. This is an important session, as the mayoral race and all even -numbered council seats are contested this year. The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube. You can find the link through Eye on Dunn or by searching fo r any Menomonie Mayor livestream forums. Items for Next Meeting Agenda: • Field Day -Debriefing • UW-Stout Campus Exterior Development Committee Update • New Member packets - Parking Lot Item • Memorial Tree Program – Donation Procedure • Kevin Dietshe presentation on May 1st Next Meeting : - April 15, 2026 - City Council Chambers 1 st Floor – City Hall. Adjournment: Gilland made a motion to adjourn ; seconded by Cummings. Minutes taken and submitted by Tammy Eckert.