[0:23] test. Test

[2:18] the line.

[3:32] All right,

[3:35] I do have four o'clock on the clock. So,

[3:37] let's go ahead and start the December

[3:39] 11th meeting of the Newport Tree Board.

[3:42] Um,

[3:44] let's uh call a roll.

[3:50] » Brent Owens

[3:51] >> here. Kevin Brogr

[3:53] >> here.

[3:53] >> Neil Connor

[3:54] >> here.

[3:55] >> Don Spalding

[3:56] >> here.

[3:56] >> And Garrett Reinhardt

[3:58] >> here.

[3:59] >> Awesome. Everybody is here. Uh

[4:02] >> Brent, before you jump in, um we have to

[4:04] swear um Garrett in as a board member.

[4:07] >> All right, let's do that.

[4:08] >> With that being said, raise your right

[4:10] hand and repeat. We'll just

[4:15] follow after me and then say I do. I do

[4:18] solemnly swear or affirm that I will

[4:20] support the Constitution of the United

[4:22] States and the Constitution of the

[4:23] Commonwealth of Kentucky and be faithful

[4:26] and true to the Commonwealth of

[4:27] Kentucky, so long as I continue a

[4:29] citizen thereof, that I will faithfully

[4:32] execute to the best of my ability the

[4:33] office of treeboard member according to

[4:36] law. And I do further solemnly swear or

[4:38] affirm that since the adoption of the

[4:40] present constitution, I being a citizen

[4:42] of this commonwealth have not fought a

[4:44] duel with deadly weapons, nor sent or

[4:47] accepted a challenge to fight a duel,

[4:49] nor have acted as a second in carrying

[4:51] such a challenge. So help me God.

[4:54] >> I do.

[4:55] >> Thank you. Congratulations.

[5:01] » All right. With that, uh I know we all

[5:03] received copies of last meeting's

[5:05] minutes. and hopefully had a chance to

[5:07] review those. Are there any changes,

[5:12] amendments needed to those minutes?

[5:19] » I'll make a motion to approve the minute

[5:21] is submitted.

[5:21] >> All right. Can I get a second?

[5:23] >> Second.

[5:24] >> Take the vote, please.

[5:27] >> Don,

[5:28] >> yes.

[5:28] >> Neil,

[5:29] >> yes.

[5:30] >> Kevin,

[5:30] >> yes.

[5:31] >> Frant,

[5:32] >> yes.

[5:32] >> And Garrett, you weren't here for the

[5:34] last meeting. Did you receive a copy of

[5:36] the minutes?

[5:37] >> I would suggest abstaining from

[5:40] >> Yeah.

[5:43] » Let me sign these.

[5:53] Okay. Minutes approved

[5:56] and signed. Um

[6:01] let's move on to the actual public

[6:03] hearing part of the meeting. We will

[6:05] start with case number NTB

[6:08] 2537

[6:10] requested by Thomas Heagle

[6:14] requesting requesting removal of the

[6:17] tree located at 716 Overton Street,

[6:20] Newport, Kentucky. From what I'm

[6:22] reading,

[6:24] Mr. Hugle was not able to attend the

[6:26] meeting.

[6:36] I'm gonna read his official email. Okay.

[6:39] Into the record.

[6:40] >> Um he was unable to make it due to some

[6:42] scheduling conflicts. Um so this tree

[6:44] appears unhealthy. Pictures are

[6:46] provided. I'll hand this to you guys

[6:47] momentarily.

[6:48] >> The tree drops leaves all year long. Not

[6:51] sure if this is common to the species or

[6:52] not. It does appear that the side of the

[6:54] tree over the street area is dying

[6:56] faster than the rest of the tree. The

[6:58] tree appears to drop a sticky mist or

[7:00] sap all year long that covers all the

[7:02] surrounding vehicles. Tree species is

[7:04] not meant for urban areas as it has a

[7:06] shallow root system and clearly causes

[7:08] damage to the surrounding areas.

[7:10] Sidewalk damage has gotten significantly

[7:12] worse over the last two years with the

[7:14] root system causing

[7:17] heaving in different concrete sections.

[7:19] actually move if you step on

[7:21] them. Now, the request is to remove this

[7:24] tree at his cost and replace with a

[7:26] species that is healthy and appropriate

[7:27] for an urban area. He appreciates your

[7:30] time and understanding in this matter.

[7:36] » Is there anyone in the uh

[7:39] public forum that would like to make a

[7:41] comment

[7:44] » before you speak? I have to swear

[7:46] everyone in that. So as the legal

[7:49] representation so if anyone here today

[7:51] wishes to speak um I'm going to ask you

[7:54] to raise your hand your right hand and wave to do once you do to say I do

[7:59] if please raise please raise your right

[8:02] hand do you swear or affirm that the

[8:04] testimony you are about to give before

[8:05] this board is the truth the whole truth

[8:07] and nothing but the truth.

[8:09] >> Yes I do.

[8:11] >> Are you planning to speak as well ma'am

[8:13] on any issue? I hear about the trio.

[8:17] >> This goes to you too. If you are

[8:18] planning to speak, I'm suggesting that

[8:20] you it would go to you as well.

[8:23] >> If you wish to speak today,

[8:25] >> I don't hear real well. So,

[8:26] >> if you're wishing to speak today,

[8:28] >> yeah,

[8:29] >> I need you to raise your right hand and swear your I have to swear you in.

[8:35] >> Do you swear or affirm that the

[8:37] testimony you're about to give before

[8:38] this board is the truth, the whole

[8:40] truth, and nothing but the truth?

[8:44] Thank you.

[8:56] Everything good over there? Okay. Uh

[9:00] ma'am, if you'd like to speak to the

[9:02] tree at 716 Overton, uh for the public

[9:06] record and for anybody that may be

[9:07] watching at home or watching in the

[9:09] future, we would like you to step to the

[9:10] microphone and make your comments.

[9:11] Otherwise, I'll will not make it onto

[9:13] the record.

[9:16] And I will I'm sorry the podium seems to

[9:18] be reversed,

[9:20] but I will

[9:22] turn the microphone on if you'd like to.

[9:28] » You're fine there.

[9:30] >> My name is Charlotte Shrekenhoffer. I

[9:32] live at 714 Overton next to Tom Hugle.

[9:37] what he what you just read that he sent.

[9:40] He actually is in Minnesota right now in

[9:42] business, but anyway, um is the truth.

[9:46] That's exactly what is happening. Uh

[9:49] there's always a mess all over this

[9:51] place. The sidewalk is humped up nearer

[9:54] to his house. So, we have the same

[9:56] problems that he does. So, we're hoping

[9:59] that the tree can get removed and we can

[10:01] get a tree that's more appropriate for

[10:04] the city. Thank you.

[10:12] That appears to be the only comment on

[10:14] this case. Um,

[10:17] any questions, thoughts, or discussion

[10:19] from the board?

[10:20] >> Yes. Do we know Cassandra looked at this

[10:23] trees?

[10:25] >> I believe that she has. Um, she is

[10:28] running late, so we can't get her

[10:30] insight on this particular tree. Um,

[10:32] I'll go back through my email and see.

[10:34] Um, she initially advised the owner to

[10:37] apply for removal

[10:46] photos.

[10:50] » I have a comment. This appears to be a

[10:53] Zelova. It wasn't originally identified

[10:58] in the tree packet that we had, unless I

[11:01] missed it. But Zelcoa is generally

[11:05] exotic but non-invasive.

[11:08] Based on what I know, it looks like it's

[11:10] reached

[11:12] the mature growing

[11:16] um life time

[11:19] and I'm going to vote to have it

[11:22] removed. So,

[11:26] any other

[11:29] thoughts, excuse me, questions, comments

[11:31] from the board?

[11:36] All right. Well, Kevin, if you like to

[11:38] make the motion.

[11:40] >> Motion to approve case number NTB2537,

[11:44] removal of the tree located at 716

[11:46] Overton Street, Newport, Kentucky, based

[11:48] on evidence and testimony presented

[11:51] during this hearing. The board has found

[11:53] that the proposed tree removal is in

[11:55] conformance with the intent of the

[11:58] regulations. Additionally, the removal

[12:00] will not will excuse me. Additionally,

[12:03] the removal will preserve not harm the

[12:05] public safety and welfare, will not

[12:08] injure the essential character of the

[12:09] neighborhood.

[12:12] » And would someone second, please?

[12:15] >> I'll second that motion.

[12:16] >> All right. Uh, let's take the vote then.

[12:18] Jess

[12:19] >> Garrett approve.

[12:23] >> Don,

[12:24] >> yes.

[12:24] >> Neil,

[12:25] >> yes.

[12:25] >> Kevin,

[12:26] >> yes.

[12:27] >> Brandt,

[12:27] >> yes.

[12:31] Okay,

[12:37] moving on to the next case. NTB 2538

[12:42] at 114 West 11th Street. Uh, this was

[12:46] put forward by the city arborist.

[12:50] Uh, arborist to discuss. Um,

[12:55] I'm not sure where she was coming from.

[12:57] I know traffic was a mess on I75 trying

[12:59] to get down here from Westchester

[13:01] myself.

[13:01] >> I believe she had photos on her

[13:04] application that should have been in the

[13:05] pack.

[13:06] >> All right, let me

[13:08] find that one. There we go. 114 West

[13:10] 11th.

[13:12] Uh here we go. It's in the public row.

[13:16] Tree well in front of the property. A

[13:18] calorie pair about 16 inches in

[13:20] diameter. Poor overall structure in

[13:23] invasive species included included bark

[13:26] and co-ominant stems plus previous

[13:29] topping led to recent limb failure

[13:31] likely to recur with remaining branches

[13:34] if left in place. And then you look at

[13:37] the picture that does appear to be a

[13:40] weirdly lopsided tree at this point in

[13:43] time in its life uh with significant

[13:45] trunk damage that I can see even in this

[13:47] black and white photo. Um, so that's the

[13:51] case that we have. Uh, questions or

[13:53] comments from the board.

[14:00] » All right. If there are none, would

[14:02] someone like to give a motion?

[14:06] » I will make a motion to approve

[14:09] uh case NTB 2538

[14:13] uh the removal of a tree at

[14:18] 14 West 11th Street. Uh based on the

[14:22] evidence presented in the report from

[14:24] the uh city arburish, it's indicated to

[14:28] the poor raw structure and invasive

[14:30] species including the bark and

[14:33] co-ominant stem previous toppings led to

[14:36] recent lymph failure likely to reoccur.

[14:39] Um and also that this is u found that

[14:44] the proposed tree removal is in

[14:46] conformance with the intended

[14:47] regulations.

[14:49] Additionally, the removal will preserve

[14:51] not harm the public safety and welfare

[14:53] and will not injure the essential

[14:55] character of the neighborhood.

[14:58] >> Can someone second, please?

[15:01] >> Second.

[15:02] >> All right, let's take a vote, please.

[15:03] Jess

[15:04] >> Garrett,

[15:05] >> yes.

[15:06] >> Don,

[15:06] >> yes.

[15:07] >> Neil,

[15:08] >> yes. Kevin,

[15:09] >> yes.

[15:09] >> Brandt,

[15:10] >> yes.

[15:13] Okay,

[15:15] moving right along to NTB 2539.

[15:20] >> Yes, I have to I have personal conflict

[15:23] with the street, so I will not be

[15:26] taking.

[15:31] » Thank you, Don. Appreciate that. It's

[15:32] 224 Main Street requested by the city

[15:35] arborist in the public row. row right

[15:38] ofway space along Short Street. No

[15:40] sidewalk. A silver maple about 32 in in

[15:43] diameter. Reason for removal tree is

[15:47] slowly failing with the public works

[15:48] team out to prune a broken branch or mow

[15:51] more both the past two years. Can

[15:55] continue to prune, but tree is unlikely

[15:57] to improve, especially based on species

[16:01] and budget question. And then photos at

[16:04] the end. That is a

[16:07] large tree. Looks like it's Yeah. had

[16:10] some significant

[16:18] » he'll finish the overall discussion and

[16:21] then he'll call you up to speak.

[16:27] » Yes. I'll bring you the micro. Give me

[16:28] one minute.

[16:33] » Yeah. Hey, if you want to give her the

[16:34] microphone, we're ready to hear her

[16:35] comments, I believe.

[16:38] >> Hi.

[16:41] » I hate to make, but I don't want to

[16:44] stand up.

[16:45] >> Oh, you're perfectly fine, ma'am.

[16:48] >> Address first.

[16:49] >> Okay. Good afternoon, gentlemen and

[16:52] lady. My name is Roberta May Dietrich.

[16:57] I live at 221 Main Street. I have lived

[17:01] at 221 Main Street for 82 and one half

[17:06] years. That's how old I am.

[17:09] The the three across the street at 224,

[17:13] she's the third owner of that. There was

[17:16] a a couple and then another couple and

[17:19] then Joan Bartlett from somewhere in

[17:21] Cincinnati bought the house.

[17:25] The tree is beautiful.

[17:28] I can sit in my house. I can sit in the

[17:31] yard.

[17:33] It embellishes the skyline into

[17:35] Cincinnati that you would not believe.

[17:38] It makes it look absolutely

[17:42] beautiful. I'm I'm American, but my

[17:45] father's from Austria, my mother's from

[17:47] Wales, and I've been to those countries,

[17:50] and I've seen trees.

[17:54] This tree can outdo those trees, but it

[17:58] is a beautiful tree.

[18:01] And if it sheds leaves, well, it sheds

[18:03] leaves. Now, she parks her car in an al

[18:07] cove next to this tree.

[18:11] I don't know what the complaint is. I

[18:14] happen to keep my car in a garage,

[18:18] but I think to take that tree down

[18:22] is terrible because it embellishes when

[18:25] it the leaves come, it embellishes the

[18:29] whole area and it makes it beautiful to

[18:31] look into Cincinnati

[18:34] and um I just really would not want to

[18:38] see it taken down. Thank you, gentlemen

[18:40] and lady.

[18:42] >> Thank you, ma'am.

[18:51] Cassandra, are you uh settled?

[18:53] >> Yes.

[18:53] >> Uh we're talking about 224 Main Silver

[18:57] Maple. Uh we've heard her comments. Do

[19:01] you have anything to add beyond what's

[19:03] in the application? Um, I don't recall

[19:05] exactly what's in the application, but I

[19:08] do know that I would say this is another

[19:10] one of those very borderline condition

[19:13] uh trees where I'm really glad that you

[19:16] guys are here for. Um, it's a tree that

[19:19] we've had to come back and keep on

[19:21] pruning year after year because it just

[19:24] keeps on seeming like it's dying back a

[19:26] little bit more every year. Uh, so we've

[19:28] been there this year, last year, I know

[19:31] for sure. And it's a silver maple. It's

[19:34] mature, so it's unlikely that it's gonna

[19:37] get better.

[19:39] So, but also it's still sort of in fair

[19:42] condition. And there's only one car

[19:45] that's typically parked right by it. So,

[19:47] there's like not a lot of targets. So,

[19:50] it's kind of in my mind, it's kind of a

[19:52] money issue.

[19:55] >> It doesn't sound like it appears to be

[19:56] in any imminent danger of collapse or or

[19:59] losing no large lands or anything like

[20:01] that. No, it's just one of those trees

[20:03] that we're probably going to be back

[20:05] again next year and probably next year.

[20:08] You know, one of those things.

[20:12] >> Other questions or comments from the

[20:13] board?

[20:19] » Andrew, do you have a a thought on how

[20:21] long it may be before the tree may need

[20:24] to come down?

[20:27] » Rough estimate.

[20:29] I I couldn't I mean

[20:34] I feel like every winter is a new start

[20:38] for every tree and every spring is like

[20:41] okay we're going to start over and see

[20:43] once where this tree is at. Um

[20:46] I mean it could be a year that we hold

[20:48] on to the tree. Could be 10 years that

[20:51] we hold on this tree. I just I really

[20:53] couldn't say

[21:00] » other comments, questions.

[21:07] I have a question

[21:12] again. Gentlemen and ladies,

[21:19] that tree embellishes the skyline

[21:23] beyond the leaf.

[21:25] It's absolutely beautiful. Like I say, I

[21:29] don't know why she wants it down. She's

[21:31] got an al cove where she can park unless

[21:33] a leaf. Apparently, at one time there

[21:35] was a branch on that tree because that

[21:37] looks like that's been taken down.

[21:39] There's like a I don't know something.

[21:43] That city was founded by the Italians

[21:46] when they came from Sicily in 1888.

[21:50] I don't know when the tree was planted

[21:52] because I wasn't living in 1888,

[21:56] but

[21:58] it's a lovely community. The Italians

[22:00] are all gone now from up there. I went

[22:02] to school with oodles of them. We're

[22:04] Catholic. the uh class was twothirds

[22:07] Italian and one-third a mixture of

[22:10] everything.

[22:14] But I think to take that tree down is do

[22:16] an injustice to almighty God

[22:20] and to our community up there. We're

[22:23] still called uh Knob Hill.

[22:27] We have that you some people still call

[22:29] us by the nicknames up there.

[22:32] But I plead that that tree stays. If she

[22:38] doesn't if she doesn't like park on air,

[22:40] let her park on Main Street. My god,

[22:42] everybody else is on Main Street. Uh

[22:47] I just think it would be a shame to take

[22:49] it down. Thank you, gentlemen, ladies.

[22:55] Thank you.

[23:00] I have a question, Cassandra. Are there

[23:04] It looks like it's

[23:07] it had a crotch at one point and one

[23:09] side of it been cut off. Has it

[23:14] has that helped?

[23:19] » I mean, it certainly allowed us to keep

[23:20] the tree in place longer. So the that

[23:23] big crotch that was pruned out was

[23:26] having some significant dieback and so

[23:28] it obviously had to come out before it

[23:30] caused any damage. That would have been

[23:32] last year. So we don't have any real I

[23:36] mean I might have in the inventory but I

[23:39] guess I didn't find it relevant for this

[23:41] in particular. Uh, and then again, the other branch that we pruned out

[23:46] earlier this year is not as big as that

[23:49] one that you see in that crotch there,

[23:51] but it was sort of on the back side. And

[23:53] again, like being able to prune that out

[23:56] obviously makes the tree safe safer

[23:59] again and allows us to hold on to it a

[24:01] little bit longer.

[24:03] >> Did you hear anything from the adjoining

[24:07] neighbors on Short Street concerns or

[24:11] anything? No, none at all. This was just

[24:14] a followup based on

[24:17] uh repeated

[24:19] contacts because of branch dieback.

[24:29] Can I also ask what and maybe this is

[24:35] what is

[24:38] I guess how many times and will you do

[24:42] an annual pruning before you say okay

[24:46] I'm going to recommend it

[24:49] um and did are you officially

[24:51] recommending that this tree be removed

[24:57] » I'm officially

[24:59] asking you guys to consider whether you

[25:01] want us to keep on pruning it annually

[25:04] or whether you think it's a better idea

[25:06] to just remove it and be done with the

[25:08] problem. Again, this is like a

[25:10] borderline issue and so I'm not it's not

[25:13] an issue of like, hey, this has to come

[25:15] down. And so I think to sort of answer

[25:17] the first part of your question is if I

[25:19] ever got there and got to the point

[25:21] where it was like less than 50% alive or

[25:26] just some other like major risk issue

[25:29] associated with it then I would be

[25:31] applying and saying guys we got to do

[25:33] this like this is a risk tree. In this

[25:36] case situation I wouldn't say it's a

[25:38] risk tree. It's just how much do we want

[25:41] to keep on dealing with it?

[25:44] Anyone

[25:48] else?

[25:51] Would someone like to make a motion?

[26:00] Someone's got it.

[26:03] I can make it. Um,

[26:08] I am going to make a motion to deny case

[26:11] number NTB 2539,

[26:14] removal of the tree located at 229 Main

[26:16] Street, Newport, Kentucky, based on

[26:19] evidence and testimony presented during

[26:21] this hearing. The board has found that

[26:23] the proposed tree removal is not in

[26:25] conformance with the intent of the

[26:27] regulations. Additionally, the removal

[26:30] will not preserve but will harm the

[26:32] public safety and welfare and will

[26:34] injure the essential character of the

[26:36] neighborhood.

[26:38] >> I'll second that.

[26:40] >> If we can take a vote, Jess, again, we

[26:43] are voting on the denial of this motion.

[26:46] >> Garrett,

[26:48] >> yes.

[26:49] >> Neil,

[26:49] >> yes.

[26:50] >> Evan,

[26:51] >> yes.

[26:52] >> Brand,

[26:52] >> yes.

[26:55] The tree shall live another day. Thank

[26:58] you, ma'am.

[27:01] Tree is good. The

[27:02] >> tree is good. Stay.

[27:04] We're keeping it.

[27:05] >> Tree. The tree is good.

[27:07] >> We voted to not remove the tree at this

[27:10] time.

[27:11] >> I asked God for prayers that

[27:16] » he sent you, ma'am. And you did a

[27:18] fantastic job. So,

[27:19] >> thank you all.

[27:20] >> Thank you.

[27:26] It really,

[27:28] you know, when I moved there, there were

[27:32] still some Italians. The Catholic school

[27:34] was closed. The Protestant school was

[27:35] closed. But like on both sides of me was

[27:39] a ba and a boumy and the whole kaboodle

[27:43] of them up there.

[27:46] I've often thought nobody ever

[27:48] complained about these trees.

[27:51] They I don't know. been to Italy, but I

[27:53] was there only to see the pope. I wasn't

[27:55] there to look at trees.

[27:58] But I do hope that you all can save that

[28:00] tree. If you have a couple things,

[28:03] that's fine. But it does enhance

[28:07] the beauty of that area up there. And

[28:12] I'm sure if any of they're all gone now,

[28:15] the Italians,

[28:17] they would thank you very much if you

[28:19] could keep it for us. Thank you, Matt.

[28:22] >> Thank you.

[28:23] >> Happy holidays and merry Christmas.

[28:25] >> Thank you.

[28:26] >> And be safe getting out.

[28:28] >> Yes.

[28:32] » All right. Moving on to the next case.

[28:34] NTB2540

[28:38] 401 Riverboat Row.

[28:41] Requested by the city arborist. It is in

[28:43] the public right away. Tree lawn beside

[28:46] the property identified as a Hawthorne.

[28:49] Uh, three trees listed here, five to six

[28:53] inches in diameter.

[28:56] The trees are dead. Photos at the end,

[29:00] and

[29:02] those look like pretty bare and rough

[29:05] trees from the photos. Um, anything

[29:08] additional to add, Cassandra?

[29:12] >> No. No. They're the the bark has been

[29:15] basically rubbed off around all the way

[29:18] around there. So, we know there's no

[29:20] recovery

[29:22] for all three of them.

[29:24] >> Any other questions?

[29:31] » If not, if someone would like to make a

[29:33] motion.

[29:33] >> I'll make a motion to approve case

[29:36] number NTB2540,

[29:39] removal of the tree located at 401

[29:42] Riverboat Road, Newport, Kentucky. Based

[29:44] on evidence and testimony presented

[29:46] during this hearing, the board has found

[29:49] that the proposed tree removal is in in

[29:52] conformance with the intent of the

[29:54] regulations.

[29:56] Additionally,

[29:58] the removal will preserve not harm the

[30:01] public safety and welfare and will not

[30:03] injure the essential character of the

[30:05] neighborhood.

[30:08] » Second.

[30:09] >> All right. Seconded. And let's take a

[30:11] vote.

[30:12] >> Hear it. Yes,

[30:14] >> Don.

[30:14] >> Yes,

[30:15] >> Neil.

[30:15] >> Yes,

[30:16] >> Kevin.

[30:16] >> Yes,

[30:17] >> Brandt.

[30:18] >> Yes.

[30:19] And according to my agenda, that is the

[30:23] >> last item. Any final words or comments

[30:26] from anybody on the board?

[30:29] >> Then if we can get a motion to

[30:31] >> motion to adjurnn.

[30:33] >> That's seconded.

[30:35] >> Garrett,

[30:36] >> yes.

[30:36] >> Don,

[30:37] >> yes.

[30:37] >> Neil,

[30:38] >> yes.

[30:38] >> Kevin,

[30:39] >> yes.

[30:39] >> Grant,

[30:40] >> yes.

[30:41] Thank you everybody.

Tree Board Regular Meeting 12/11/25

Transcript