Minutes from November 7, 2011
Attendees:
Sam Saltonstall
Justin Palmer
Mary Anne Mitchell
Steve Demos
Vinnie Demos
Garden report
The T.E.I.A. has awarded the gardeners a $200 grant to help with the expenses of getting a summer water line to the garden. An application to the Peaks Island Fund for the same use was denied at this time, but they encouraged us to reapply for the next regular funding round in summer.
Sam will now inquire whether the city has included the garden water line in its budget for next year.
Gas powered leaf blowers
Karen Friedman suggested that PEAT initiate a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers due to their noise pollution. Mary Anne commented that a number of communities in California had successfully banned them, but that the law was infrequently enforced. Same would probably be true on Peaks.
More discussion followed about the next steps.
Island Fellow suggestions
My order of preference would be:
- A weatherization and energy efficiency effort
- Effort with youth related to protecting the Peaks environment and tied to the school’s curriculum and after school enrichment program (could include 4-H idea or something similar)
- Tree protection including research into related laws and an inventory of trees on public rights of way
Old business
- Junk mail: CatalogChoice.org and DMAchoice.org are good resources
- Cynthia’s tree: Mary Anne is on this, and Jeff Tarling will deliver a tree in the spring.
Tree cutting restrictions separate from those in Portland
Before starting on this, we should all make ourselves familiar with the existing legislation about street trees in Portland: http://www.portlandmaine.gov/publicworks/ordin.asp
Mary Anne will research to see what , if anything, other communities have done to prevent cutting trees on private property.
Treasurer's report
Howard phoned to say that nothing had gone on since his October report.
Trott Littlejohn status
Vinnie noticed that, in a letter he wrote to the Island Times, Ted Haykal mentioned Trott Litlejohn as a possible site for parking fuel trucks. Is this a serious option?
Is the wisteria filled area on the other side of Upper A part of Trott Littlejohn? Somebody thinks Jubal knows about this.
(from Jubal) The wisteria parcel kitty-corner from the T-J entrance is owned by the city, but not zoned "Recreation/Open Space" and not part of T-J to the best of my knowledge.
Wind
In what is probably his final wind report, Sam said he would suggest to the wind group that the remainder of their funds be added to PEAT’s general expense budget.
They have stopped meeting, but still plan to send comments to Efficiency Maine as to how they could incorporate more useful information into their final report.
Cutting on the back shore
Mary Anne suggested that, since much of it has been done in the winter & early spring months, this would be a good time to revisit the issue.
Although we met with a bunch of people at the city last year, it had little effect. She suspects that A.J.. who was at the meeting, failed to pass on any of what transpired to his crew. They continued to cut enthusiastically!