Infrastructure Committee approves staff request to forward two tree donations to council

City staff told the Infrastructure Committee on Nov. 18 that the city had accepted two unsolicited donations of trees and asked the committee to retroactively approve the donations and place them on the council agenda next week.

Sam Hubbard presented the items. Plants Unlimited offered trees that staff said were "good sized" and were being removed from burlap; staff accepted the stock and placed the trees in temporary winter storage. Staff requested retroactive approval for a donation they described as valued at $2,569.95. A councilor asked whether the species on the list were native; staff said not all were native but that the species were appropriate for planting in the city and were not on the city's advisory or invasive lists. A motion and second were made and staff said the item will go to council next week.

Staff also described a separate donation from the University of Maine School of Forest Resources. According to staff, a graduate student finished a planting study and the program offered 105 trees that otherwise would have been destroyed; staff accepted the stock and requested retroactive approval for a donation valued at $2,952.43. Committee members moved and seconded the staff recommendation; the committee vote will place the item on the council agenda next week.

Both donations were accepted into city custody before the committee made its request for retroactive approval. Committee members did not ask staff to return to the committee with additional conditions; both items will appear on the City Council agenda for formal approval.

The committee did not record a roll-call vote on either motion at the meeting; motions were moved and seconded and staff marked the items for council consideration.