Tree advisory committee backs staffcost-reduction plan for Berthoud Arboretum

The Berthoud Tree Advisory Committee on July 14 voted to support town staff's cost-reduction recommendations for the proposed Arboretum and to forward a concise advisory motion to the Town Board.

Committee member (Speaker 4) read a motion saying the TAC "supports town staff's recommendations referenced in the July 14 memo for proposed changes to the project," and the committee moved and seconded the shorter version after discussion about clarity and timing. Staff described the recommended cuts as part of a value-engineering exercise to reduce a project estimate that had reached about $12.5 million; with the proposed reductions staff said the Arboretum cost projection fell to roughly $10.2 million, with an additional contingency buffer of about $1 million budgeted.

The motion passed; committee members agreed to refine the language and asked staff to email the Board of Trustees about the committee's position. The group also planned to read the motion as part of public comment (or present it when the memo is on the board agenda) so the advisory statement accompanies the staff discussion.

Why it matters: The committee's advisory carries political and public weight because the Arboretum draws on multiple town funds and public interest. Staff told the committee they recommend retaining major public-facing elements such as trail paving and the creek/pond system while reducing or dropping items judged easier to add back later (for example, some irrigation turnout structures and parking-lot paving) to bring the project closer to the town's budget targets.

What was said: "If these recommendations are executed ... the actual arboretum is going to be 9,000,009 million 20,000," a staff speaker reported in explaining the accounting and contingencies (staff also described the number as including off-site infrastructure estimates). Committee member (Speaker 4) proposed the short motion and said the TAC would "support town staff's recommendations referenced in the July 14 memo for proposed changes to the project." The committee discussed whether to cite specific numbers and agreed to avoid hard figures in the motion so it focuses on support for the staff-recommended changes.

Next steps: The drafter will tighten the motion language and circulate it to the committee; staff (Speaker 5) will forward the approved language to the Town Board and the committee intends to present the motion as public comment at the next board meeting where the Arboretum memo is discussed.