Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Volunteer Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board weighs volunteer corps, mulch runs and rain‑barrel/I.B.C. tank watering options
Summary
Members debated recruiting and coordinating volunteers for watering and mulching, discussed using free mulch sources and rain barrels, and proposed holding tanks (IBC totes) and pumps to ease watering of large newly planted trees.
Board members discussed multiple options to reduce reliance on limited city maintenance staff for watering and mulch distribution: recruiting a volunteer corps via the city's Facebook page and garden clubs, scheduling defined mulch days, using free mulch pickups in Inwood, and installing rain barrels or large holding tanks so volunteers can fill buckets closer to planting sites.
"If you had 10 dedicated volunteers, you could get this job done," the chair said, arguing volunteers could cover mulching and occasional watering if logistics (trucks, pumps, holding tanks) are arranged. Members suggested using 250-gallon IBC totes, repurposed 500–800 gallon maintenance tanks, and portable pumps; the chair described a 12‑volt pump and a portable gas pump the board is testing as ways to move water from Evans Run or holding tanks to new trees.
Members acknowledged limits on volunteer activities — volunteers cannot perform elevated tree trimming — and discussed tapping garden clubs, community pages, and coordinated city postings to recruit volunteers for defined tasks such as mulching or spreading soil amendments.
