Hopefully Ed will join us shortly, but we have our arts committee team ready to get started.

So we have uh seed succession.

Okay.

I saw the terrority of Cherokee.

Okay, so we're on the record.

Okay.

It's our March 10th, uh 2026 uh study session, and it's our annual update where we go meet with a bunch of our committees to hear what they've been doing and what they're planning for the year ahead.

And uh nicely arranged alphabetically.

So we're gonna start with the arts committee.

Thanks.

Thanks for having us.

And he is Jeanette Owen, but the arts committee.

Um so I'll just go through uh some of the recent work the committee's done, uh talk about the goals that were recently set by the committee and we'll preview what's what's the um next year.

Uh so first off, uh we have two new sculptures in the sculpture garden.

Um we only have two this rotation because the big cherry is permanent.

So usually it's three off.

We don't have every year, but um the three.

Uh this block was by an artist that's uh shown in the garden several times before, but um the other one Buffalo by Crabice on that's a new artist, and um we were happy to have some new entries.

We actually had several entries this round, but uh this is selected.

Um, I guess we have a lot of passive sculptures like this too, but that one fits in the card at least.

So uh maybe was also instrumental in getting a couple sculptures installed recently, uh a couple committee members, uh Samantha Swinder, who was a former chair and then Amy were on the selection committee for uh I have those popcords, sorry.

The other one is the peculiar pod, the other one is the art sphere.

Sorry, I don't know how I switched up.

But um year pod is in Scott Park, they run the selection committee for that, and then that was recently installed a few months ago.

Uh with the the trail and all the things were finished up.

And a sign that says don't climb on it, but obviously it's quite because it looks like um and then yeah, the arts committee made the decision to purchase uh sphere of spheres, which is also by Tyler for Claw Creations.

Um that has shown in the sculpture garden.

And like last time we were here, we mentioned that he was interested in purchasing it.

And um, yeah, we did it this year.

So it's great.

Um we also had another successful year of Porch Fest.

Uh and that's one of the committee members actually right there, Ben Dewey, um at his house.

Uh yeah, like like it's up.

There are 115 performances across every neighborhood in Milwaukee.

Um we had six meeting sponsors, and we had a new kind sponsor too.

That's made in Milwaukee.

They helped with the printing and offset all the costs for that.

So um, yeah, it's great to find these partnerships.

And it's a make it's a really good model, I think, for sponsorships, like especially for these events because it's a low entry point, it's only $300 to get in, but you know, really help us businesses and really helps the people their work too.

Uh new this year was uh library art shows.

The the Friends of the Library installed uh art rails in the community room and um Sarah McCoy on the arts committee has been uh leading the effort to get new art shows in every couple months, and along with that we've had some artist receptions.

Uh a couple of them have been along with First Friday, and then um we also had an artist panel, and that was featuring some of the arts committee members, which was a really big success.

Um really great attendance.

Um, there was a QA which was hosted by the Clackamas County Arts Alliance uh representative.

And from that, we actually had a lot of interest, like renewed interest in things the arts committees doing and a lot of people wanting to get involved and see what other things the arts committee is doing.

It was also just a really nice time to talk about art and how it's made and like different ways of getting involved and you know what is art and how can you participate and contribute.

Uh and the committee was helping being in the new year again.

Um keeps getting bigger and better, and you know, more people we had great weather this year, which also helped.

Uh yeah, more than 30 vendors, then includes food and drink, um, and 800 wishing tag wishing tree tags, and they went through 600 alcohol bracelets, which is also a good like measure of like attendance too.

So um, all in all, great success.

Uh there was also collaboration between like migration and free.

Um so you know, there wasn't like uh any sort of exclusivity that was wanted by either of them.

Um, so it's nice to have that like as a community partner, like no one's like competing necessarily, like they're all trying to just come together for these types of things.

And uh one of the things the committee is really proud of is like stepped up some of their graphic design and uh marketing materials, and thanks uh in large part to Ben Dewey, who we showed a picture of.

He's uh great illustrator, he used to actually work for Marvel and DC.

He worked for Dark Horse and now he works for Steam that's the Q platform.

But um, yeah, he's been gracious enough to just basically donate designs that they've been fantastic, and uh I think they've really elevated like uh how our events get promoted and like and who was getting attracted to come see them, and obviously they get turned into stickers and we can um and so the big in the new year now, and uh some of the other fundraising arms of the committee are done by the arts foundation.

Um there is a foundation.

There is one of the deal.

And Jeanette is one of the people on it.

Do you want to talk more about the foundation?

We have just three members.

Uh the Samantha Spindler who was the outgoing chair, uh Mark McCreary, who is our treasurer and has had a lot of experience creating nonprofits.

Um three of us right now, and just yeah, we just had a meeting last week, our second meeting.

So, you know, it's just we just want to have that nonprofit available so people can donate and get the tax sections, and it's all just for whatever we need to support um through the committee.

Yeah, yeah, it definitely helps clean up some financial things on the city's end, but then also opens up a lot of brand possibilities because now it actually has more profit status, and yeah, and we did just get a metric react for in the new year for next year for $5,000.

Which I think this year we did fundraising for 10 or 10 or 15,000, and there was 2,000 left over at the end of it.

So that $5,000 is getting us really close to what we need to be for next year.

Yeah, it's a great time, I think, for yeah, the arts like for the committee and the foundation where it's we're not like scraping by and then just burning through the entire budget.

It's like it's it's getting carried over and get built up a bit.

Um, and kind of I mentioned before, there's definitely been an outpouring of sponsorships, especially when we're not risking for like a lot, and uh we see a lot more people want to sponsor things, and then also with the meetings and events, we've seen a lot more people come right after the um artist panel.

We had what was it, three or four people show up at the committee meeting, and yeah, just want to talk about things, see how they can help.

Um, and then from that, also we had a couple applications I know came in uh for those upcoming open spots on the committee.

And one was another youth member who I believe is attending uh Milwaukee Arts Academy, I think she's junior, and then um and definitely been stepping up through social media game and getting a lot of uh you know participation through that.

And uh and a nice thing too is we we had a good response for like promoting our sponsors through the social media channels and then you know, seeing that some value in return would help.

So these are the committee's goals for the coming year.

Uh if you remember, I mean you can see a lot of goals, but if you remember like the last show, they're somewhat similar to what the committees had, but there's some differences.

So uh for the first one is um it used to be create opportunities for the community to engage with and create art, but now it's cultivate, and that's because I mean they're definitely still looking to create you know more opportunities, but just building on the ones we already have and making them higher quality and you know and making them you know more robust and uh also trying to find other opportunities around the community to also help too.

Um, and then the next one's promoting Milwaukee's identity as a regional center for arts and culture is similar, but it's a goal that you know you can't ever necessarily completely accomplish, and it's always important to the group, and so they're gonna keep with that one.

Um, and now that there's the arts foundation, this goal is uh used to be create a variety of funding streams, but now it's expanding them because the arts community or the arts foundation is definitely helping with fundraising, but um, we're also gonna look at some other opportunities, like there used to be you know uh different ways of uh either just donating money or collecting money at events, um or like there's sometimes there's uh in the past the arts committee's done you know, like a like a curation fee if like we're showing part of the library or things like that, you know, not that much, but just like being a small percentage that would keep going to the arts committee to fund their activities.

Uh so looking into more options like that, and then uh the last one is a new goal.

It's uh because they realize they're so busy, like looking for you know more help than just what's on the committee because um I think one of the one of the downsides of the arts committee, while it is very very active and engaged, it tends to take a toll, I think, on you know, committee members, and so we don't want to burn them all out and we can shoulder that load with some other volunteers that maybe aren't an official committee member, but you know, still want to help that would be great for everybody.

And I know there's always a lot of interest too in the arts committee for when we recruit for boards and committees and you don't want them to feel like they're not wanted or not needed, like we definitely need their help, and so we're gonna look through uh look to some of those people who maybe aren't gonna be on the community but still want to help out.

And uh these are some of the upcoming projects.

Obviously, pork chest is coming up, and is that number 21 still?

I don't got like three more or something.

I mean, we've we've got a lot of signs already.

That's only more yeah, and we probably have about 12 people that I don't have room for yet.

But you know, no portions that people think.

So it's I think we will exceed what we did last year, probably.

So you have more artists than for the venues.

We have more artists signed up than portions.

Yeah, okay.

Um the next uh project actually largely led by our youth member Adair is the um uh mural for Milwaukee High School.

Uh she's been really great at uh just being tenacious and persistent with the school district and also like following just you know a crazy process seemingly to like probably someone who's you know only 14.

I mean it's dealing with a lot of red tape, not only with us but also the school district and two, you know, governmental groups trying to come together to you know agreements and things.

And so she's been really great about keeping the committee updated and working really hard on this.

Um we're really excited to come.

She's working with or yeah, for it to come to fruition.

She's working with Chris Haberman, he's uh the mentor for this.

And um, and she's also uh getting student volunteers to help paint it when it comes time and she already can't remember how many signs it was a lot of signups, I think from students looking all painted.

Yeah.

Is this near the existing mural or just new?

Or it'll be new, it'll be by the health center, and it'll be on panels.

Um yeah, so it'll actually be on school grounds rather than like outside.

Uh we're still waiting for um an intergovernmental agreement to be drafted by the school district, but then our finance department will review and if it's okay, that's bad with that.

But um, yeah, that's just uh so the plan is painting.

They're hoping to paint the next day of school year.

Yeah, and then mounting it during the summer.

Yeah, yeah.

If everything goes yeah, well, they can paint it inside.

So yeah now.

I think we shouldn't have to wait for mid watching.

No, yeah, I believe they got permission.

I think for wherever maybe the wrestling team was meeting or is meeting.

I can't remember.

There's something about like where the rest of the team was using some space that maybe they're no longer using, but yeah, I think they got she got access to that for her and the other students and groups to come.

And I think Chris is also offering up this on studio and he needs to take it back and touch-ups or something else like that.

So yeah, it can be largely done indoors.

And then uh one of the committee members, Ben Dewey is looking at doing like a smaller Comic Con style event, like at the library.

Yeah, um, can't remember.

I mean, I think he's trying to figure out like where to like it to do something maybe here and the library to kind of spread it out.

Um I mean he's trying to find a date that's not gonna interfere with too many other projects that we have going on.

So there's some so we have volunteers to do it, yeah.

So I think he's shooting for not this many, but I don't think it's I don't know if it's gonna happen by May, but and one of his ideas is having like stations that people can get on portfolio evaluations and he's really connected to like communities and people.

I mean he's a real passion for mentorship generation of artists, you know, coming fine ways.

That also I think yeah, really cool.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, and the other thing is I mean, if we're thinking of trying to generate something with the center town and more space, um older school has like percent of that so um and uh yeah, continuing the library art shows.

Uh uh Sarah, I believe Sarah is actually leaving the committee, but um, she's working with people on the committee to pass it on and make sure that keeps going.

Um but she has a lot of artists that have contacted her, so I think she'll just have lineup for the next several months for the library, and then in the new year, so that and um yeah, it's it's a huge event that requires a lot.

So um yeah, the committee is still committed to helping SNAP through that and foundation.

And then uh along with that is also you know the other regular things the committee does, like judging the scareco contest, judging the umbrella contest at Rela Bray.

So that's about it.

Uh Janette, this is uh all great stuff going on.

I was gonna ask uh how has the experience been with our arts youth ambassador.

Oh, I think yeah, uh Lisa's just asking about that.

And she's been great.

She comes comes to some meetings, you know, won't stay for the whole thing usually, but she's enthusiastic about it.

She sometimes brings her grandparents and her sister too along with but yeah, they're good about like you know, not staying in the room, like don't leave if they're gonna be loud.

Yeah, yeah.

But yeah, she um yeah, she has good ideas, and like she did help with Porch Fest and you know give some nice reviews of um she had helped them judging the greatest scarecrow.

She was very energized, really what really was excited about this up there.

I'm glad to hear that's working.

Well, yeah, can't go too good.

I'm still amazed that somebody, yeah, like that's very actually when we filled out the application.

Yeah, like maybe I guess amazing.

She went to it.

And she did, yeah.

Which probably would have been very intimidating for a lot of you and screen that way.

Yeah, she doesn't seem easily intimidated.

No, um remind me.

I mean, you said that you know that they chose to find this sculpture.

So a couple years ago, we we created flexibility in what used to be a mural fund is just a general arts fund, so they get to uh apportion it is that what's yeah, instead of it being uh prescribed as just yeah, like a mural, like a public mural, it's now public art, primarily like the sculpture and and mural, yeah.

So if it's out in the public.

But yeah, but that's the kind of the problem we sometimes run into is just uh building owners being willing to give up their space, but it's usually when it hits the easement part is kind of where we get like in trouble.

It's like they don't want the five-year easement, like they even though it's actually not really that long in the life of our mural, it's it's still like something that they don't love.

Well interesting, yeah.

That payroll mural has been there over a decade.

It went in 215, I think 2014.

Yeah, and it's uh actually most I think murals we have up right now, the east ones have it have expired, but yeah, they nobody wants to get rid of the livery, so we're grateful for them.

Yeah, yeah.

Questions?

I have to say I love that you're trying to find other volunteer opportunities because we get so many people through boards in the application.

So give me some kind of app, I think it would be awesome.

On your slides for one of the goals you mentioned, um, you want to find it revenue streams or other things.

What is if you had extra money cheer, what would you want to dedicate that on to?

Is it going to programs like Portu Fest?

It sounds about that's kind of a funding or are its needs met.

Yeah, one of the things that we've been discussing all though about Porch Fest, it it is it is a pretty overwhelming task for volunteers to be pursuing.

Um, we have talked about um and I practically don't know how this would work, but uh hiring someone to manage it at some point because I would right now it's taking me at least an hour every day, and then as it gets closer, it's it's like having another part-time job to manage Porch Fest.

So it is a lot to ask at volunteers to manage such a big event that really wants to grow, you know.

Um so that that's one thing we've we've talked about former revenue streams.

I you know, if we had more money, maybe some things getting getting a little more help with the events.

And you don't think that could be a team.

We haven't we have a team, but but since we're rotating members in and out all the time, it it you know it it would do well to have someone kind of holding that, you know.

Right now I'm doing that, but I term out next year, so it's like well, kind of we train the next person to kind of take this over.

Samantha's stayed on, you know, she's not part of the committee anymore, but she's stayed on to do bang, and that's definitely like I I don't know that our committee could absorb yeah, thing after if she doesn't want to do it anymore, because it is just these events are pretty large, which are great.

The community really loves them, but um she's taking off like weeks at a time just to do something.

Um I don't know what else we have to make sure when we have our mural or probably our fund, you know, it doesn't take a lot of money to run trust, you know, maybe additional money for Bing probably to take some burden off of fundraising would probably be good too, because that is also a bit year three is really starting to grow too.

You know, maybe additional money probably to take some burden off of fundraising would probably be good too.

Because that is also a year three is really starting to grow too.

Well, I love that you have the foundation now.

And I do hope I'm one post goals with about um funding streams.

I mean, I do hope it helps capital ours on some of the regional study and funding streams because one of the one of the headline wheels that I loved that I hope is still percolating out there, although it was Samantha's idea.

Uh but if we get the walkie-bit art going is the Milwaukee side, you know, she does have because that is a bad close thing.

And I think that would be something people might want to make money for what's the kind of thing that people want to thought.

Places take some money and for community members.

So I'm hoping that will help the Porch Bus website and revamp that a little bit to put you know, donate community members, just drop drop a dollar in you know the till.

And so hopefully we'll we'll get some some different revenue on that too.

One thing the committee is actually in charge of too is maintaining art.

So I think you know the nice thing about getting this yeah to advising community, but then we have a main decision too.

And we have one community that would definitely help with that and having some contention to just in case you know something big happens that we have to make a big repair all across to come decide for it.

So and what like how do what do we have to do to maintain murals?

I mean, they get a coding put on them, but yeah, they need to be cleaned, can they should be, yeah, they should be moving clean and then the the UV coding and the anti-graffing coding.

Yeah, it definitely needs to be five.

Um like we saw in the post office mural.

I don't know if we can make some.

There was at one point some graffiti on it and uh public works when the graffiti coding is on there, like maybe you can just power watch it or scrub it off.

But since it was already kind of failing, um they started to do that, and like some of the paint started coming off, and so we had to work on the artist to come and do it because it's in the sun all day, it should have had a reapplication of that anti-graffini already like a couple of years ago.

So it's stuff like that, or um like like that one that's up there with sphere of spheres, it'll probably need some kind of maintenance because that's just quarter and steel that's going to rust, you know, and um like you know, it says swapped in or out something like that.

Um there questions for them.

I did I think somebody mentioned um first Friday the passing, and I was uh a little worried about the future of first Friday because I haven't seen much about it on Facebook, but I was told at the rotary meeting today that first Friday is happening again this year, so I was glad to hear that.

Come on, um reach out to the committee a couple times about like either taking over first Friday or or maybe taking over portions of it, but it's one of those things where instead of time limit we get really busy to report questing up with these and the things they've asked pretty in-depth and like require a lot of two hours.

So we have to this time, but yeah, just a big day on this helping.

Yeah, we can okay.

No questions for them, but we'll move on to our next thing.

Thank you.

And next we have the equity study.

Okay, are you so alone?

I am solo black pen though.

It's been a bit busy for the EFC, and you'll see a little bit of why.

Um I did just intentionally uh again, WML somebody of Vienna's equity and inclusion coordinator here at the city.

Um, I did intentionally try to match the purple.

It's our little welling rate with my sweater.

This is the closest I've got.

Um that's good.

Thank you.

Let's go ahead and roll into it.

So um, I have the pleasure of serving as a staff liaison for the equity steering committee.

Um, and council first made its appointments to that committee in fall of 2021, so it's almost five years.

And currently the ESC is compromised of 10 community members of diverse backgrounds.

And as of right now, ESC will have one vacant position in July.

Oh, I forgot to add.

Aha.

I came ready.

Okay.

Start us off.

One big okay.

And uh an overall ESC is meant to be an advisory body to myself, uh, to the city manager and council.

Um, and they share their expertise and lived experience in order to help us better build belonging in Milwaukee, but also reduce inequities and city services.

So that's just a little bit of background, not on the slide, but this is just what I'm sharing with Gibb get set us up.

Um for 2025, kind of felt like a pretty long year and good, mainly good ways.

Um, is uh we reviewed the city's website for user friendliness.

Um over time, the ESC has met with a few appropriate staff for different subjects related to the TSV engagement plan, climate collaboration.

One of the items that stood out to the group was the city's new um providing feedback for the city's new website.

So in May, and if you remember the city's new website launched in July, uh ESC got a kind of um a demo of images of what the website and what was to come before it went live.

And we met with our um web services coordinator Henna Wells, who provided that kind of review.

Um so yeah, so wanted to share that big item.

Um see what else I had on here.

So they started drafting community materials for engagement um outside of prioritizing digital accessibility engagement pathways was their second priority, and they're like, we kind of need materials to help tell that story.

So they started with a sticker design that Jordan is helping us put together.

They've talked also about a postcard that I think we've sent out in the past and kind of re-updating that for community members.

Um they continue to do our biannual review of the Milwaukee Community Events Fund.

Um, and that is overall our um funding for uh community events to celebrate the diversity in the in the city.

And um, I believe we started that, I think in fall 2024 was the first time.

Um, and so we've already had four rounds, and I'll include a slide to kind of recap the past awards.

Um but they've continued to do so um twice a year.

Um there was conversation um and partnership with our uh Milwaukee Police Department to put together the training with fair and impartial policing, but that unfortunately was postponed.

They're definitely developing with that, and and the chief came a few times to present for the ESC.

Um other last items included um uh last minute when our uh organizer for the previous Juneteenth events fell through, was unable to organize um uh ESC set in, and they organized a 2025 year event, and then they continue to do an annual retreat in October in the fall.

Let's kind of recapping 2025.

But if you notice, there's a big item missing here.

It's okay.

I got it on the slide.

That includes developing the city's naming and memorial donation policies.

So I wanted to make sure it had its own slides.

So in partnership, two ESC members and two members from our parks and recreation board formed this temporary committee at MED Monthly last year, starting in February to review and update the city's policy policy and procedures for name facilities.

Umcome came out, two separate policies, the naming policy and the memorial and donation policies.

And as of January 6th this year, council adopted that policy and is um in the works right now.

Um and it's not done yet.

I was like, oh, as soon as we pass the city policy, work is done, right?

No, we're just getting started.

Um the upcoming work that we have includes we've received one memorial and donation application in.

And then in late April, the naming review subcommittee will reconvene to rename some parks.

Um, and that will include now members from the equity steering committee from our parks and recreation board and our library board to form that subcommittee.

Um then the other item that I kind of have here in bold that I wanted to celebrate to that kind of is like an encapsulation of all of the work is um we had the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.

Um, David Harrelson uh do a presentation last week that the mayor was at um talking about placekeeping and naming of spaces at the Milwaukee Linning Library.

And I definitely I thought it was a lovely talk.

It was really good thing and a good question answer with the audience, and I know that the Milan Falls was there to take it, so it will be available on our YouTube page.

Definitely and watching it.

And of course, the Confederated Tribes are coming next Monday.

That's correct.

Yeah, yeah.

The work is always collaborative and building up with each other.

So yeah.

Um, and yeah, well, I'm at Fall Studios did record it, so you were unable to make it.

Um, and I did check this afternoon, it wasn't still up.

I think they're still editing it.

So hopefully by the end of this week, that should be available.

Okay.

But going to kind of 2026, what is the conversation looking like?

And for their priorities, they decided like the engage um workaround engagement pathway still wasn't completed.

So they'll continue to meet with staff, provide feedback throughout the year as the actively goes, again, advisory committee.

One of the conversations happening next month includes um Ziara Fox, who's our economics development coordinator, um, is joining us uh to talk about um the URA, which I think stands for Urban Renewal Authority, let me know.

Um, a five-year action plan to get some engagement feedback there.

Um, they've also briefly talked about identifying local community partners and organizations to build relationships with.

This includes finalizing our community outreach materials.

You think making a sticker and a postcard, it would be simple.

It is not, and we're hoping to wrap that up into this year.

Um, and um, they're also hoping, and this has come up kind of resuming some of the work that was a little bit on pause around equity performance metrics and data analytics for the Milwaukee community vision.

There was some funding we had a pause there for, and now is the enter the new fiscal year.

We're hoping that we're continuing to the fall.

And then planning for Juneteenth this year in 2026.

Okay.

Um, some other items, I think they were also interested in, and again, we um we had just one meeting to kind of talk about what 2026 priorities are going to look like so far.

They've talked about wanting some greater collaboration with the other boards and committees, what that actually looks like yet, we're not super sure.

They've mentioned the climate and natural resource initiatives, and um, we did find out at I think some of their building decarbonization workshops were at the same time as ESC meetings were.

So we did wrap up one meeting early to attend and be a part of that conversation.

Um, and uh there was also talk about collaboration still with the Arts Committee, still not sure what that's gonna look like.

Um, and then they're in the works they wanna once they have their community materials finalized, tabling at the volunteer dinner, and possible other Milwaukee events like Milwaukee.

Um, and we'll continue to select and review um Milwaukee Community Events Fun applications into this new year.

Okay, I'll continue.

Are there any questions about 2026 so far?

Are you going to talk more about the event?

Yes, yes, I'll have that as last slide question.

Okay.

Oh, looks like it's already last line.

Just kidding.

So for our Milwaukee Community Event Funds update, I wanted to give kudos again to my colleague Dan Harris, who's our advanced and volunteer coordinator, who's our main person who helps organize materials for ESC to review, and we co-facilitate that conversation together.

But on average, we received like four or four rounds, five to seven applications.

So community members know.

I think we're just still struggling with getting responses back from the awardees of how the event went and photos.

Um, and I have some that I might show at the end if we were able to pull those up.

Um, but I did have your listed all of the first round, second, third, and um to come is the fourth that we're going to review this March.

Um, but last year in fall 2025, it was Chan Sakory Chinese New Year celebration that was put together.

The second item was through the pot music meals and cross-cultural connections event.

Um, and then as of right now for the spring 2026, we have about eight applications in, and it is um uh yeah, going to be reviewed at this next meeting with Dan with Dan Harris.

And so just to pick up on what you were saying.

Yeah, uh there's not a formal recording, and I mean some of these are public and they're open to the public, and and so anybody who wants to can go.

Yes, some of them are not so much.

Yes, some of them are not so much, and so is there do ESC members go to the one?

I mean, do they have assigned somebody to go to things or is there any kind of reporting that comes back?

Or yes, it's meant it's um we wanted to prevent from there being additional barriers, so it is of course very informal.

They are asked to either email a kind of summary of the event, so some like spoken words event provided a found of how many people attended, some include photos, and then ESC does try to attend that event either um some have been unavailable, um, but we do not have like a designated somebody will go and some um they're all required to be free and available to public.

The difference is someone does have a pre-registration because of limited space for some of the locations.

So we definitely need to work on that, may or maybe but yeah.

I was just curious.

Yeah, I I would love to there are some of these that I don't know where they happened, and yeah, you know, I would love to have the Ukrainian theater company or the Russian speaker.

Yeah, I enjoyed that.

Um so uh uh yeah, just um was curious about how that works for for the future events.

Would you all like a direct invite to okay, yeah?

Okay, I'll read it up.

Yeah, are there the are these events posted on like the city's Facebook?

I don't think necessarily I think occasionally they have been, but not consistently.

Yeah, that's anything like that because I weak different buttons.

Thank you.

Yeah, I do like however it's possible to follow up with folks.

I'm not sure they said they got a Milwaukee diversity grant, so it might have been this, might have been something else.

It was for um spring pop event.

Okay, the little blue store.

Yes, okay, yes, that's the one I was talking to Annie a little bit afterwards, and she was saying that there were some challenges that she had knowing what could be reimbursed with the funds, what couldn't um and whatever you're able to do to like all the efforts you're doing to make it as approachable as possible for folks to put these things together, I think go a long way because I know for any.

It was just like, oh, I have to navigate these current systems, and sometimes that's confusing.

Um all the like constant prudence you're gonna mean a lot to those folks.

So appreciate the feedback.

Yeah, the key definitely was accessibility.

Um, but that's really good here.

Those were all most questions about the PSC.

Um Nicole, are we able to pull the photos?

Yeah, this was from Cham Sakery Chinese movie this past year.

I think what we think of those this year.

Testing your skills.

In my vision.

Yeah, I think that's right.

So I have three on there for us just to see as an example.

I wouldn't prescription, sorry on.

Do we does anybody see the word open?

Yeah, just try to look at those on the camera.

You may have to open them individually.

Yeah, please don't.

Oh wow.

Fire fire dancers.

Uh-huh.

Oh wow.

It's really close to see what's okay.

Yeah.

I think insurance is included.

Here's the second photo.

Yeah, pretty big turn outside.

Yeah, these events are so cool.

Yeah.

And then I think that's the last image.

There we go.

So we have a three.

Great.

Yeah.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

No other questions for General.

Thank you for joining us.

Okay.

And then we'll move on to the library.

We are ahead of schedule.

Are we uh the library board?

And if you guys want to just come fill up here with the pull some work here right up for you.

Okay, so go on in and like everybody.

Yeah, that's what we go on in and like spot.

Go ahead and go for it.

You get to choose.

That's the tool.

And you're one of the things.

Okay.

We're ready for show.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Cool.

We do have one more member.

No, it's your spot.

So I asked the library board.

What is it that you think our community would like to know about what it is for you?

What do you want the council to know when you have the community?

Everyone around this table, you've all heard me talk at nauseum.

So tonight's not gonna be me talking in just a moment.

We're gonna cover books and beyond community building at the library, or where the library is going and how we get there.

One of our board members who could not be here because of uh kiddo's bed times uh came up with a better way to say this very wordy introduction that I uh, which was places, people, and plans.

And so that's what you're gonna hear from the library board.

So let's see.

Uh move.

It was moved in the recording.

That's gonna be good.

We're gonna start with the books and beyond, and uh Heather's gonna lead us up.

Yeah, so the first one we wanted to highlight all uh like the books that are in the library, but also all of the non-book things that the library does.

So the first uh point to emphasize is that there were almost 700,000 checkouts in 2025, which is the most since 2015.

Um we've got an upward trajectory, and then um just also looking at outside of the physical books that are available at the library, all the different ways that people can interact with the library, so things like e-books and audio books, um, life savers for people when they're out of the city and want to still connect with the library, especially if they're like doing things like one of our board members who couldn't be here shared, like when kids are going to bedtime, you don't have a book and you're traveling, and then you can download one really quickly, and just having that resource um kind of in your pocket at all times.

Um, so one of the other things that we talked about is that um out of all of the downtown, which is really great development, most of it is not built explicitly for children.

The library is one of the few playthroughs um within the downtown area that really has an explicit focus on children and is one of the only um pre-indor play areas in the um area, so it's a great resource for parents without many barriers um to entry for that.

And then there's also a few other things that we have.

So we have a library of things where people can either use things that they may not have space for, may not have money for, or want to try out before they buy it, which also helps with that sustainability.

So things like canning kits, um, bubble machines, sewing machines, all kinds of things.

There's a lot of synths at the library right now uh for musical instruments, and then there's also a seed library.

Um there's also the scout park, which technically is not part of the library, but um the board considers it to be part of the library.

Um then um just other community services that are generally available.

There's a um small food pantry, and then a lot of people are coming to the library to connect with different services, and there's different services operating out of there.

So, really just that kind of center for a lot of different resources and um things that people can use.

Heather, thank you.

I realized in my haste to like get us moving and meaning not to talk.

I forgot a thing.

Let us introduce ourselves.

I'm Friend Tusher and I'm the library director, but why don't we uh let me know who else think we not do?

Can we start with Carla and go around and let everyone know who you are and what your role is?

Hi, everyone again.

I think it meant well most of you guys before I'm crowded brings and I am the library board chair.

I am Greg Blue, and I am one of the team library board members.

I'm Heather B.

Cannon, and I'm on the board.

I'm Beatrice Perkins, and I'm a youth rep as well.

I'm Sean Smith, and I'm the secretary of the board.

I'm very great store, and I'm the vice chair.

I'm Christina Thomas and Lumport.

I'm also the president of the library foundation.

Cool.

Any questions about say what the list places?

Right.

If you have questions, let us know.

We'll have funny.

We did sort of plan this to not be in a lot of talking.

So the uh people piece and uh uh B is going to start this, and we may uh hop in as you go to supplement some of this.

Yes, well it's a pleasure to see you all.

Uh today I'm gonna be talking about the community room and the study rooms.

When I was younger, I went to the library board or I went to the library for story time.

Uh, but now I use it as a place to study with friends.

Uh I attended a Narcan training in our community room.

I've attended a movie night.

It really is a multi-use space, and that's what we want to highlight.

Uh it offers a space for community resources, uh, which include extended cooling center hours, uh, Tuesday outreach support with loved one, and parole and probation support.

Uh groups like Girl Scouts, Nami, and Metro have used it as a meeting space as well.

And if you go in, there's always art on the walls, the art rotates through, and it's curated by uh our arts committee.

Gabriela actually brought up uh the placekeeping talk that was also hosted in our community room.

Uh and the study rooms, they offer a quiet space to work.

I actually just came from there.

I was just doing a meeting.

It's perfect for a meeting or a phone call.

It's also uh a great space for, as the name says, studying.

If you want somewhere a little more quiet or secluded.

Uh all those things like reference are perfect examples of just the wide array of uses that that space offers.

And it also shows some of the things that the library offers beyond some of those community resources as well.

So the study rooms, I guess I never actually thought about this.

Are they just first come first serve or do you reserve?

You can reserve them.

You can reserve them online.

Uh, if it's not in use, you can ask and they'll unlock it for you.

Yeah.

Uh, but they're pretty popular.

So reservation is typically the right way to go.

Okay.

If you know, the the reason we really want to talk about rooms is they are quite competitive.

And often the library and the city and the community are actually competing with some of these spaces at the same time.

So it's often really a balance of trying to make sure all the things happen.

The study rooms, we actually have they are under two different or two rooms.

One does it is same day reservation, so after midnight any day, those open up, and the other is more like 30 to 60 days out of it.

They're often quite full back-to-back appointments, the study rooms.

Other questions for B?

She's about the content that they call.

We're gonna cover a little bit more uh in this.

Oh, you're really well?

Yeah, yeah, you need to help.

One of the other things, um, we have the Spice Club that's recently been going, um, that's sponsored by Friends, right?

Yeah.

Okay, this sponsored by Friends of the Library.

Um, I got the chance, those are also speaking of competitive, those are competitive.

You gotta get the beginning.

You want to spice kid.

Um, and I actually got one and it was the Bever Ray Spice, and it um had a little packet with different books you can check out, and then it also connected to the little blue store um that now doing Ethiopian food as it was an Ethiopian spice.

So it's also just a great way to try new things, explore different cultures, celebrate different cultures in our community here, and then connect you with different um places that offer that.

So uh you will hear a little bit more from the in our in my written report, you have all of the work of the board, but like this sort of work is actually the thing that I'm the most proud of, which is why you see us highlighting it.

We are part of this community, and it comes in these these ways that people don't necessarily think directly when they think about the library.

You all heard us go on about our behavioral help uh piece last week, so I won't delve into that, but anyone listening at home, check last week and we're all about our role there.

Um the story times piece.

I just wanted to say it is intentionally designed.

Families can come to that, those early literacy opportunities.

There's also time for those families to have social time after.

So it really is not just the program that our libraries have been on, but it's also the time families to connect with each other after.

And I think many people in this room also know about those natural connections that we're making uh across our city, across the county, and with the metro.

anyone listening at home check last week and we're all about our role there um the story times piece I just wanted to say it is intentionally designed families who come to that this early literacy opportunities there's also time for those families to have social time after so it really is not just the the program that our libraries have been on but it's also a time for families to connect with each other after and I think many people in this room also know about those natural connections that we're making uh across our city across the county and within the metro um we're just sort of that connector piece and and we're really proud to do it were there any questions uh I was question the um uh it wouldn't be this season of course but in the nicer weather does the actual outdoor storytelling share in that space does that get used so we we haven't used that corner space in Scott Park but we very much use the amphitheater uh so their whole series of uh performers where that draw somewhere between 150 and 300 people at a time so we're definitely doing that um but we haven't really engaged with that space what ends up happening in that space is a lot of self-directed play kids know how to play and they sort of take a room and for those who may not know the in Scott Park there really is an area that's designed just for that with giant the chair is right yeah is it right there on the other side of that table.

So uh this is the people please people piece uh next up the plans the library's future yeah so I wanted to touch base a little bit about um just kind of do a check in on the strategic plan and when I say a strategic plan I'm talking about the the library strategic plan which was made um in collaboration with library staff I believe in summer of 2024 was when we were doing it I think it's 2427 um and it was supposed to be um in direct connection to the Milky Momentum as well when that came out we did the library uh strategic plan and that had uh three priorities one of them being to connect as much as possible with Malachi Momentum but the other two that I wanted to touch base on um one of the priorities was improving library services at the point of need and a couple of examples of things that we have done to kind of push that priority along um at the library is developing plans to improve services and resources outside of the physical library we're currently working with a few um community partners to see where in the community we can install library lockers um intentional efforts are being made to place one set within the area of the library service area that is technically unincorporated Clackness County um and then the other one I believe will be within the city limits at the library ideally we'll see how it plays out but that's the process that we're in right now um another thing is reducing uh barriers to access uh letting library is now officially free so that was the goal that we had when we were building um our strategic plan and then another thing that we are applying to do is uh working on implementing student cards for K-12 public school students in the circus area uh there's conversations currently happening with Director Usher and the North Lackham school district to develop a plan for this to happen with the schools within our service area uh the second priority oh I think I see a question but it was an interrupting question waited until you're looking like you were ready I did not miss something no um the student cards is that that every student would receive a card automatically data loads I love you thank you definitely some that's bad very early conversations a lot there are other examples here in our region where it's happening in our county so far it's just been one grade level in Oregon City um but we have shown the proof of content um so now now the conversation's come the idea would be automatic data load uh students might end up having two cards like one card that is issued from the library and the other that is just a school card based with a student number but it would mean everyone have access to electronic resources they could come into the library with student ID check out five items no matter what hybrid they check out probably would be no clients so it would be really big win for everyone in both school district not just our service area but the whole thing that's incredible but um is the implementation going to have sneak bulbs with 100% sharing 100% that's the thing that people get wigged out about when we're talking about privacy data of students and the privacy data that public libraries are required to do but there are examples of IJs that that will guide us through.

Yeah.

So at this point we definitely dropped the idea and they're sort of mulling um but I mean when you come to them and say can we evolve your students library cards we set to figure out yeah this back site people seem to be support.

We just have to figure out this backside.

People seem to be supporting.

And do you have a champion for this office school court?

Not yet, but I did meet with uh the district's COO, the chief operating uh officer.

Uh and uh she is interested, but it's more conversations on that administrative site.

I've not had any of the side.

Well, and we do have uh remember the date.

I feel like it's April.

We have the superintendent coming to talk to council.

Um so we have a chance to raise this and encourage.

I mean, that's not the board members, of course, but right for council, I can send you a one page or like how it has worked so you can understand the pieces so you'll have that pop topic.

That would be great.

And then just maybe let the superintendent know that we're really interested in that.

That would be great.

Sorry, I didn't mean to.

This is why we do this, right?

Yeah, that was a great point.

Um so yeah, the other priority uh too was improving organizational health and sustainability.

Um, a couple things that have been moving along there is um Dr.

Husher's continuously working and finding opportunities to ensure that the staff at the library um have you know well developed toolkit to help them with their work in the community, things such as de-escalation trainings, mental health trainings, shadowing other libraries in Blackwith County, different opportunities that are popping up to make sure that the staff at the library is well rounded and able to tackle all the different things beyond just books.

Um, and then building capacity for members of the library board, uh, letting library foundation and friends of the library to support advocacy in our community.

Um we all have been working really hard to ensure that all three of the groups are well informed as what's happening within um each of the different boards and groups um and finding out ways where we can um intersect our supports with each other.

We're lucky to have members of the library who are active on both the friends of the library and on the letting library foundation as well.

And this will be a great segue to transition over to our parents at the library and the library foundation.

Um I've been um working with the friends for the last three years, as soon as we reopened um after the uh COVID closure.

And it's it's been a pleasure for me.

The friends of the Letting Library have been supporting the library since 1952.

With the help of dedicated workers, the friends provided 4242 424 hours of service this year.

Uh we raised more than 46,000 to our bookstore, which is open every day, including Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday sales every Sunday from May to October quarterly sales and our yearly planned sale.

This year we had to find a new location for our annual plant sale and have unfortunately offered space at the Milwaukee Elk Slot.

Uh last year we made more than $9,000 at the sale and hope to make that an ongoing habit.

Currently, we're looking for a new storage and a story facility to replace our current space on Harvey, which is being torn down.

A space of 900 to a thousand square feet would be adequate.

I feel it would be near the library and accessible by car for donation drop offs and available for volunteers to work weekdays and weekends.

It would need to be lockable, heated, and have a restroom.

Having a book depository greatly facilitates receiving book donations, which make up the bulk of our sale items.

Um working in the bookstore and at the sales has led to a dramatic increase in the number of books in my house.

And hopefully the homes of others to sustain the prince through their home library expansions.

The Princess Learning Library will continue to support the library through our volunteer services, fundraising, and the sharing of information that will benefit the community coming here.

I know that um Councillor Massey helps with some of these things, especially the plant sale.

And I have uh been in contact with Christina about digging some plants.

I have some plants we just have to come to the labor.

But I've got always got plants to we pick up the mayor's yard every spring.

Yeah, I love that.

I also want to take this moment to like thank our friends of the library.

Hopefully you know this.

The hours that they put in, trying to connect that through line, the number of hours that they put in.

And it's all going directly back into this community.

So I just really appreciate the work.

And I also appreciate us daylighting.

Everyone around this table understands, I think the Harvey Street uh changes that are coming, specifically for uh removing of the PFAPs uh in our water treatment.

Um but for those volunteers who have such a good system, um, like it is really like not to, I just want to, it's a big deal that their operation is going to change.

And we're really going to work through like what does that mean?

There really are a lot of dominoes uh that will create that have potential to change their work and how we operate.

Um so just not to memorize it, but it's a big deal that uh it's not just storage, it's actually where a whole lot of work gets done that prepares for those movie sales that that really fund almost all of our program.

So thank you for sharing that.

Okay, I'm gonna talk about foundation.

Um I kind of wanted to talk about how a lot of things we talked about tonight are about how the libraries are with the community.

And um the friends and the foundation are kind of how the community supports collect.

Um so Sean's here with you all about the friends, and um I've been working with the foundation or I've been um present for about six months, I should and we are working to do a lot of things.

Um the foundation is our goal is to kind of create the long-term support for the library um and to give it its really and strength, but also to help it expand and to really meet that um strategic record.

This routine plan um of improving services at the point of need.

So one of the ways we can do that is through bookwalkers, which the foundation is helping to um support the we put these in at a couple locations.

We'll probably need infrastructure concrete and uh electrical, and so we really are um hoping to work for that.

And that will bring materials out into the community and create little library hubs in my dream world.

We also like to buy a vehicle and really expand out.

Um, maybe make the library fancier.

I like her.

These are Brett and I talk about this a lot.

So um, but for for community members that want to support this work, there are ways that you can help um through donations to the foundation, through uh could use a couple more board members in the foundation if anybody's bored.

Um it's very boring.

Also, we have some events coming up.

Uh we are actually back to the community room.

We're gonna put on two screenings of the documentary, the librarians.

Um we have uh like a fancy PIP screening, and we're doing also doing a community pay what you want screening so that it's open to everyone.

And if people love it, we could do more.

Um I can share that information from guys and has questions about I probably cannot read the hard any questions, Christine.

Yeah, do make sure we know about those things.

They are gone to see the calendar already.

Oh, they are and they're clickable and they link to the getting of um and the pay whether you want when you can enter zero and picking out work.

Um just have to it is so April 18th and and that's a Saturday and then April 26th, and then it will be after the library closes meeting.

You heard about library lockers.

I just want to theory is the plan for library lectures.

Uh and right, we don't have all the money in the city budget to do it.

Uh, but through several revenue streams, I think it's possible to do about three sets.

Uh we plan on working with the URA to do a set at the library, and this is to augment our lost hours and those those decisions we made a couple years ago to scale back hours.

So we're gonna put some here.

Thank you, URA.

Uh, and we have within the city budget to do one set of lockers.

Uh, and I'm having conversations with uh the school district again uh at about Wichita Center as a location.

Uh technically, Wichita Center is not inside of Milwaukee, Milwaukee is all around it.

You might feel like that bad.

So that one would be technically unincorporated.

Yeah, uh, and we were also in conversations with the Milwaukee Community Center.

And we're having that conversation with their NCPRD board to sort of like what would our role be?

How would we do that?

So that those are the very early conversations.

But I place an order for two sets of lockers.

So I guess we're going to put some out and see what happens.

So the concept with the locker is that after hours you would be able to pick up books that you have stopped in the library.

They request like folks.

Okay.

So then what additional capacity does that like require of the case?

I mean staffing ones.

Yes.

So we're not different locations.

Right.

So we're going to be very thoughtful about how we expand that service.

It's not going to start out with seven-day service.

It's going to be a matter of where will we most likely be able to absorb that in to our existing schedule?

So like we're not going to like go, we're not going to overpromise it on your delivery.

So we're going to start off small.

It'll be very easy at the library location, but that is only helpful in particular way.

I mean, if we're going to really hit our strategic goal, it is about providing a service.

And it only works if we have enough regularity.

It's like trimet, right?

It only works if people don't have to think about it.

Right.

So the answer is I don't know.

So then you might not know this, but it occurs to me.

Um how do you have the ability to edit the page for when you when you request a whole lot of book so that people could like select which location is closest to an absent.

Okay.

So you don't have to do that administratively behind the scenes.

They will stop for asking this question.

So our biggest this is a county-wide procurement process.

And we actually have a contract out to counting the next five years.

So we can make choices in the next five years to purchase off this specific contract.

And the vendor that was selected was the one that most integrated with our existing um computer system that uh navigates check-ins and checkouts holds.

Uh the way it would be set up is each individual locker would exist as its own letting library location.

So there would be the inside location, there would be the external, and then these other spots.

But it would be like Amazon sale lockers.

Yeah.

But you were saying your neighbors will be excited about the return bits.

You know, we have a definitive book return.

Oh, that's our goal is to have book returns at both of these, which I think will have use with the locker, but also independent use of people just returning the materials.

Um, so that's also helpful system.

Cool.

Absolutely.

Um because we yeah, when the you know when the library was in its temporary digs, it had a drive-thru.

It was so nice.

Well, I can't remember where I was.

Oh, well, the new one in other cards.

I think we'll have to we've learned depending on like like when at the community center.

We did a walking thing.

We did a walking through, and they were like, well, if you wanted to put a drive-through return in this parking lot, we have to like order a um it, a survey of it, like they're in multiple steps.

Um could could work for a trial for which talk.

We have the full through, yeah.

But that is and we've heard that feedback and we have been asking, is it possible?

Yeah.

It's definitely popular.

Just don't throw them at me, please.

Yeah, it's great.

I love that.

I mean, we've been talking about lockers for everything.

Yes, at least since the pods, um, so it's great to see it moving forward.

But also just say geographically distribution-wise, like around middle school might be a place to think about, and also kind of leverage it on your talk about the school um school school-based car system.

Well, um I so there are two things.

Uh, one, like if you look at so we in addition to the city, we have a service area that extends actually all the way up to O5.

Uh, is our service area or code for community or library district?

So we do have this in the very stone list of terms.

We need a stock that is east and south, uh, without a doubt.

Um, and then beyond that, we can take a we could look at an exam again.

There's a staffing issue or consideration.

Uh West Lynn, for example, they for a long time have had uh book returns, public library book returns at all.

So, like I think there's more work there.

service area which over library district so we do have this in a very stone was the terms we need a stock that is east and south uh without a doubt um and then beyond that we could take a we could look at an exam again with the staff issue or consideration uh west wind for example they for a long time have had uh book returns public library book at all so like i think there's more work there but you know everything every decision has cost balance how what's the incremental approach but i like where you're working that's a lot of bread what am i missing library board how many openings do you have for this uh recruitment cycle oh i know that exactly we have two uh one is a youth member and our chair is uh terming out so which one of the youth members is we're graduating soon I'm a senior that's a terrible excuse well here proper are you often not sure yeah so we're waiting on a lot of decisions okay a lot of them are in the parts okay you look like a smith student okay good um you know we always get the most applications for the library of any board and I wish that our uh I had this conversation with staff like how do we get our onboard system to show how many we really have you know because people look at it right now and they think you have uh three of three uh non-youth openings and two youth openings and so it's good to know uh that you really want to have one each um yeah folks are reopening yeah I'm not scaring the voice yeah yeah I think this year mayor uh I just think I heard something it's more about the tree has all the interest uh we at least maybe in the late screen I think there are only three applicants right now um I just wanted to say though that it's been my pleasure to be on this board for six years and I am so sad that I'm going to be transitioning out but you guys have a birth people that are going to keep on doing the good work and yeah yeah plenty of other boards you can join yeah technically unincorporated so I'm I'm the incorporated representative so I might call it my transition over to one of the either friends or library foundation down the road um but yeah don't let Carl she's gonna take one year to come right we can add it as very fast there we go totally plan yeah I'm trying to Carla but she's been very insistent like this is the year for her senior yeah I have a rising senior next year the class of 2010 so I'm gonna dedicate next year to getting you know college applications and a year snack then do that and then maybe want another then transition thank you cara you've been excellent I transitioned from PTA to library boards I haven't had a break so maybe you're all yes yeah thank you well they thank you yeah yeah like all of them you guys have the defendants award tonight board for thank attention this is what we work for thank you might you'll take it in the heart you don't really care about classic thank you right um education in just yeah I think for a second library if you have money to do okay we will buy our reps uh development manager and first off tell us how many openings none I can show it's in the presentation yeah so we're gonna present our uh we'll let you know how many uh spots are open and we're gonna present our accomplishments for the 2025 25 2026 year and the goals for 2026 and 27 um yeah so we'll just jump right in uh we currently have nine members that will change in July nine members with uh two youth members and a rock CSR um kind of and for 2025 our big accomplishments for continued advocacy for the walking park uh we did a lot of partnership with East City USA one of our newest um board members is very involved with the city usa so um that's been great having her input um

Um just jump right in.

Um we currently have nine members that will change in July.

Nine members with uh two youth members and roll with our CSR.

Um guys.

And for 2025, our big accomplishments for continued advocacy for Milwaukee Park.

Um we did a lot of partnership with the city USA.

One of our newest um board members is very involved with B City USA.

So that's been great having her input.

Um we talked, we've talked about how uh polynomial pathways deciding where those signs I just saw one the other day.

I was so excited, the B City Signs.

Um we reviewed the new naming and memorial and donation policies in partnership with the equity steering committee.

And so we had a naming subcommittee.

Is it still active or is it kind of public?

So we put together a subcommittee to create the policies which had representation for a par um so we had former park members who stuck it now for an additional six months to help us with those policies, and then um April now get together with the uh subcommittee that was created by the policy and that subcommittee keep that reading on the brand help.

So yeah, Gabrielle mentioned that to her presentation.

So you guys have already picked a member, or you still have to do that.

We have our vice chair, Sasha's doing it, uh policy allows for two positions.

So we have two people were kind of interested in one weeds.

So we completed a board and subcommittee bylaws took from 30.

We had a lot of new member this year, and with that we wanted to make sure everyone was starting together on the same page.

Um, and then supporting Milwaukee's Earth Day event, which we'll be doing again this year, and uh supporting community outreach for the Metro Community Choice Grant so can't have a lot of flyers and just really talked it up to to get people voting uh at submitting grants and or submitting um uh submitting projects and then voting on those.

And then last week, no, how long was that?

Two weeks ago, we had a really great turnout at our um the Metro event that we co-hosted with um Metro where they presented technical projects.

I do want to say um Metro was extremely impressed by our classroom members, how prepared they came, um, particularly compared to some of the other groups that they have been working with in the past our members when they're prepared to talk about projects, had a lot of different really great insight or really pushing the different designers onto the table everyone that like uh Metro could not have been uh could not have said nicer things about our work.

So I do want to make sure that you council know how serious our's been taking this role particularly that work job.

This is fun too, like just the energy in the room.

How many people do you think?

No, I don't want to say because I think that the firemark will make you definitely fill the room.

Yeah, I felt like it could have been a bigger room.

I was like, okay, we do it in change.

Um yeah, yeah.

It was hard to hear, and I got that comment from a few people.

It was hard to hear your table because the next table, yeah.

Yeah, a lot of excitement.

Um right, and then your question about membership changes.

We have four new members this year, and two of them Sasha um Great Year stepped up for uh leadership as vice chair and Carrie Kokinda stepped in as um secretary.

Um voted in, but stepped up to that, and then uh we are two members and the departing members are Avery and Stella.

We're both youth members, so there's gonna be two youth seats available July 2026.

Um I did re-up for my next term.

And I will add that uh one of those new farm members, Colleen Rockwell, the B City is also our volunteer yeah.

Did she know?

Because I wanted to say something.

Oh, she knows she knows.

Okay, I was below secrets.

She wasn't there.

It was it was it was it was public.

Okay, okay.

I didn't see yeah, she's the I was at the rotary um today, and she's active in the active rotary for a long time.

I think she was they all actually.

One of the biggest questions I think I get as a part member is what's going on with the Milwaukee Bay Park.

So that's one of our goals is to um make sure the community is educated on as best we can on what's going on and then engage community members to learn what they want for Milwaukee Parks and represent those missions effectively um and we were exploring how we're going to do that through surveys um through just more invitations to community members to meetings they're always open but um might need more outreach there collaborate with public and community groups to work towards this uh shared benefit of public parks um identify organizations that can co-leverage resources to accomplish um and expand shared goals we've talked about um public partnerships and what that could look like um and then strengthen inclusive recreation programming in Milwaukee through NCPRD um with the Parks and recreation board we spent a lot of time talking about parks the physical space and we wanted to make sure that in our goals this year we included um the recreation programming side as well and then um research and connect the council and city staff to additional funding sources through a task force and that's our big project we're came up with on our goal setting you want to add because I just kind of read through yeah I'll just add on that uh the goals in general these are goals that we're put together um at a retreat and we have yet to adopt them so there's still a little bit of a wiggle room in there but par um has stated that they want to uh check in on these goals on a quarterly basis uh similar to what council does within schools and we want to make sure that we are working to implement these or at least we move them or as a group um they haven't been adopted because our February meeting was the workshop with Metro on the last point that last school research and connect council and city staff to share funding sources um you know we know right what grants metro offers or the state offers or national parks offer how we are applying for those grants if we get our way we receive those grants we might not expect to receive those grants in the future right they have other people there are other people out there who want them too uh it's not just us unfortunately and so you know looking for ways that we can build partnerships in the community through nonprofit organizations um and find ways to leverage those into existing programs I think is going to be really important for the city because you know we're we're looking at raising some serious money for that first core uh for Milwaukee Mid Park and I don't think it's you know going to be feasible for us to turn around and ask Metro for anything to million dollars two years from now you know so um that's part of the rationale there between that goal well and I feel like that goal you know for and co-leveraging resources and that goal both um you know I know you've done a lot of work Adam on um you know the big state grants and all that but how also do we tap into the you know the Ford Family Foundation and the the foundation money around the um corporate how do we get you know some of our corporations to step up that's always been like uh it's always been a challenge it was something that was talked about and um visa being a walkie bay part before phase before the current phase was built I remember we had part of conversations kind of trying to uh figure out how to get some um corporate support and it's always been challenged but if there's some people in par with energy to work on that it's great so yeah at the um at the goal session before throwing out different corporations yeah also um may I ask a question yes um when you are talking about inclusive programming are you are you thinking about culturally inclusive are you either about disability inclusive or is it involved over yeah it's a great question yeah all of them um yeah so I ran into this um editor happened by him today um the founder and chairman of the onward project and um he runs this program that um provides adventures for folks that so it's like a convertible wheelchair yeah that turns into kind of like an off-road total vehicle and um I have his contact information um he's worked with several different cities to like provide some of those as um

The founder and chairman of the onward project.

And he runs this program that provides advent chairs for folks that so it's like a convertible wheelchair.

Yeah.

That turns into kind of like an off-road toilet vehicle.

And um I have his contact information.

Um he's worked with several different cities to like provide some of those as um, you know, as like french folks or yeah, yeah, rentals or you know check it out through the library of things or something like that.

Um you know, but I think that would really help through our trail system.

Um, you know, it works on all different types of pavement or non-pavement.

Um the the tires are like legit.

I think those like big ballooning ones, like beach ones.

Oh, this is it's like riding in a VMX bike.

How cool.

Yeah, it's really neat.

And the website that's on there, there's a um a big like documentary video that talks through how it's used in different settings.

Um but it's not you know, like you could you could access so many different parks and trails um and go you know all over the place we had some of those.

And this I see is like kind of blending goal five and um like six.

Yeah, and I know I used to work with um the city of Eugene Parks and Recreation, their adaptive reservation program, and they had a rental program for different types of adaptive chairs and bikes.

Sounds funny.

Yeah, that'll be awesome.

Well, thank you.

Yeah, thank you.

Let me just add one thing on the on the goal too is that uh it says ended community members to learn what they want for Milwaukee Parks to represent their vision effectively is that you know when we discussed this, you know, there's a survey that's going out, and I think the uh the uh people who were satisfied was pretty high.

It was like 77%.

That's okay.

You know, we kind of said and uh when we started sort of digging into it, it was kind of like um do you like what we're doing?

But it didn't have any sort of aspirational or visionary aspects to it, or you know, like what would you like to see?

What would you want your parts district to be?

What sort of uh uh activities and recreational uh uh uh outlets would you like to see?

So it kind of lacked that sort of forward looking uh sort of aspect.

We may have missed the boat this year on the survey, but that's something that I think that the uh part was interested in doing is uh is uh you know not just accepting uh uh well you know a victory or low bar, you know, so to speak.

Well, I will say on that surveying would be um there's probably some stuff, it wouldn't be just Milwaukee, it would be the wider NCPRD area, but there's probably there were quite a bit of surveying done for the system plan and it's not reflected that well, I don't think in the system plan document itself, but I think if if you dig into the uh appendices, there's like 200 pages of appendices, and I think there is kind of a breakdown that showed what things people really you know wanted to see.

More dog parks for sure.

Yeah, yeah, I guess that's um yeah, and I remember when looking at the system plan that when they did the breakdown of like where the respondents were from, what areas Milwaukee was very high, yeah.

So yeah, that's true.

That's true.

We know a big part, big chunk of the response, way more than our proportion of the population.

Yeah, anything else until we oh so we meet the third Wednesday of every month.

Come check us out, it's pretty good time upstairs, usually in the um big chair room, but um yeah, you can check the calendar for adjustments at our next meeting is next um next Wednesday.

I love those little did you know that they snuggle?

Um no, but are they the ones that get into the flowers can make it back to their beds?

Oh really?

Wow, it's like the move over milling.

We were at last new pet pal the landlord be we were talking about making a logo for and everyone was like, oh, I have to have a goose, has a cherry, has to have a B has a snail for the snail at uh Scar.

Any more questions for thanks for all over Kiddown?

We hope that we'll have good news one of these days.

So we'll walk you back and be able to take all those all that good energy into here.

Yeah, but we're ready to bring the energy.

That's one thing with what we've been hearing is that people want to be active, they want to you know write letters or show off to things.

So I will say I think you know, we we have some part members who future working out this year.

And they left the retreat or they've left recently because you know I really feel like we're hit or sweet.

We really feel like we're getting into the thing.

Um I I think the new numbers coming in and looking with the existing compost really with every good foundation.

And I think that you know, as we start to cycle through numbers and tourism in the future, we'll be able to use the difficultation work that we've done over the last you know six months to a year before this group to really keep that going.

So it's really nice to be a part of a group where people need to scroll.

I feel like I know what I'm doing.

Even though we have so much of uh complicated back and forth with IGR projects and things like that, like this group is as we take positive rights to keep that idea being active and advocates for this community.

Well, and I would say it's been great to have Nora on the DAC as well.

Um we'll see each other tomorrow.

Um I did have one little question, which is you you noted that your two youth members are leaving.

Are they giving you any leads or helping you with other refunders, or we just we'll just do your general youth number?

I will say I know that Nicole and Scott did a lot of um attempts to recruit youth members and and you know eventually succeeded, but it was a lot of work, and so if they can help you with word of mouth, I think it's the right thing to do.

Let's start with all the entire theater department.

Okay, can actually have watched okay.

I can get the theater department and the track team.

Oh there you go, very good.

I know we've had sort of to keep that going.

Yeah, I think one of ours was in our future.

It's Avery, is it?

I think I get to attend her today this year.

I'm excited because I just have to share.

So we'll do butterfly books again.

All right, yes, okay.

Well, thank you so much.

All right, uh interesting.

Um you guys could say, yeah, we're gonna incorporate it.

Thank you so much.

Okay, good evening, everybody.

So we have 30 minutes.

Yeah, we have an hour, 30 minutes.

Okay, just want to be totally clear.

You're we're running early, but that doesn't mean you get just want to be judicious with hard time.

So here are there's a lot to talk about, and also I just want to be super clear that I see this as an opportunity to ask questions and get feedback and actually workshop some of the key things that are going on right now in the direction of PSAP.

So uh my hope is to sort of divide this up into just a couple of categories talking about just a sort of quick overview of what we're doing where we're at and then moving on to updates and talking about funding and actual measurable success and then kind of looking forward towards where PSAC is going.

Okay.

In front of you well before we get to that so currently we meet once a month and we discuss uh safety concerns in the city and because of the nature of how the funding mechanism has worked uh a big portion of what we're doing right now has been dedicated to the spot project and we are really building up quite a bit of momentum with this project and so the you know a goal without a plan is just a wish and we've really tried to come up with a plan and process that's manageable and realistic and I think I think we're really starting to recognize what our lane is and figure out how to stay in it and make measurable achievement there's been several sort of changings of the guard so to speak in this process it's really wonderful to have Jennifer on board and Dan on board they're very very competent and it's great having them where a much more efficient committee has been there are just logistically there's basically a representative from each NDA there are three members at large and then there are um you know the the city uh engineering that we have represented we do not have any youth representation on this committee so that could be a question mark if the committee if council wants to consider moving forward and we reapproach bylaws in the future if that's something that we want to bring in but as it stands we currently have one possibly two at large positions coming open uh just waiting to hear back from one of our um one of our members and also uh the member from Lake Road has done five years and she's moving on so we'll also need a Lake Road uh representative I noticed actually a lot of your neighborhood reps are uh this is the end of their term that they're all planning to re after say this is what we've been told okay I mean we'll see but when we sort of cast it out there in anticipation of the direction we're going that's okay yeah so this uh handout you have in front of you is pretty accurate it's not 100% accurate but it's pretty accurate and it's definitely a great starting point to talk about kind of the scope of work we're doing and how we're trying to figure it out and where we're at so far so as as you know um Ann Ober when she was here uh designated 350 000 to be used for this product for this spot program and that money is um slated our understanding is that money is slated to expire at the end of this fiscal year and so we have uh what we have here is we have um a handout that had sort of the estimated approved costs so far that we have green lighted and the money is spoken for and then what's actually been spent I want to put a pin in in the in how we go through our process before and come back to that but the this is I think this is a pretty good indication that we are on track by the end of probably the May meeting to likely exhaust the funds that we have available because of the amount of um the amount of projects we have and when I say exhaust I just want to be clear have those designated and spoken for Jennifer do you want to say something about that so then whenever we don't finish actually building by June 30th we will roll those dollars the next fiscal year and we do have planned in the budget uh another 2000 for the next bien in addition for the spot program so this chart is things that the committee has prioritized and staff has agreed yes and something stuff very close it's actually I think there's a couple items on here like the um bike oh you read you read it this okay yes I think it's very close as far as what we're seeing here um so yeah we're we're moving along much faster as far as being able to get projects thanks now I just need to get up the some projects we need to go out and hire a contractor or add them to a contractor which means they won't get done till this summer so that'll that'll be past the June 30th deadline and then some projects we can do in-house um but I can't just put them at the top of the list right I gotta do a work worker and and stop this in their schedule and do those things and with sometimes materials and that's sometimes can also take a little bit of time especially when you're getting specialty equipment to use like art's actually stay with this just for a moment is what I want to come back to as far as being paid.

So that'll that'll be past the June 30th deadline, and then some projects we can do in-house.

Um, but I can't just put them at the top of the list, right?

I gotta do a work worker and and stop this in their schedule and do those things, and with order sometimes materials, and that's sometimes can also take a little bit of time, especially when you're getting specialty equipment to use, like artists.

Let's actually stay with this just for a moment.

This is what I want to come back to as far as paying payments.

So the types of projects we do, like Jennifer said, really fall into two categories in-house that we can do with you know, our advocating shop or whatever, and the city of Milwaukee can do, and and Jen puts on the schedule as we're able, and things that have to go out to bid.

And the one of the questions that we've asked, which is the first question for you tonight, council, is what is a reasonable turnaround for a project?

So we have you know, we've established that the spot program is in fact designed to be a quick way, a quicker way than the normal stream to deal with engineering issues around transportation safe, and realistically, there's a finite amount of you know hours and day to prioritize for.

So a normal project that is done by the city can take years and years and years to actually happen.

And we're trying to not take years and years and years to have happen.

Uh, so far, we've been very transparent with engineering and working closely together.

What's possible, what's in the queue of the sign needs to be made, what is it going to be made based on the sign staffing, so on and so forth.

But we do want council to weigh in.

If at some point you feel like the projects are moving at a great pace, that's wonderful, and we need to slow it down.

That's okay.

If they're really moving too slowly and people are getting frustrated and they're giving us feedback, and we do get some feedback and frustration.

What's the balance?

So that's that's that question's out there, and we don't necessarily have to answer that tonight, but we should think about that.

And if you have follow-up questions about that, we can certainly look at those.

The issue with funding is really tricky because the engineering process, the engineering team is very, very thorough as far as they can tell, and they do a really excellent job of making sure they do it right and safely, and we can maintain it, and also get the best deal that we can get.

And sometimes as a result, the there's this sort of overlap, right?

So project our phase just as a quick reminder.

So you have functional framework of how this works.

Anybody can fill out a spot proposal, we review it as committee.

If that seems like a valid proposal, it must have meet several requirements.

It has to be legal, has to be safe.

We have to be able to maintain it.

Those are kind of our three key requirements, and then we designate how many, you know, how much of communities can be positively affected by this.

But then it goes to a phase two, and a phase two is essentially a member of the committee works with the proposer and engineering and any other relevant entities, police department, or it may be to come together and look at kind of drill down what that particular project's gonna entail and get an estimate, and then we bring it back to the committee, we review it, and then we either prove it or we decline it, or we continue to review it because there's not up information.

And that that works pretty well every once in a while.

We have like a no-brainer, which is absolutely like this needs to be done.

Engineering is clear, everyone's clear.

We're like, wow, we're so surprised that that missed.

And then there's a batch track option in which it can be able to meet the certain number of criteria, it could be just consented upon, and we can fund it.

But there's there's criteria to weak that so that doesn't really happen very well.

How often do you say no?

Well, so let's take a quick look at this project.

Um, this this staple projects here.

You'll notice that there are two denied on there's actually a third one that was denied that's not on here, is one of the first ones that was proposed.

I actually want to bring it up this evening.

But the um we don't say no that often.

I mean, we really do need to have uh it has to sort of fail the litmus test initially, and if we say no, it's usually because it fails the litmus test, like it doesn't meet those three requirements, or it's just too expensive, like it's it's prohibitively expensive for the scope of the kind of projects we have.

So we have a 25,000 dollar cap, which is you know, essentially where we stick to for projects.

Sometimes projects are larger and combine them together, but that gives us a pretty good framework.

And so if it's a 50,000 or 100,000 project, it's just beyond the scope of all.

Um the the process of of actually getting it through, though, takes you know, earnest effort by the committee, and committee is is really earnest, and people go out and they go and they see it and they they figure out what's possible, and engineering is very as far as we can tell, engineering's extremely transparent and clear, they're communicating about this, and so as a committee, we're able to um that trust is strengthening.

We're able to say, okay, is this something that works?

No, yes, why?

Let's move forward, let's not move forward, let's evaluate cost, whatever it is.

Uh, the one hiccup, which is a good example, but it's like a kind of an outlier, but it's not, which is that one of the first uh projects that we had proposed was at first you might remember from last year when uh we had maybe this two years ago, actually, I think it was two years ago.

Um we had uh someone on Hollywood wanted to fill some gravel because of some drainage issues, and then Peter Pascarelli for maintenance said our uh public works said no, we can't do it because there's this weird hiccup thing where the city acquired this property, but it's not maintainable because the infrastructure isn't there, and it's it was the cyclical thing though, where we couldn't do it.

So we asked, we asked Peter and and company to send a denial letter.

We denied it.

The fellow showed up again this last month with a much more elaborate proposal for the same thing.

There's been a changing of the guard, so not everybody was there when they got the first denial.

We had to deny it, he was very frustrated.

Try to explain it.

I didn't have that letter to reference, you know.

I did it wasn't memorialized.

So, like I said, we're our name, our lanes are getting more clear as we as we document more clearly, but um it's in the meetings that it was denied by maintenance.

So there's a little bit of pushback, and there's been other, you know, there's been other things.

There's been a couple of other types of examples like that.

Another stormwater project.

I can't spend strongwater property spot, you know, saving dollars on stormwater issue type of thing.

So that one was denied as well.

Yeah, so and that actually what Jen just said brings up kind of the next question, which is you know, we have this funding, which we understand it operates through a certain mechanism, which is a safe the safe program, so it has to be sort of transportation oriented, and there's these other like people ask, oh, would this work and this not work?

And so for counsel, I just want to put out there maybe we reconsider the parameters of what can be funded.

And I don't know if that's possible, but let me give you two examples of what why we might want to do that.

So, one example would be something like CERT.

CERT is now part of Milwaukee, right?

We have uh officially it's uh incorporated into Milwaukee's insurance and infrastructure.

Uh FEMA has cut off all funding for CERT, so they're really in the red.

So every time they train up new uh members and they go through the program, they really don't have even the basic funds to supply those new members with the critical equipment that's part of being a CERT member.

CERT members come to us and they petition for funds.

We can't give it right now because even though it's a safety thing, the public safety advisory committee due to the funding has really become an extension in many ways of engineering's uh transportation fund for the city.

That's okay.

It's actually really great to have that, but it's also really important that we're all aware that the safe issues around the city that aren't getting funds and cannot be funded through the spot program, don't really get very much traction.

So if you look at the bylaws, you look at the manifesto of what spot is or what's PSAC is we're supposed to have liaisons between the NDAs and the city to try to have you know more communication and clarity around safety issues, and transportation is tremendous, and we're doing great things with transportation, really like that.

But there is a question.

So we have funding, our funding we appreciate that there's a hundred dollars, a hundred thousand for the next two years coming our way, and we plan on spending that on these sorts of things.

But as we move forward, we really do want to ask do we want PSAC to hold more of a safety umbrella, or do we really just want it to be that kind of extension?

And we have to look at how the funding mechanism works for that.

Well, you said you had two examples.

So the CERT, and what was the second one?

Yeah, so the other one is it's in connection to um to engineering, but it's not really engineering explicitly, which would be like equipment.

So we have all of these sorts of various programs in the city that are trying to uh make the city more livable and walkable and bikeable, and we don't really have any meaningful way from our perspective, and maybe the city has it, but in conversation with engineering, it doesn't seem like we have any really meaningful way to evaluate um bicycle and pedestrian traffic and activity, and that could be a safety transportation thing, but it could also be put elsewhere, not necessarily exclusively for transportation on on the ground.

So that's a little murky and confusing, but basically the question is do we want to allow funding for equipment to increase our capacity to make more intelligent choices around what we do fund in the future?

So you mean like traffic counters and trail counters would think we what say that again?

I would think we have those.

We do not have those.

We have a we have we can use speed studies and we can and we can track, we can track the the speed of um automobiles and traffic and the volume of automobile traffic, and we can aggregate information, we use that, those are super helpful, but we don't have any like official way to track to track how many pedestrians cross an area, how many bicyclists come through an area.

We've done some research on and we have ideas, but it's not something we can actively fund right now.

Okay, so that's that's that's another funding thing, and it's all about how we decide to prioritize.

But the if we look at this, um I want to be cognizant of our time.

I think I've gone through.

If we look at this um list of accomplishments or uh of of proposals and where they currently stand, we can point to a couple of things that I think are really been successful and worth noting.

We've introduced a new wave of um, we've introduced a new wave of rapid flashing welds.

So we we've got I think 10 on order five communities.

Precision of language, Jen, would you would you specifically?

So we're gonna um we're looking at 10 um speed feedback signs that tell you how fast you're going.

Um, to hopefully bring awareness that maybe people will actually slow down because they see oh man, I didn't realize I was going to fast.

Maybe flash, what's flash?

Um, I don't what do you mean flash flashes?

Well, we're not like the it's another similar to the bright light that makes it seem like it's a camera to take a picture of somebody's system.

We haven't actually ordered them yet, so I can't say which one we're ordering yet.

But anyways, it's it's a proposal that we have.

Um we got more from Happy Valley, they're just not working.

So we decided to um actually we're just 10 for working as a group to where place those throughout the cities as far as those are probably Johnny said here, you'd go to the pretty much electrocycle.

So, 10 of those so we got 10 of those coming in.

We've they've been approved, and uh yes, to your to your question, we we're looking for the best deal.

We've got pretty good deal, and some of those numbers reflect that.

So, twice what's it 20 uh 27,000 as opposed to 41,000 for a package, like that kind of stuff.

And and so we're working that, but yeah, um interchangeable yellow versus white depending on zone, flashing, hopefully, with the ability to um have a note that says thank you or something if people actually achieve what's been um you know, just a little bit of kindness for that moment of of um compliance, but anyways, so we'll also take data, it'll collect data for us.

So that's the best.

It will be a data caption, and and it's also if we choose to move them, we're not planning on like installing them and then moving them immediately, but if we choose to move them, they will have that capacity also, assuming they're moved correctly.

I think Happy Valley maybe didn't move theirs correctly.

I've actually heard that statistically those are more effective than speedups.

So the there's there's some different things going on, and that kind of moves into uh a campaign that we want to run.

And it's been, you know, we start looking at statistically what's effective and what makes sense and how does the city move forward in an intelligent way.

Uh we have a meeting tomorrow with engineering and uh police and uh was it public uh meeting development, community development to discuss to discuss this issue of parking.

So as we get dense more dense, uh our population grows and and we're designating different pathways for various reasons.

The parking is being reduced.

And we've already seen it.

I think a really uh currently we have a spot proposal, which is what brought this to our attention, and which we've seen it.

So home was uh upgrade, got a lot of upgrades, um, which are great.

In many ways, it's much safer.

However, the reality is uh that the parking on home has gone down tremendously.

And even now on home in Harrison, there's a new development there, and there's some no parking signs, and part of part of the uh this the southernmost part of home does have a bunch of no parking signs.

Statistically, a lot more signs means a lot less compliance.

So one of the things that we're looking at is uh campaign to do a couple of things.

One is to increase like to educate to increase awareness of what is what we're doing as a city and what is considered appropriate um parking and what is not appropriate parking.

So people park right next to the corner by a stop sign, and even though there's a crosswalk and a bump out, like on Ada Lane and home, there's this nice little bump out and crosswalk, and there's always a big truck parked right there.

So anyone coming due east on you know, on Ada Lane is like say they leave the Hector Candle School area where Cascade Heights public charter school is, um, isn't gonna that bump out has been basically been rendered melon void in a way.

And and so I've got you know, we've got photographic evidence, we've got testimonial evidence as part of it.

That sort of thing has happened.

So one of the things we're considering is educating how you know how people should be parking.

Um the second thing we're considering is moving towards more thermal plastic marking on the pavement.

So there's different designations of how we do this, but basically it just it's very clear this is a parking or a non-parking, or how where can you park in this area so that we chop it up into more like reasonable so people don't take up two or three spots depending on their vehicle?

That kind of thing.

We do have to address maintenance, that's a huge piece of this.

And then the other the sort of the other third part of that is how much code compliance is going to help this.

So we really don't want to like just hit everybody with a bunch of clients.

The goal is not to like make people angry.

But the reality is if we do have this happen between the education and putting down this these new no parking structure, and we have a little bit down by the library, they do exist, some in the city downtown, especially, but we're talking about more even in some of the more compact residential areas.

How much how much code compliance force is there to and and energy to make that happen?

Can I ask?

Yes, please.

So um, I went out to Florence.

They have zones within their walkable downtown where um vehicles over six feet can't park.

And it's for visibility.

So I wonder if they're I mean, like that, I hadn't really seen that before.

Um six feet, six feet tall.

Yeah.

So track stands.

You know, like things that are gonna block visibility as people are you know across the street or something internal to it.

Yeah.

So I it's not that you can't drive one downtown, but you can't park in certain on certain streets and in certain zones, and each of their businesses have a little you know, handout that you know increases the visibility of that rule change.

Um, I happened to be driving for for work and was in a vehicle that was taller than six feet and marked inadvertently in one part that I thought was not in another.

Um, but that it was really great because what they did is they have a little educational flyer, which is probably someone.

Um, but that it was really great because what they did is they have a little educational flyer, which is probably someone van, um that they put on the window, and it says, you know, you might not realize um, you know, but this is this is like you've entered this area where this is the culture um and we you know we're letting you know this time, um, you know, please find another place to park.

Um, so it was, you know, it was like redirecting that sort of um behavior.

But I guess what I'm thinking, I I'm pretty sure I know the truck that you're, you know, like that area right in Hector Campbell where you're like, I'm gonna go into the other lane right now to get around this truck.

Um, but I wonder if there are certain areas around town where we could designate, you know, with either some type of paint or you know, signage or something like that, a certain um height or width restriction for visibility purposes.

Anyway, that's functional.

That's pretty helpful, and I think that we can definitely look into it because knowing that there's like so Florence has this, but knowing that there's already a precedent in another city that has these limitations, in this case, six foot high, and that can't park within a certain area, and then the educational flyer component is exactly what we're talking about, so that um you know code compliance can have their part of this as well as um you know, redirecting the behavior, making sure that we can as a as a city, like we want to be on the same page with council about designating.

So the question for you is what can we bring you to help you decide, okay, this is this is a direction that we want to go and we want to pass something that creates this sort of parameter.

I think having an example from other jurisdictions and how they've tackled an issue like this would be helpful, you know, some case studies, and then perhaps some examples around Milwaukee, where there's a built infrastructure issue that we have to plan around.

Right.

So we have some spot proposals that are trying to address this.

I mean, basically what we're doing is we're just on case by case scenario, looking at a spot and being like, okay, what can we do in this one area right here?

And we we do have some.

So for example, just as an example, as you're heading like south on Oak Street, and you come around on Washington, and then there's that look down on 35th, so that you go towards kind of the Lake Road area.

There's traffic cross-traffic to Washington, people come on the third fifth, and that's kind of a that's kind of a pass through that people are using quite a bit.

And right there on that corner, there's that home happens to have a business that has a lot of large vehicles.

So we've we've approved a large like reflective mirror so that people who are coming can have a little bit better visibility around the truck.

So basically, like as a city, we're instituting what is kind of like not a safe situation.

So code compliance could come out regularly and find them because they're parked in too close to the corner.

We can look at what maybe stop signs look like if that affects the flow of traffic.

That's a traffic study.

But again, this is this is just one example.

You have a question here.

Well, I no, I was just gonna pick up on the um the height restriction one.

I mean, I think if you if the peace act had a specific recommendation, that can become the council, you know, like, oh, we think we should think about this ordinance, and here's where we would suggest having it.

In my mind, one of the places to have it is in front of our parks.

So on Monroe in front of Wichita Park, you know, a fair number of trucks, and I'm told by a complaining neighbor that it's one particular family that's all parking their trucks there.

Um Balfour, now there's parking, there's street parking in front of Balfour Park.

I think for the safety of kids, yeah, uh, it would be good to not have tall buildings so that parents who might stand across the street and yammer with another pair can see in and see where their kid is.

So I to me that's the one that really uh jumps out at me, isn't it's where we have parking in front of somewhere and the and the spot that is right at the intersection, you know, where a bullbout is the workaround, you know, that's I mean, like maybe they have some sort of understanding that it's either a height restriction or you just can't park that close to it.

So it would be nice.

What we what would be really nice, and I hear what you're saying, Mayor Betty, that if PSAC brings a proposal that you can then yeah, that sounds great, or we can rework this, that might be a really productive way forward and totally hear that, and we can commit some time to that.

It would be really nice to be able to anticipate what's going to happen based on designs and build out from there.

So for example, uh, two examples.

We there's a bunch of buildings going up in the Linwood neighborhood, potentially, right?

We've got the old farm that's being converted into some units right there on Monroe, and we're gonna have the Munro Greenway project is going to happen.

Uh I'm told, and so those like that's going to be a traffic parking interface, which is very real.

And if we can incorporate a plan to have you know thermal plastic marking on the street as well as whatever signage is appropriate, is what that's the kind of thing that maybe maybe spot funds don't have to be used for if PSAC can help move the needle for the whole city.

Well, that project you have Tom now, right?

So Tanya is the person on uh yes, yes.

We have Tanya on the um east portion of Monroe Watching 10 green lighting session.

I mean, there's a conversation, right?

That was a little bit more particular because we have ODOT running the project, and if it doesn't meet ODOT standards, they won't approve it.

So um I can't even add green paint along through the intersection um because it doesn't meet uh their interpretation of the MUCE standards.

So the I mean afterwards, I mean I'm not ready.

So that would be something I I need to keep that.

I can't keep adding stuff to that project, it's got a scope, it's under an IDA, right?

So that project is moving, doesn't mean we can't do anything after the project's installed, which is totally fine.

That also has a little bit different story because you're putting parking, I mean, a uh a sidewalk on one side of that facility on most land row, right?

You won't be able to park on that one side, so then we'll only be able to park on the opposite side that doesn't have a sidewalk mineral.

Oh, so this problem of tall buildings blocking the side walk.

I mean tall, tall tunnels will be so it's a multiple problem issue, and that's why I called it a campaign because it really is like it really is a broad issue.

One second, well, that the where people park for visibility for pedestrians is one thing, designating parking so that then you can maximize the number of vehicles that that can actually be in a given spot is another creating a system that the city agrees upon so code compliance can issue forth whatever it is you're going to issue, whether it's a redirection educational warning or the fines associated with it because of however many missteps or whatever happens to be is another piece of that.

So there's just there's multiple pieces.

Yeah, well, I really I'll echo what Mary Ada was saying.

You coming back to council with recommendations of things we should do.

I think we're very ordinary as to all of this.

I think in terms of the specific example that you brought forward, people parking too close to perk outs, so you can't see around that.

That's where I think it's really important that we have a built environment that's exceedingly clear how people should comply with our laws.

If we have an R code, we have to park 10 feet away from stop sign.

Having our built environment in areas where we know there's a clear conflict, literally through paint through signs through whatever show that that's the case, I think is the best way because it's hard to educate people.

The number of people, unless it's one truck parking there all the time, the number of people who park on our streets will vary.

Um, and I think having clear standards and both right, and and so to that point, if you recall the slide at the beginning of the evening that came from the equity, I think it was equity steering committee.

There were three pictures at the end of that of people celebrating, and there was a parking lot with yellow chevrons, uh not chevron, whatever that's thermal plastic designating.

This is not parking, but it's the kind of thing we're talking about, right?

No, we're saying, okay, 20 feet next to a uh a sidewalk that has a designated bull-out crossout is not really appropriate to park for anybody, then we designate it as such within that way, and that makes it clearer for everybody.

There's a lot of corners in the city, there's a lot of corners in the city, and if we if we try to run this campaign just on spot funds, it's not gonna happen.

So I think the problem we're talking about a multiple step process, right?

We're talking about PSAC coming back to council, council evaluating and approving, and then figuring out whether or not there might be funding.

This might be a couple years down the road.

This isn't necessarily like the next pilot.

So another question to um PSAC had representation in the transportation system plan.

Correct.

And so was this conversation brought out there?

To my knowledge, it was not because this conversation really didn't emerge until the end of last year with December when we received the spot proposal for the home, which had already received so much funding for upgrades.

And I was the council, I was the um committee person that was assigned to that.

So I met with the individuals, we walked it, talked about it, we brought it back, and we worked it in in the committee and realized that oh, that's that's kind of where this idea germinated from initially.

So by the time by the time the TSP workshopping it happened, I don't think that it had interface there to my knowledge.

Is that sound right, Jen?

Yeah, yeah.

This was after we had done like our main push-up projects and things like that.

Yeah, and so I guess uh I I don't think that it's appropriate to shut down the conversation about something that needs to be fixed just because we're not in the right cycle to have it included, but there's a point.

Well, if we have a TSP for a reason, and we have uh uh um an improvement plan, a CIP for a reason.

So do we need to have some type of a mechanism to be able to make sure that proposals like this can be filtered into a specific plan as a as like a living document and not wait for the next five or ten year cycle?

Yeah, and I mean, I think I mean we have our safe street enhancement program that this could be kind of tied into slightly with.

Um so I think there is a mechanism, but I think it's where we want to spend those dollars, like there's still only so much hours we have, right?

Right, it's in the budget.

So have some place for these strategies to live in order to allocate the dollars.

I mean, this is where here's my dream vision of how spot and corporate.

I think we hear there's specific corners that you named home, 34th in Washington, 35th in Washington as well, all those Washington.

There's plenty more, but those are ones we gave.

But ones that people bring forward is here's a problem in my neighborhood.

I would like to solve it.

SPOT is designed to be really responsive to the community, so they see government can work and solve these big problems.

But as you see these themes emerge, I think it's really helpful for you to elevated the council, and then like you're saying, how do we develop a workflow to note these themes?

Or you can say to us, maybe maybe it's these years reports.

We've heard five different applications about parking post-subsons.

Would council consider some system change?

Where spot is that like bellwether of what's happening, but also very responsive.

But then I think you're also right, it's not reasonable to you all to say, okay, with your 200,000 dollars solve this citywide problem.

It's up to us to now say, okay, clearly we're getting a lot of these spot grants about this one being how do we solve it?

I really appreciate you acknowledging that there is a difference between what spot can handle and what is a larger system-wide um a system-wide concern.

I think I just want to kind of circle back to the beginning of this talk, and I know we're almost out of time, even though we still have 30 minutes.

I want to respect that.

Is there's there's PSAC as an entity, PSAC as an entity, and then there's the spot program, and as everyone knows, you can have a meeting and you can talk about whatever you want to talk about, but if there's not a budget, the conversation doesn't go.

And right now, the only budget that exists, and I I'm glad it exists that I'm aware of for PSAC to act on is the spot budget.

And so we're in this kind of strange spot, which is where we want guidance from council, really, is to say, okay, as PSAC as a as an entity, we're identifying things that are beyond the scope of what we can handle with the SPOT program.

Do we prioritize it and put energy into it and bring it to you and try to do this other leg of what the committee is?

And and we can do that to the extent that we think that there is gonna be some kind of traction at the at the level where it will make a difference.

Do we really just say, you know what?

This is a bunch of volunteers, they're being once a month, plus everyone's putting in, I don't know, maybe 10 hours outside of that into their respective projects.

We can do the spot proposals, and if it's beyond the spot proposals, no.

So it's the idealism versus effective.

What is how does PSAG feel about?

What is PSAC feel like their role?

Do they want to take that role on those volunteers, or would they rather keep it to just the practical?

My perspective is that again, our committee's not very big, right?

We've got seven NDAs.

Yeah, we've got three members at large, it's 10, so form is six, and we've got a representation from engineering.

Is coming at it from uh an elevated place of we want to make the city a better place, and we want to do what we can to do that.

And so, to your question, I don't think that people want to stop the spot.

It's just the tools that we have, right?

So we have a process and working on creating that process so it's legitimate.

It feels legitimate because there's funding moving forward, but at the same time, so we can bring we can continue to work this and bring uh something to council, want to put it on your radar so that you're thinking about it, especially as these larger buildings are going up in the parkings.

Well, and I will say at the TSP adoption last week, I asked this toward the end about uh because there'd been a comment in uh in the engagement walkie page about the parking next stop signs, and she told me she was all right.

And I don't know if that's the meeting you're having tomorrow or something else, but she told me this is all yes, this is the meeting we're gonna have.

Exactly.

Yeah, we're starting to set up that conversation.

Is there a mechanism within council to look like uh counsel was saying to treat the TSP like a living document so that there can be addendums if it's voted on to to make changes?

The TSP will get updated, but it's not like next year, it's like in three or four or five.

No, we can we can do it anytime now.

We can it's we can't it's quite it's a change to the complexity amendments.

So it's it's it's some work, it's not like an easy like here's a little update look, it can be amended.

So don't discourage.

I mean, well, I don't necessarily for the last TSP, I mean it would we know six, five or six years.

I really I would say it would be you definitely want to have like a three to five year look at it because if you're updating it every year, that's probably realistic.

And I would just I just want to add some some caution to the conversation because I we the city Shimron, good great job, Jen, your team, great job, Dan.

You're doing a great job with it too.

We basically spit up a community-driven CIP program.

That's what we did.

And they're saying yes to just about everything, which is fine, but I want you to understand is like that's there's there's a cost, obviously, she wasn't talking about there's a cost to it, and that takes money from something else, which is that's what we've um prioritize because there's there's procurement processes which slow things down, you know, because there's still a city process, so even if it's a small project, it's still to be it'll be agonizingly sometimes slow for a lot of these members and probably community fruits.

Um, and then there's reprioritizing your resources because you're doing CIP, and then you have these these projects too, which are also like little CFPs.

So I just I say that because you have the CIP, which you guys are looking at, the budget, you have the spot, which is also has demands on time resources, and money.

And then it sounds like we're also talking about another type of potentially like process to inform CFP or the spot of future.

And I just I would just say, like, let's if it's about policy, like you're talking about policy to a traffic rig, about you know, possibly all park plans or certain areas or there's a height requirement um that we codify, then that's like I think it's policy you guys could certainly talk about.

But I just and I there's something to be heard about, like we've heard a million complaints about this one thing and getting that data, but I do worry about having like so many processes that are competing over the same thing that it almost the scope pretty seems potentially very related, I guess.

That's all I'm gonna say.

So, but you don't necessarily need a separate process for you for PSAG to talk about policy and quite that's what I'm hoping, right?

Like that's kind of PSAC could basically put up a subcommittee project.

If we if we have the capacity to do it, so just to link the pieces together, if we can fund or get through cities acquisition, the data collection resources to monitor you know the traffic of pedestrian and bicycles, then we can legitimately measure a questionable spot, then we can then move forward with saying, okay, this is something to prioritize or not.

Then we can then move forward with saying, okay, this is something to prioritize or not.

We don't have that.

Okay.

I put a lot out there.

And I really do know that everyone works really hard.

Uh I will say one thing you called out about cert.

I do think I will tell you over the 20 years I've been involved in the city.

PSAC has had a few transitions and gone from you know police focus to transportation focus to, you know, um, I do feel like cert is part of your and we have the new um presentation a week or two on our new emergency management um coordinator.

If she hasn't met with you, I think uh we have we have I have to be compelled to inform you that that is a great idea, but I don't think it's really accurate, and let me tell you why.

We have had Ali to present.

We've offered space within our schedule to the extent that we can to incorporate things like the two wet two week ready program.

However, when CERT makes its calculations on membership, there's 12 hours committed by every cert member per year.

The PSAC involvement is limited to six hours because of the scope of what they do.

So CERT has met as a board and decided that the PSAC currently does not actually prioritize significantly enough to warrant it being more than half the time we go.

So it's it's there, but it's it's only it's only partly there.

And and I think that's relevant because we because of funding.

Well, I okay, I I uh I was more focused on the city's emergency management coordinator.

Um because she insert coordinating with cert is part of her job, sure.

And um she just started, so she's only gonna hear six months.

Yeah, I think that's that and it's that's a strong point.

We can definitely have a common.

Yeah, I feel like you know that is that is in my view part of PSAC as well.

It's not just transportation.

Go ahead.

Uh I have a few thoughts if we're wrapping towards the end.

I think oh yeah, we need to wrap it up.

I'll go quite um rapid fire.

I think Joseph's right.

I don't think we need to overcomplicate PSAC brings stuff to us.

I think an appropriate time is in the budget process as we're developing the CIP.

If you come to us ahead of time and say, hey, we're hearing a lot about intersections, you should consider a CIP project that bumps out intersections, whatever it is.

That feels like the appropriate time.

We don't need to create something new, but as you all are thinking about okay, what's our system to create the list?

You all can create the traditions of okay, before budget season, we gather and we talk about themes or before these reports, we talk about themes, whatever your committee wants.

The other rapid fire thing that I would say, you ask at the start, what's a reasonable turnaround for a project.

I think I mean I'm gonna commend Jen and the whole engineering team.

It is amazing what you all have stood up for.

It is so I I just am so happy with the fact that we have a citizen-driven CIP process that is so responsive for our community.

People love it.

It's amazing.

I don't think we can say like you need to do it within two weeks.

I think what people will really not know is clear transparency on timelines that we've committed to.

The questions I get constantly from people who I know have submitted this is like, what's happened to my application?

When is it getting done?

Is it getting done?

Um, and just clearly, if you could even you gave a great explanation of what the different phases are, if you could reflect that on the website, if you could explain what the different product project statuses mean on the website, if you could even put up this, sorry, so this is on the website and it does have that, but I'm hearing that that's not clear enough.

I guess when I look at that, I didn't see what the phases meant or what the project status was, or like what those mean.

There's no like definition, right?

Yeah.

So then that's like define the terms to setting a PSAC meeting, then you would know what that means.

Should have been.

And that's true.

Even just saying very clearly, like uh late road stop signs is a great example.

I will across the street from the man who submitted that, and every time I see it, he said one of my stop signs hit that.

And if you had a projected August 2027, that would mean it doesn't even have to be anytime.

So you would love just knowing when that happens.

Um yeah, actually, I got a lovely email from that.

So I want to like now take another year put them in, but anyway.

This is the most like wayward lost its way committee, not in About it, but we put a huge obligation onto PSAC that's dramatically changed their scope of work and dramatically changed what we're doing.

And I think it's a fair conversation that we should have this council to say do we spin off a separate committee that's best spot?

Do we to give the other public safety stuff the time of data that they need?

Do we give them different direction and spot?

Like are there things that they want to know, or are there other ways that we can support them?

I don't know what the answers are.

Frankly, I'd love to hear what the PSAC committee says, but I think that like mirror direction and processes with PISA would go a long way to helping your committee out here with me to just help with that in time more than just this 30 minute check.

But anyway.

Okay.

Um I will say like this.

And even if you once the say all the funds go away, I figure still take applications.

You can also create like unfunded, you know, amount of projects that would be helpful for things.

Oh Joseph, are you suggesting that if we if we run out of funds to continue the process of whether or not we approve something and then just document it as unfunded?

Yeah, as part of it.

Okay, no, you received it.

This has been a concern of the community, and then we at least set that down.

I have one last time.

You're done.

Last thing I'll say though, you got way barely over, or like you're close to being over-obligated with your funds with a lot more funds in this finding up and you will have next binding up.

And I'm just curious, it's not something we have to talk about today, but how you're gonna do cycles of applications, how you're gonna in a funding constraint environment approve projects.

Because now you've been in the lucky world where you say yes to everything when that changes what we do.

You don't have to have an answer, but I'm just curious what system you'll set up for that.

Thank you.

Okay.

Well, thank you guys.

You sat through all the whole evening.

And I guess you're welcome to sit to the tree board as well.

Oh, yeah, don't leave now.

So I think the bottom line of this one is sort of lots of your point based on the sound policy.

Yeah, like four calling.

And two, so try to let you know this would be set all right.

So even all our tests either speech.

Someone who has somebody decided to know she does.

Right, so that's the policy.

We're trying to set the discussion.

So interview process.

Yeah, if it was too quick, yeah.

So it's nothing.

I'm saying separate that you know that's my project and have more to do with policy.

Hey folks, uh let's get our last going to everyone thought this.

Last but not least, I'm trying to um ours, our natural resources manager, and then we have joining us.

Thank you so much for having us.

Well, um, we have a couple slides that um uh kind of go through what our membership looks like now, what our goals were last year, what were um our key accomplishments, and then uh our goals for um the coming year.

Um sound for our deal.

Right, is there's the board?

Um I did a little double take when I saw that top line.

Um we have that many members total.

Um I have to be residents.

Uh one member has to be uh an ISA certified barbarist, and right now John Brown is that artist on board.

Um my tenure is about to come to an end, so I'm I'm gonna be stepping down off the tree board.

It's been a long time.

Amazing new tree board members coming up, and um so as you're looking at recruitment.

And so as you're looking at recruitment, um Katie mentioned that might be schooling for you to be aware of.

So we'll be um one update to the slide is we'll be looking to fill one alternate position, one permanent position, and then um in our bylaws, we we created um or sorry, that's for the climate action committee.

Um sorry.

Um we um we would love to uh people just talked about a few times one to um create capacities that were busy members as we we think about making that permanent in all of our um uh boards and committees.

Um, and so having kind of like two seats reserved for um youth if um folks are interested, but not having that in the effect um forum in the long run.

Um and so we'll we we're looking for those two those two positions in this room.

Two positions meaning alternate Kathleen's position.

So Mona, Camden, and John are all reopened, they're all up this year.

They've also said one for that.

Okay.

And I've all said it um in writing to OCR.

Okay, okay.

We were just saying how what a unique um uh perspective that John brings.

Well, there were two at one point.

Yeah, and we've started to get more folks doing public comment and um and coming and joining, and none of them have our uh our certified arborists.

Um are kind of engaged in um or work for Portland uh parks or Portland Urban Forestry.

Um was a landscape um architect, and so have some technical expertise.

Um, but we don't have a lot of arborists engaging in our work right now.

So I think it would take kind of more concentrated um engagement that we haven't done before.

Yeah, I was just trying to remember of the tree board applicants that we've interviewed over the years when we have been involved.

I I don't know if there have been very many progress in this polls.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Great.

So we wanted to share a little bit about what we've accomplished in this past year.

Um so the urban forest outreach and management framework.

Um so we first started with um we have goals.

Yeah, we developed 2025 um tree board developed goals.

Um not for the first time, but kind of specifically set out to outline what we wanted to accomplish, and then we'll talk about kind of what we were able to accomplish from it, but certainly yes, thank you.

Um maybe I'll take this moment to say that this was the first year that we had such uh an organized structure to our goals, and I just want to honor the staff.

Um, Katie, uh Alfred, Courtney, Peter, Natalie, they've been incredible.

And so I think each year things have evolved and grown more and more.

And so having this set of goals um gave us a lot of direction this past year.

So um, yeah, working through, you know, trying to wanting to have the outreach and an engagement framework, which is associated with the grant Katie mentioned, and then wanted to look at what kind of strategies could help uh protect trees and really focusing on that 40% canopy goal.

Um, you know, the tree board's always interested in understanding how is the tree code working, are the peace schedules working, and then um what adjustments need to be made, or if or what can the tree board talk about there?

That might be um a conversation with the city council, of course, and then um looking at you know what is the opportunity for a commercial tree code, um what are some strategies for incentivizing more planting, recognizing that that is gonna be an important part of reaching that 40% canopy goal.

Um, of course, knowing that the Emerald Ash4 is here now, um, what can we do to think about protecting our tree canopy and what are the management strategies that are available and how the tree board supporting those being implemented.

And then we wanted to um of course work with the staff on the new Milwaukee tree list.

No, I'm dad.

Um, we had a great kind of lessons learned or reflections from um kind of looking back on what we were able to accomplish and um some of the the key takeaways were like um that there were a lot of goals here, and we might have been a little ambitious and we accomplished quite a lot.

And some of the key takeaways were like that there were a lot of goals here, and we might have been a little ambitious.

And we accomplished quite a lot.

And so kind of looking at what we're able to get done last year.

Yes, thank you.

And so for the 10th consecutive year, Milwaukee got the tree city USA designation.

And that tree maintenance walk was hosted by tree board members, including John Brown staff and Friends of Trees, which was really well received.

The um Arbor Day celebration brought in over 100 volunteers that planted 50 trees.

The tree board this past year spent quite a bit of time on the natural resource and tree code updates.

We talked through those code updates and the natural resources code and tree code and aligning those.

And that recommendation was informed by the discussions around invasive and native plant lists.

And so the outcome of that is that it we deferred to the natural resources code when a private tree would meet a type A permit requirement or public tree approval criteria.

And then in the habitat conservation areas and water quality resources, it creates more mitigation and more as a higher native species plant merch.

And then of course there were development and residential tree code updates.

So the tree board was able to provide some recommendation based on the council's direction to ensure that the tree code mitigation fee structure incentivizes preservation for during development.

And I think that's something the tree board remains really interested in.

And then also providing more clarity and flexibility for removing trees that cause structural or maintenance conflicts with the dwelling unit.

And then the tree board did spend quite a bit of time talking about an updated tree list.

And so there was a consolidated tree list that was approved in December.

And it expanded the list from three to five invasive species.

So added white poplar and sweet cherry list.

So it kind of compiled uncommon, vulnerable, and trees with those special ecological significance in the region.

Thanks, Katie.

Yeah, and then we worked with Katie and Alfred on the programmatic tree permit.

And that was also approved in December.

So the permit was outlined in the code and designed to streamline routine maintenance, especially for removal or for utilities and public agencies.

And then one of the things the tree board also focused on this year was improving improving data tracking.

Really trying to understand how, again, like how we can reach that 20% canopy goal by understanding what the tree permit data tells us now and what kind of tracking can be done to support more analysis and policy recommendations.

So I've got a question.

So the consolidated tree list, is that the recommended list, or is that the not just tree list?

So our consultative tree list has them all.

Previously, uh during development or in relation to uh tree permits, we'd be like, oh, you have to look at the street to equal list this, or have you looked at the invasive species list for that?

And so this um pulls together all of the different, I think we have um a total of four different lists that folks that we the city references throughout any of our permitting processes, and so this compiles them all, and then we worked with the um planning uh division to update them.

So it has the invasive species, native species, rare and threatened, um the um uh the noxious the organ um noxious weed, um, those are incorporated into our invasive species list.

Um if that's ever updated, we'll update ours to match that as well.

Um and the rare and threatened.

And is that also the list where there's like the things that can go under tree lines and the yes, yes, yeah.

So it's all in one all in one, and that's on the website.

Yep, okay, under our urban site.

Yeah.

Any other questions?

All right, let's look to the next year.

Okay, so here are the tree board's goals for this year.

Um I mentioned before, the tree board is very interested in supporting strategies to increase tree planting.

And so wanting to really understand the funding for urban forestry, um, potentially expand arbor day plantings, um, support equitable replanting for ash tree loss, and promoting um species diversity and permit replanting.

Um we are going to focus on looking at opportunities for more tree preservation during development, which could include conversations around tracking implementation of reach and development code changes, um, identifying if the higher fees are more effective at tree preservation, and um connecting with developers to understand their experience with the tree development code was one of the things tree board talked about, just trying to get some insight into what might be incentivizing.

Um of course updating the urban forest management plan, um supporting community engagement for the plan update and providing recommendations for the priorities around forest health, improving equity that are aligned with staff capacity.

And then there's a lot of interest in understanding if um the tree board wants to dig deeper into a heritage tree program.

There's pros and cons, and I would say maybe a like a range of perspectives across the tree board on that.

So we've identified that as a good discussion for us, and then the same for commercial tree code, a range of perspectives, and it seems like something that'd be a good conversation.

So that's why it's assessed the feasibility there.

Um, and then finally kind of looking at opportunities to make trees more affordable.

Um I think there were some creative ideas about that, but also that's probably one that needs more conversation is lower, these are I would say like ranked priority, maybe in terms of the tree board um kind of the conversation we have with the tree board.

You're saying these are ranked.

Yeah, they're they like well, they fall in um like where the interest was.

Although maybe if I like truly, probably the urban forestry management plan update would be at the top, but the the bottom three, there's uh a breadth of opinions and something.

Okay, so I'm I'm curious about that.

So I can kind of understand the breadth of opinion about a heritage tree program because that just seems authorny thing, but a commercial tree code, the commercial property, regulating trees on commercial properties.

There's a difference of there's a split opinion on that.

Well, I mean, we didn't get into a conversation about like here's what a commercial tree code does, here's the pros and cons, here's what it could do for us for canopy preservation.

So I think that's what we want to do.

I think it's more like at the surface level, like do we need this?

What's the benefit?

Why would we do this now versus focusing on something else like tree affordability or other programs that can increase canopy?

Like I think what the like the heart of that conversation is like what's really going to get to the canopy goals, and it's hard to compare across these different potential strategies.

There's been also a lot of conversation um about um with limited staff capacity, where do we want to um kind of focus and grow and wanting to do that in um developing and helping foster greater community stewardship of the urban forest versus um continuing on a more heavily like regulatory approach, where currently it feels like most of our staff capacity is uh administering our tree codes or public private and development tree permits.

Um and so we have a lot less capacity for planting initiatives, workforce development education, um and if we were to really um really get serious about building out a commercial tree code, I think that would be kind of the one main goal of pre-board and would um pretty much tack the rest of the our staff capacity of what we could like really move forward.

Um so I think as we're looking at like building out our ash tree inventory and this urban forest management plan update, it doesn't feel like something in addition to maintaining all the maintenance um and existing permitting.

It doesn't feel like something we can like say with confidence we could dig in and like move forward in the next year seriously beyond like assessing feasibility, understanding what our goals might be, and outlining how you would kind of work with tree board and the community to get to get there in maybe like two years.

Um I think that's been like staff's understanding and a little bit of the conversation we've had at Tree Board level.

That'd be accurate.

It does, yeah.

Has there been any of this question since referring to the tree canopy about a tree bay program?

Has there been talks about that on tree board?

I think we've talked about that in tree board.

So I can see that being implemented with a commercial tree code where commercial properties would give a discount water looking trees, right?

Well, and we I mean, I guess I'm worried about the big trees that are hard for at least commercial properties, and if they can cut them without any 20 or feed, it really seems unbalanced as the residential side.

And I mean you think about international way, there's a big exposed trees.

There's uh I know of a certain oak tree I've been watching for years in the commercial area.

I always about once a year I drive by and see if it's I remember the tree code is something that was brought up on a residential tree code that was coming to you.

Remember there was an appetite.

I mean, on planning commission, we wait for the commercial tree board to come to two.

Yeah, so that's interesting that we said yeah, that's probably a broader conversation.

I do like your premium getting there's a lot we've done regulatory that I think is really important.

What Milwaukee is like an example of what cities can you do for tree codes.

How young we have residents who are promptly about tree codes and all the regulations, but TLC of help you plant trees.

This is the community minded that's gonna be really important to also couple of our regulations that we're doing.

I'm glad that you're doing that.

Whether it's tree bate or some other things that we do to help people actually plant trees.

Oh, are we done?

Yes, oh sorry, I think that was done.

Okay, other thoughts or questions.

I have one other question kind of related to your goals in yours past, but you're like distracting colleagues.

Sorry, um, the 40% tree code reporting and data that you were trying to collect, as well as the data around our existing tree code.

I would just love to see considering changes that we've made to our tree code, your experience with that as a board over the next year, um, as we're thinking about planting more trees, how that impacts our 40% free canopy.

There's just so much data around our tree code that I'd love for us to be able to understand the city.

Um like that first pass of the data and any relationships about to show with us.

I know in the year to come, we're really gonna still judge too that she's got some data tree code to um so one thing that we're working on and gearing up for for our April meeting is um kind of pulling together all of the different data that staff have collected and been advised by tree board.

Um, and it's been kind of um around six months of collecting and working with consultants on uh like getting a technical memo of what how many trees is it gonna take um need to be planted to reach that 20 the 2040 goal?

What does what is like the last year of um permit data do we know from residential and development?

How many have been removed, how many have been replanted, what are the species um so we can look at not only kind of the the forest size and health, but also like some of our um species diversity goals.

Um we have a couple other um kind of buckets of data, and we've talked about and brought individually all of those to tree board and never kind of collectively, and then what does that mean all together?

And so I think we're um almost to a point where we can start that storytelling and narrative a little bit more because we're like almost ready to wrap our heads around all of it, and we've kind of really chunked it out um over the last year with tree board.

So I'm hoping that kind of with some um maybe a month or two with tree board, um, we'll be ready to bring that um also to council with some recommendations um tree board.

That's awesome.

Yeah, excited.

So Kathleen, thank you for your service.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's really fun.

And as I said, the staff are incredible and have done so much.

And just the how much has been built out those like seven eight years, seven eight years that I've been on the tree board is really remarkable for any city.

And I'm just so impressed every day with the team here.

Great.

And thank you for staying.

I mean, you were uh resident in Milwaukee when you were first appointed, and then you haven't been for about five years or something.

I haven't I love you just saying Peter Peter asked me to promise that I stay until all the code swerved up.

That's still slowly well.

Nothing else.

And uh do we have any technically I think have council reports on our agenda?

Do we have any council reports that can't wait to do that?

I'll put a marker down, just think Robert.

Uh the marker that I would say talk to some folks in Lynnwood a little bit about this subject and budget cycle.

And one request that the NBA had was for us to talk a little bit more about what's allowed for their event funding.

They asked to fund it like the senior prom night after or some school events that aren't technically open to the public, but we now require NBA events for these, so they can't fund those anymore.

A lot of hard burning on that.

So as we talk about budgets and what's allowed in the budget process.

I don't know what the answer is, but we could come to it.

Well, that I mean that's an interesting change that I would hear.

So yeah, it's not just an event funding, right?

You're talking about the budget, the entire sponsorship budget.

So yeah, we've got to initially we definitely have this problem.

We've been going through whole things and Jason Still and personally, but we also didn't know that the primaries were changed until recently.

And um, yeah, so firmers are very restricted and do not land towards uh what we were previously doing, which is giving grants to um nonprofits and people in the community.

I mean dig into them and not actually what has been a lot of the last year.

So okay.

And it sounds like something we need to put on the I like that we had to do it.

All right, with that, we are in turn for the first thing.

I did.