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Record of Proceedings

Powell Tree Board Meeting - July 29, 2026: Eagle Scout Pollinator Garden and 2026 Priorities

City Council & Boards — Wednesday, July 29, 2026
BodyPowell, Ohio
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateWednesday, July 29, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 53:00

Original source
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0:00

We're good.

0:01

Great.

0:02

Hey, I would like to call the um are we today?

0:07

What's the date?

0:09

29th.

0:10

29th meeting of the tree board.

0:14

Lane, can you call the roll, please?

0:16

Thank you.

0:17

Carlson.

0:18

Here.

0:18

Lane Sauston.

0:19

Here.

0:20

Jonathan Davis.

0:21

Here.

0:23

Gooch?

0:23

Here.

0:24

Elliot Schaeffer.

0:25

Present.

0:26

Okay, the first item on our agenda is the approval of minutes.

0:32

There were two minutes included in our packet.

0:37

One for May 26th and one from June 29th.

0:40

Does anyone have any changes or alterations I'd like to make?

0:46

Seeing none, can I get a motion to approve the minutes?

0:50

Move to approve.

0:53

Second.

0:54

Second.

0:56

All in favor?

0:57

Great.

0:59

We are approved.

1:00

Next item on the agenda is new business.

1:04

And our first item is a pollinator garden Eagle Scout product.

1:11

Project proposal.

1:14

Melissa, would you like to lead us off on this one?

1:19

So approached me with an email stating that he is working on his Eagle Scout project, and his interest is a pollinator garden.

1:32

We had some leaf cats.

1:37

Kind of a scope of work of his what he is proposing, possible timeline, and then we can help him determine placement based upon his timeline for his project and the scope of work.

2:09

Thanks.

2:14

So these are just this is just a preliminary sketch of what the project will look like once it's completed.

2:24

And it also has the main materials that will be used in the project.

2:33

So a little bit about me before I begin.

2:35

I'm going into junior year at Liberty High School.

2:39

I am a Life Scout at in True 42A in Powell, Ohio, and I'm the senior patrol leader of lecture.

2:50

So what I'm doing is I'm going to create a pollinator garden with native flowers and grasses to promote a larger pollinator population in Ohio.

3:00

The garden will feature native grass and flower beds, a stepping stone stone path through the garden, and a mulched it will be mulched with um stones around the border.

3:12

So I hope to begin at the end of August and complete it in mid to late September.

3:20

So the reason why this pollinator garden is needed is because one of the most pressing environmental problems today isn't just the rising temperatures or sea levels.

3:30

It's also the declining population of pollinators, whether bees, bats, or butterflies.

3:36

According to the U.S.

3:37

Fish and Wildlife Service, more than a third of the world's crop production relies on pollinators, including multiple fruits, nuts, and berries.

3:48

So by creating a native pollinator garden, this project will help stimulate a growing pollinator population, also creating a beautiful working space in a city of Powell Park.

4:01

So for the um project, I need around 15 helpers, which I will gain from my troop as they need the service hours as well.

4:10

So they be recruited mainly from fellow troop 428 members, drawing on unit relationships I've built as a senior patrol leader.

4:17

So the main challenge of keeping these volunteers of these volunteers is keeping them engaged as this is essentially a gardening project, which can't always be the most exciting activity.

4:29

However, breaking the work into varied side projects, such as laying a stepping stone path through the middle of the garden will help keep the workers engaged and give everyone a visible piece of what they did.

4:43

So going into some of the prices for the materials for native grass seed packets, I will need 10 to 20 for the garden.

4:52

And that will be around $60.

4:55

Native flowers, around 10 to 20.

4:58

Well that will total up to 175.

5:01

And then square concrete stepping stones through the middle of the garden will be five to ten.

5:06

That'll be around 40 dollars.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Tree Management██████████████████████████████████████38%
Parks and Recreation███████████████████████████27%
Procedural██████████████14%
Environmental Protection████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Funding and Grants███3%
Public Safety███3%
Community Engagement██2%
Public Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Powell Tree Board Meeting - July 29, 2026

The Powell Tree Board convened on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 1:00 PM in Council Chambers. Members present: Carlson, Lane Sauston, Jonathan Davis, Gooch, and Elliot Schaeffer. The board approved previous meeting minutes and discussed two main agenda items: an Eagle Scout pollinator garden proposal and the board's 2026 priorities, including Tree City USA requirements, street tree management, and future goals.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: Motioned and seconded, the board unanimously approved the minutes from the May 26, 2026 and June 29, 2026 meetings.

Discussion Items

  • Pollinator Garden Eagle Scout Project Proposal – Shaurya Lunkad, a Life Scout from Troop 42A in Powell (rising junior at Liberty High School), presented a proposal to install a pollinator garden with native flowers and grasses at a city park. The project would require approximately 15 volunteers, with a total budget of $890.50 funded through a GoFundMe campaign. Key materials include native seeds ($235), stepping stones ($40), border stones ($70), mulch ($24), rabbit covers ($50-$225), and supplies ($105). The timeline is late August to mid-September 2026. Board members expressed strong support, praising the initiative and presentation. They discussed potential sites (Library Park, Murphy Park, Seldom Seen Park) and suggested connecting with the Central Ohio Pollinator Pathway Group for plant donations. The city offered to partner on watering and long-term maintenance. A marker or sign for the project was also discussed.
  • 2026 Tree Board Priorities – Councilman Andy outlined the board's primary responsibility: maintaining Tree City USA certification through four requirements (tree board, tree care ordinance, $2/capita budget, Arbor Day observance). The board then brainstormed additional focus areas:
    • Memorial Tree Policy: Improving the process for memorial tree requests (2-4 per year) and website visibility.
    • Street Tree Management: Issues with low-hanging branches affecting plows, sidewalks, and street signs. Education for HOAs and residents on pruning responsibilities was emphasized. Staff noted that many subdivisions (e.g., Golf Village) have unpruned trees due to homeowner responsibility, and a contract for catch-up pruning may be needed.
    • Tree Removal and Replacement: Staff currently only remove public right-of-way trees (no stump grinding, reseeding, or replanting). The board discussed developing a one-to-one replacement policy and incentivizing removal of invasive species like Callery pear trees.
    • Invasive Species: A $5,000 invasive species line item exists; board suggested researching peer cities' incentive amounts ($100-$150) and reporting back.
    • Education: Proposals to add tree care information to the city website, host quarterly public programs, and have board members attend HOA meetings to discuss tree maintenance.
    • Bennett Farm Tree Protection: Concerns raised about protecting large trees (especially a large red oak) during construction. The board requested an ISA-certified arborist evaluation of key trees, noting that the final path design may impact the red oak. Staff agreed to follow up with the city engineer.
  • Other Business: The board scheduled its next meeting for Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM at Golf Village, including a site visit to observe tree clearance and plow issues.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes approved unanimously.
  • Eagle Scout pollinator garden project accepted in concept; board will work with Shaurya on site selection, connect him with the Pollinator Pathway Group, and coordinate planting and maintenance.
  • Board directed staff to compile data on other communities' invasive tree removal incentives and report back.
  • Staff to consult with city engineer about obtaining an ISA arborist evaluation for Bennett Farm trees.
  • Street tree policy and education efforts to be developed; next meeting will include a site visit and further discussion of priorities.
  • Next meeting confirmed: August 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM at Golf Village.

Meeting Transcript

We're good. Great. Hey, I would like to call the um are we today? What's the date? 29th. 29th meeting of the tree board. Lane, can you call the roll, please? Thank you. Carlson. Here. Lane Sauston. Here. Jonathan Davis. Here. Gooch? Here. Elliot Schaeffer. Present. Okay, the first item on our agenda is the approval of minutes. There were two minutes included in our packet. One for May 26th and one from June 29th. Does anyone have any changes or alterations I'd like to make? Seeing none, can I get a motion to approve the minutes? Move to approve. Second. Second. All in favor? Great. We are approved. Next item on the agenda is new business. And our first item is a pollinator garden Eagle Scout product. Project proposal. Melissa, would you like to lead us off on this one? So approached me with an email stating that he is working on his Eagle Scout project, and his interest is a pollinator garden. We had some leaf cats. Kind of a scope of work of his what he is proposing, possible timeline, and then we can help him determine placement based upon his timeline for his project and the scope of work. Thanks. So these are just this is just a preliminary sketch of what the project will look like once it's completed. And it also has the main materials that will be used in the project. So a little bit about me before I begin. I'm going into junior year at Liberty High School. I am a Life Scout at in True 42A in Powell, Ohio, and I'm the senior patrol leader of lecture. So what I'm doing is I'm going to create a pollinator garden with native flowers and grasses to promote a larger pollinator population in Ohio. The garden will feature native grass and flower beds, a stepping stone stone path through the garden, and a mulched it will be mulched with um stones around the border. So I hope to begin at the end of August and complete it in mid to late September. So the reason why this pollinator garden is needed is because one of the most pressing environmental problems today isn't just the rising temperatures or sea levels. It's also the declining population of pollinators, whether bees, bats, or butterflies. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more than a third of the world's crop production relies on pollinators, including multiple fruits, nuts, and berries. So by creating a native pollinator garden, this project will help stimulate a growing pollinator population, also creating a beautiful working space in a city of Powell Park.

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