Montpelier takes its designation as a Tree City seriously as Mayor Steve Yagelski talked about it during the Village Council meeting April 10.
The village has kept its designation for 25 years as it manages the supply of trees. In 2016, 54 trees were planted and 48 were taken down.
Yagelski had a full house thanks to the attendance of Montpelier High School students who were completing a homework assignment.
The village will celebrate Arbor Day April 21, the mayor said. He credited the Tree Committee and volunteers for making Montpelier what it is today.
Yagelski read a proclamation for Arbor Day 2017 which noted:
- The village formed a Tree Commission and Forester to oversee the planting, trimming and removal of trees around the village;
- The environmental benefits of trees;
- The 14 members of the Tree Commission and their work which includes participating in the Adopt-A-Highway; plant trees with the Montpelier first graders every year and provide education and information about trees at the Maple Syrup Days and Williams County Fair, annually;
- The village will be recognized for its continuous designation May 3. The village is one of 3,300 cities across the nation recognized as a “Tree City,” since the Tree City USA was formed in 1976 with 42 towns;
- The village will celebrate Arbor Day April 21.
Tree Commission members and volunteers were praised by the mayor for their work in sparing many trees in town from being ravaged or lost to the ash borer plight. “They really prevented a lot of trees from being infected,” Yagelski said about the chemicals used in defense of the trees. “I’d like to say thank you to the Tree Commission for this.”
A Montpelier student’s name, Colin Rockey, was added into the minutes for knowing the village had been a Tree City for 25 years.
The students were encouraged by Yagelski to volunteer wherever they end up in life.
In other news:
The community garden is progressing, but nothing can be done this year until it stops raining, Council woman Laura Gray said. She figures it will take another couple of years before noticeable changes are visible.
Gray asked why the village is having a large trash pick-up day when the new refuse contract says the service will have one monthly. The village is going through the contract to check, but is waiting for Village Administrator Kevin Brooks to return from sick leave to confirm.
Gray said she was called by several people while on vacation about this matter.
Council member Chris Kannel said right now, ARS picks up one item. When he replaced a door, the trash included the door, screen door and frames. The trash crew took the whole pile. He recalled an ARS representative at the meeting last fall where the city awarded the contract to ARS, the drivers were given some discretion. “So if you have got a stove, a refrigerator and a dishwasher, they are not going to take all three,” Kannel said. “But they are going to take the unit.”
When the company comes for the large trash, the drivers in the arm trucks are scouting the town so they don’t follow the bulk truck, Kannel said.
The company is still working on reducing trash pick-ups from four days to one, Kannel said.
“I think the language needs to be cleared up,” Gray said.
The village will continue to work on preventing dumping of appliances and other trash at the See and Do Club property. Vandals have been dumping non-working appliances at the club’s sign and seem to be waiting for police to leave.
The mayor got the council’s blessing to join a group of mayors who want to make the public aware of what the legislature is doing in Columbus. Their goal is to get a face-to-face meeting with state Sen. Hite so he can take back the message of how much pain his colleagues are causing with their recent legislation.
Council was supportive as Dan Clum commented the area has been fighting Michigan and Indiana for jobs and now it seems the district is also fighting Columbus.