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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION NOVEMBER 12, 20137 Councilmember Holden recommended that the program only proceed if the City can show an Mayor Grant suggested that staff speak with Shoreview and see if they would be willing to The Council agreed to participate in the pilot program for the Clean-Up Day event with the City of Shoreview as presented and discussed. C.Emerald Ash Borer Update Parks and Recreation Manager Olson explained that Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive beetle that kills ash trees and was discovered in St. Paul in the spring of 2009, in Shoreview in the summer of 2011, and in Roseville and Arden Hills in 2013. She reviewed a map stating where Emerald Ash Borer has been positively identified in Arden Hills. She reported that staff has worked closely with the Department of Agriculture on inspections. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson commented that the City parks have 70 ash trees and 43 are of significant size. These 43 trees could be treated with injections at an expense of $3,990. Or, the other option is to remove all the trees at a cost of $11,375 (not including stump grinding). She reported that the injections would have to be completed every two years in order to be effective. It was noted that Precision Landscaping has agreed to offer the injections for $6-8 per diameter at breast height (DBH) as a municipality rate. This rate could be passed along to private residents, but the work would have to be billed through the City. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson reported that the ash borer treatments have come a long way, while the expense has come down. She requested that the Council discuss this matter in further detail and direct staff on how to proceed. Mayor Grant questioned why the tree work would have to be billed through the City. Public Works Director Maurer stated that this could become a billing and collection issue for the contractor. From the t would be simpler to have a contract with the City only. Mayor Grant requested that staff seek a resident rate from the vendor in order to cut City staff out of the equation and reduce the amount of time needed to administer the program. He questioned if the City should be seeking quotes from other vendors. Public Works Director Maurer indicated that this could be done by staff; however, the City has been pleased with the services provided by Precision Landscaping. Councilmember Holden asked if the proposed treatments were safe for bees. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson explained that her research has shown that soil drenching is more of a concern than the TREE-age chemical treatments.