Council Fills Tree Committee Positions

WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg City Council approved members for the newly-formed Tree Committee at their regular March 15 meeting.

Three citizens applied for the two citizen representative positions, including Allison Bond, Ethan Carpenter and Paul Gregutt. Carpenter, and Gregutt were approved for the position following a short discussion by the council.

Mayor Marty Dunn asked City Attorney Jared Hawkins if there is any conflict of interest with Gregutt being on the committee, since his wife, Karen, is a council member.

Hawkins said Karen Gregutt should abstain from the selection process, but there is no automatic conflict with him being on the committee.

“If we start ruling out people because they’re related, we’re going to run out of people,” joked council member Kevin House.

Council member Karl Newell moved for appointing Waitsburg native Carpenter and Paul Gregutt.

Council member Kate Hockersmith said she was in favor of Bond, over Gregutt, and had “a plan for her.”

Council member KC Kuykendall agreed with the appointment of Carpenter and Paul Gregutt, and seconded the motion.

“Potentially, there is a wide variety of personalities and passions on that group and I think Paul would be a pretty stabilizing personality that would listen well to everybody,” he said.

The vote was ultimately unanimous in favor of appointing Carpenter and Paul Gregutt to the advisory-only committee.

“I’m very excited to be a member of the tree committee! I’m looking forward to participating in the growth and development of our town, my hometown,” Carpenter said.

“Our tree health, safety, and maintenance concerns are a priority to me for several reasons. First, oftentimes, driving home down Thomas Hill, I look down into town and what I notice is our nice canopy of trees and I realize there must be a good deal of thought put into preserving and nurturing our town trees. Second, of many reasons, is a tree is a simple thing. Plant it, give it proper attention, and pass it on to future generations,” he added, when asked why he applied to the committee.

Gregutt, who has lived in the community for just over 10 years, also expressed a strong admiration and intent for preserving the city’s foliage.

“One of what I like to call the ‘hidden assets’ of Waitsburg is its lush mix of mature, heritage trees, many planted by pioneering families a century or more ago. On our properties, we have at least 60 trees of at least 30 different species, and views of even more. They provide encouragement in the spring, shade in the summer, color in the fall and safe haven for all sorts of creatures year-round. It is my hope that as part of our community’s ongoing ‘Waitsburg Pride’ initiative, we can all help to protect and preserve this resource,” he said.

The tree committee also includes two city council members and Public Works Director Jim Lynch. Council member House was selected as committee chair, with Hockersmith also sitting on the committee.

Some of the duties of the committee will include: working with the city to formulate a tree maintenance program; supplying information on tree selection, planting, and maintenance; determining which species are best suited for various locations; establishing a program of tree inspection; offering input on potentially hazardous trees; and developing a tree inventory with an emphasis on old-growth trees.