Parks and Public Landscaping Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2018 06 07

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3. Good evening Dean, Thank you for the phone call yesterday and your swift follow thru of your promise to mow the Arboretum. My wife text early this morning and said the crew was already hard at work. I just looked out back and they did a very nice job! I hope that the advisory board sees this as a learning experience that maintenance cannot be overlooked when making budget priorities. Please fell free to share any and all of our correspondence with them. Thanks again and we're looking forward to a beautiful Arboretum going forward. Sincerely, Bob and Denise Kiepe 102 Cherrywood Lane On May 14, 2018, at 2:50 PM, Dean Johnson <deanj(&,,Louisvilleco.gov> wrote: Hello Bob and Denise, In 2008, the Horticulture Forestry and Advisory Board (HFAB, the citizen advisory board on plant material to City Council and staff) supported the declaration of the Arboretum to become pesticide free. Attached is an article related to that. A few years later though, HFAB did alter this recommendation and approved the use of the herbicide, glyphosate; Roundup is a common trade name for it. We are currently using this herbicide onsite for spot spraying control of weeds along the crusher fine trail and tree wells. But according to my knowledge, broadleaf weed control via herbicides is current still not allowed at the Arboretum. Beyond that, in my ten years working for the City, it seems that the emphasis or goal has always been to reduce the use of herbicides if possible, hence the mention of integrated weed management. Integrated weed management basically means you are trying to use multiple different approaches to controlling weeds, not just relying on chemicals/herbicides. One of the control methods of an integrated approach is mechanical or mowing. Mowing has basically been our approach at the Arboretum and for all non- irrigated properties for at least the past 10 years, most likely a lot longer. City staff is here to serve the community. If you are recommending a change in the City's practices and procedures specifically for this site and/or others, my advice would be to first make that recommendation to the Parks and Public Landscaping Advisory Board (PPLAB, used to be HFAB). This can be made by either attending one of their monthly meetings and/or I could forward along a statement (email from you) to be read during the meeting. If interested in that or have any questions about attending an upcoming PPLAB meeting please let me know.