City Council Minutes 2020 02 25 SP

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City Council Meeting Minutes February 25, 2020 Page 3 of 5 not use it in their parks, but does use it in their Mountain Parks. We try to use the least amount possible to get the outcome we desire. Councilmember Leh asked how we compare to Boulder County. Director Mosely stated the County uses herbicides in their open spaces. Councilmember Fahey asked how the medians are treated. Director Mosely stated there is one application of broadleaf each year, Public Comments Mary Walker, 852 Trail Ridge Drive, stated she is an expert in this field and studies show causation of how herbicides affect people on the cellular level causing major health impacts on people. This is one exposure we have control over and these things cause damage. The most disturbing part is how close it is applied to water sources. Tracy Gegan, 659 W. Dahlia St, noted it is a tough task to appease all residents. She stated as a parent the use of herbicides (2,4D and Roundup) are of tremendous concern. Children and pets are particularly vulnerable to the effects of these herbicides and absorb more than adults. She urges banning herbicides in all parks and adopting nontoxic turf management plans. Allison Johanson, chair of the Sustainability Board, stated the board supports a sustainable approach and moving away from herbicides should be a priority. Betty Solek, 1101 N Franklin Ave, stated the IWMP does not give enough attention to potential impacts on waterways and waterbodies. She noted examples of what she has seen in medians with contractors spraying from backpack sprayers which allow for overspray and drifting; the medians are designed to shed water into the storm sewers. She recommended redesigning of medians to reduce chemical impacts on the streams. Angie Layton, 609 West Juniper Court, stated she lives by Heritage Park and sees the dandelions and then they are sprayed by the City. The City is not timing the eradication of the noxious weeks appropriately and not keeping up on what is needed. Diana Gutowski, 1000 Arapahoe Cir, stated Glyphosate binds tightly to soils and can persist for months in the ground and traces turn up in food products. The City needs a marketing campaign so people know they are going to see dandelions and this is why. Managing expectations of residents is key but creating healthier parks is the goal. Lauren Keliher, 477 W Harper St, noted the herbicides are effective at creating superweeds that cannot be killed by herbicides so it is not useful in the long term. Matt Sandler, 990 Arapahoe Circle, stated the community should get out ahead of these issues. He understands people don’t want parks full of weeds but children use the parks