2007 - 11-19

Meeting Minutes November 19, 2007 Board members present: Tommy Taylor, Myrna Coleman, Bill Schlautman, Dianna Wright, Rose Klein, Jim Klein and Kris Meek. Members and guests: Harold Hostetter, Edmund Martens, Ruth Martens, Dennis Boslau, Tami Soper, Shaun Soper, Steve Schwab, Niles Ford, Dean Staberg, Scott Pierson and two firemen whose names were illegible. Steven Frayser, President of the UNL Technical Park, reported that the Tech Park has 1,000 employees now. It should be 1,100 by the end of 2007 and 1,600 by the end of 2008, including the employees at Verizon. One of the newer businesses at the Tech Park is ID consulting Group which was started by scientists who formerly worked at Pfizer. Mr. Frayser said that the Tech Park is in need of day care facilities. They are now talking to day care providers to see about starting a facility in the area, possibly at NW 12th and Highlands Blvd. The new Lincoln Fire Chief, Niles Ford, gave us a historical perspective of the Lincoln Fire Department. It was founded in 1867 as a volunteer department and in 1887 became a fulltime paid professional department. The department has 294 authorized personnel. Of those, 270 are trained in fire suppression and 24 are Administration, EMSBU, Training, Maintenance and FEMA Urban Search and Rescue. Lincoln Fire and Rescue has been accredited since 1997. City Forester Steve Schwab informed us about Pine Wilt which is killing Scotch and Austrian Pine trees. Pine Wilt is caused by a pinewood nematode which plugs the vascular system of a tree and can kill a tree within three weeks. The diseased trees must be destroyed to prevent the pine sawyer beetles from spreading the nematodes to nearby healthy trees. If a tree dies May 1 – Oct 1: Remove and destroy immediately. If a tree dies after Oct 1: Remove and destroy by April 30. Trees should be burned, buried or chipped before the beetles emerge from the wood (about April 30). Do not save for firewood, beetles will continue to emerge from cut logs. Tommy Taylor is writing an article for the newsletter, which Kris Meek will put together and get printed so that the Boy Scouts can deliver it the weekends of the 8th and 15th. The Lighting Contest is scheduled for Dec. 18, 19 & 20. Kris Meek, Rose Klein, Dianna Wright and Myrna Coleman are soliciting businesses for prizes for the contest. Mark Canney, Park Planner for Lincoln Parks and Recreation will come to the January 21 meeting to get our input on new plantings for West Highland Blvd. Elections for officers will

be held at the February meeting. The next meeting will be Monday December 17, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. at Fredstrom School.