http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Discussion Forum for Riverside Illinois en Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:01:59 +0000 http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/downtown-and-around-the-town/page/2#post-5366 Sat, 30 Jun 2007 16:04:00 +0000 Catherine 5366@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>I am finding that the business of landscaping the CBD is amazingly complex, what with the various constituencies involved. Trees should be less controversial though.</p> <p>I think the Olmsted Society would/could be that conservancy, and already takes donations for plantings. The business of moving the 20 year old trees they donated to make way for the Village Center is likely a sore point. </p> <p>I believe the village government's planting fund has only $200 in it presently. There is a way to make a restricted gift I believe, although how restricted I don't know. Katie Rush could say. </p> <p>I think the way you are going through the school is a good one, spatny. I think also that you will hear that planting that many trees at a time though would be a strain on Forestry's ability to maintain (high maintenance when they are young.) </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/downtown-and-around-the-town#post-5358 Tue, 26 Jun 2007 23:47:24 +0000 ChrisHajer 5358@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>I have no idea on the conservancy, but I agree that a 501(c)(3) would help in soliciting donations for saving the trees. It's also a lot easier to set up. The 501(c)(3) takes about 6 months to set up, I think. The accountability of it being a charity lets people open the purse strings a little more, and they get a tax break too. </p> <p>Don, do people get a tax break if they contribute to the RBHS Ecology club since they are school related? Is it like the PTA where they are a charity already? </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/downtown-and-around-the-town#post-5357 Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:13:26 +0000 MikeT 5357@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Great idea on the Conservancy - one of the good things about the TIF pause (thank you, Village Manager and Village Board): Good ideas were brought up. </p> <p>&lt;</p></blockquote> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/downtown-and-around-the-town#post-5355 Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:09:33 +0000 spatny 5355@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Michael - that's fine, but I am 69 years old, and I'll never see the end of that road. I set up a working arrangement with the RBHS Ecology Club last year and raised some money for an account there called the RBHS Riverside Tree Bank. We raised some money at my class reunion for this, and the kids are to be involved with the Forester in the planting this fall. I had hoped (and tried) to have the following classes holding reunions continue it but I don't know if they followed through. Having the kids involved seemed to me to be a great twofer - some help (labor) and keeping them interested in the Village, etc. And they in turn would get a letter for their files thanking them for their efforts that is good for their college appli8cations. When you get into a conservancy I beleve it will become a legal and political quagmire. I just wanted to confine this to raising money to plant trees all over town. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/downtown-and-around-the-town#post-5354 Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:34:17 +0000 Flight 5354@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Don,</p> <p>I think you have an excellent idea. But in order to do the whole contribution thing you really do need to go the whole 501(c)3 non-profit route. Just so there is some accountability and direction with the money.</p> <p>I have brought this up before but why not investigate a conservancy for the public/park lands? <a href="http://www.buffaloolmstedparks.org/about.asp" rel="nofollow">http://www.buffaloolmstedparks.org/about.asp</a></p> <p>This would address the tree issue, the Village financial crisis issue and money raising issue. As a non-profit the parks/public lands would be open to a host of new financing /money raising/grant money. It would also relieve the Village of some major capital expenditures. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/downtown-and-around-the-town#post-5353 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:19:55 +0000 spatny 5353@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Maybe we could have a program to put the Forest back in The Village in the Forest where people contribute $60 one time or $21. three times over three years so we raise in excess of $100,000. at the rate of 5.4 cents a day to reforest the Village with diverse species. We should get after this NOW, because if/when the Emerald Ash Borer gets here - and it almost surely will - there will be 700 public trees at risk and perhaps that number again in trees on public property - and tousnds of ash trees in the Forest Preserves. This is no joke - and it takes foresight to get ahead of the curve. Now that the Village is in the tree prurchase consortium they will have a far greater variety of trees available for planting. Trees and Riverside are synonomous. They are our heritage and our future. Parents contributing $20 in the name of a child or a family for three years could make the difference. With Dutch Elm still taking a couple dozen trees a year, with Oak Wilt and a couple other deseases and then the Aash Borer - Riverside's tree population could be severely impacted. Maybe one of the banks would get behind this idea and we could do a door-to-door campaign and ask companies for an even larger donation and get this going this year - maybe look to plant 300 trees this year and double that each of the two following years so we have a good number of young trees coming along. Anybody want to work with me on this? I doubt that any family in town could not afford five cents a day. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/downtown-and-around-the-town#post-5352 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:58:31 +0000 spatny 5352@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>That's the ticket, Mike. Round numbers - 3ooo units x $20 x 3 yrs is $180,000. $50 per is $450,000. No consultants or lawyers required and in three years we could really make this The Village in the Forest again. But here's the catch - let's see if we can get 100 people in town to do it - and by the time you do that you will have spoken to a thousand, if you're lucky, and then you'll realize just who really lives here. Olmsted who? </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/downtown-and-around-the-town#post-5351 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:05:19 +0000 MikeT 5351@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <blockquote><p>if everybody in town that has a house would chip in just $20 or $50 a year,</p></blockquote> <p>or anyone living in town who is interested in preserving Riverside, houseowner or not. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/downtown-and-around-the-town#post-5349 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:18:58 +0000 spatny 5349@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Chris - it's better if we gather the funds and then, before giving them to the Village, we specify what we want them to be used for. If we want to replace the tree in Guthrie, for instance, we put together a little fund for that, then write up the donation exactly for that and give it to Mike. then they either use it for that or give it back. If you just donate there is no specific result guaranteed. The thing in this town is that people don't just sign up for things like this - they have to be cajoled, it seems, and then the Village has some silly donation policy. The last time I gave a couple hundred for trees I did a map of where, took it to Landscape, Mike checked it out and they went in. He really wants to diversify the species and that's a sound idea, so we should figure out where we will pay for trees and let him select the ones that go in there. The guy really knows his business and is very interested in preserving what we have and diversifying what goes in. You know, if everybody in town that has a house would chip in just $20 or $50 a year, for the next three years, we could turn this whole thing around and get ahead of the curve, and all the resi8dents would benefit because the property values would increase. But it's a tough thing to get going. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/downtown-and-around-the-town#post-5346 Sun, 24 Jun 2007 23:40:29 +0000 ChrisHajer 5346@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Don, I noticed two on Kimbark with the white "X" on them, and then there is still the one at Centennial Park. And what of the one with the huge limb missing on the west side of Barrypoint (recent storm damage I guess): it doesn't look to good inside that tree to me.</p> <p>Should anyone who wants to make a donation just visit Mike Collins, or is there a better procedure? </p>