FSMW Board Meeting (July 16, 2026)

Minutes

Present: Michael Benham, Pat Frey, Phil Huhn, Pat Petiet, Janet Rieke, Judy Schmidt, Manfred Schmidt, Julie Steiff

1. Hellos / Introductions
2. Adoption / Modification of Agenda.
3. Approval of Minutes of Prior Meeting. Minutes approved.
4. News, Announcements
   • Greenview/Pioneer Butterfly and Wildflower Tour, Saturday, August 1, 11 a.m. – Judy. Judy S suggested going to this event instead of having a workday. The details are on our website.
5. Treasurer’s Report – PF.
   • We received a check from an anonymous donor for $2,000! We now have $5,553.68 in the bank.
6. Volunteer Report – AJ. (Quarterly; no report this month.)
7. Scarlett Nature Club – PF. Nature Club went well and is now over for the year. It will start again in September.
8. Old Business
   • Data on condition of the pond – PF. PF presented a data table reporting readings of salinity, acidity, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids for water from various sites in the pond, with readings from Lake Huron and distilled water for comparison. Overall, the readings are good, except for one slightly acidic pH reading. She explained how easy it is to use the meter and will be happy to demonstrate the process to anyone who’s interested. PP helped us understand the metrics and suggested sampling the water at the pond at Matthai Botanical Gardens. MB suggested demonstrating the meters at Greenview on August 1, since we’ll be there anyway.
   • Delivery of wood chips – Judy S. Judy S’s former neighbor delivered a pile of wood chips next to the entrance. PF’s neighbor is also offering wood chips, but we can’t accept them while the road is closed for school construction. Wood chips are on hold until the road is open again. MB expressed frustration that Gilbane cut off access to the park without any warning. Judy S suggested writing a petition. JR volunteered to contact Gilbane again.
   • Judy S asked NAP if they could clear the trails on the west side of the woods, which are very wet. She’s waiting for a response.
   • Poop signs – No follow-up from Liz Margolis yet.
   • Making SMW more bird-friendly – MB. Leah says we’re already very bird-friendly with more boxes than average. The city ornithologist Juliet Berger says the bird boxes on school property are not constructed properly. The City is only maintaining those on City property. PH hoped Peter B would be involved in this discussion, as that’s his area of expertise. We will leave this item on the agenda and hope to hear from Peter and Autumn J next time.
   • Stakes / signposts – PH. PH used DTE funds to stake the Turnberry trail signpost as well as one by the NW corner of the pond. One additional signpost needs fixing, and two have makeshift stakes. PH offered to fix the remaining signs, and everyone approved. PH noted that someone has placed stumps for resting places along the trail. No one knows who did it.
   • Plastic mesh – Judy S. Judy S keeps finding plastic mesh that gets torn up by lawn mowers. She sent an email about it but hasn’t heard back yet.
   • Future projects for DTE funding. We discussed the following ideas:
   • New replacement boardwalks – PH.
   • Pond aeration – MB. PF suggested that we wait to get more data and see if the pond really needs aeration.
   • More benches? – PF offered her stumps again. Also, the Comic Opera Guild needs to clear out lots of lumber from old sets, but it’s probably not untreated lumber.
   • Janet asked what the plans are for the north side of the pond. Widen path? Renew the boardwalk? Add benches? PH says the trail there has nearly disappeared. MB said there’s a deteriorating boardwalk there that needs to be replaced. Judy S noted that it’s difficult to get materials there. MB suggested asking the City to haul the materials, and then we could fund and build—although he’s not sure he wants to build on city property. We discussed SMW being a low priority at NAP. We will revisit this issue at our next meeting.
   • See Attachment 1 – Projects for consideration (in the agenda).
9. New Business
   • Publicity and recruitment – MB. MB noted that we have had the same group of people for three years—we need new blood. How can we get the word out and recruit more people, especially for workdays? If we know any interested people, we should send their names and emails to MB, who maintains the email list. MB sends out notices about meetings. Judy S sends out workday emails. PP suggested signs at trail entrances and advertising at Colonial Square. Judy S described existing Colonial Square efforts and future possibilities. JR is looking into getting a notice board put in the subdivision. The City would provide the materials, but she would need to find someone build it. It would likely be smaller than one at the SM entrance. She also suggested putting signs along the road leading to the schools when school opens again in the fall. PH suggested separate lists for workdays, meetings, and events (for more targeted outreach). Judy S suggested consulting with people at Pioneer and Thurston to see how they publicize and recruit.
10. Next Meeting: September 17, 2026.
11. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:43 pm.

Minutes submitted by Julie Steiff.