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APPROVED WITH AMENDMENT 2.7.24
<br /> 350 day in the life of Treeist, and then we'll probably get the gist of what you're looking to do on the property from
<br /> 351 that.
<br /> 352
<br /> 353 Craig Nishimoto: So, what we imagine is there's a lot of trucks that need to be parked there, so that's one
<br /> 354 thing, but we also have a small office operation, the people that are there to take phone calls, to do the
<br /> 355 scheduling. It's not a big thing, but we need to have it, and we're working out of a little metal building right
<br /> 356 now, and it's hard to attract the top talent to work in here when they can take jobs anywhere else in nice, cushy
<br /> 357 offices. We need to do something about that. We also are really into training people, and we see this as a
<br /> 358 perfect industry to start an apprenticeship program, and for that we need a multipurpose room that can offer a
<br /> 359 classroom sort of setting, something indoors and we can give good lectures and presentations to. That is part
<br /> 360 of the day. We might even start the apprentices in there and then go out and join field and the crews. A lot of
<br /> 361 tree services are really hard on equipment, so we have a full-time mechanic who is always fixing a track on
<br /> 362 this machine, doing something, welding this or welding that, so there's a shop where he can take these things,
<br /> 363 work on a chipper or something like this. And these guys work really hard. This is one of the most physically
<br /> 364 laborious industries, and it's high adrenaline when they're working because they know they can get hurt
<br /> 365 anytime, so I always think that the most dangerous time for our guys and gals that are working on the tree
<br /> 366 crews is after they drive back to the shop, get in their personal vehicles, and then drive home. I, when I was
<br /> 367 doing it, it was just like, "this is where I get killed because I'm going to fall asleep here." I would love to just
<br /> 368 have a place for them to relax, lockers, shower, sharpen your chainsaws in this nice lighted area, and then hop
<br /> 369 in, maybe spend time in town before you drive home, and that also is to attract the best workers. Even Town
<br /> 370 of Chapel Hill Public Works, they have better than we have. I'd like to at least offer something like that to our
<br /> 371 guys. Questions about that?
<br /> 372
<br /> 373 Adam Beeman: No, I mean, like I said, once you're done, we're going to open up the questions, then we'll
<br /> 374 get more out of you as far as questioning.
<br /> 375
<br /> 376 Craig Nishimoto: I think what's critical is the noise and traffic issues. I mean, look at these aerial photos
<br /> 377 first.
<br /> 378
<br /> 379 Statler GiIfillen: I'm trying to draw a distinction here. I asked the question about would you sell anything
<br /> 380 on the site. Now, if you have a dozen oak trees, and you chip them up—
<br /> 381
<br /> 382 Adam Beeman: Hey, can we hold this off until he's done with his presentation?
<br /> 383
<br /> 384 Statler GiIfillen: —are you going to be selling some of that from there on a retail basis?
<br /> 385
<br /> 386 Adam Beeman: We'd like him to finish the presentation then we can ask the questions. Please wait.
<br /> 387
<br /> 388 Craig Nishimoto: Part of my slide that I wanted to impress upon everyone here is how big a need there is in
<br /> 389 this area. If you look at any aerial photos, I look at our neighborhoods that we work in, and we want the trees,
<br /> 390 we need houses, but we really want trees, and so what happens is this. You look just about anywhere. You
<br /> 391 see these neighborhoods. This was built in the '60s, and all the trees have grown up around the houses. It's
<br /> 392 not like grass where you can just mow it. You need people to climb up there and do work. In Ridgefield,
<br /> 393 there's this Long Leaf, Willow Drive, Emory neighborhood. A lot of these places, and when they built the
<br /> 394 houses, they just clear cut everything, but now you go back there, and it's what? You see Loblolly Pines and
<br /> 395 Sweet Gums everywhere, way too dense, and then there's going to be problems, so we're managing that.
<br /> 396 Even if you love trees, some of them, they're just too crowded together. It's just going to get worse. Lake
<br /> 397 Hogan Farms, this is really a recent development for trees, but they're Willow Oaks that were planted, and
<br /> 398 some of them are already this big. They grow super fast, and everywhere you look, this is just fairly random
<br /> 399 sampling of what it looks like from the air. What you notice is trees right up against houses everywhere.
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