Three locals among urban forester applicants

The Dec. 22 deadline has passed to apply for McMinnville?s urban forester/horticulturist position and the city has 16 applicants.

Out of the applicants, three are local and one was in the final four to be interviewed before the 2006-2007 budget was cut, eliminating the urban forester position and creating the combined urban forester/horticulturist position.

Local applicants:

? Trent Young ? currently works for the city in the Public Works Department as a lot equipment operator. He has worked for the city since March 2003.

? Dr. Frank A. Mrema ? currently works as a postdoctoral research associate at the Nursery Research Center in McMinnville. He has a PhD in Forestry (plant pathology), M.S. in forestry (eco-physiology) and a B.S. in forestry.

? Hank Patton ? worked for the McMinnville Country Club from 1996-2006. He has a B.S. in turf grass management and horticulture.

In for the second round:

? John S. Baggett ? currently the urban forester for Fairfax County, Va. He has a B.S. with a major in agriculture and is an ISA Certified Arborist.

The remaining 12 are:

? Todd Fagan ? currently a sales arborist in Barrington, Ill. He has a B.S. with a major in agriculture and an emphasis on urban forestry and is an ISA Certified Arborist.

? Cindy M. Stachowski ? currently executive director for the Center for Environmental Information in Lake Ontario. She has a B.S. in natural resource management and general forestry and expects to be an ISA Certified Arborist in February.

? Chauncey Hammell ? currently the municipal arborist for the city of North Port, Fla. He will receive his associate?s in arts degree in 2007 and is an Florida Chapter ISA member.

? Joe Wilkie ? currently campus arborist/grounds team leader for Berea College in Kentucky. He has a B.A. in philosophy and is a Certified Arborist.

? Jeremy Meyer ? currently collections crew leader for The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Ill. He has a B.S. in urban forestry and is an ISA Certified Arborist.

? Bernard Wisnowski ? resides in Slidell, La. He has a B.S. with a major in urban forestry and is an ISA Certified Arborist.

? Jay Kaplan ? currently a consulting arborist for the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry in Trenton, N.J. He has a B.S. in natural resource management and an ISA Certified Arborist.

? Roland B. Downs ? currently landscape services superintendent in Newburgh, Ind., for Colonial Garden Centers. He is an ISA Certified Arborist.

? Travis Hawkins, Sr. ? lives in Winchester, Tenn. He has a B.S. in ornamental horticulture and landscape design.

? David A. Jahn ? currently Pittsburgh City Forester. He has an associate?s in agriculture and is an ISA Certified Arborist.

? Jerry R. Walling ? currently the manager of the fertilize department and agronomy specialist for White County Farmers Market. He has a B.S. in agriculture.

? Paul Pinco ? currently the Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Forestry, city of Indiana, city arborist. He has an associate?s degree in horticulture technology and is an Certified Arborist.

Elected officials will now begin the process of going through these applicants and determining which will be invited for an interview.