- MINUTES: On motion made by Ken Utting and seconded by Bob McEttrick, it was voted unanimously to accept the
Minutes of the December 5, 1991 meeting as presented.
- ROBERTA TOOMEY/SUBDIVISION/WETLANDS: Dennis Zabolis of White Birch
Builders met with the Commission to review a proposed subdivision on Jennison Road on land owned by Roberta Toomey. A wetland crossing for a driveway is involved. Lorraine reported she and Mark Fougere had made an on site inspection, and stated that a narrow but well-defined and fully running stream has to be crossed. This stream is surrounded on both sides by heavy bushy and treed area, many of the bushes being berry-producing and making this a good wildlife habitat. It was Lorraine's opinion that the disturbance to this area for the driveway should be kept to the minimum, and that the driveway should be no more than 18 feet wide. There is a 50 foot right of way for this driveway to reach the two back lots. There are 6 lots in this subdivision, located on Map 5 Lots 13, 13-1 and 14, with four of the lots fronting on Jennison Road. Lorraine also reported that though she had requested the Dredge and Fill application not to be filed with the Town Clerk until after this meeting, it had been filed on January 6 1992. Dennis explained that it had not been filed, but that he had presented it to the Town Clerk, who signed the copies and then gave them back to him. This is something that should not have been done, and Lorraine will attempt to prepare a detailed explanation for the Town Clerk as to what he should do, under the new rules, when an application is filed. She will call the Wetlands Board to find out what should be done in this case. Arrangements were also made that Lorraine will meet with Dennis at ll a.m. on Tuesday, January 21 1992 when he will file the application with the Town Clerk officially. In discussion of this case, the members expressed the desire to make an on site inspection themselves. It was decided that those who wished to do so, would do so over the weekend and report to Lorraine by January 20. Depending on the concerns of those who do an on site, a letter will be sent to the Wetlands Board with recommendations of the Commission.
- DREDGE AND FILL APPLICATIONS - GENERAL: As a result of the above application, discussion took place relative to the procedure the Commission should adopt regarding these applications. This issue is to be further discussed at the next meeting, but a suggestion was put forward that applicants be advised that their first meeting with the Commission would be a preliminary meeting. This would provide the members with information on the site in question and allow them time to make on site inspections if so desired and so as to not hold up the process unduly, a meeting could be called to finalize Dredge and Fill issues within two weeks of the preliminary meeting. The issue was raised relative to some sort of checklist for these on site inspections. (Though not raised at this meeting, it is reported in these Minutes that such a Checklist does exist and is part of the "Information Package" prepared for all new members in red three-ring binders. Members should refer to this for review).
- GOALS FOR 1992: In discussion of this, Bob McEttrick put forward the suggestion that the goals were well spelled out in what Bill Parker had prepared and which had been discussed in the past, be reviewed a few times a year as a reminder of the objectives. The members agreed to this.
- EMERSON ROAD PETITION: Lorraine presented two copies of a petition for classification as scenic that section of this roadway from Route 13 South to Federal Hill Road, explaining that a petition is required for this classification, and that a minimum of 25 signatures is required. Chris and Charles took the copies for additional signatures after the members had themselves signed it. These two copies will be returned to Lorraine as soon as possible, with a deadline of February 1 1992.
- CONSERVATION LAND ORDINANCE: Lorraine advised the members that in a recent review of this Ordinance, in particular Appendix A which lists the lands covered by the ordinance, she found the list required updating, as well as a correction. She therefore prepared a totally new list of lands with the suggestion that the current Appendix A be eliminated in its entirety and the one presented at this meeting, be accepted in its place. After discussion Hub Seward put a motion on the floor, seconded by Ken Utting and voted unanimously in the affirmative that the Appendix A as presented at this meeting be accepted. The changes are: the addition of the Crawford land, the addition of the Nicholas Dadoly land, and a change in name of the land at Osgood Pond Dam to "Hazel Adams Burns Park, Osgood Pond". Copies of the new Appendix A were presented to the members with the request that it be inserted in the red three ring binders of Information for Members. Lorraine will also present the new Appendix A to the Board of Selectmen and to the Town Clerk for his files.
- SOUHEGAN RIVER TRAIL: Steve Turner advised the members that he had attempted to meet with the property owners, and had only succeeded in contacting one of them, namely Arthur Henderson. In his meeting with this gentleman, he learned that Mr. Henderson is not at this point in time, interested in the public using his land for purposes of hiking the trail. With this in mind Steve has arranged a meeting with the Executive Director of Fish and Game Department, scheduled for 9a.m. on Tuesday, January 21 1992 to obtain his approval of the plans and it is Steve's intent after that, to develop the trail starting at the Hatchery land. He also plans to get the Board of Selectmen involved in the trail development in order to proceed further with the actual trail.
- BUDGET AND FINANCES: Lorraine presented the members with various aspects of these issues as follows:
Item #8 Budget continued:
- 1991 Budget Figures: Lorraine presented copies of the expenditures for 1991 for the members' review. A total of $1934.77 was unexpended as of December 31 1991, and this amount has been placed in the Accumulative Fund. Of this amount, $1033.00 is reserved for the proposed work in Emerson Park, an amount originally in the budget of Public Works Dept.
- Financial Statement: Lorraine presented copies of the Financial Statement for the year 1991 as it will appear in the Town Report.
- Summary of the Accounts: For the sake of the record and to better inform the new members of the financial status of the Commission, Lorraine presented a summary of the various accounts showing income and expenditures in these accounts since their inception. For the Accumulative Fund, she reviewed with the members how this account was developed beginning in 1980.
- Budget for 1992: Lorraine advised the members that the Selectmen had reduced the 1992 appropriation from the requested $5,000 to $2,500.00. As a result of this she had reworked the line item breakdown for 1992 and offered the following suggestions to bring the proposed expenditures to half of the original: eliminate the summer camp for $500.00; eliminate the $500.00 set aside for legal fees, which would then have to be charged to the Selectmen's budget; reduce the Tree Project (Transfer Station) to $500.00 and use the additional monies needed for this project from the Accumulative Fund; reduce the contingency balance by $1,000.00. In discussions of this issue, the members made the decision to have Bill request the Selectmen to support $3,000 for the 1992 appropriation. This would allow the Tree Project to remain at $1,000.00.
- SPNHF DUES FOR 1992: On motion made by Bob McEttrick and seconded by Chris Costantino, it was voted unanimously in favor of the motion to pay the 1992 dues in the amount of $26.00.
- 1992 CONSERVATION DIRECTORY: Lorraine advised the members of the availability of this Directory which is prepared by the National Wildlife Federation and which contains the names and addresses of international, national and regional conservation, environmental and wildlife organizations. The cost is $18.00. This Directory is updated annually, but Lorraine felt that it would not be necessary to purchase this on an annual basis, but did recommend that one issue be purchased. After discussion, Chris put a motion on the floor, seconded by Charles and voted unanimously in favor of the motion to authorize Lorraine to purchase a copy of the Directory for 1992 and donate it to the Wadleigh Library as a reference guide for the general public.
- UPCOMING LECTURES: The SPNHF is offering a number of lectures of interest to the Commission. For some of these the dates and/or locations have not yet been finalized, but Lorraine provided the list and requested members to consider which lectures they wished to attend, and to advise her accordingly. The list is as follows:
- Working with Landowners: How to get and keep the ball rolling - March 28 1992, in the Lakes Region. Cost $12.00.
- Conservation Easement Stewardship: Monitoring and Enforcement - April 4 in New London. Cost $15.00. Also to be presented on April 11 in southwestern New Hampshire.
- Assessing Local Wildlife Needs - May 9, location to be announced. Cost $25.00.
- HAZEL BURNS PARK PARK BENCHES: Lorraine advised the members that these two benches had been received, and she and Bob Courage had reviewed the Park for location sites. It was decided to erect the benches to the right of the spillway where there are currently no benches. Bob Courage hopes to erect them before the ground freezes too deeply.
- EARTH DAY 1992: A memo was received from the Earth Day Committee explaining that this year it is planned to concentrate activities for this celebration on children to be held at the Recycling Center. The Commission was asked to take part in this and to offer any additional ideas for activities. A meeting is scheduled to discuss this on January 21 1992, and Bill Parker plans to attend, as well as Chris Costantino.
- TREE PROJECT: Lorraine advised the members that from a bookkeeping standpoint, there has always been confusion as to the "year" of theses projects. It is necessary to begin planning the project in one year, but the trees are not purchased and paid for until the spring of the following year. She therefore put forward the idea that the project be identified by the year in which payment is made. Thus the Transfer Station project would be the "1992 Tree Project". The members agreed with this housekeeping item.
In further discussions of the Transfer Station project, Lorraine reported she and Bob Courage, who is very enthusiastic about this idea, had done a review of the areas at the Station which need some attention, and she had prepared a list of locations and types of plantings needed. This list will be given to John Ferguson for final review. She also advised the members that some funds are available for such a project from the US Small Business Bureau and John Ferguson is working on this relative to the Transfer Station project. It was felt that this project could provide the Commission with some good publicity for a community project. Because of the budget cut, members discussed the idea of digging up small trees themselves and transplanting them at the Transfer Station. They were asked to look around for suitable plantings and report back at the next meeting.
- AQUIFER PROTECTION/MOBIL OIL GAS STATION: Lorraine reported having received an excellent report from Dave Andrews on why a gas station should not be located on Nashua Street across from Shaw's Plaza. She will provide the members with copies of Dave's Report. In the meantime, she had given copies of this report to the Planning Board and to the Board of Adjustment.
- PUBLIC EVENTS: Ken Utting provided the members with copies of the final brochure he had prepared, and received high praise for an excellent job done. These brochures will be placed at various locations around town.
The first event, a cross country ski trip along the proposed route of the Souhegan River Trail will be held on January 25 1992. If there is no snow, a hike will be done instead. This event will be publicized in the Milford Cabinet, the Nashua Telegraph and on the local radio station. He advised the members that Campers' Inn had paid in full for the printing of the brochure for a total cost of $100.00. A letter of thanks and appreciation will be sent to them by Lorraine. Campers Inn will also be providing a motor home for this event on January 25 from which hot drinks will be served to the participants. He also advised the members that S & M Graphics located on Elm Street had folded the brochures free of charge. Lorraine will also write a letter of thanks to them for their services.
It was announced by Bob Walsh that the first two weeks of April have been set aside as "Milford Tunes Out TV", and asked if the Commission could sponsor a hike as part of this event. The members were supportive of this idea and Bob and Ken will work on it.
- TOWN AND COUNTRY MAGAZINE: Lorraine reported that this magazine, published ten times a year by the New Hampshire Municipal Association for a cost of $10.00 per year, had been recommended by the NHACC as worthwhile for Conservation Commissions. In discussion, it was decided that Bill, who receives these magazines at his office in Keene, would review them and copy any articles that are of interest to the commission, rather than have the Commission spend $10.00 in view of the reduced budget for 1992.
- TOWN MEETING BOOTH: Relative to setting up a table at Town Meeting on March 10 1992, Lorraine advised the members she is attempting to find out how to go about making the necessary arrangements. Though Town Meeting does not begin until 6.30p.m., voting begins at noon and Lorraine suggested that the table be covered from noon. Lorraine will be there from noon to 2p.m., and Chris will take over from 2p.m. to 4p.m. Additional coverage is needed from 4p.m. to 6.30p.m. In the matter of what items to have available at this booth, Lorraine put forward the following list with the request that members come up with any additional items that should be made available. The list is: hiking maps (as are available in the Town Clerk's office), brochures of the public events, a map of all town owned conservation lands, copies of the Conservation Plan, maps of the proposed Souhegan River Trail, Land Information Kit packages.
- WETLANDS TALK/NH METHOD; Lorraine advised the members that whereas this talk had had to be cancelled because of an ice storm, it has been rescheduled for 7.30p.m. on Thursday February 13 1992. She had advised all members of the Planning Board and the Board of Adjustment of the new date. She had also been able to reserve the Banquet Hall for the event. Because this is the regular meeting night of the Commission, the date of Thursday, February 20 has been set for the regular meeting.
- MAYFLOWER HILL TOWN FOREST SIGNS: Charles Carter provided a list of items the High School needs in order to route these signs for the Commission: letter template $19.00; bushing attachment $14.50; cutter bits $13.00; for a total of $46.50. Bob McEttrick put a motion on the floor and it was seconded by Chris Costantino and voted unanimously in the affirmative to authorize this expenditure. The School will purchase the items and the Commission will reimburse, for a total expenditure of $46.50.
- COURT HOUSE/CANOE LAUNCH SITE/POLICE STATION: Lorraine reported she had made an on site inspection of this area. Bill Parker will be doing the same in the near future, and then he and Lorraine will meet with the Selectmen at 7.30p.m. on Monday February 3 1992 to discuss the matter of including an access way to the area in plans for the Court House to be constructed on the property of the Milford Police Station on Elm Street.
- PHIL HEALD PROPOSED TRAIL WILTON TO TUCKER BROOK LAND: Lorraine advised members that she had been contacted by Mr. Heald who owns a large tract of land in Wilton on which some 4 miles of trail exists, relative to his idea of connecting his land (now secured in open space by the SPNHF), with the Tucker Brook Town Forest trail system. A meeting has been scheduled with Mr. Heald at the SCS office at 10a.m. on Thursday January 23. Steve Turner will also be present to take part in the discussions, and to give details of the Souhegan River Trail system as well.
- PROCEDURES: Considerable discussion took place relative to various pro cedures of the Commission and involvement of the various members. The idea was put forward that the agenda should be mailed to members ahead of the meeting. Lorraine offered the information that this would add to cost in an already reduced budget, and it would mean cutting off the deadline for agenda items in order to allow time for mailing. It was also suggested that copies of all issues to come before the meeting be avail able in the Commission's office. This would also add to cost and time involved, and in addition the Town Hall is not open evenings which is the only time most members have available. Relative to access to the Commission's office, Ken Utting put a motion on the floor, seconded by Bob McEttrick and voted unanimously in the affirmative, to authorize John Kenison to have keys made for each member to this office. Because of the complexity of the issue of procedures, it was decided to terminate discussions at this point and to allot an hour for further discussion at the next meeting.
There being no further business to come before this meeting, the meeting adjourned at 10.45p.m.
The next meetings are as follows:
Thursday, February 13 1992, 7.30p.m.: Wetlands Talk/NH Method
Thursday, February 20 1992, 7.30p.m.:Regular monthly meeting.
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