Town of Bolton Agricultural Commission
Meeting Minutes
Date: 19 October 2010
AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION
63 Main Street 978 779-2297 or 779-3308
Open Term Exp 6/30/2013
A meeting of the Bolton Agricultural Commission was held on October 19, 2010 at Town Hall. The meeting
was called to order at 7:37 pm by chairperson Sue Storbeck. Commission members in attendance: Sue
Storbeck, Barbara Parente, Rich Pelletier, and Betsy Taylor-Kennedy. The September minutes were read by
members and approved.
Reports from liaisons to Town Boards/Commissions
Board of Health (Storbeck) – No report
Planning Board (Open) – No report.
Board of Selectmen (Pelletier) – No report.
Conservation Commission (Parente) – Discussion of Houghton Farms conservation restriction. Board agreed
that wording needed to be changed to refer to the Right to Farm Bylaw and preserving a portion of the land for
agriculture should not be subject to a homeowners association vote. Sue went downstairs to discuss with the
ConsComm, which had a meeting in progress.
Conservation Trust (Taylor-Kennedy) – Preservation efforts are ongoing
Working Session:
o VISITOR - Tom Moses, Bolton’s Emergency Management Director, met with the Commission to
discuss the inclusion of animals in the town emergency plan. He noted that risks are graded for various
disasters. The Emergency Plan does include animals, and the Animal Control Officer has a role in the
plan, Tom said, to coordinate with public and private agencies and develop teams for non day-to-day
emergencies. Tom noted that the structure is present, but the details of the plan have not been
implemented. Tom and the AgComm agreed that developing a directory of resources for animal
emergencies would be an asset to the plan. AgComm members agreed to create a directory of resources,
directory of contacts (Lucky Horse, private barns, etc), list of trailers (for use with DPW tow if
necessary), and to survey Ag Businesses about what they see as risks and what help they would need
during an emergency.
Town Planner Jennifer Atwood Burney was unable to attend tonight’s meeting to discuss farm signs and ag
business and will be rescheduled.
Current business:
Ag Sale and Craft Demos at Nashoba Valley Winery – The board agreed to make space available at the
winery to Bolton agricultural businesses Saturday and Sunday afternoons in November from 1 to 3 p.m.
Action: Sue and Barbara volunteered to contact businesses that had participated in the past in the November
Holiday Sales, and to fill in with other businesses if space was available. Rich agreed to meet with
participating vendors and determine space needs and space availability. Betsy will deliver AgComm signs.
Fifth Member – Eric Schartner expressed interest in joining the Commission. Sue will follow-up
concerning his letter of application and next steps.
Goals and Budget – Postponed for discussion in November as a top priority, along with a fifth member.
Future Meetings/Events
Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 16 at 7:30 pm at Town Hall.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:12 pm.
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