Chichester Conservation Commission
11/14/05 Meeting Minutes
7:00, Chichester Grange Hall
Present: Jeff Andrews, Gordon Jones, Bob Mann, Mike Marchand, Walter Sanborn, Deb Soule, and Lee-Ann Valotto
General Items
Minutes from last month were unanimously approved.
VHB Presentation - “Prime Wetland Study Preliminary Phase I Results”
Bill Barry of VHB distributed copies of the above named document and described the work done to date. Deb will look into putting the documents on the CCC’s portion of the town web site. A public information meeting is tentatively scheduled for January 9th at 7:00 PM pending room availability.
Trail Dawgs Snowmobile Club – Spaulding Lot Trail Access Review
Roger Leroux and Mike Dube, from the snowmobile club, discussed the work done on this portion of the trail. On Saturday November 11th, Deb had traversed a part of the trail with club members Kevin Gagne and Mike Dube to review signage, wet area crossings, and overall trail integrity. The club has installed 2 sturdy gates, a culvert in a flooded area of the trail, and signage to deter motorized wheeled access at one of the gates and reduce speed near a home by the trail. Overall it appears the club has provided good stewardship of the trail in the past year. The club has agreed to post 2 additional signs: a slow speed sign at the top of the hill as trail riders descend towards Hutchinson Road and another sign prohibiting motorized wheel access at the other gate. They have also agreed to watch 3 wet area
crossings and take appropriate actions if warranted. Due to all the recent rain events, more water was seen on the trail than in previous visits.
CCC Goals Status Review:
1) Land Protection Subcommittee
Nothing to report.
2) Source Water Protection Education Efforts/Web Site
Lee-Ann has drafted a source water protection article for the Suncook Valley Sun newspaper and will circulate it to the group for review. Deb will look into getting NRI maps posted on the web site.
3) Designating Prime Wetlands
See VHB presentation notes at the top of this page.
4) Carpenter Park Survey/Easement Boundary Clarification
Jeff received 2 estimates for surveying Carpenter Park (which is actually composed of 3 lots). The estimates were $13,000 and $17,000 with additional fees of $6000 and $8350 respectively for wetlands delineation. The second fee also included monumentation. This information will be provided to the Selectmen.
5) Implementing the Sanborn Cray Conservation Area management plan.
Mike and Jeff flagged the narrowest area of wetland on the Plummer property. Richard D. Bartlett & Associates has completed the field work for the property survey.
Other
Gordon and Lee-Ann will consider volunteering for the Central NH Regional Planning Commission’s Regional Resource Conservation Committee (R2C2).
A Dredge and Fill Application has been submitted for the Blackman property on Hutchinson Road. The proposed house layout is further back from the road than on a previous plan submitted for CCC review earlier in the year. Given the additional wetland impact of this revised proposal and the lot’s placement adjacent to a conservation easement, Bob motioned to request intervener status on behalf of the CCC and schedule a site walk tentatively for December 3rd at 9:30AM. The motion carried unanimously. Interested site walk members will meet at the Town Hall before departing for the lot.
Notice of a complaint for illegal filling of 7900 sq ft of wetlands at 63 Hutchinson Road was received along with a copy of the related Dredge and Fill Application. The landowner has requested to retain 1200 sq ft of the fill area for access to a proposed barn. This lot adjoins an existing conservation easement. Bob motioned to request a site review with a Wetlands Bureau staff member. The motion carried unanimously.
Current conservation fund balance is $176,259. This amount does not include: recent charges for the prime wetland or Plummer property projects, a $3400 credit for incorrect charges to the account, or 2005 current use change tax proceeds.
A brochure for the UNH Community Environmental Outreach Program (CEOP) was reviewed. The CCC may consider using this service for future projects. Fees of $300-$800 with an additional $150 administrative fee is required to gain the assistance of a UNH senior with environmental projects.
Jeff will invite Fred Shaw to demonstrate the new digital projector at the December CCC meeting.
CCC goals will be discussed late winter/early spring of 2006
Meeting was adjourned at 10:03 PM.
Upcoming Meetings/Events
12/12 @ 7:00 PM at Town Hall – Regular CCC meeting
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