Pier, Access & Shoreline Study (PASS) Committee
Minutes of 7/18/02 Meeting
Meeting came to order at 7:30 p.m. Present at 7:30: Bill Tenhoor, Ted Devnew, Shawn Dahlen, Heidi Laird, Peter Roveto. John Hagerty present later in meeting.
B. Tenhoor opened the meeting with procedural items including the evening’s agenda and a call for the approval of the previous meeting’s (6/17/02) minutes.
Two additions were requested to the 6/17/02 meeting’s minutes. S. Dahlen will make changes and present for approval at the next PASS meeting.
T. Devnew volunteered to record minutes for the next PASS meeting. H. Laird will record for the following meeting. Thereafter, the recording of the minutes will be handled on a rotating basis by all Committee members.
The majority of the meeting was taken up by each present Committee member’s discussion of their initial fact finding assignments.
T. Devnew: Discussion of pier mapping assignment. Goal will be to develop a visual map of existing piers as well as a spreadsheet that cross references piers to town assessor’s property designations. T. Devnew will develop a spreadsheet/checklist of pier features for use when Committee takes to the water to map piers. T. Devnew will schedule a time with Harbormaster for this mapping trip.
P. Roveto: Discussion of town landing mapping assignment. Goal will be to combine the results of this effort with the pier mapping assignment and define the difference in usages (relative to piers) between town landings, town-owned land and public pathways.
S. Dahlen: Discussion of Duxbury Conservation Commission regulations on piers and Duxbury Zoning Board Special Permit requirements for piers. S. Dahlen handed out copies of each of these documents and reported that should the Committee ultimately recommend that the town make changes to pier regulations, these are the two areas where the changes can be made. The Committee noted that changes to the Conservation Commission’s regulations are approved by that Commission and that changes to Duxbury Zoning Bylaws require a 2/3 majority vote at Town Meeting.
H. Laird: Discussion of Commonwealth’s Wetlands Protection Act (WPA) and how Commonwealth’s laws do not supercede a town’s ability to be more definitive or restrictive. Also discussed were endangered species covered by WPA - none of which, it turns out, are located in pier areas in Duxbury.
The committee then had a general discussion about surveying other southern Massachusetts towns’ pier regulations. S. Dahlen volunteered to prepare a list of towns and their conservation committee telephone numbers for the next meeting. The PASS Committee will then divide the list and each member will make calls to gain the needed information. A “homework assignment” was given to Committee members to develop questions that should be asked of the above-mentioned conservation committees. These questions should be ready for the next PASS meeting.
J. Hagerty: Discussion about public safety assignment. J. Hagerty contacted the Duxbury Harbormaster regarding his perspective on pier safety issues. The Harbormaster requested that he be able to address these issues in person with the Committee as a group. The Committee agreed that, if possible, to most efficiently use the Harbormaster’s time, the Committee would attempt to combine the previously mentioned pier mapping tour with the Harbormaster’s safety issue discussion.
B. Tenhoor: Handed out copies of a description and history of the Chapter 91 public trust doctrine, origins, etc.
P. Roveto: Requested that once all of the discussion on the current pier permitting process was concluded, a sequential list of each step in the process be developed and distributed to Committee members.
B. Tenhoor: Requested that all documents distributed and discussed by the PASS Committee be recorded and kept for permanent files/records.
Next meeting: 8/1/02, 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Location: Duxbury Senior Center
Motion to close meeting accepted and voted at 9:08 p.m.
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