MINUTES
Open Space Committee May 26, 2004 / 7:30 pm
Present: George Abbott, Judy Brainerd, Glen Collins, Laura Freeman, Sue Horton, and Keith Johnson
Approval of Meeting Minutes
MOTION: Glen moved and Sue Horton seconded to approve the April 21, 2004 meeting minutes.
APPROVED. George abstained.
Land Acquisition
Fletcher Property on Harmes Way
Mr. Fletcher has approached the town with respect to purchasing his property on Harmes Way. The property is less than an acre, waterfront and assessed by the Town at $40K. The parcel appears to have limited recreational potential and meets 2 of the 6 criteria for open space purchases. Judy will tell Mr. Fletcher that we are interested in looking at the property. For any committee member that can make it, we will meet at the site on June 6th at 1pm.
Open Space Management Plan
Open Space & Recreation Plan Update
Sue Horton has formatted the plan, it is mostly complete except for a few page breaks, tab fixes and the map inclusions which Keith is now working on. George had a few corrections to be made for his sections. The last review of the matrix is being done to ensure every parcel that is town owned makes the list.
Trail Progress
The condition of the trails is relatively good. Some areas need the poison ivy to be tamed a bit, but overall the trails are in pretty good shape. During our “Open House for Open Space” prior to Town Meeting, several committee members fielded comments from trail users pleased with the condition of the trails.
Bridge Grant Application
We need to determine if the bridge to connect the Mumford property to Wiley Park has to be ADA compliant. Keith thinks it will depend upon who is granting the money. We will try and determine this ahead of time. The combination of being able to kayak under the bridge and having it be ADA compliant could make for a substantial structure.
1651 Forest
George reported that on April 29, a group of fifth graders under the supervision of the Friends of the Arboretum planted the white pines. The kids had a good experience and there will be some pictures going up on the Arboretum website. Judy remarked that the elm trees looked good.
Conservation Commission
Glen said there is nothing unusual to report other than a heavy backlog.
Other Business:
Open Space Brochure: Keith brought an example of Orleans’ open space brochure to the meeting. It is printed on 8 ½” x 11” paper, has two colors, a town map on one side and lists the open space parcels on the other. It looks straightforward and effective.
Next Meeting: Our next open space meetings will be June 30, 2004 at 7:30 pm. Please note this is the 5th Wednesday of the month
MOTION: George made a motion to adjourn. Glen seconded. APPROVED unanimously.
Adjourned at 8:35 pm
Respectfully submitted by Laura Freeman
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