Greenfield Conservation Commission
Minutes
October 23, 2013
Attended: Carol Irvin, Chair; Neal Brown, Ray Cilley, Janet Renaud
Visitor: Marilyn Fletcher
Meeting began at 7:30 p.m.
· Introductions. Marilyn Fletcher introduced herself and her history of serving the town. She is considering joining the Commission for a 3-year term.
· Mail. The mail was reviewed.
· Debrief on the Logging Program Held on October 22nd. While the turnout was not as large as we would have hoped, those who attended represented a broad perspective and range of backgrounds. All agreed that it was an interesting program and we all learned something from it.
· Annual Meeting in Concord scheduled for November 2. Ray plans to attend.
· Review of the “After the Fact” Wetlands Permit for the New Boston Road Culvert.
o History: The DPW installed a new culvert without obtaining the proper DES permits. DPW replaced a single large culvert, with two smaller ones that were set a higher level than the old one. In addition, the DPW did not use a standard approach to erosion control. An official from Francestown complained and DES requested the DPW submit an after-the-fact dredge and fill permit, as well as a redesign. The redesign was done by Chris Danforth.
o Current: The redesign includes the addition of a third culvert that would be set lower than the current two culverts and the lower height would correspond with the height of the original culvert that had been replaced. The Commission also reviewed the erosion control design and we agreed that we were satisfied with the design, although concerned about the additional expense to the town.
· ZBA public hearing on October 30th. We discussed this hearing and its purpose and noted that several members planned to attend.
· Meeting with the Selectmen on October 31st. The BOS requested that Carol meet with them to discuss the Conservation Fund. Ray has raised concerns about accounting practices regarding this fund and fund expenditures were not well documented (he was questioning some expenditures that occurred during the early years of the Fund) and that in 2006, the fund never received the $5,000 from the LUCT when the Town Report indicated that the town had either received or accrued at least $5,000 that year. Carol noted that she would also review the Commission’s 2014 budget with the BOS and discuss our desire to add in some additional funds for the
professional secretary who would take minutes during our meetings. Ray plans to attend this meeting with Carol.
· Next Meeting. Because Thanksgiving and Christmas make it difficult to hold a meeting on the fourth Wednesday of the month and Carol already knows she can’t make a meeting on the fourth Wednesday of November, the Commission decided to hold a single meeting for November and December on December 4th.
Meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Submitted by Carol Irvin
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