Greenfield Conservation Commission
Minutes
Date: April 22, 2015
Attendees: Carol Irvin, Karen Day, Conrad Dumas, Neal Brown, Ray Cilley, and Janet Lutkus
The meeting was called to order at 7:31 pm. The following items were discussed by the Commission:
1. Update: Forest Management Plans – Carol.
• Carol has not yet met with the board about stewardship for the George Proctor recreation area.
Action Items
1. Carol to meet with the board regarding stewardship for the George Proctor recreation area.
2. Update: Procedure for reimbursement of herbicide application for Sunset Lake – Karen.
• Although it’s felt that the check should be made out directly to the vendor, Karen does not have a decision from the board about the how check will be made out.
• Carol believes the vendor needs to deliver an invoice directly to town for $500 (for town’s share of cost) for town to cut a $500 check payable to vendor.
Action Items
1. Neal to get vendor to make out an invoice to town for $500.
3. Last minute details for Roadside Roundup – Everyone.
• Neal requested additional people to be available to help dole out ice cream at the dinner. Conrad volunteered to help.
• Commission must collect all trash receipts from children at dinner to determine who will be awarded prizes for most trash collected.
• Carol volunteered to give out awards to children during dinner.
• Adele to handle the raffle.
• Trash monitors to give children one raffle ticket at recycle center.
• Karen to hand out raffle tickets at the door.
• Karen reported that her husband Roger will be available to assist Women’s Club as needed during the dinner.
Action Items
1. Commission members to participate in the event as noted above.
4. Update on the plans for wetlands restoration on the parcel under easement with the federal Wetlands Reserve Program (59 acres, part of the former Robertson farm and now owned by Ray Cilley) – Ray Cilley.
• Commission circulated the “Complete Trails Notification”, a letter from DES which states that Ray Cilley can start work when all of the conditions listed in the letter are met.
• Ray circulated the plan created by Sue Knight (NH Fish & Game) that specifies project details, including maps and materials to be used, etc. Ray has sought cost estimates from several vendors. Although this project needs to be done in stages and in small loads to protect the area, Ray reported that at least one vendor wants to do all of the work in one stage and be done with it.
• The proposed projects would include improvement of the logging road, including resurfacing with Rip Rap that would be covered by crushed gravel. The project would cover approximately one mile of trail. The purpose of opening the old overgrown logging road is to provide open access for recreational activities and timber management (timber removal due to disease). Ray identified the areas that needed work. He has been monitoring its use and has met with people who have been camping there. Ray reported that people have been respectful of the area for the most part.
• Ray has also been working on trails and making improvements. He has identified two Eagle Scout projects: installing a kiosk to show the trails and installing wooden foot bridges.
• The commission discussed the history of the parcel. In 2010 the Conservation Commission pledged up to $20,000 for wetlands restoration to help Steve Robertson’s application to the federal Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). Upon approval of his application, the WRP purchased the development rights from Mr. Robertson.
• Carol would like the Commission members to have time to study Sue Knight’s plan for about a month so they can review and discuss it at the May 27th Conservation Commission meeting.
• A walk of the property by the Commission is planned for Sunday on May 3rd @11:00. Ray Cilley will contact Sue Knight to see if she can be there for the walk. Commission members agreed to meet at the location of the chimney from the previous building on Old Bennington Road in Greenfield.
• Carol expressed concern from a citizen’s perspective that the Conservation Commission contribution is for the purpose of wetlands restoration, while the main work defined by the plan appears to be related to building the one mile road for accessing a recreational area.
• The Conservation Commission discussed the necessity of signage on the site to define what is allowed in this recreational area.
Action Items
1. Karen will scan the plan and email it to Commission members.
2. Commission members to walk the site on May 3rd.
3. Carol will start to pull all the project documentation together and put it in one folder to make available for Commission members to review.
The meeting officially adjourned at 8:55 PM.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Janet Lutkus to Carol Irvin for approval, corrections, and distribution.
| 
