Present: Larry Siebert, Brian Byrne, Pam Smillie, Dave Matesky, Mike Dufilo, Jess Wilson. Absent: Hank Dresch
The meeting convened at 5:35pm.
The commission reviewed a wetland permit for the installation of a culvert required for construction of a driveway on Switchback Lane. The proposed culvert size exceeds the minimum required and would continue the free flow of water in the man-made ditch at the road. Larry will sign and return the permit.
The minutes from June 4, 2012 were approved.
The minutes from June 10, 2012 Work Session were approved.
Prospect Farm: Based upon the observations made during the June 10 work session, a motion was made to not cut the 2012 proposed Timber Harvest section and to ask Don Johnson to look at that harvest site again in the future. The motion passed unanimously. The commission agreed that the total volume of timber available at that site limited the value of the sale to the town, and the nearby USFS THAN project had created adequate wildlife opening to promote diverse habitats. Larry also reported that Don Johnson had cleaned up the logging debris on Bog Brook, installed culverts on the Orchard Trail, and cleaned up the logging sites from the previous two harvests.
Wentworth Park: After checking with the USFS due the Wildcat River’s denotation as a Wild & Scenic River, the grist stone that had been unearthed this spring on the river bank, has been removed from the bank and relocated to the former Wentworth Island bridge site. The hole from which the grist stone had been removed was filled and reinforced with rocks to mitigate further erosion. Larry looked into creating an information sign to continue the historic walk located at the park and will pursue a quote for the design and construction of the sign.
The commission discussed the work that would be necessary to rebuild the bridge that crosses onto Wentworth Island. The bridge was washed out during Hurricane Irene last year. The origins of the washed out bridge were unknown, but didn’t meet current bridge requirements. The USFS has previously indicated that their primary concern is for the free flow of water on the river, thus a bridge would need to be constructed without pilings located in the river. The commission will look into current code requirements, required permits, design, and estimates in order to make a decision about rebuilding.
Iron Mountain Trail: Mike asked for the commission to follow up on a discussion at a previous meeting about the status of the Iron Mountain Trail. Although the town is currently listed as the maintainer of the trail, no work is currently being done. The commission discussed releasing their responsibility to maintain the trail back to the USFS, but there was concern that the USFS would close the trail due to the need for major erosion control, trail stabilization, and potential relocation of sections of the trail. Jess will contact the USFS Saco District to determine what might happen if the town released their responsibility. Brian offered to hike the trail to determine how much work really needs to be done to maintain the trail.
Gray’s Inn property: The commission moved the meeting outside to the back end of the Gray’s Inn Property. After checking on the health of the trees planted during the May 27, 2012 work session, the commission bushwhacked on the property in order to determine a trail route that could be cleared to create a short trail for hiking and snowshoeing on the property. The trail would climb to the highest points of the property afford two separate views: one toward Black Mountain and one toward Mount Washington.
The commission adjourned at 7:40pm.
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