NEWBURY CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes July 11, 2006
Present: William Weiler, Deane Geddes, Frank Perrotta, Suzanne Levine, Katheryn Holmes, William Annable. Convened 7:30 p.m. in the municipal office building.
Minutes: Meeting of June 13, moved Perrotta, seconded Levine, approved as corrected; special meeting of June 15, moved Levine, seconded Holmes, approved as read; special meeting of June 19, moved Geddes, seconded Perrotta, approved as corrected.
Intents to Cut:
1. Kirk Cruikshank, 57 Pinecliff, Map 19, Lot 279-486, has applied for approval to cut dead trees in the shoreline buffer zone. Weiler noted there are no regulations pertaining to cutting dead trees. Holmes objected to unregulated cutting, saying there should be a site review for any cutting.
Wetlands:
1. Town of Newbury, Old Post Road. DES has accepted the town’s application to widen a culvert as administratively complete.
2. Scott Eisenbeis, 552 Route 11, Map 17, Lot 596-506, has filed a permit by notification to pour a 6 ½- x 4-foot concrete pad to accept a 6- x 40-foot crank-up seasonal dock on 100 feet of frontage on Lake Sunapee.
3. The N.H. Department of Transportation has filed a minimum-impact expedited application to install two catch basins on N.H. Route 103 near the intersection of Route 103A. The catch basins are designed to swirl the water to prevent solids from entering Lake Sunapee. They must be cleaned periodically to remove sediment buildup.
4. John and Nancy Girald, 199 Bay Point Road, Map 006, Lot 085-117, filed a minimum-impact expedited application to replace a deteriorating 18- by 16-foot stone dock crib. The application states there is no wetland impact and the project involves 8 feet of shoreline.
5. Kenneth Donaghey, Anthony J. Buonicore, et al, property off Shore Drive. The commission authorized Geddes to prepare a letter to the DES alerting them to Donaghey’s plan to construct a lakefront platform. No permits have been filed; the abutters object to the project.
Old Business:
1. Conservation Plan. Weiler reported Ann Poole has been collecting information about possible studies from Sunapee State Park and the Hay Estate, among others. The commission was to meet with her July 25 to discuss the project’s progress. On July 14 Perrotta, Geddes and Poole were to meet with the UVLS Regional Commission to discuss the status and availability of maps for the conservation plan. Weiler said the commission needs details about the extent and cost of map work that might be needed. Geddes said he hoped to get a list of what will have to be purchased.
2. Trail Maps. Levine reported the supply was down to 28 or 30. She said she was pursuing the Best Western representative, which owes the commission $18 for maps it sold. She said she’s talked to a few printers to have about 200 more maps done to get through the summer season. The printer who did the current map can’t find the disk with the file for the map.
3. Old Home Day. Perrotta reported the display table was a success, with many people stopping by to discuss issues related to conservation in Newbury. Some residents inquired whether they could get a property tax reduction if they protected their land. Perrotta said he didn’t know. Weiler said landowners could get the same tax benefit by protecting land they can get from the current use plan. Perrotta said the cooperation by the library in allowing a Conservation Commission display and use of the library’s computers could have been better. He suggested a meeting with the library director and the trustees. Holmes and Levine said they would try
to attend the next library trustees meeting to discuss the issue with them. Weiler approved reimbursement of $74.95 to Perrotta for a 24 x 18 color poster for the display table.
New Business:
1. Wetlands Projects Monitoring. Weiler said he had been following discussion about local procedure regarding monitoring DES-approved projects on Plan Link, a website sponsored by the N.H. Office of Energy and Planning. He said procedures varied, with some towns always conducting a site walk but not necessarily monitoring each project. In one town the code enforcement officer will notify the conservation commission if something questionable is noted. Weiler said the commission should discuss whether we want to begin following up wetland projects in Newbury.
2. Conservation Fund. Weiler said the fund is at $242,870 and with interest coming due it would probably reach $250,000 soon. He said, at the suggestion of town financial officials, the three CDs are being rolled over into the N.H. Public Deposit Investment Pool, managed by MBIA Asset Management Group. He said $99,000 was already in PDIP and by the end of August all maturing CDs would have been transferred. He said PDIP pays 4.9 percent interest, which would generate $12,000 a year in interest.
3. Weiler Driveway. Weiler asked the commission to pre-approve a replacement culvert project he is planning on his property at Reservoir Brook. He has filed a standard dredge and fill application with DES and wanted to waive the 40-day conservation commission delay. The 99-inch x 82-inch elliptical culvert will have 2 feet of fill below the level of the water in the brook, enhancing fish habitat. After discussing the project and reviewing photos and a drawing, Geddes moved that the commission send a letter to DES supporting the project and asking DES to expedite its approval. The motion passed unanimously.
Adjourned: Moved Holmes, seconded Levine, 10 p.m.
Next Regular Meeting: Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 7:15 p.m., Municipal Meeting Room
Prepared by: Frank Perrotta
| 
