NEWBURY CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes Dec. 13, 2005
Present: William Weiler, Eric Unger, William Annable, Deane Geddes, Frank Perrotta
November minutes: Moved Geddes, seconded Unger, approved as read.
November Special Meeting minutes: Moved Weiler, seconded Geddes, approved as read.
Intents to Cut:
1. Angel Hawk LLC, Box 1893, New London, NH 03257.
a. Nelson Hill Road (Map 47, Lot 624-266): 50 acres to be cut, 455,000 mbf of timber, 300 tons pulpwood, 100 cords fuel wood.
b. Province Road (Map 41, Lot 084-309): 75 acres, 360,000 mbf timber, 200 tons pulpwood, 100 cords fuel wood.
c. Cheney Road (Map 40, Lot 318-385): 30 acres, 160,000 mbf timber, 150 tons pulpwood, 100 cords fuel wood.
The board discussed the extent of the cutting planned. Weiler and Unger were concerned about overcutting. Weiler said he would consult with the selectman about the project.
2. Christopher Peters, 149 Morse Hill Road, Newbury, NH 03255. (Map 50, Lot 746-184): Unspecified acreage, 25,200 mbf timber, 20 tons pulpwood, 10,000 mbf of white pine for personal use.
3. Carl W. Larsen, 3 University Circle, DeLand, FL 32724.
a. Cheney Road (Map 42, Lot 350-453): 150,000 mbf timber, 800,000 tons pulpwood, 24 cords fuel wood.
b. Old Post Road (Map 42, Lot 504-150): 180,000 mbf timber, 1,800 tons pulpwood, 24 cords fuel wood.
c. Cheney Road (Map 42, Lot 372-379): 100,000 mbf timber, 460 tons pulpwood, 12 cords fuel wood.
Wetlands:
1. Dorothy Steeves, 5 Acorn Drive, Newbury, NH (Map 20, Lot 171). Wetland Bureau of the DES requests more information for a Standard Dredge & Fill application to replace an 8 x 10 dock crib on Lake Sunapee.
2. Deane B. Geddes, 44 Day St., Easton, MA 02356. DES’ shore land compliance director issued a notice of “failure to maintain a well-distributed stand of vegetation” on Geddes’ property on Lake Sunapee. Geddes said the cutting would conform to regulations once a building permit for a house to be built is issued.
Old Business:
1. Pickman & Sons Development LLC. Plan to construct 37 housing units on acreage between Old Sutton Road and Gillingham Drive. After a thorough review of wetlands and runoff issues, including four detention ponds, the commission decided no comment was necessary.
2. Conservation Fund. Weiler discussed how the commission could complete a Conservation Plan, as a follow-up to the Natural Resources Inventory done in 2001. A Conservation Plan would recommend conservation actions and projects, including possible acquisitions and easements. Weiler asked members to review the Newbury Master Plan (1997) and the Handbook for New Hampshire’s Municipal Conservation Commissions (2004) regarding a Conservation Plan. Weiler asked Perrotta to meet with Gerard G. Gold, chairman of the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway, and Elizabeth McGuinn, land protection specialist of the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust to discuss possible trail-easement negotiations. Currently privately owned land impacts access to several major hiking trails in Newbury.
New Business:
1. Conservation GIS Database. Perrotta said a version of the ArcView GIS program, detailing conservation data within the Sunapee Watershed, was now available to the public on two computers at the Newbury Town Library. The availability of the programs will be publicized by Library Administrator Alan Brown. An effort is underway to install the program on a Town Hall laptop computer. Weiler gave the commission GIS data detailing the current state of protected lands in Newbury. Perrotta said he would add the data to the town conservation GIS database.
2. Schilke Land. Weiler said the Schilke Trust had offered to discuss with the town the future of 49 acres at 307 Mountain Road (Map 22, Lot 273-043). Unger said he would talk with the owner.
3. Kelley Street. Weiler reported the deterioration of Kelley Street, in the Ramblewood neighborhood, was worsening, with silt continuing to flow into an adjacent wetland and possibly into Lake Sunapee below Bowles Road. Kelley Street is a private road serving three houses. Weiler said he talked to property owners, suggesting ways to correct the situation, including a diversion of water to a level spreader. He detailed his recommendations in a letter to Mrs. Lacy Cluff, a property owner who has taken legal action over the damage to the street (see attached Cluff letter).
4. Cheney Road Culvert. The DES has notified the town the application for the replacement of the culvert at Shaw Brook on Cheney Road is administratively complete. Weiler said he wanted the commission to monitor the project to insure the culvert is properly designed and large enough. Brook trout spawning sites have been identified in the brook.
5. South Road Culvert. The DES has notified the town the application for the emergency replacement of an existing box culvert on South Road is administratively complete. The culvert has sagged and caused the road surface to become uneven.
Adjourned: Perrotta moved, Unger seconded, approved 9:48 p.m.
Next Meeting: January 10 at 7:15 p.m., Municipal Meeting Room
Prepared by: Frank Perrotta
| 
