Conservation Commission
MINUTES
Regular Meeting – October 11, 2011 @ 7:00 pm
Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street, Newtown, CT
Present: Commissioners Cramer, Gaudet-Wilson, Germain, Hovious, and Kaley
Staff: Rob Sibley, Deputy Director of Planning and Land Use; Tammy Hazen, Clerk
The Public Meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm
Public Participation: None
Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Hovious motioned to approve the minutes of September 27, 2011 which was seconded by Commissioner Kaley. Commissioner Hovious abstained. The minutes were unanimously approved as written.
Administrative Item: (Project Management/Task List) – The commissioners reviewed the task list as presented by Commissioner Kaley.
OLD BUSINESS AND ACTION ITEMS
Fairfield Hills Open Space – Commissioner Cramer said she and Commissioner Wilson attended the Board of Selectmen’s meeting where the Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Committee presented their report. Commissioner Cramer spoke at this meeting, representing the Conservation Commission, and noted concerns over the definition of open space and clarified information. No decisions were made at that meeting.
Work Orders –Mr. Sibley forwarded work orders to Parks and Rec. He noted that an Eagle Scout is interested in placing stepping stones on the trail near the Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Horse Guard – Commissioner Wilson sent out hand-written notes (on behalf of the commission) to Chris Lyddy, Debra Lee Hovey, and Will Rogers, thanking them for their support. It was noted that the a sign-off from Hartford is still pending.
Open Space 37-3-14 – Commissioner Wilson said she wrote a letter to Steve Reviczky, Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, regarding the transfer of this parcel. An e-mail was also sent to the First Selectman with a copy of the letter asking if her office would like to follow up as well.
Forest Evaluation – Commissioner Kaley is waiting for Bill Toomey to return her call. She asked Mr. Sibley about having a volunteer go to the Raynolds property to mark the trees that Mr. Rousseau identified. Mr. Sibley said that Christopher Mangels (a consulting botanist ecologist from New Fairfield and a volunteer for the New England Conservation Group) offered is expertise to the Town. Commissioner Kaley will contact Mr. Mangels.
Conservation Subdivisions – Commissioner Wilson discussed P & Z’s special meeting held on September 27th to discuss possible changes to the CDS regulations. A P & Z hearing is scheduled on October 20th. Commissioners Wilson and Cramer will review the proposed regulations for comments and will attend the meeting.
POCD – No Updates.
COMMITTEE/STAFF REPORTS
Open Space Inventory and Maintenance Progress – Ms. Hazen and Mr. Sibley discussed the transference of the existing “OS” open space files into the new system that identifies open space by Unique ID. Ms. Hazen will continue to work on transferring these files.
Property Marking Plans, Surveying Status – Commissioners Kaley and Wilson marked a portion of the Ridge Valley parcel and noted that the surveyor’s signage is difficult to see. It may take several visits to complete this marking. The shape of the parcel makes it difficult to place signs where they can be seen from various views so the commissioners discussed alternative ways to mark the areas. Mr. Sibley discussed encroachment issues on open space near Diamond Drive, and open space along Tunnel Road and at the end of Middleton. He then noted that a parcel near the end of Frontage Road will be transferred to the Town. The commissioners discussed marking a parcel off New Lebbon Road. He will forward a map of this parcel to the commissioners.
Natural Resources Inventory Status Report – Mr. Sibley is meeting with Bill Root from Milone and MacBroom on October 12, 2011. He was told that the NRI report will be submitted by the end of October.
Conservation Easement on WWTP – No updates.
Status of Halfway River Access – Mr. Sibley said the grant process for this has been changed which requires him to rewrite and resubmit the paperwork.
Status of Sign for Taunton Lake – Mr. Sibley said the signs that were previously posted have been vandalized and torn down. These signs have been replaced.
Iroquois Invasive Documentation –Mr. Sibley met with Dave Fontaine. They will be walking the pipeline at the end of the year.
Education Subcommittee – Commissioner Wilson said that although there were no public response to the offer of presenting the Powerpoint presentation, she received an invitation to speak at a meeting of the CT Invasive Plant Working Group on November 10th in New Britain.
Invasives Subcommittee – An invasive removal team will be working along Al’s Trail near the Methodist Church on Friday, October 14th.
Al’s Trail – Mr. Sibley said that approximately 20% of Al’s Trail has been marked. He noted where Eagle Scouts have built beautiful bridges on NFA property and felt it may be a good opportunity for them to do similar projects on Town open space.
Strategic Planning – No update.
TBDAC – Commissioner Germain said the TBDAC report will be presented at the October 17th Board of Selectmen meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
Possible Seminar on Meadows – This seminar is tentatively scheduled to be held in the spring. Dan Holmes has agreed to be the presenter.
Haddam Land Swap – The commissioners discussed this program that may affect the Kazan property.
Commissioner Hovious motioned to go Executive Session at 8:47 pm, which was seconded by Commissioner Kaley. The motion was approved unanimously. Commissioner Curran motioned to adjourn the meeting at 9:30 pm, which was seconded by Commissioner Salling. The motion was approved unanimously.
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