CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Minutes
January 10, 2012 @ 7:00 pm
Newtown Municipal Center, Meeting Room #3
3 Primrose Street, Newtown, CT 06470
Present: Commissioners Hovious, Kaley, Wilson, Cramer, Germain
Staff: Rob Sibley, Lynn Kovack
The Meeting was called to order at 7:03 P.M.
Public Participation: No members of the public were present
Correspondence: There will be a meeting about FOI on January 12, 2012 at 6:00 P.M. at Newtown Municipal Center. Discussion will be overview of requirements for FOI. Received letter of resignation from Barbara Kershaw.
Approval of Minutes of 12/13/11 : Approved as Ammended
Administrative Items
- Report of Nominating Committee/election of officers: Will re-elect slate of officers in current positions. Unanomously approved by Commission
- Project Management/Task List: One item was added to list: The marking of Middleton, Diamond Drive and Tunnel Road. Commission also discussed ongoing task list.
- Year End Review/Setting Goals for 2012: Goals for 2012: website, brochure, summer students and invasives. Commissioner Wilson gave a breakdown of year end review which included updates on Committee/Staff Reports.
- Spreadsheet for tracking activities: Rob Sibley spent time going over the spreadsheet and its potential to track files. You would be able to track open space inventory, open space files or potential open space for purchase. Will work with commissioners to make user friendly and help in avoiding duplicate files. Potential to add tabs for work orders and action items. Will discuss further
Old Business and Action Items
- Fairfield Hills Open Space : No new updates
- Solar Panels: Rob and Fred Hurley went to Shelton to see a duplicate setup of our proposal on solars. It is located at Aquarian in Shelton. Rob had a map showing the Aquarian set up on the plot plan to the commission. Its access will be a gravel road. Will have a fence enclosure. Rob explained the working of the panels.
- Work Orders: One item was added to the work orders. Aspen Drive invasive plant removal
- Open Space 37-3-14: No resolution to date
- TBDAC Position Paper: Commissioner Germain reviewed outline of position paper and made any changes with the commission. She will re-submit with changes to the commission before final draft. Should have at next meeting which is on January 24, 2012.
Committee/Staff Reports
1.Trail Building: Modifications have been made to existing proposal. Will incorporate and send out to commission.
2. Forest Evaluation: No new updates
3. OS Inventory and Maintenance Progress: Commissioner Kaley went into the inventory index to check for the presence of files on properties. She found that there were 13 listed properties with no files, couple files with wrong list number. She also started populating the common name with some names such as: Pole Bridge, Point O Rocks, Pond Brook and Great Ring. We should have a parcel update within a month which will mean more information will be on the GIS. On maintenance Rob discussed items in basement at Municipal building. The items are as follows: Signs, posters, bags, nails, gloves, tent and info signs for Al’s Trail, No ATV signs and arrows.
4. Property Marking Plans, Surveying Status: There are plans to mark Diamond Drive. Commissioner Hovious showed the flyers he had made up for windshields to address hunters and other people going onto open space. Received request to survey Old Purdy Station.
5. Natural Resources Inventory Status Report: On agenda for discussion at the February 28th meeting. Will then review with Bill Root at the March 13th meeting.
6. Conservation Easement on WWTP: No new updates
7.Status of Halfway River fishing access: Rob sent information back to Bill Carbone to begin process and move forward. Rob asked Bill to send over contract for signature. Molly Speraduto said things look good to her.
8.Iroquois invasive documentation: No new updates
9.Education Committee: No new updates
10. Invasives Sub-committee: Commissioner Wilson plans to meet with Kitsey Snow on the Ridgefield Conservation Commission. Commissioner Wilson is hoping to work with commissioner Snow and surrounding towns in sharing ideas on controlling invasives and how to accomplish the removal of them.
11. Al’s Trail: 20 % of Al’s trail have been marked up to date. Rob met with DiDi McLaughlin about the trail. She states that the trail is used on a regular basis on the vineyard end. She would like to renew her commitment with the commission. She would like to sit down with Rob to come up with standard language for any person that wants to be part of the system, whether state or nature conserves here that have Al’s trail crossing over it. DiDi states that the signs are a tremendous help. Rob has sent in a grant to DOT for sidewalks.
12. Housatonic RR Site: The railroad nullified their contract and contacted DOT withdrawing their application. Rob located a notice on the weigh station stating the withdrawal of the application. All transfer items have been removed from the property.
New Business
1.Use of High School volunteers: Would like to use students for removal of invasives, trail building, owl boxes and bridges. Would like to find student to do studies on Barberries and Ticks. Would involve literature review and a project useful in helping other students.
2. Printer: Rob put request into Scott for printer so commission would have access to print maps, etc. Would have to be set up with IP address to use printer.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:40
Commission then went into executive session
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