TOWN OF OLD SAYBROOK
Conservation Commission
302 Main Street Old Saybrook, Connecticut 06475-1741
Telephone (860) 395-3073 FAX (860) 395-1216
MINUTES
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Land Use Conference Room
Old Saybrook Town Hall
Members in Attendance: Bob Fish, Jerry Brophy, Charlie Cobb, Bryan Zielinski, Judy Preston
Approval of Minutes:
MOTION to approve the Regular Meeting minutes of February 8, 2005.
MOVED by Jerry Brophy. SECONDED by Charlie Cobb. IN FAVOR: Bob Fish, Jerry Brophy, Charlie Cobb, Bryan Zielinski, Judy Preston. OPPOSED: none. ABSTAINING: none. APPROVED: 5-0-0.
MOTION to approve the Special Meeting minutes of February 15, 2005.
MOVED by Jerry Brophy. SECONDED by Charlie Cobb. IN FAVOR: Bob Fish, Jerry Brophy, Charlie Cobb, Bryan Zielinski, Judy Preston. OPPOSED: none. ABSTAINING: none. APPROVED: 5-0-0.
Update: Field Work for the Great Cedars Conservation Area
Bob Fish informed the Commission that he received a proposal from Wendy Goodfriend of the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District. The Board of Selectmen approved and signed the contract and work will begin on Tuesday, April 19, 2005. In addition, Mr. Fish and Jerry Brophy met with Wendy, Rich Snarski, and Penny Sharp to discuss objectives. Bob Fish also mentioned that there might be an opportunity for a joint site walk with the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District when they evaluate the site.
Land Use Updates
Commission members were updated on developments in Zoning, Planning and Inland Wetlands.
Workshop Updates
Ms. Preston informed Commission members and encouraged their attendance regarding two upcoming workshops. The first will be held on Monday, April 18, 2005 from 7-9 pm. Representatives providing resources to various town commissions will speak about their offerings and how to access them. Bryan Zielinski is planning on attending. The second is a boat trip of the Connecticut River and will be held on Monday, May 16, 2005. Topics to be discussed on the boat ride include the importance of and threats to the river and it should be a great opportunity to network.
The Connecticut Association of Conservation of Inland Wetlands Commissions is interested in holding workshops. Ms. Preston asked Commission members for their ideas on topics of interest. Ideas mentioned included, “on the ground tools” or “hands on” application and how to motivate people to become more involved.
Also, the Land Use Leadership Alliance held a successful session in Northern Connecticut. It was well received and Ms. Preston expressed her excitement about possible future session(s) in our area.
Commission Tasks and Priorities
Charlie Cobb put together a document in an effort to prioritize the 70 tasks that the Conservation Commission has been assigned. Ten major topic headings were created with the remaining tasks listed under each. Mr. Cobb asked for feedback and the following suggestions were brought forth.
Reorganize according to priority the 10 major topics. Suggested top 3 in order as follows: Natural Resources Inventory, Open Space Planning, and Stewardship.
Find existing template and work from that.
Individually prioritize top 20 of the 70 tasks and discuss.
Prioritize the 10 major topic headings in relation to open space and related town areas.
It was decided that Jerry Brophy would try to find the existing template within approximately 1 week and submit to Charlie for discussion. Furthermore, it was suggested that the Commission might want to look at the 70 tasks and decide if any are not in the Commission’s realm of responsibilities.
Adjournment
MOTION to adjourn the meeting at 9:05 pm. until the next regularly scheduled meeting on May 10, 2005, 7:30 pm., Land Use Conference Room, Old Saybrook Town Hall, 302 Main Street. MOVED by Charlie Cobb. SECONDED by Jerry Brophy. IN FAVOR: Bob Fish, Jerry Brophy, Charlie Cobb, Bryan Zielinski, Judy Preston. OPPOSED: none. ABSTAINING: none. APPROVED: 5-0-0.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melanie Dautrich
Conservation Commission Clerk
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