Regular Meeting Minutes
May 12, 2009
Land Use Conference Room
Town Hall
302 Main Street
The Chairman called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Members in Attendance: Bob Fish, Jerry Brophy, Kim Gallagher, Charlie Cobb, Pat Ingellis, Mike Kelley, Robert Siegelman.
Absent: None.
Staff in Attendance: Maura Farbotka, Recording Clerk
Approval of Minutes:
MOTION: to approve the minutes of April 14, 2009 as presented.
MOVED: by Jerry Brophy; SECONDED: by Mike Kelley; IN FAVOR: Bob Fish, Jerry Brophy, Kim Gallagher, Charlie Cobb, Pat Ingellis, Mike Kelley, Robert Siegelman; OPPOSED: none; ABSTAINING: none; APPROVED: 7-0-0.
Open Space Boundary Marking / Trails:
Both Pat Ingellis and Charlie Cobb showed an interest in resuming the boundary markings.
The Commission discussed the importance of tying this in with enforcement of Stewardship of the Land. Negotiations are still underway with the Police Department for help with the enforcement. C. Cobb noted a repair is needed in a large stone wall at Great Cedars East. Pat Ingellis advised the Commission that he is in touch with David Gregoire of the Boy Scouts. There is an Eagle Scout interested in working on the boundary markings as part of his Eagle Scout project. Pat will follow up with Mr. Gregoire to schedule, and welcomed any help with this project.
Fishway Monitoring:
Bob Fish reminded the Commission of the dedication ceremony to be held Monday, May 18th at 6:00 p.m. at Crystal Lake. Invitations have gone out to Steve Gephard (DEP Fisheries Division), the press, the Land Trust, Land Use Commissions, and all those who helped with the project. Bob Fish read to the Commission an email from Steve Gephard dated 4/21/09 regarding the monitoring of the Fishway. Mr. Gephard indicated that we should not worry too much about monitoring this year, since he and his staff will be working at all three fishways every day during the monitoring season. On the other hand, he welcomed any interested people to assist in making sure that the fishways were kept clear of debris.
J. Brophy suggested forwarding Mr. Gephard’s email to people who have assisted in the past to keep them up to date, and to give them the opportunity to help again.
Heritage Tour Innovation:
Mike Kelley doesn’t have anything new to report since the last meeting. He is interested in adding some new items including bike routes and/or bird watching sites. He will be in touch with Town Planner Christine Nelson who had previously made some suggestions, and with Pat Ingellis who is on the Bike Committee.
Regional Activities / Eco-tourism:
Bob Fish confirmed with Robert Siegelman his interest in working on this project. Bob will schedule a meeting with the Regional Planning Agency, which will act as a first step in developing a plan to tie in all regional interests. It was noted development of the Greenway system should be included in this.
Stewardship of Great Cedars:
Bob Fish updated the Commission on the recent Land Trust outing to view and identify invasive plants, stating per Barbara Guenther, it is a severe problem. C. Cobb raised question about the time and energy to spend on this, along with the long term implications of the invasive plant removal. Kim Gallagher suggested contacting a person familiar with the invasive plants, who could help with suggestions on the best way to approach this issue. Jerry Brophy noted Wendy Goodfriend previously helped us with Great Cedars East, and suggested contacting her again. The Commission agreed they would solicit advice to determine how best to approach the invasive plants on stewardship properties.
Vernal Pool Brochure:
Bob Fish reported Inland Wetlands Enforcement Officer Kelly Volansky is in the process of completing mapping of the Vernal Pool locations, and we are thinking about how to make the information available to interested parties. Jerry Brophy questioned if a brochure was the correct route to take. The Commission discussed at length whether or not this was information that would benefit the public, but rather should be made available to town agencies and Commissions as a planning tool.
Other Updates:
Bob Fish distributed to the Commission a request from the DEP regarding an Environmental Impact Evaluation on the Establishment of a Wastewater Management District in Old Saybrook. The response to the DEP is due by June 19th. The Commission discussed the past engineering studies that have been completed. Chairman Fish asked the Commission to evaluate this plan and come prepared at the next Conservation Commission meeting ready to respond and draft a letter to the DEP regarding this issue. Bob noted a Town referendum on this matter is scheduled for August of this year.
Adjournment:
MOTION: (1) to in the future make all copies for the Conservation Commission two- sided, and (2) adjourn the meeting at 8:57 p.m. until the next Regular Meeting on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall in the Land Use Conference Room.
MOVED: by Kim Gallagher; SECONDED: by Bob Fish; IN FAVOR: Bob Fish, Jerry Brophy, Kim Gallagher, Charlie Cobb, Pat Ingellis, Mike Kelley, Robert Siegelman; OPPOSED: none; ABSTAINING: none; APPROVED: 7-0-0.
Respectively submitted,
Maura Farbotka
Recording Clerk
Maura Farbotka
Recording Clerk
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