Regular Meeting
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
7:30 p.m.
2nd Floor Conference Room
302 Main Street
The Chairman called the meeting to order at 7:33 p.m.
Members in Attendance: Bob Fish, Jerry Brophy, Charlie Cobb, Pat Ingellis, Bruce Sherwin.
Members Absent: Kim Gallagher, Robert Siegelmann.
Staff in Attendance: Maura Farbotka, Recording Clerk
Approval of Minutes from November 9, 2010 Meeting: MOTION to approve the minutes from the November 9, 2010 meeting: MOVED by Jerry Brophy; SECONDED: by P. Ingellis; IN FAVOR: B. Fish, J. Brophy, C. Cobb, P. Ingellis; OPPOSED: none; ABSTAINING: none; APPROVED: 4-0-0.
Conservation Commission Program / Plan of Development:
Chairman Fish opened the discussion restating the primary objectives of the Conservation Commission are open space and the protection of natural resources.
Index - Town Planner maintains a current book listing and detailing all open space.
Land Acquisition - Committee meets as needed when land opportunity becomes available.
Fiscal Impact Analysis - Analysis / report generated from input form the town report which calculates the impact of a property development on the Town's finances.
Stewardship - Improvement in stewardship was noted, especially since the acquisition of the ATVs. ATVs were instrumental in discovering damage caused by flooding last year which resulted in funding from FEMA. The patrolling has also resulted in targeting / ticketing vandals on the property in addition to locating lost hikers. C. Cobb stated he feels further improvement is needed to repair illegal breaches at Great Cedars. B. Fish stated progress continues to be made with these issues through the MOU Committee.
Boundary Marking - P. Ingellis updated the commission on boundary marking of town-owned open space, noting there is still a significant amount of work to be done. J. Brophy recommended contacting area surveyors to get an idea what it would cost to complete the project. P. Ingellis will follow up.
MOU Committee - Made up of a representative from the Land Trust, Park and Recreation and the Conservation Commission. They continue to meet and work on stewardship and other issues at Great Cedars.
Recommendations to Regulatory Agencies - B. Fish stated the Commission will continue responding to requests from the Zoning and Planning Commission as needed regarding the impact on Conservation.
Public Information - Most information continues to be relayed to the public through brochures. Suggestion made to increase awareness and possibly offer an information program to the public.
Fishway System - Discussion held at length regarding the role the conservation commission should have with regards to monitoring the fishways. The first report of the season was received from Steve Gephardt of the DEP. J. Brophy suggested this system / update seems to work, but suggested after the final report of the season, posting an article to the public which can summarize the activity and condition of the fishways.
Proposed New Programs:
Sustainability / Energy Conservation - Commission agreed the Energy conservation program still deserves attention. The commission can continue to set standard and try to incorporate ideas to promote energy conservation in our own facilities. J. Brophy will be meeting with Steve Taglietela of the Saybrook Point Inn, who continues to make huge strides towards energy conservation at his facility. B. Sherwin will join Jerry at this meeting.
Chairman Fish briefly discussed the remaining items on the proposed commission program, including required updates to the Plan of Conservation and Development.
Discussion to continue at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
Adjournment: Commission adjourned at 9:11 p.m. until the next regularly scheduled meeting to be held on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, 2nd floor conference room, 302 Main Street
Respectively submitted;
Maura S. Farbotka
Recording Clerk
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