MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING
Wednesday, December 9, 2014 at 7:00 P.m.
Town Hall, 2nd Floor Conference Room
302 Main Street
I. CALL TO ORDER
II. ROLL CALL
Members Present
Walter Smith
Nina Garrett
Robert Fish
Jerry Brophy
Richard Esty
Pat Ingellis
Members Absent
Emily Grochowski
Land Use Department Staff Present
Sandy Prisloe, Environmental Planner
Kathleen Noyes, Recording Clerk
Town Residents Kacey Constable, Kathy Connolly and Robert Lorenz
III. REGULAR BUSINESS
A. Minutes
MOTION to approve the minutes from the Conservation Commission’s Regular Meeting of October 14, 2014.; MADE by R. Fish ; SECONDED by R. Esty; VOTED IN FAVOR: W. Smith, P. Ingellis, R. Fish, J. Brophy, N. Garrett R. Esty; OPPOSED: none; ABSTAINED: none; APPROVED: 6-0-0.
- Correspondence and Announcements
A letter was received from the CT River Coastal Conservation District dated 12/1/2014 requesting a donation. Also received was the fall 2014 edition of The Habitat, the newsletter of the CT Association of Conservation & Inland Wetlands Commissions.
- Sea Level Rise Climate Adaptation Committee
J. Brophy reported that the next meeting is on Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 3:30 p.m. at the Town Hall in the 1st Floor Conference Room.
At this point, the Committee is using the Army Corps of Engineers calculations to determine the amount of sea level rise for 2035 and 2085. The precise amount of sea level rise may not be exactly as predicted, but the trajectory is clear.
D. Sustainable Saybrook
- Connecticut Solar Challenge
R. Fish reported that over 100 people attended the Solar Challenge workshop at the Old Saybrook Middle School on Tuesday, November 12, 2014. He said E. Grochowski did a terrific job organizing it.
2. Disposition of Sustainable Saybrook
R. Fish said a lot of work has been done to develop the Sustainable Saybrook web site. He has talked with First Selectman Carl Fortuna about finding support for chairing and running the group.
S. Prisloe talked about the Constant Contact Sustainability Tips. He was informed that the current 12 month subscription Sustainable Saybrook had purchased is about to expire. K. Connolly suggested using Mail Chimp which is a free e-mail service that can handle mass e-mails.
R. Fish said there is money in the budget to pay for another 12 months of Constant Contact. S. Prisloe will check on this and get back to R. Fish soon.
- Wetlands and Aquifer Protection Commissions
Members of the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission and the Aquifer Protection Agency have met as a subcommittee to review changes to the regulations. W. Smith said the next meeting of this subcommittee is scheduled for 1/8/2015.
There was nothing new to report at this time.
N. Garrett said she would like to put out a Conservation Commission newsletter 3 or 4 times a year. She has spoken to Essex Printing about printing 100 copies of a one page, double sided newsletter. Each issue will focus on a large issue topic. She is reviewing possible templates. The Conservation Commission would like to use the newsletter as a public outreach and educational tool.
K. Connolly noted that the newsletter can be created on Mail Chimp for free.
H. Annual Meeting Dates
MOTION to approve the 2015 Conservation Commission Meeting dates as presented.; MADE by R. Esty ; SECONDED by P. Ingellis; VOTED IN FAVOR: W. Smith, P. Ingellis, R. Fish, J. Brophy, N. Garrett, R. Esty, ; OPPOSED: none; ABSTAINED: none; APPROVED: 6-0-0.
IV. PROJECT UPDATES
- Municipal Landscaping Guidance Document Planning
W. Smith talked about providing guidance instead of regulations for developers to use in choosing the types of plants and plant designs they use.
K. Constable has a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture. She said she worked for the Planning Commission in Louisville, KY helping with mitigation and adherence to the regulations for new projects.
W. Smith mentioned the importance of developers using native, non-invasive plants.
W. Smith would like to develop a document for the town on municipal landscaping based on the report that Judy Preston’s class developed. This document was presented to Commissioners at a previous Conservation Commission meeting. He asked K. Constable to work with him in an ad hoc capacity on developing this document. He also asked R. Esty to work with him on developing a table of contents for the document.
S. Prisloe suggested W. Smith talk with Robert Friedmann, the Chairman of the Zoning Commission, about implementation of this document. W. Smith said he has already spoken with Colin Heffernan who is on the Zoning Commission about this.
- Regional Trailways – Discussion with Westbrook
R. Fish said the town has the plans for The Preserve area with all of the existing trails, but he would like to wait until the closing before he talks with Tom ODell, who is Chairman of the Conservation Commission in Westbrook, about connecting the trails between Old Saybrook and Westbrook.
S. Prisloe said there is an encroachment on the easement. Director of Public Works Larry Bonin is planning to enforce this. Commissioners will keep monitoring this.
The closing for The Preserve has been postponed until January 2015. The request for the postponement came from the State of CT not from the Town of Old Saybrook.
K. Connolly explained that Old Saybrook has sold its bonds, so the purchase price for The Preserve has been covered.
The Trust for Public Land is trying to leave the town with money for costs that may be incurred after the closing especially for maintenance.
R. Fish brought a copy of a letter that W. Smith wrote to C. Fortuna regarding the Memorandum of Understanding Committee. The MOU is made of representatives from the Conservation Commission, the Old Saybrook Land Trust and Parks and Recreation.
R. Fish met with C. Fortuna about the management of The Preserve. He talked with him about the MOU Committee. He also shared maps of the land with C. Fortuna, and they talked about managing the “patch work” of land and the idea of erecting a nature center. C. Fortuna brought this information with him when he met with the State.
K. Connolly talked about the idea of forming an ad hoc committee of stake holders and interested residents from Old Saybrook, Essex and Westbrook to discuss land management and stewardship. She suggested that Emery Gluck, who is a Forester in an advisory capacity, be invited to come and talk about stewardship and land management among the different residents, groups, volunteers, etc.
R. Fish suggested C. Fortuna set up this meeting with representation from the Old Saybrook Land Trust, Parks and Recreation and the Conservation Commission as well as interested residents to discuss the MOU Committee.
K. Connolly said there is a group of approximately 40 people who have been actively involved in The Preserve for over 15 years helping with fundraising, getting the word out about The Preserve vote, etc. Many of the people helping are not residents of Old Saybrook, Westbrook and Essex. Due to visibility and interest, residents from other towns have also been involved in helping.
R. Fish noted the State of CT must be included in this as well.
MOTION that the Conservation Commission request that First Selectman Carl Fortuna authorize the existing Memorandum of Understanding Committee convene a public meeting of stake holders and interested citizens to begin a discussion about management and stewardship for The Preserve property and the other 2 adjoining properties.; MADE by W. Smith; SECONDED by P. Ingellis; VOTED IN FAVOR: W. Smith, P. Ingellis, J. Brophy, R. Esty, N. Garrett, R. Fish; OPPOSED: none; ABSTAINED: none.; APPROVED: 6-0-0.
J. Brophy exited the meeting at 8:00 p.m.
V. NEW BUSINESS
Commissioners talked about beaver trapping. R. Fish asked Commissioners if they are still interested in trapping the beavers as a solution to the beaver problem in the Merritt Lane area. Commissioners agreed that all other options have been considered, and this is the only option that will solve the problem.
VI. ADJOURNMENT
W. Smith talked about the accomplishments of Conservation Commissioners this past year. He wanted to thank Commissioners for all of their hard work.
He also thanked Recording Clerk Kathy Noyes for her hard work and dedication as well.
MOTION to adjourn the meeting at 8:15 p.m. until the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Conservation Commission which will be Tuesday, January 13, 2015, 7:00 P.M., Town Hall, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 302 Main Street; MADE by P. Ingellis; SECONDED by R. Esty; VOTED IN FAVOR: W. Smith, P. Ingellis, R. Esty, N. Garrett, R. Fish; OPPOSED: none; ABSTAINED: none.; APPROVED: 5-0-0.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kathleen Noyes, Recording Clerk
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