MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 6:00 – 7:30 P.m.
Old Saybrook Recreation Center
308 Main Street
Ray Allen called the meeting to order at 6:06 p.m.
II. ROLL CALL
Members Present
Judy Preston
Chris Cryder
Kathleen Connolly
Tom ODell
Joe Nochera
Liz Swenson (arrived at 6:12 p.m.)
Members Absent
Susan Esty
Walter Smith
Town Hall Staff Present
Ray Allen, Director, Parks & Recreation
Sandy Prisloe, Environmental Planner
Kathleen Noyes, Recording Clerk
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION to approve the minutes from the Board of Selectmen’s Preserve Ad-Hoc Committee Special Meeting of April 23, 2015 with the following correction: on page 2, under A. Review of Management Agreement, 1st sentence, change the word “bought” to “contributed”.; MADE by J. Nochera; SECONDED by C. Cryder; VOTED IN FAVOR: T. ODell, J. Preston, J. Nochera, K. Connolly, C. Cryder ; OPPOSED: none; ABSTAINED: None; APPROVED: 5-0-0.
IV. RECOGNITION OF GUESTS
Bob Nussbaum and Chuck Landrey were guests at tonight’s meeting.
V. OLD BUSINESS
The sign design for “No Unauthorized Motor Vehicles Allowed” was distributed. This is a temporary sign design. The signs are being ordered.
C. Cryder said the boundary markings around the private borders on the eastern side of Ingham Hill Road have been completed with the exception of the Cummins property because there were two sets of boundary markers there. That boundary must be clarified. The Old Saybrook High School Ecology Club went out to the Preserve with C. Cryder to help with the boundary marking. C. Cryder recommended the border around the state park in Essex be marked because that is an often used entrance point for unauthorized motor vehicles. C. Cryder estimates that at this time, approximately 40% of the property boundaries have been marked. He will soon be going on another outing with a group of students through Youth & Family Services to do more boundary marking.
C. Cryder drafted a priority list of short and long term goals for Committee review dated 6/2/2015. This list is divided into the following sections: Ad Hoc Committee Issues, Financial, Preserve Trails and Potential Uses, Trail Building and Stewardship and there is a breakdown of Preserve Opening Costs which was updated 1/5/2015.
K. Connolly shared another list of the “Elements of long-term plan for management of The Preserve dated 4/27/15”. This list was created by a group of multiple volunteers including K. Connolly and C. Cryder and staff of the Trust for Public Land.
R. Allen suggested combining the short term and long term goal lists. He suggested the Committee submit a list of goals and priorities to First Selectman Carl Fortuna, Jr., who can then submit that list of recommendations to the State of CT.
There has been some documentation of natural resources, but Committee members discussed the importance of hiring a professional to complete this inventory within one year. This is the time of year to inventory because the flowers and plants are in bloom and not obscured by snow. J. Preston said ideally, this ecological inventory would be done seasonally. She emphasized that an ecological inventory is not the same as a park inventory. Committee members talked about the information that is needed to make the best use of the land and to clarify whether or not the information they have meets the need. They also need to identify exactly what the need is.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection may be performing the land assessments and studies, but this needs to be clarified because it’s not in the Cooperative Management Agreement.
R. Allen is going to talk with C. Fortuna about when the ecological inventory will be done. It may have been done already, but if it has, Committee members are not aware of that fact. They all agreed the ecological inventory is a critical component of the plan for The Preserve. This is going to be a year-long process, and it needs to be started right away. Additionally, it involves some data gathering and some incorporation of the data that has already been gathered.
Small flora and fauna must be surveyed and inventoried first because they are the most sensitive. They are the easiest to impact and the most difficult to see. This is time sensitive because of the time of year. Invasive species need to be recognized before they are well established.
It was agreed that C. Cryder and K. Connolly will draft a memo to C. Fortuna requesting the ecological inventory. This memo can be circulated to Committee members for their review before it is given to him.
There is nothing new to report.
The meeting schedule was discussed. The next meeting will be 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, 2015 at the Parks and Recreation Building, 308 Main Street.
VI. NEW BUSINESS
A. Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
The ribbon cutting ceremony is going to be held in the parking lot of Great Cedars from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 13, 2015. The governor will be attending, and donors to The Preserve will be invited. Because there is not a lot of parking available at Great Cedars, shuttle buses will be available.
B. Possible Open Trail Loop
R. Allen distributed maps of proposed short- term, short loop trails for Committee review.
B. Nussbaum talked about the section of The Preserve that is located in Essex. He explained that if people want to walk a loop to get back into Essex, they will need to walk onto the Old Saybrook side. K. Connolly suggested interim trails should be created for this reason as long as they meet certain standards to protect the most sensitive flora and fauna.
MOTION to accept B. Nussbaum’s suggestion of creating an interim trail that connects Old Saybrook and Essex. This will be subject to no new cutting. Existing paths must be used, and the trail cannot be located in sensitive or dangerous areas. This is subject to review based on standards and conditions, and this interim trail can be overridden by the final trail making process.; MADE by E. Swenson; SECONDED by K. Connolly; VOTED IN FAVOR: T. ODell, E. Swenson, K. Connolly, C. Cryder ; OPPOSED: none; ABSTAINED: None; APPROVED: 4-0-0.
C. Any Other New Business
C. Landrey manages The Preserve web page and the Facebook page. He spoke about the importance of these sites as educational tools. He also talked about a smartphone app called Project Noah.
T. ODell will investigate enforcement aspects of the entrance to The Preserve off of Route 153 in Westbrook.
VII. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION to adjourn the meeting at 8:08 p.m. until the next Special Meeting of The Preserve Ad Hoc Committee which will be on Wednesday, July 8, 2015 at 6:00 p.m., Parks and Recreation Building, 308 Main Street.; MADE by T. ODell; SECONDED by C. Cryder; VOTED IN FAVOR: T. ODell, E. Swenson, K. Connolly, C. Cryder; OPPOSED: none; ABSTAINED: None; APPROVED: 4-0-0.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kathleen Noyes, Recording Clerk
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