Open Space Commission
Minutes
11 January 2019
Members Present: Co-Chair Amanda Blair, Co-Chair Bill Dunbar, Secretary Peter Cable, Evan Griswold, Greg Futoma, Gary Gregory and Bruce Baratz
Members Absent: N/A
Welcome/Introductions
Co-Chair Bill Dunbar called the meeting to order at 9:00 am
Approval of Minutes
A motion was made by Evan Griswold to approve December 14th minutes, seconded by Peter Cable.
New Business
Bruce Baratz made a motion to approve Co-chairs Amanda Blair and Bill Dunbar, seconded by Gary Gregory. Bill Dunbar made a motion to approve Secretary Peter Cable, seconded by Evan Griswold. All in favor.
- Land Steward level-of-effort
Discussed amount of hours expected for Land Steward; hours should be narrowing down in the future now that Peter Norris is up to speed. Approximately 4 hours per week.
Amanda mentioned Open Space purchases going forward are to remain 70-75% natural land without trails. Evan suggested going through the open space plan and having a forester plan trails. Amanda stated that in the library there is a large map and display; should be included in the open space plan.
Greg Futoma suggested working out a system so Peter Norris and Gary Gregory can communicate which trails have already been hiked. Amanda discussed public works effort; moving forward Bonnie Reemsnyder believes Open Space could use public works to help maintain parking lots. Maintenance completed should also be added to the reports to confirm what areas require follow up. Discussed ways to stay in touch with public works. Greg suggested inviting public works to attend a meeting; Bill or Amanda will follow up.
Amanda discussed meeting John Parker (Yankee tree) and discussing the Barbizon Tree health. John said to start with Tom Degnen, the town tree warden. Cathy Frank emailed Tom and asked him to get in touch with Amanda, who has not heard from him yet. Evan is going to follow up with Tom Also discussed protocol for communication and follow up.
- Eklund phragmites
- Bill Dunbar met with Malcolm Hill at DEEP – phragmites were cut in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Bill suggested he attend the February meeting to discuss the seriousness of the phragmites. Bill to follow up for a copy of the previous report. Evan mentioned cutting phragmites may deter birds from coming back to nest. Bill noted that Malcolm charges $1245 per year to cut. Bill also mentioned her heard from Jason at Wilcox, he walked the trails this week and will be cleaning up downed trees and will do so regularly. When Bill received the information from Wilcox he will forward to Gary.
- Gary Gregory presented a draft training proposal and Amanda will present to Bonnie Reemsnyder a draft protocol for chain saw use. Evan mentioned Tom Degnen can tape off trees that needs to come down and Wilcox can enter to cut down said marked trees. Evan will get in touch with town warden/tree committee and set up meeting next week to discuss assessment. Amanda suggested doing a yearly assessment and meeting at the town hall; Evan will follow up. Gary would like to meet with Tom at the site.
- Conservation Commission contact/visit
- Peter mentioned it would be a good idea for 2 or 3 members to attend a Conservation Commission meeting. Peter Cable suggested it would be a good idea to reach out, and Amanda suggested in March. Evan proposed Open Space should be in contact with all commissions in the town. Amanda also suggested a presentation to the wetlands committee; Gary and Evan are on the wetlands committee and can act as a liaison. Evan mentioned there may be a sustainability committee developed regarding solar in the future. Will require follow up for March meeting.
- Open space property acquisition protocol
- Amanda has been researching the different protocol forms we currently have and believes we should review and update our priorities for the acquisition of open space, property acquisition checklist, and our open space acquisition protoc0l. When completed they should be on our website. Amanda distributed the most recent form “Open Space land property acquisition” and stated the Town Attorney recommends doing a contract of sale verses a Letter of Intent for future Open Space purchases. The Town Attorney is reviewing the rest of the Protocol with Bonnie and the Open Space Cochairs.
- Power tool use & training policy
- Gary Gregory has created a bullet point list for power tool use and training, will distribute to commission via email for review and send as a proposal. Discussed if Land Steward should have the certification; if determined yes Land Steward needs to follow safety protocol and only if they are not opposed to using power tools on the trails. Training is $125 per session @ 4 sessions - $500 total. Requires future discussion with Ed at public works. Will discuss again at a future date.
Other Business
- Property easement policy & checklist review/revise
Amanda mentioned she has started working on conservation easement files and has found some through the town assessor. Suggested creating files and including a copy of the survey, a property field card, and verified dated ownership. Evan stated the home owner’s association also monitors their home ownership easements. The files are a work in progress, Open Space Commission will need to create a checklist which includes a letter to the homeowner, letter of monitoring, etc. Will be discussed at a future meeting pending more research.
- New member & volunteer recruitment
- Discussed how potential volunteers contact Open Space to inquire about volunteering. Bill Dunbar suggested adding contact information to the Old Lyme magazine articles, how to contact open space commission if interested in volunteering. Preferably via email and not with personal contact information. Amanda to attend Garden Club potluck next week, and potentially recruit volunteers
- Open Space Property Checklist
Amanda has created a streamlined checklist to start the process and will send a draft to Open Space members. The checklist is required for setting up the file for new property to ensure all required paperwork is complete. Open Space members will review the checklist and provide feedback to Amanda. Peter Cable mentioned that it is important to state the interest in acquiring property in addition to property details. Evan explained that it is a 3 tiered process: contact with land owner, priority list/property checklist and then provided information to the First Selectwoman concerning our interest.
Executive Session
Motion to move into Executive session by Peter Cable at 11:01 am. Seconded by Greg Futoma.
A vote was taken on the first property discussed to order an Appraisal on the property and to have parking area evaluated by the public works department. Unanimous.
A vote was taken on the second property to approve the negotiated terms for the property and proceed to the Board of Selectmen with a Term Statement/Contract of Sale. Unanimous.
Motion to come out of Executive Session at 11:45am made by Evan and seconded by Gary.
Adjournment
Motion made to adjourn by Bill Dunbar, seconded by Evan at 11:50am.
Sarah Michaelson
Open Space Clerk
1/23/2019
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