HORSE HILL NATURE PRESERVE

AD HOC COMMITTEE

Minutes of Monday, September 13, 2004

Courtroom at Town Hall

7:30 p.m.

Members Present: Denise O’Dwyer, Shannon Barnes, Lynne Wenz, Nelson Disco, Connie Kreider, Debra Huffman, Jim Taylor, Bill Keating, Janet Cormier, Newton Coryell, and Tim Tenhave

Call to Order: Tim Tenhave called the meeting to order at 7:37 p.m.

Announcements and Updates: Tim Tenhave made the following announcements:

When booking meeting rooms subcommittees should be clear about which subcommittee is meeting and should send Tim an agenda for the meeting at least one week in advance so he can forward it to Maureen Atwood for posting.

Hunting season has begun. It was noted that the town website does include a link to Fish and Game for specific dates.

The regular meeting schedule will resume in October.

The Ethics Committee will hold an Ethics Awareness seminar on 9/21 and on 10/7. Tim requested that committee members attend one of those sessions and notify him of which session they will be attending.

Andy Powell and Karen Mattor could not attend due to a conflict with the MCC meeting, but Andy sent an update on the forester's report. He said the initial fieldwork is done, the report will be delivered by late September, and there will be a presentation to the MCC in early October.

Nelson Disco requested that the MCC contact this committee when they receive the Forester's Report that they let the committee know when the presentation will be. Also discussed was whether the report will be in final form or if there will be some back and forth discussion about clarification or additions to the report. Tim will follow up with Andy.

Rick Cote sent Tim an update on the Scout projects. Dave Cote has finished his trail work and contacted the developer about the rubbish pile. He gave Tim a letter from a Wetlands Biologist with her opinion of the work. Bill Lott has finished his preliminary work for the GPS map and delivered a copy of the work so far. He is now planning the kiosk.

Debra Huffman expressed concern about the idea that Dave is "finished" without a walk-over by someone from the committee or the Town. She was also concerned that the kiosk be built to town standards. Tim will follow up on this and will also clarify how the data will be transitioned to the town.

Janet Cormier stated that when the Eagle Scouts give the town anything there is generally a public hearing.

Shannon Barnes announced that she received an e-mail from a Farmer Road resident who was concerned about horse manure left on the road by horses on their way to the HHNP. She replied by explaining this committee's responsibilities and suggested the resident contact the DPW. Tim forwarded the e-mail and Shannon's response to Walter Warren and the Town Manager for their information. Shannon suggested that the committee update the web site to clarify the committee's charge.

Acceptance of Minutes: On a motion by Newton Coryell and a second by Shannon Barnes, the minutes of August 2, 2004 were accepted by a vote of 10-0-1 with Jim Taylor abstaining.

Permitted Use Signs: Tim announced that the town now has 12 florescent green 20" by 30" signs to be placed on the HHNP. There is one small mistake in the spelling of Baboosic on the bottom of the sign. Tim and Denise O'Dwyer walked the property and took pictures and GPS locations for installation of the signs. Eight signs will be hung on trees and can be installed by this committee and four will need a post. Walter is talking to Ed Chase to request posts and help from the DPW.

For the signs hung on trees, Tim requested the committee's help over a few evenings. There was discussion about using nails with rubber bushings. Jim Taylor suggested using galvanized lag screws and Newton Coryell stated that he has a tool to help with this. Jim offered to help with installation of the signs.

Subcommittee Reports:

Trails Subcommittee – Debra Huffman stated that the subcommittee met in August and has set a timeline for proposals of new and revised trails. The proposals will be discussed at their September meeting. Further work depends partially on the results of the Forester's Report.

Parking Subcommittee – Newton Coryell reported that they are waiting for the Forester's Report before work can be done. In the meantime he will speak with the MCC about identifying the exact edge of the wetland and will speak with Ed Chase and Walter Warren to arrange a walk-through. He stated that the actual clearing would not be a major job.

Funding Subcommittee – Shannon Barnes reported that there was no update since the last committee meeting.

Historical Subcommittee – Connie Kreider is the new subcommittee chairman. They met at the end of August and will meet again on September 28^th to discuss ideas for the definitive plan.

Athletic Fields Subcommittee – Janet Cormier reported that they are waiting for the Forester's Report and definitive plan before they can proceed.

Clean Up Subcommittee – Tim reported that the subcommittee met in August to consider large item removal. He distributed a CD with a map and description of the items to be removed. Helynne Wenz offered to help with the blue truck near Fuller Mill Rd. Newton reported that some of the large items have been dragged out and Harold Watson has allowed them to be piled on his property awaiting removal. The DPW has committed to picking up the pile but not a date for pickup. Janet suggested that a specific date be set.

Update from Staff: Tim spoke with Walter and Walter agreed to advance the concept of a donation account. He will get it on the BOS agenda for hearing. Tim requested that members of the committee attend the BOS meeting. Walter will also work with Ed Chase to get a line item in the budget and determine where it belongs.

There was discussion about how to make progress on limiting target shooting and trucks. Walter will talk to the town's new legal council.

Tim did not push the idea of a seasonal activity committee because it was unclear what exactly was being proposed beyond another clean-up day and maybe a snowshoeing day.

Walter reiterated that he is very supportive of the parking area off Amherst Road.

Tim noted that the committee is down to 21 members. Walter said that whether or not to make a push to increase membership was really up to us. Tim also discussed membership with Dick Hinch. Tim noted that some members, such as Peter Kahn, have contacted him to say that they are still interested and still read all minutes and e-mails, but that they are unable to attend meetings at this time.

Walter was curious about grant possibilities. He requested that the Funding subcommittee move forward in looking for grants and speak with Bob Levan.

The Definitive Plan: Tim spoke with Walter about what he would like from the committee. Walter would like clarification about what the Definitive Plan is supposed to be. He would like an outline of a plan and information about what tasks the town staff should be concerned with (emergency services, maintenance, etc.) and what tasks can be accomplished by volunteers.

There was extensive discussion about the degree to which the committee should be involved in the Definitive Plan. Some said that the committee gave the BOS a Master Plan and the process was then basically handed over to staff. The committee's input was finished. Walter should just read the Master Plan to see what the Definitive Plan should address. Others were of the opinion that the committee's charge is to help Walter, and since Walter has asked for our help with the Definitive Plan then it is our duty to help him.

On a motion by Debra Huffman with a second by Denise O’Dwyer, the committee voted 9-1-0 (Bill Keating had left the meeting early), with Jim Taylor voting against, to appoint a few people to create a first draft of an outline for the Definitive Plan. The outline will be forwarded to Walter Warren and discussed with Walter at the committee's October meeting. Debra Huffman, Denise O'Dwyer, Connie Kreider, Shannon Barnes, and Helynne Wenz volunteered for the task.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 9:07.