Sutton Conservation Commission
Meeting Minutes
November 8, 2006 @ 7:00 p.m.
Present:
Betsy Forsham, Tim Davis, Jean LaChance, Leslie Ward, Don Davis and Gerry Putnam. Bill Curless, Charlie Whittemore, Rick Goddard and George Wells were absent. Also present was resident Garrett Evans.
Chair Betsy Forsham called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
Leslie Ward was appointed to sit for Charlie Whittemore.
Gerry Putnam was appointed to sit for George Wells.
Review of October 11, 2006 Minutes:
A motion was made by Leslie to accept the minutes of October 11, 2006. Tim seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.
Financial:
Betsy reported that as of the end of October the Town account had a balance of $1,008.27, which is 35% of the budgeted figure. Betsy added there was $185 expended for membership dues.
Betsy asked the opinion of the Board, and was given approval to pay the 2007 dues for NHACC. She also mentioned the NHACC always has their Concord workshops the first Saturday of November and that it would be good for the Board to plan for this next year.
Betsy reported a balance of $201,712.75 for the Conservation Fund account. She added Matt Ordway was paid $3,250 on October 29. Therefore the actual balance is $198,462.75
Leslie inquired as to the form of the invested funds. Betsy answered the accounts are in money market funds at a rate of return of approximately 2%.
Betsy reported she called Matt Ordway regarding the wet area of the access to KHR from King’s Hill Road. She added Ordway had given a figure of $250 to cover the work and implied he could do the work right away. Betsy called members of the Board to get permission and then gave Ordway the okay to go ahead. The gravel has been spread.
Betsy handed out the proposed budget for 2007. There was discussion regarding the type of signs to use for posting on class VI roads, coroplast verses cardboard, verses metal. It was decided the coroplast was the best choice. Betsy added the ads figure would be higher for 2007 and that the dues category would increase by $20. Betsy added there was $350 for class VI roads posting. The overall increase was $570 more than 2006.
Sutton Conservation Commission 1 November 8, 2006
A motion was made by Jean to accept the proposed 2007 budget of $3,450, plus $30,000 for the Capital Reserve Fund for Conservation Land. Leslie seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.
Betsy announced there will be a meeting with the budget committee on Monday, December 1st at 6 p.m. She added she would be mentioning the $30,000 for the Capital Reserve Fund.
Correspondence:
Betsy reported on telephone calls received on October 28 from both the Town’s timber tax monitor, Anita Blakeman, and the health officer, Dave Burnham, regarding reports of erosion and silt entering Gile Pond and Thistle Brook from the newly excavated access road to the new Middle School site during the very heavy rains. She added that Anita had made some phone calls and a stone dam had been erected to stem the tide. Blakeman wrote a letter of complaint to the Town and the Selectmen wrote to the school Superintendent, Tom Brennan. Both Anita and Betsy called Linda Magoon, from DES, to visit the site. In her letter, Anita noted that there appears to be a discrepancy in the width of cutting on the emergency access road on the same site. Don mentioned the culvert that had been added at the
entrance and commented he thought it was too small.
Betsy reported she had sent a follow-up letter to the Farleys on October 27th regarding conservation easements on private land. They had previously picked up a conservation booklet at Town Hall.
Betsy reported she sent a thank you letter to ASLPT for dues.
Betsy announced the next Planning Board meeting will be Tuesday November 14th and that the Board will be working on subdivision regulation changes. She added there might also be a continuation of the public hearing for Feins.
Betsy reported there were two ZBA decisions, one granted, one denied.
Review of Wetlands Applications and Permits:
Betsy reported on a complaint received regarding the Rte. 114 Town Wetlands area where the loam/silt fencing seemed to disappear after the installation of new culverts. She said she called Doug King of DOT to tell him and then called him back to add the grass had started to come in and the soil seemed stable.
Meadow View Farms of Sutton, LLC has filed an application for a Site Specific Permit as of October 20th, 2006, DES file No. 061016-02.
Betsy read a letter from DES to Begin Homes, dated October 17, 2006, regarding the acceptance of a Site Restoration Plan, subject to specific conditions, file # 2006-01034.
Betsy reported on a Wetlands and Non-site Specific Permit to DOT, # 2006-02178, dated October 10, 2006 for replacement of a culvert at Thistle Brook. Betsy added the work had already been done.
Review of Intents to Cut & Logging Issues:
Betsy reported on an intent to cut from the Fitzgeralds on Eaton Grange Road, T/L 01-317,532. The logger is Brian Caron.
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Old Business:
Betsy handed out copies of a checklist used by the Forest Society when deciding on/ pursuing a Conservation Easement on a property.
There was discussion of the proposed Wells Easement. Betsy reported there was a subcommittee meeting with George and his son Jody that included Leslie, Betsy and Tim. Betsy handed out a sheet covering the important aspects of the property. Leslie discussed the aspects. Tim commented on the inclusion of George’s family in his decision to place the easement. Betsy said one of the purposes of the meeting with George was to make sure everyone understood and was in agreement with the permitted uses of the land which will include: agricultural and forestry uses, no development or buildings, no camping and no wheeled vehicles (including mountain bikes), and no snowmobiling. Hunting was not specifically mentioned but it was understood to be allowed.
Gerry asked about large landowners that lived nearby and the Board viewed a map to discuss possible people to contact about contiguous land easements. Betsy suggested that next spring, the SCC might write letters to several neighbors inviting them to walk their land with Board members if they are interested in pursuing land protection. Tim inquired whether it was prudent to have a signed letter of intent from George, but the Board ultimately felt it was not necessary. Betsy added that Tom Masland, the attorney she contacted about handling the matter, said it was acceptable to go ahead with the easement deed now and amend the description after the surveying was done or wait until the survey was complete before executing the deed. The sense of the Board was to get the deed written now. Betsy will discuss
this with Attorney Masland.
A motion was made by Leslie to accept George Wells’ offer of a conservation easement on three lots, M/L’s 04-323,231; 04-437,265; 04-437,367, located on Dodge Hill Road. Jean seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.
A motion was made by Betsy to expend $15,000 from the Conservation Fund to cover the acquisition of the Wells Easement after the Selectmen’s meeting and the Public Hearing per RSA 36A: 4 and RSA 36A: 5. Tim seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.
Betsy added the Selectmen’s meeting would be Monday, November 13th at 5:00 p.m. She asked for support from any members that could attend. Betsy announced the Public Hearing could be held on the 30th of November at 7:00 p.m. If this date does not work it will probably be held at the next SCC meeting on December 13th, at 6:30 p.m.
The Board reviewed and discussed the survey proposals for the Wells Easement. Betsy added that both companies were reputable and Leslie said it was prudent to go with the lower bidder.
A motion was made by Jean to use Evans Land Consultants, PLLC as the surveyor, for a proposed price of $11,500. Leslie seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous, 5:0. Betsy did not vote.
SCC Properties and Greenway Reports:
Jean reported Art Robbins was re-blazing the Greenway trail on Wadleigh Hill Road and King Hill Road.
Don reported he met with Matt Ordway regarding the King Hill entrance to KHR. He said Ordway could not get in because someone had relocked the gate. Ordway had mentioned the second culvert
Sutton Conservation Commission 3 November 8, 2006
in would not hold up under heavy machinery. Tim added that Paul Parker, the Town Road Agent, had mentioned he had a culvert that could be used. There was mention of asking the snowmobile club if they would be interested in building a bridge.
Don reported on washouts around a building on KHR that was worth keeping.
There was discussion of access into the KHR trails.
Don reported the snowmobile club had gone up and done work on the warming hut without contacting the SCC. Don will write a letter to the club asking them for a proposal of their intended plans and use of the building.
Tim added it was necessary to put new locks at both ends of the KHR and commented that they should be combination locks, not padlocks with keys.
Don discussed the parking configuration on Kings Hill Road with Matt Ordway.
Don reported that on October 15th he walked the Hominy Pot side of KHR with Tim and Charlie Ash and Cory Cochran of the snowmobile club, to view a site to relocate the snowmobile trail.
Leslie gave an update of the signs. She said Dan had all the wood that was necessary and would be measuring the existing signs. She added he is working on routing the signs. Tim added the members could email him regarding the digging of the holes for the posts. The posts still need to
be purchased. Charlie is going to paint the signs. The Board agreed the location for the sign at
Russell Pond should be at the parking lot. Don suggested two additional small swinging signs to mark the entrance to KHR at Hominy Pot and at King Hill Road.
Don reported the settler’s oven had been rebuilt years ago and was not authentic at this time. He suggested that with the help of the Historical Society maybe the oven could be restored to its original status. Don will email Edna Feiner, the State archeologist, to get her opinion. He will also write a letter to Edna Feiner and to the Historical Society.
9:15 p.m. A motion was made by Jean to adjourn the meeting. Tim seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Swett
Secretary
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