APPROVED Sutton Conservation Commission
Meeting Minutes
Wednesday February 11, 2009 @ 7:00 p.m.
Present: Betsy Forsham, Don Davis, Walter Baker, Tim Davis, Jean LaChance and Rick Goddard. (Garrett Evans, Leslie Ward, Gerry Putnam and Leon Malan were absent.)
Chair Betsy Forsham called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Rick was appointed to sit in for Leslie.
Review Previous Minutes:
A motion was made by Tim to accept the minutes of January 14, 2009 as written. Jean seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.
Financial:
Betsy reported there is no official Town account until after the Town Meeting and that the only expenditures were for secretarial services. The Conservation Fund Account total, as of the end of January, was $144,955.82, with $134,314.25 in the Conservation Fund and $10,641.57 in the KHR Fund. $5,970 was received in change in use tax.
Correspondence:
Betsy reported the SCC was noticed for the Kezar Conservation Group, LLC Planning Board hearing on February 10th. There is a continuation until the 24th. There was also a Planning Board hearing the same night for the telecommunications antennas on King Hill. There was concern from some of the abutters that summit road was experiencing heavy wear from the large trucks using it to access the towers.
A notice of the DES Land Resource Management Workshop in Concord February 8th and March 6th and 27th.
Betsy noted that Leon is volunteering as the Sutton member of the ASLPT Outreach program.
Miscellaneous correspondence.
Review of Wetlands Applications and Permits:
There were no wetlands applications.
Review of Intents to Cut & Logging Issues:
Bruce Craven, T/L # 9/975,471, Rowell Hill Road. Reyer Jaarsma is the logger. This is for a house lot and there are no wetland issues.
Old Business:
Betsy reported on a discussion she had with Jae Whitelaw, the Town attorney, regarding the proposed land swap involving the Seymour lot. It has been previously determined that the Seymour lot is conservation land and Jae feels a land swap constitutes a purchase and sale of property. Under RSA 36-A-4, the SCC has the authority to purchase land for conservation, but not to sell it. A swap is therefore required to go before the Town for a vote. As this will not happen this year it gives the Board time to look at the issue more thoroughly for the upcoming year.
Elly and the Selectmen agreed to put RSA 41-14-a on the Warrant.
Dates were discussed to meet with Dan Sundquist to continue the discussions regarding the Long Range Conservation Plan. Betsy will confirm the date of Wednesday, February 25th at 7:00 p.m. with Dan and let the Board know.
Betsy reported she found the records on the tree farm on Wadleigh Hill Road. The land was given to the Town in 1981, with the original management plan drawn up in1988. There were subsequent updates in 1997 and 2000. Plans should be updated every ten years, so there is still time left. Tim added he had spoken with Tim Fluery, the UNH Cooperative Extension Forest Resources Educator, and it was recommended that a tree farm be timbered every 5 years. Tim mentioned that in this case the primary focus of the plan is for wildlife. He suggested three options, to do nothing, to take the sign down, or to open up a portion to fields as it previously was. The Board agreed that there should be a site visit and that the focus should be wildlife management. The issue will be revisited.
New Business:
The Board discussed SCC membership. If Rick is elected as a Selectman he is welcome to stay on if he wishes to, and if not there will need to be an alternate position filled. This will also mean Wally and Rick will need to decide who will serve on the SCC Board as ex-officio. If they both were to stay on, Wally would remain the ex-officio and Rick would remain an alternate.
SCC Properties and Greenway Reports:
The Seymour lot management plan was reviewed and it was agreed the lot should probably remain protected land.
Tim inquired about a date for the Crowell land dedication. Betsy suggested it would be good to wait until the log bridge across the river was in place. Tim added the entrance still needs to be blocked off. It was suggested that if the abutting land owner, McMannus, does not have time to put in the rocks Chip Rowe or Paul Parker may be good alternates.
Snowmobile and ski trails on KHR were discussed. It seems the snowmobile trails are not very well defined and riders are going all over the area.
Other Business:
Jean reminded the Board of the upcoming Greenway potluck supper on March 1st at the Presbyterian Church. Skip Lisle will be the guest speaker covering the subject of a new invention for beaver control called the “beaver deceiver”. The supper is at 5 p.m. and the speaker at 7.
Jean mentioned the Historical Society “Sweetheart Dinner” February 14th at 6:00 p.m. at Tom and Janet Paul’s house.
Wally reminded everyone the Town Meeting would be at the High School, while voting will remain at the Town Hall.
8:25 p.m. A motion was made by Rick to adjourn the meeting. Wally seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Swett, Secretary
Sutton Conservation Commission 2 February 11, 2009
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