Fitzwilliam, NH, Conservation Commission
21 December 2009 – Minutes
Present:
Members: Dan Bemis, Cheryl Davis, Barb Green, Paul Kotila, Dorothy Zug; guest Jeanne Sable
Previous Minutes:
Minutes of 16 November 2009 were approved.
Agenda Review:
Discussion of a Commission secretary was added to the agenda.
Open Space Committee Planning
Zug reported on the organizational meeting for the Open Space Committee held on 9 Dec 2009. The meeting was poorly attended and greater effort will be needed to recruit additional members. Pete Throop provided an overview of the Open Space planning process at the meeting.
The draft MOU with the Monadnock Community Conservation Partnership (MCCP) was reviewed and edited. The revised document will be reviewed by the MCCP and shared with selectmen and planning board.
Budget Report:
Green and Kotila met with the Budget Committee on 10 December 2009. Our proposed budget seems OK, with the amount to allocate to pay a secretary to be determined after checking with the selectmen. Green will check on the process for capital conservation fund proposals.
Planning Board
Kotila reported on the Planning Board meeting with representatives from Southwest Regional Planning Commission on development of a water protection ordinance. Both the Planning Board and Kotila emphasized the need for simplicity and clarity in any ordinance and an understanding of what water protection concerns are not currently addressed by existing ordinances (e.g., the Wetland Overlay Protection District). SWRPC will investigate and report back.
A proposal to exempt up to 1000 square feet of “isolated wetlands” from the WPOD regulations was briefly discussed. The Commission does not support this exemption, and there does not appear to be support from the Planning Board.
Easements:
Zug reported continued contact with the Monadnock Conservancy to schedule a site walk on the Metzger Town Forest.
Site Walks
No new site walks were conducted. Questions were asked about the outcome of prior visits for a Gazebo within the WPOD on Scott Pond and the status of the liquor store proposal at highways 119-12.
Other Business
Zug reported that 20 additional copies of the NRI are available in the land use office. Jeanne Sable will be joining us as secretary at our next meeting.
Correspondence
Miscellaneous notices and announcements were distributed.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm.
The next meeting is 18 January 2010 at 7:00 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul M. Kotila
Chair
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