Dublin Conservation Commission
Minutes
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Attending: Commission Members Jack Lewis (chair), Anne Anable, Jerry Branch, Karen Bunch, Charlie Champagne, Suzan Macy and Sue Yarger, along with landowner Matt Iorio, Don Scott from Clough, Harbor Associates and several abutters of the Iorio property.
Iorio Property: First on the agenda was a presentation by Don Scott of Clough, Harbor Associates on the plans for remediation and extension of the driveway leading through the Iorio property. Don described the areas where the driveway would impact wetlands and water runoff, and described the steps being planned to improve drainage and reconstitute wetlands impacted by logging done by previous owners in 2005. Don also described the plans for work at the southwest end of the property to improve significantly water retention and drainage where water moves from the Iorio property to abutters. The commissioners and other attendees asked a number of questions about the details and effects of the proposed actions. The abutters brought up concerns about the potential for the
reconstituted driveway becoming an attractive way for people to reach the backs of abutters’ properties, and some discussion ensued about possible signage to limit such use.
It was the sense of the commissioners that the plans presented were appropriate for the property and should improve both drainage and wetlands on the property. The Commissioners could see no reason to object to the plans as provided.
Minutes: The minutes of the meeting of Wednesday, December 10, 2008 were reviewed and approved.
Monadnock Region Land Summit: Several commissioners said that they would be attending the summit, to be held in Keene on January 31, and others expressed potential interest in going. The day long session should draw attendees interested in conservation from over two dozen towns in the Monadnock region. It is sponsored by the Monadnock Conservancy and the SWRPC.
SB 381: The Commissioners agreed that an Advocate article explaining the SB 381 Warrant Article would be valuable. Putting together a short handout with an example of how a land transaction would work was also brought up, as was attendance at pre-town meeting meetings. The members didn’t think that a separate public hearing was needed. Creation of the handout and attendance at meetings was to be discussed at the February meeting.
Dublin Lake: Karen stated that the fire department and police have been contacted about the use of the Vortech system, and that the state has been contacted about its maintenance. Karen also mentioned that she has received the 2008 water testing report, which contains many compliments about the quality of the water and the good work of the water testers, along with some suggestions for expanded testing.
Karen noted that the final water quality lab reports for Dublin Lake are now in. The tests cover three levels of the lake and test for P/h, turbidity, acid recovery and clearness. All tests were fine and test results should be viewable electronically on the NHDES website.
Japanese Knotweed: The Commission heard about a new beetle which appears to like Japanese Knotweed. Sue Yarger volunteered to investigate the beetle and to see if we could use it on one or more of the town’s knotweed infestations. The Commission also agreed to see how effective a cut, spray and cover program is by selecting a test site in late spring and working on it.
New Members: Commission members were requested to come to the February meeting with the names of people who might make good commissioners or alternates. New members are frequently appointed shortly after Town Meeting.
DCC 2009 Budget: Jack Lewis briefly reviewed the current status of the Conservation Commission’s 2009 budget. At this point the budget is $5,800, or $200 less than last year, and it includes a separate line item of $500 for expenses of the Open Space Committee.
Other Business:
- Karen Bunch mentioned that the Mud Pond Exhibit created by Susan Peters and her daughter last year is currently on display at the Library, and is well worth seeing.
- Karen also stated that an excellent description of the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act had been put together by the Peterborough Conservation Commission and had appeared recently in the Ledger-Transcript. Karen will send the commissioners an e-mail attaching a link to the Ledger-Transcript feature.
Meeting Schedule: The Commission will continue to meet at 7 PM on the second Wednesday of each month. The next meeting is scheduled for February 11, 2009.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:53 PM.
| 