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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDraft Minutes- 011325 January 13, 2025 Planning & Development Department 367 Main Street, Hyannis, MA 02601 – Phone: 508-862-4678 Town of Barnstable Open Space Committee Formerly Land Acquisition and Preservation Committee (s ee Town Council Agenda 2023-196) www.townofbarnstable.us/OpenSpaceCommittee Agenda Notice of Meeting as Required by Chapter 28 of the Acts of 2009, amending MGL Chapter 30A DATE January 13, 2025 TIME 5:30 p.m. LOCATION Selectmen’s Conference Room, 2nd Floor, Town Hall, 367 Main Street, Hyannis The meeting will be televised live via Xfinity Channel 8 or high-definition Channel 1072. It may also be accessed via the Government Access Channel live stream on the Town of Barnstable’s website: http://streaming85.townofbarnstable.us/CablecastPublicSite/watch/1?channel=1 CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTION OF MEMBERS Chair Malakhoff calls the meeting to order at 5:30 PM with an introduction of members: Also in attendance is Kris Clark, Town Council Liaison and Jennifer Engelsen, Office Manager Planning & Development. NOTICE OF RECORDING This meeting of the Open Space Committee is being recorded and broadcast on the Town of Barnstable’s Government Access Channel. In accordance with MGL Chapter 30A §20, I must inquire whether anyone else is recording this meeting and, if so, to please make their presence known. APPROVAL OF MINUTES December 9, 2024 – Lev reads a few corrections/typos and asks for a motion to approve with said corrections. Anne moves to approve the minutes with corrections, seconded by Tracy. All in favor, aye. TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION New Business • Planning for Spring Walking Weekend Lev and Farley discuss planning for the spring walking weekend. A media plan is shared with the committee. The committee picked a date of May 16th through May 18th. Barnstable Land Trust has reached out to get the walk on their calendar. Walking leaders need to be invited. Doug volunteered to help with the press release. Photos from prior walks can be used for publicity. Save t he date to be forwarded to be included in ENews. Farley to reach out to the Appalachian Walking Club for protocol for posting the walk. Stakeholders can be asked to lead hikes. Lev reminds the committee that some of the hiking trails have limited parking. Ar mstrong Kelley Park is mentioned as a place to hold a hike. Kris Clark suggested contacting the Chamber of Commerce and the Barnstable Lev Malakhoff – Chair X Farley Lewis – Vice Chair X Elizabeth Lewis X Douglas Payson X Elissa Crowley X Anne Rowland X Tracy Pratt X Cate Gulliver X Vacant Village Association to help spread the word. Members from this committee can share flyers within their villages. Anne comme nted about the use of sandwich boards to list the events at libraries. Lev to reach out to Kyle Pedicini, Assistant Director of Planning & Development to obtain a QR code to be used on the save the date flyer. This code can be used going forward to list walks in the spring in fall. • Identifying Major Littering/Vandalism Sites on Open Space Lev shares photos of litter/trash at three Open Space locations: Old Jail Lane Conservation Area – near the railroad tracks asphalt shingles were found by Cape Cod NEMBA while working on the trail. Conservation was notified, they have a process for situations like this and were not concerned. The trash is not allowed to be picked up. Hathaway’s Pond – Shopping carts were found here. This was an old camp site with trash piles covered by sticks and was first reported to the town in 2020. The area was cleaned up by Cape Cod NEMBA in January of 2024. Approximately 500 pounds of wet trash was bagged and carried to Phinney’s Lane and reported to the town but was removed by an anonymous citizen volunteer . Danforth area south of Race Lane - litter found here was not reported to the town. Lev asks the committee for ideas to address the situation. Tracy says just pick it up. Lev reports that the town has said not to pick it up. Doug suggests contacting our Town Councilors to let them know our town is being trashed. Doug picks up litter every day. • Cape Cod Rail Trail Extension to Mary Dunn Road The rail trail will come into Barnstable from Old Town House Park in Yarmouth to Mary Dunn Road. Kris Clark gives an overvie w from DPW. The project is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2025 and be completed in May of 2031. A handout from Kelly Col lopy, Communications Manager with the DPW, was provided to the committee. Old Business • Update on Centerville Cranberry Bog – Anne reports the neighbors surrounding the bogs still in conversations with the town. • Update on Cummaquid Woods: no update • Update on outstanding Conservation Restrictions: no update • Update – Pathways update including walking library, NEMBA path project, and Geocaching – Lev shares a graphic he put together and was submitted to MassDOT by Dan Santos, Director of DPW for a sidewalk and safe crossing at Route 132 between the YMCA and Cape Cod Community College (4C’s). Lev also sent 4C’s President a graphic asking if they have interest in participating in completing their sidewalk system since they are also a state entity. These sidewalks and safe crossings are needed for the safety of people going between the YMCA and 4C’s. Doug believes this is particularly important as the state is looking to do major renovations to expand the commuter lot which will increase the traff ic in the area. • Report from Tracy Pratt regarding Santuit Preserve – Lev reports a concern he heard about motorcycles and ATV’s going up and down the hills near the fish ladder. A possible solution would be to create a physical barrier that allows bicycles to g o over by carrying the bike but will not allow for a motorcycle to continue going up and down the hill causing erosion. A t the same time further down the trail network, neighbors have put up small wooden bridges that are not permitted and Mashpee Conservation Agents remove them. There is a concrete abutment where the Conservation Agent thinks they can create a bridge to allow for crossing by pedestrians and bicyclists but not motorcycles and ATV’s. Tracy reports on a large bog adjacent to the Preserve that was purchased by Mavis. A crew has been there deconstructing it completely and turned it over, a big ongoing project. Also, the man who squatting on a lot adjacent, looks like a superfund site. There was a camp on the Mashpee side as well, people that were there left. Tracy was back about a week ago and somebody new is there and is not sure if Dan is going to do anything abo ut it. Kris Clark asks if Tracy has had a meeting with the Santuit Preserve Management Committee. Kris Clark to arrange a meeting for him. . • Report from Farley Lewis regarding Community Preservation Committee Open Space applications – Farley reports that CPC approved an application from the Barnstable Land Trust in the amount of $1,350,000 for the acquisition of the property located at 30 & 31 Crocker’s Neck Road in Cotuit totaling 10.62 acres. This project will be eligible for a state PARC grant to the Town for purchase of a Conservation Restriction in the amount of $500,000 which could partially reimburse the CPA funding. This is currently a golf course; will it continue as a course or be used in a different way. A revision plan and operating plan will need to be formed within five years. The application for an Open Space & Recreation Consultant has been referred to the Town Manager. Letters of support from the Open Space & Conservation Committees for the Smith Creek CR have been issued and the project will be scheduled for referral to the Town Manager. • Report from Town Council Liaison Kris Clark – Kris will reach out to David Anthony, Asset Manager for the Town of Barnstable to address some of the issues that were discussed today. She will also reach out to the Santuit Preserve Committee to schedule a meeting with Tracy. She sees the winter being a great time to address these issues. MATTERS NOT REASONABLY ANTICIPATED BY THE CHAIR PUBLIC COMMENT ADJOURNMENT Doug moves. Farley seconds. All in favor, aye. The meeting adjourns at 6:17 PM. Respectfully submitted, Jennifer Engelsen Office Manager The list of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the chair, which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law .