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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDraft Minutes - 081125 August 11, 2025 Planning & Development Department 367 Main Street, Hyannis, MA 02601 – Phone: 508-862-4678 Open Space Committee Minutes August 11, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTION OF MEMBERS Chair Malakhoff calls the meeting to order at 5:30 PM with an introduction of members: Also present is Kyle Pedicini, Assistant Director of Planning & Development; Kris Clark, Town Council Liaison; and Genna Ziin o, Administrative Assistant. 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 • July 14, 2025 – Dave Gorrill moves to approve the minutes. Tracy Pratt seconds. Vote: Aye: Lev Malakhoff, Farley lewis, Liz Lewis, Elissa Crowley, Anne Rowland, Tracy Pratt, Cate Gulliver, Dave Gorrill Nay: None TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION New Business • Open Space & Recreation Plan (OSRP) Kyle Pedicini shares the draft schedule for the OSRP update (document entitled “Open Space & Recreation Schedule.” He says they’ve received more than 80 responses to the survey as of last week. They’ve done social media posts, a press release, Town Talk, flyers, and there are hard copies at the libraries and community centers. They are having an open house on Thursday, August 28th at 6 PM, which will be a brief intro of the OSRP and why it’s important, plus activities of “build your own park” and sticky note prompts. There will be live Spanish and Portuguese interpretation. There will be a stakeholder meeting September 4th, 9-10:30 via Zoom, which will include more specific questions from the consultant to prompt discussion on feedback for goals and objectives. Chair Malakhoff and Doug Payson will attend. A second public meeting will be sometime in October to present a draft action plan/objectives. They are still in initial data collection with the survey closing Sunday. They will also be recording the open house so it’s available for those who can’t make it. Chair Malakhoff hopes the consultant will read the minutes or watch the committee’s recent meetings to include their comments. The Chairman asks whether there will be a quorum issue is multiple members attend the open house. Kyle Pedicini will look into it. The group discusses the activities planned for the meeting. Member Present Absent 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 Dave Gorrill X • Open Space Forum planning Chair Malakhoff announces that the date for the forum is Monday, September 29, from 5:30-7 PM in the Hearing Room. It will be recorded. Mark Robinson of the Compact and Kelly Grant of Barnstable Land Trust will be speakers. The next step is to design the agenda and flyer. The Chairman will do the welcome. Kelly Grant says she can do a mapping exercise. Liz Lewis thinks Mark Robinson or Janet Milkman of BLT could find a landowner to speak. Farley Lewis thought it was going to be educational for the general public learning about open space. Chair Malakhoff says maybe in his opening remarks he can include generalized information. Kelly Grant says she will share a set of slides they’ve created about the benefits of conservation. Councilor Clark says CPC Chair Lindsey Counsell shared that residential development always costs the town more than open space. Ms. Grant says they have data to support that that she can plan to share at the forum. Councilor Clark says at Town Council level there is concern over taking land off the tax rolls. In terms of the mapping exercise, Chair Malakhoff would like to keep it general but have someone available to drill down more. Ms. Grant says she can also walk through one of BLTs recent CRs as a case study of that process. Councilor Clark requests to book the Selectmens Conference Room for the forum date, so someone can be available with a laptop in case anyone is interested in looking up their own addresses. Councilor Clark would like the forum to address that once a parcel is acquired for open space, the effect on its neighboring parcels is beneficial, with a financial bump to their home values. Ms. Grant has data she can share on that. Doug Payson says there was an opportunity for smaller parcels for pocket parks in Hyannis or multi-use paths to make connections. Councilor Clark suggests emailing suggestions to Kyle Pedicini. • Fall Walking Weekend: The group discusses date options and decides on October 17-19. Old Business • Centerville Cranberry Bog: Anne Rowland reports that there is no news. Residents around the bog continue to want to stop the sale of the bog. Councilor Clark adds that it’s her understanding that the fault isn’t with the town but rather the seller to follow the law. There’s a cloud on the title. Anne Rowland suggests the Committee contact the Town Attorney. Chair Malakhoff says he can put in the request again. Councilor Clark says developing a policy for dispensing Chapter 61A properties can be added to the OSRP as one of the advances made since the last plan. • Potential property acquisitions: None • Update on Cummaquid Woods: Chair Malakhoff shares an update from Marie Rizzo that the properties were bought by developers, so the process has been terminated. • Update on outstanding Conservation Restrictions: Kelly Grant says the latest correspondence from Legal’s Tom Larosa was fresh edits to Harju. Amaral needs a new site plan so was set aside. Those two will most likely have to go back to the state to get approval. • Update – Pathways update including walking library, Trailhead Signs, and Geocaching: Chair Malakhoff says after looking at the Pathways Plan itself and the town code, the plan says, “The route may change in response to evolving implementation efforts.” He would like to move forward with updating the plan. Staff was concerned that if there were changes in routing, it would have to go back before Town Council, but he doesn’t think that’s the case. Farley Lewis says it was discussed at the last meeting that it was meant to be a walking trail and would have to make a shift to a multi-use clause—so that might need to be discussed farther. Doug Payson says mountain biking and cross-country skiing were in the original plan. He thinks it needs to be maintained that it’s passive recreation on the Cape Cod Pathways Trails. “Passive recreation” will need to be defined for the plan. Councilor Clark says she looked up the ecode and it says, “The OSC shall be responsible for implementing and promoting the approved Cape Cod Pathways Plan within the Town of Barnstable, including but not limited to promoting and advising on the tow n’s walking library.” She adds that the overarching authority for this committee is advisory, so they don’t have the power to tell staff what to do but can make recommendations or suggestions. She will look into it further. • Report from Tracy Pratt Regarding Santuit Preserve: Tracy Pratt reports that it’s very dry and the pond water has gone bad, cyanobacteria. He thinks there are a couple people living out there. • Report from Farley Lewis regarding Community Preservation Committee Open Space applications : Farley Lewis reports that they met July 21. They received an application from BLT requesting $307,500 for open space funds to preserve a retired cranberry bog at 301 Parker Road, West Barnstable ($615,000 total purchase price). They will apply for a partnership grant to help fund it. The CR would go to the town. CPC sent it back to BLT for a second appraisal. Kelly Grant says they’re hoping it’ll be ready for the September CPC meeting. It could connect to the blue trail and the red trail. Ms. Lewis adds that Smiths Creek Conservation closing will be scheduled once docs are issued from Land Court. The Cotuit Highlands CR request has been appropriated at the June 5 Town Council public hearing. They received a letter of intent for trail signage on town-owned signage anticipated for September. BLT will be submitting their application on the Monteiro project. Kelly Grant says the Mill Pond Preserve property is now waiting for Legal comments on the CR and then they will be bringing it to this committee. • Report from Town Council Liaison Kris Clark: None MATTERS NOT REASONABLY ANTICIPATED BY THE CHAIR PUBLIC COMMENT ADJOURNMENT Farley Lewis moves to adjourn. Tracy Pratt seconds. Vote: Aye: Lev Malakhoff, Farley Lewis, Liz Lewis, Doug Payson, Elissa Crowley, Anne Rowland, Tracy Pratt, Cate Gulliver, Dave Gorr ill Nay: None Meeting adjourned at 6:34 PM. DOCUMENTS USED AT THIS MEETING • July 14, 2025 minutes • Document entitled “Open Space & Recreation Schedule” • Document entitled “conservation options workshop agenda_21June2025” • Document entitled “Cummaquid Woods Update from Marie Rizzo” Respectfully submitted, Genna Ziino, Administrative Assistant Further detail may be obtained by viewing the video via Barnstable Government Access Channel on demand at www.town.barnstable.ma.us