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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDraft Minutes 031323 March 13, 2023Planning & Development Department 367 Main Street, Hyannis, MA 02601 – Phone: 508-862-4678 Land Acquisition and Preservation Committee Minutes March 13, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTION OF MEMBERS Vice Chair Farley Lewis calls the meeting to order at 5:33 p.m. Also in attendance is Genna Ziino, Administrative Assistant; Gordon Starr, Town Councilor ; Kris Clark, Town Council Liaison (arrived late); and Alicia Messier, GIS Coordinator. NOTICE OF RECORDING Please note that this meeting is recorded and broadcast on Channel 18. In accordance with MGL Chapter 30A §20, I must inquire whether anyone is taping this meeting and if so, to please make their presence known. APPROVAL OF MINUTES February 13, 2023 – Cate Gulliver moves to approve the minutes. Phyllis Miller seconds. Vote: Aye: Phyllis Miller, Anne Rowland, Cate Gulliver, Farley Lewis Nay: None (Administrative note: the Committee did not have a quorum so despite the vote, the minutes are not approved.) TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION New Business  Presentation by Janet Milkman, Barnstable Land Trust, regarding requested approval of three conservation restrictions located on Commerce Road in Barnstable, known as Lots 13, 14 & 15, Bowles Field Janet Milkman shows the Committee maps of the lots and nearby conservation land.1 Councilor Kris Clark joins the meeting at this time. Ms. Milkman says these are the final 3 parcels of a decades-long effort to conserve what used to be a 100-acre farm. Lot 14 and 15 will be donated to BLT, and lot 13 will be purchased. What she is asking this Committee to do is review and approve the CR for those two lots. The goal is to leave the field and the view to the harbor open. There will be a small trail for public access on lot 14, as requested by the family . This is not meant to be a destination—it is for habitat and view protection. They have received approval for funding from the CPC and a state conservation partnership grant; the rest of the money raised is from private donors. The intent is to potentially use the front part of the field for cultivation and propagation of native seeds in partnership with the Native Plant Trust. It has been used agriculturally before. Because there is not a quorum, the Committee can’t take a vote but they render consensus and will request Chair Canedy write a letter of approval. Councilor Starr asks if public access is required and if so, how they plan to stop people from wandering. Ms. 1Link to Janet Milkman’s maps: https://itlaserfiche.town.barnstable.ma.us/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=874492&dbid=0&repo=TownOfBarnstable Member Present Absent Ann Canedy – Chair X Farley Lewis – Vice Chair X Phyllis Miller X Elizabeth Lewis X Douglas Payson X Elissa Crowley X Anne Rowland X Tracy Pratt X Cate Gulliver X Milkman says it is required, and they will have a bench at the end of the public access path. They might put a piece of split rail, and are also going to let the grass grow high. The group discusses the Native Plant Trust.  Discussion about proposed Walking Library GIS Coordinator Alicia Messier is present to discuss this item’s status. She explains that GIS is in the midst of a large remapping project—it is taking longer than expected, which is impacting her ability to provide accurate maps for the Walking Library. She has been able to complete 3 maps so far. Farley Lewis requests a map of Bridge Creek Conservation Area. Ms. Messier says she can work on that, but asks that the Committee keep in mind that loops could potentially change as a result of the remapping. Farley Lewis asks Ms. Messier to forward as much current information as she can, so Ms. Lewis can continue working on her spreadsheet. Alicia Messier says she also wants to add something to each map that shows that it’s specific to the LAPC Walking Library. The membe rs are fine with that. The group discusses details of the remapping process and the reasoning behind it. They also discuss trails that cross towns and organizations and how those trails will be handled. Ms. Messier wants to know if there are any requested changes on the maps she provided.2 She doesn’t receive any feedback. Councilor Clark asks if it’s possible to put up street signs in the woods for the old names of the roads (for example, “Old Neck Road”) for safety reasons for people who might get lost. Alicia Messier says she can bring that up to Conservation, but she can’t speak to whether they will be able to take it on. Alicia Messier assures that in her conversations about the remapping process, the need for marking trails was noted. Councilor Clark explains that this request was part of the Committee’s wish list and was included in the Open Space and Recreation Plan, but it has been languishing. Farley Lewis says she will be collaborating to reblaze the Bridge Creek area with AmeriCorps in June. They will be using red blazes, which is the color that’s there now. Alicia Messier says that’s fine—there was no plan to change red blazes. Ms. Messier says she will keep the Committee informed about the status of this, and at her meeting with Conservation will ask Ed Hoopes about his comfort level regarding involving committees. She also mentions that she never had a chance to go back to the Meetinghouse Road area to map the interruption in the trail. She will talk to Councilor Clark about that separately.  Report from Chair regarding letters of support for consideration of acquisition of land in West Barnstable for water protection purposes Farley Lewis provides an update: Chair Canedy has been working on this and the CPC is going to recommend it. Councilor Clark says she contacted Town Manager Mark Ells, who recommended she speak to other councilors about it. He said he will bring it to Town Council leadership. Councilor Clark invites people to contact their Town Councilors to explain that this is not to benefit West Barnstable residents but rather to ensure a rare opportunity to acquire undeveloped land adjacent to existing conservation area poised to be one of the primary areas of future potential water supply. Another round of more robust drilling to test the quantity and quality of the water will be done. She explains other benefits of the proposal. Old Business  Update on status of outstanding Conservation Restrictions - Harju, Amaral, Prince Ave, Penn, Bowles (Commerce) Farley Lewis says Harju came back with comments from the state and is being reviewed by town staff. Amaral and Prince are at a standstill, Silvia is done, Wakeby was recorded in September, and Penn was recorded in December.  Update on proposed committee name change (to Open Space Committee) Farley Lewis relays that Chair Canedy wrote to Town Attorney Karen Nober (currently on vacation) and Town Council President Matt Levesque regarding the Committee’s proposed name change. There was a sense that there are not too many councilors in favor of open space right now, so there is pushback. It’s been recommended that CPC have an at-large member for the Open Space Committee. She is not sure of the details.  Update - Pathways Project and Trayser Bridge Construction Proposal None.  Update - Centerville Cranberry Bog None.  Update - Twin Brooks Project Cate Gulliver says they filed an appeal to Superior Court against the Cape Cod Commission.  Report from Phyllis Miller/Tracy Pratt regarding Santuit Preserve This is waiting on David Anthony. 2 Link to Alicia Messier’s map drafts: https://itlaserfiche.town.barnstable.ma.us/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=874795&dbid=0&repo=TownOfBarnstable  Report from Farley Lewis regarding Community Preservation Committee Open Space applicatio ns They are still trying to figure something out for Armstrong Kelly Park, and will discuss more at the next meeting. They approved an application from DPW requesting $999,777 for the design and installation of a new playground.  Report from Town Council Liaison Kris Clark None. MATTERS NOT REASONABLY ANTICIPATED BY THE CHAIR Farley Lewis says the Spring Walking Weekend will be May 5-7. She is trying to do a through-Barnstable 3-day hike in 3 different segments. A BLT member wants to lead a hike at Bell Farm on May 6. Councilor Clark says she will do the Old Neck walk. PUBLIC COMMENT None. ADJOURNMENT Since there is no quorum, Vice Chair Farley Lewis announces that the meeting is adjourned. DOCUMENTS USED AT THIS MEETING  Map images entitled "Brazelton site map 07052022," "Brazelton site map 07122022," and "Pages from MAPS"  Map images entitled "4cs_working," "ch_working," and "santuit_working" Respectfully submitted, Genna Ziino, Administrative Assistant Further detail may be obtained by viewing the v ideo via Channel 18 on demand at http://www.town.barnstable.ma.us