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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDraft Minutes 031124 March 11, 2024 Planning & Development Department 367 Main Street, Hyannis, MA 02601 – Phone: 508-862-4678 Open Space Committee Minutes March 11, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTION OF MEMBERS Chair Ann Canedy calls the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m. Also in attendance is Kris Clark, Town Council Liaison, Janet Milkman, Director of Barnstable Land Trust, and Genna Ziino, 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 February 12, 2024 – Doug Payson moves to accept the minutes. Tracy Pratt seconds. Vote: Aye: Ann Canedy, Farley Lewis Doug Payson, Elissa Crowley, Anne Rowland, Tracy Pratt, Lev Malakhoff Nay: None TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION New Business: • Review, discussion and possible approval of Amaral (Old Colony), Harju, and Prince Avenue Conservation Restrictions - Janet Milkman, Barnstable Land Trust Janet Milkman walks through the 3 CRs the Barnstable Land Trust (BLT) for which BLT is seeking approval. BLT is the holder of the 3 CRs so they will be monitoring to ensure no prohibited uses are happening on the property. The first is 71 Harju Road, Centerville. It is part of the 35-acre Lumbert Pond Conservation Area. It is entirely within the rare species core habitat biomap and is in a wellhead protection zone. Chair Canedy asks what major changes have been made to the CR since Town Council first reviewed it years ago. Ms. Milkman says the changes were to make the CRs consistent with the new state model, mostly language and style updates. There’s a trail system through this area, with public access. Lev Malakhoff moves to recommend approval to Town Council and the Conservation Commission. Farley Lewis seconds. Vote: Aye: Ann Canedy, Farley Lewis Doug Payson, Elissa Crowley, Anne Rowland, Tracy Pratt, Lev Malakhoff Nay: None Member Present Absent Ann Canedy – 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 Lev Malakhoff X 111 Prince Ave in Marstons Mills is a parcel that is owned by the town and is near the access to Prince Cove and across the street from a big piece of conservation land. The Nature Conservancy holds the CR on that conservation land. Ms. Milkman explains that there were issues with wanting to keep some land available for overflow parking for the Prince Cove boat ramp, since resolved. Lev Malakhoff moves to recommend approval to Town Council. Tracy Pratt seconds. Vote: Aye: Ann Canedy, Farley Lewis Doug Payson, Elissa Crowley, Anne Rowland, Tracy Pratt, Lev Malakhoff Nay: None 230 Old Colony Road (aka Amaral) abuts an existing conservation parcel owned by the town. It is overgrown with phragmites. Ms. Milkman explains that the intent was a kayak launch, which is an allowed use. The group discusses the viability of that option and where parking could be. Chair Canedy thinks the present value is because it’s adjacent to a conservation parcel. Doug Payson makes a motion to recommend approval to Town Council. Anne Rowland seconds. Vote: Aye: Ann Canedy, Farley Lewis Doug Payson, Elissa Crowley, Anne Rowland, Tracy Pratt, Lev Malakhoff Nay: None Chair Canedy will write a letter to the Town Council President and the Conservation Commission Chair. Chair Canedy asks to be notified when the CRs are recorded.Chair Canedy asks Ms. Milkman if there is anything else on the horizon. Ms. Milkman says the Wheeler CR should be available soon. They are closing in June; one of the CRs has been approved for local signature and the other will hopefully happen soon. Town Council has authorized CPA funding but has not approved the CR yet. The CR will also come to this Committee. Od Business • Update – Pathways update including walking library, NEMBA path project and Geocaching Chair Canedy thanks Lev Malakhoff and Farley Lewis for sending information on Crooked Cartway—she forwarded it to Alicia Messier. The Chairwoman plans to invite Ms. Messier to the April meeting. Doug Payson says he and Cate Gulliver have not yet discussed urban walkways, but they plan to. Kris Clark reached out to the Zion Heritage Museum about a legacy walk but she is still waiting to hear back. Chair Canedy suggests it could be coupled with a JFK walk. Doug Payson thinks even just the streets are of interest: pocket parks, historic locations, multi-use paths, etc. Chair Canedy says the Hathaway’s Pond trail map is missing from the Walking Library. Lev Malakhoff is thinking of using Hathaway’s Pond as a location for a geocaching introduction followed by a walk around the pond, and he has been in touch with Cate Gulliver about that. There are 3 existing caches around the pond—he is coordinating with the caretaker of those because he is hoping to launch a new geocache there for Walking Weekend. Chair Canedy relays that Grayce Rogers said the town is creating a policy about geocaching. Chair Canedy suggested Ms. Rogers look at other towns who have successfully enacted geocaching policies and include Lev Malakhoff and Cassie Medeiros in that conversation. Lev Malakhoff thinks maybe this Committee should consider drafting these types of policies and sharing them with the town. Chair Canedy says the Committee could draft a suggestion, but it may or may not be accepted. Chair Canedy asks Councilor Clark to facilitate inviting people familiar with geocaching to work through perceived issues with those drafting the policy. The group discusses the benefits of geocaching. Lev Malakhoff says Marla Colarusso is the caretaker of the Hathaway’s Pond area and is interested in the “cache in, trash out” idea. Farley Lewis lists the four walks that are scheduled for Spring Walking Weekend so far: Mark Robinson is doing the length of Cotuit walk on May 18, BLT is doing a birding walk at their location in West Barnstable on May 18 at 7:30, BLT is doing a pollinator walk with no date/time yet, and Barnstable Clean Water Coalition is doing a Marstons Mills cranberry bog restoration walk on May 17 at 10. Lev Malakhoff says he will do a college walk on that Saturday. The geocaching intro would be Sunday, May 19 at 9 a.m. at Hathaway’s. Farley Lewis is planning to send a reminder email. She sets a submission deadline of April 15. Genna Ziino will create a draft brochure. Doug Payson says Cape Cod Community College reached out about health programs and a collaboration with “Healthy Parks, Healthy People.” Lev Malakhoff says he and Doug Payson are planning an intro walk with the college’s point person. Chair Canedy suggests inviting the point person to do a Walking Weekend walk—it could be a “healthy heart” walk. Lev Malakhoff relays that the Eagle Scout project has been pushed to Legal because of the town’s concerns about liability. The group discusses the safety issues and background of the trail. Chair Canedy suggests Doug Payson and Lev Malakhoff meet with the Town Manager to see how to move this forward. Doug Payson will request a meeting and would like Councilor Clark to join. Lev Malakhoff provides an update on the signpost installation project: Terry Downey, who received the original grant from Spaulding, has written up the story of the purpose of the signage so there may be some media attention. Ms. Downey wants to get the posts back up and is hoping this education about the project will help people understand. Chair Canedy says it should be emphasized that biking is an allowed use on this trail. NEMBA met with the fire chief, who is supportive. Ms. Downey is planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon on April 13, for which Lev Malakhoff will send an invite to the group once it’s solidified. They are working with David Anthony and Grayce Rogers for that process. Doug Payson suggests notifying the environmental police about the vandalism. The group discusses that the silt fencing on the Trayser Trail has been removed to allow salamander migration. Doug Payson would like the Conservation Commission to formally close that path with signage. • Report from Tracy Pratt regarding Santuit Preserve Tracy Pratt reports that he walked the grounds a couple days ago and notes that Americorps came out recently and cut some trees. He wasn’t notified. Americorps didn’t go to the fish ladder reportedly because the steps had been washed out and it was dangerous, but he doesn’t think the steps had changed. There are issues in the big bog that he wants to discuss at the next Santuit management meeting, which is March 19. Chair Canedy relays an update from Grayce Rogers about the Santuit work that was done and that it was annual maintenance. Ms. Rogers also noted that they were unable to work near the fish ladder because of the washed-out steps and out of concern for infringing on the indigenous land there. The Chairwoman hopes to discuss the process of including Tracy Pratt again at the Santuit management meeting. They hope to find out more about the status of the fish ladder remediation plan at the meeting as well. • Update on Open Space Plan Chair Canedy will send it out by the next meeting. • Report from Farley Lewis regarding Community Preservation Committee Open Space applications Farley Lewis says the CPC has not met so she has no report. • Report from Town Council Liaison Kris Clark Councilor Kris Clark reports that Town Council has their first workshop featuring municipal water in the town. It was mostly informational, with each water district giving an overview of status. Farley Lewis heard interest in having a map to show contributing areas to the wells, which would be a good resource for this Committee as well, to see what parcels would be of use to the town. Councilor Clark says the Town Manager has had directives from past Town Councils that the town should be looking for new sources of water on existing town property so until he gets a new directive, that’s what stands . MATTERS NOT REASONABLY ANTICIPATED BY THE CHAIR PUBLIC COMMENT ADJOURNMENT Doug Payson moves to adjourn. Farley Lewis seconds. Vote: Aye: Ann Canedy, Farley Lewis Doug Payson, Elissa Crowley, Anne Rowland, Tracy Pratt, Lev Malakhoff Nay: None The list of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the chair, which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items liste d may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law .