Open Space Committee Regular Meeting January 7, 2015

OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE – SUBJECT TO APPROVAL
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES – JANUARY 7, 2015

CALL TO ORDER
First Selectman Lisa Heavner called the regular meeting of the Open Space Committee to order at 4:35 p.m. on Wednesday, January 7, 2015. The meeting was held in the Main Meeting Room of the Simsbury Town Offices located at 933 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT. In attendance was Ms. Heavner, as well as the following committee members: Ferg Jansen and Don Rieger. Staff included Hiram Peck, Director of Planning & Community Development; Gerard Toner, Director of Culture, Parks and Recreation; Jeff Shea, Town Engineer.

PUBLIC AUDIENCE
Susan Masino suggested that invasive species be included in the open space inventory. She also stated she had some concerns on the Ethel Walker parcel. Heavier trucks have been driving in the area and have destroyed some swales that diverted water off the trails. She said efforts to fix this included dumping gravel on the trail so between driving and dumping there has been changes to some trails and watercourses. She said swales (a low or hollow place, especially a marshy depression between ridges) are simple things that can make a big difference. She stated that some trails were on the verge of breakdown due to water issues.

REVIEW/ADOPT MINUTES OF OCTOBER 29, 2014
Committee members present postponed this until more members were there to review the minutes.

REVIEW/ADOPT MINUTES OF DECEMBER 3, 2014
Committee members present postponed this until more members were there to review the minutes.

OPEN SPACE INVENTORY UPDATE
Gerard Toner, Director of Culture, Parks and Recreation, explained the open space inventory. He explained the classification system, which is primarily based on maintenance. He said he looked again at the classification system, based on the last meeting.

The classification is as follows: A: mowed and/or maintained on a regularly scheduled basis. B: regular public use, periodic maintenance. C: maintenance only as needed.

He explained that A is usually mowed 2 x per year, with some more higher profile areas addressed more often. B parcels have defined trail systems and although they may not be maintained on a regular basis, issues such as clearing a trail after a storm are addresses.

Staffing issues relate to how much maintenance can be done to the properties. A property’s visibility, or if it is adjacent to the bike trail, are part of the deciding factors as to what is maintained.

There was mention of possibly selling certain properties, as well as reconciling the list with GIS data that the town has been working on. Committee member Don Rieger handed out a list he created to help with classifying the town’s open space property.

Committee members talked about adding more detail to the inventory by visiting every property. An intern was discussed as a way to accomplish this goal, but a first step would be to identifying what is known about the properties from existing information. It was suggested that part of the inventory should be indication of the presence of invasive plants.

1 OLD BRIDGE ROAD UPDATE
Town Engineer Jeff Shea updated the committee that a meeting had been held between town staff and a representative from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on the property at 1 Old Bridge Road, which the town owns, to find out about the regulatory requirements for that property. The intention for the property has not been decided at this time.

A next step was discussed in terms of taking a survey to find out what local groups and residents may favor for the property, but it was stressed that knowing from a regulatory standpoint what is possible for the property should be understood first.

MILONE & MACBROOM FOR ETHEL WALKER PARCEL UPDATE
Town Engineer Jeff Shea said a partial report was received from Milone & MacBroom with a more comprehensive one coming within two weeks. That report will contain a list of improvements in dollars, dealing with everything from the trails, invasive species, improvements needed for safety, bridging, parking areas, entry points and signage, for example. Trail surface options were discussed.

There was discussion about a trail map (printed and online) and the how to deal with bicyclists, as most of the trail system is scaled for pedestrians.

It was thought an intern might be able to help with fully understanding and identifying all elements of this parcel as well.

DISCUSSION OF FORESTRY INTERNSHIP POSSIBILITY
Staff would explore the possibility of two different interns: one for the open space inventory and another for the Ethel Walker woods property.

OTHER BUSINESS

ADJOURN
Ferg Jansen made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 5:50 p.m. Don Rieger seconded and the committee voted to adjourn.

Respectfully submitted,
Stephanie Riefe