The Walpolean

Minutes for the Regular Meeting of the

Walpole Conservation Commission

March 5, 2018

Members Present:

Alicia Flammia (Chair), Jackie Kensen, Lew Shelley, Kelli Wilson, Laura Hayes, John Peska (Vice Chair), Duncan Watson

Alternates Present:

Myra Mansouri, Peter Palmiotto

Members Absent:

Elaine Heleen, Gary Speed

Others Present:

Cheryl Mayberry (Selectboard Representative), Steven Dumont (Recording Secretary)

Call to Order: Alicia Flammia, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:28 PM.

Seating of Alternates: As a quorum of regular members was present, no seating of Alternates was required.

Review and approve minutes – February 5, 2018. No corrections. Lew made a motion to accept the minutes as written. Kelli seconded. With all in favor, the minutes were accepted.

Public Business:

1. Treasury: The Conservation fund has $148.89, with the rest of the money in the PDIP account. No statement this month for the PDIP account. The Forestry account has $1,502.38. The Fanny Mason Forest accounts (2) have $311,795.01 and $12,350.39.

2. Correspondence:

a. The NH Charitable Foundation gave the WCC/Alicia a check for $9,020.56, which is the annual dividend payment for the Robert Hubbard Conservation Commission Conservation fund. There is a $244,827.11 balance in the account.

b. Newsletter received from the NH DES Groundwater “Supply Lines With the Source”.

New Business:

1. Donald Rounds Jr. owns property along the Cold River, 1.2 acres, Map 26, Lot 33. He is looking to donate the land to the town as it is in a floodplain and unbuildable. Duncan Watson knows the property and will stop over to check it out. As it has river frontage it may be a nice public lot to access the Cold River for recreation.

Old Business:

1. Reservoir Dam: M&W Soils has declined to do a proposal. John is in touch with three other firms. He is waiting to hear back from Nobis Engineering. Haley & Aldrich has also declined. D&K has submitted a proposal. John would like to accept a proposal by next spring.

2. Walpole Easement Database: Laura presented a spreadsheet for review of what she has come up with so far. It includes basic GIS information from the State of NH. She also added recent easements that are not yet on the state database. Laura needs to go through the WCC files for more information. Peter would like transaction dates and levels of protection included on the spreadsheet. Also town owned property that do not have easements but may have some form of protection. Alicia would like to see a comment column added. A glossary of terms would help for people unfamiliar with the nomenclature. Alicia would also like to see a column that explains the responsibilities of parties for each easement/property. Cheryl recommends having a working and a physical version of the file. Laura will make the spreadsheet available to members for comment. It is currently in Google Docs. Laura has not yet purchased the GIS software.

3. Fannie Mason Feasibility Study: Lew is on schedule to start in April.

4. Long View Forest Walk: Alicia will check with Long View for date.

5. Bill Callahan Land Survey: Eric Peabody submitted a proposal for $2,650 to do the survey and deed work. DiBernardo Associates is getting back to Alicia. Alicia will email pricing once it arrives.

6. Town Conservation Maps: No progress from last month.

7. Garland Lumber Invoice: Garland Lumber has not paid the timber tax on their last bill. Alicia called and the invoice is sitting with their project manager. It is accruing interest. Alicia will follow up.

8. WCC Appointments: members up for reappointment still need to write letters of interest addressed to the Selectboard.

9. WCC Outing Day: Lew recommends High Blue as a good property for the outing day. Members agreed to set May 5th as a tentative date. The event is family & dog friendly.

10. Trail Work Day: Scheduled for Saturday April 28th. Lew estimates it will be about 1-1.5 hours. Lew thinks Mill Pond would be a good location.

Other Business:

1. Alicia received a call about a proposed convenience store to the left of the Walpole Veterinarian Clinic on Route 12. The applicant is applying for a special exception. There is a Planning Board meeting on April 10th.

2. Lew heard about a proposed fishing pool in Hubbard Brook. Cheryl mentioned the NH DES wants to put in a fishing ladder. Details are unknown. Lew mentioned the WCC would like some involvement or information. Cheryl will look into.

Adjournment: At 8:18 PM Duncan made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Lew seconded. Meeting adjourned.

Next Meeting: Monday, April 2, 2018 at 7:30 PM.

Respectfully submitted; Steven Dumont, Recording Secretary

Note: These are unapproved minutes. Corrections, if any, will be found in the minutes of April 2, 2018.

AGENDA
WALPOLE CONSERVATION COMMISSION MEETING
MARCH 5, 2018

Location and Time : Walpole Town Hall, Downstairs Office at 7:30 PM.

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. SEATING OF ALTERNATES

3. REVIEW and APPROVE MINUTES – February 5, 2018

4. PUBLIC BUSINESS:
Report from Chair:
A. Treasury Report.
B. Correspondence.

5. NEW BUSINESS:
A. Donald Rounds Jr. – Cold River Land Donation.

6. OLD BUSINESS:
A. Reservoir Dam Engineering Proposals – Update.
B. Town Easement Report – Update.
C. Fanny Mason Feasibility Study.
D. Long View Forest Walk – Reschedule Date.
E. Bill Callahan Land – Survey Update.
F. Town Conservation Maps – Update.
G. Garland Lumber Invoice – Update.
H. Membership Re-appointments: John Peska, Kelli Wilson, Myra Mansouri (Alternate).
I. Reminders:
a. WCC Outing Day -Spring.
b. Trail Work Day – Mid April.

7. ADJOURNMENT

Minutes for the Regular Meeting of the
Walpole Conservation Commission
December 4, 2017

Members Present:
John Peska (Vice Chair), Jackie Kensen, Peggy Pschirrer (Selectboard Representative), Lew Shelley,
Kelli Wilson, Laura Hayes,
Alternates Present:
Elaine Heleen, Gary Speed, Myra Mansouri, Peter Palmiotto
Others Present:
Steven Dumont (Recording Secretary)
Call to Order: Mtr. John Peska, Vice Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:33.
Seating of Alternates: As a quorum of regular members was present, no seating of Alternates was
required.

Review and approve minutes – November 6, 2017. Corrections; It was noted that Laura Hayes’s name was spelled incorrectly on page one and Steven Dumont’s name was spelled incorrectly on page 2. Later in the meeting, it was also noted that Mrs. Pschirrer did not “find” the information regarding what costs the WCC should cover in terms of fees for conservation easements. She wrote the memo herself. Mr. Shelley moved to approve the minutes as corrected. Mrs. Mansouri seconded. With all members in favor, the minutes were approved as corrected.

Public Business:

1. Treasury/Budget Report: Mr. Peska reported that he did not receive an accounting statement for
the account the PDIP funds went into. This will be followed up with next month. The forestry account has a balance of $64,592.34. The Conservation Fund has $148.87. A copy of the bank statements were passed around for review.

2. Correspondence:
a. Letter from the Robert Hubbard Conservation Commission Conservation Fund: the
charitable distribution rate will be lowered from 4.24% to 4% for 2018. Peter will follow up to ask why rate is being lowered, considering how well the stock market is doing.
b. The Connecticut River Conservancy is asking for donations. The Walpole Conservation Commission (WCC) has not previously donated.
c. The NH DES “Supply Lines With The Source” newsletter was distributed. Included is a profile on Mark Houghton.
d. The Monadnock Conservancy Fall/Winter newsletter was passed around.
e. NH DES Wetlands Bureau: the WCC received a letter from them denying a permit for a small culvert repair project. The project will be put off until next year.

New Business:
1. Land Donation – Bill Callahan: The selectboard has completed the two hearings and two letters
required for the selectboard to vote to accept the property. The vote will take place on December
14th. If approved, the Conservation Commission would cover the cost of the legal and survey fees
with funds from the Fanny Mason Trust Fund. The property abuts the Fanny Mason Forest.
2. Recording Secretary: Steven Dumont was introduced as the new recording secretary for the
WCC.
3. Mrs. Pschirrer introduced a memo she wrote outlining the potential policies of the WCC in
regards to the distribution of conservation monies. Mrs. Pschirrer recommends that the policies of
other Conservation Commissions be looked into as well. The memo was distributed.

Old Business:
1. Reservoir Dam: Mr. Peska visited S&W Soils in Charlestown. They are not interested in putting
together a proposal for the dam engineering work. Mrs. Flemmia sent Mr. Peska a list of
engineering firms that do this type of work. Mr. Peska will contact them. The goal is to get two or
three proposals. The funds for the repair of the dam would be taken from the Forestry Fund. Mr.
Peska spoke with Mark Houghton, who has been unable to contact Brian Fletcher, to clear the
trees/brush along the dam. It would be preferable to have Mr. Fletcher do the work in lieu of Mr.
Houghton’s crew. Mr. Speed will contact Mr. Fletcher to see if he is interested. It was mentioned
that the town of Walpole’s highway department has a new piece of equipment that may be able to
do most of the work. Mrs. Kensen proposed that the WCC fund the brush cutting of the dam, by
either the Walpole Highway Department, or rMr. Fletcher. Mr. Shelley seconded the motion. With all in favor, the motion passed.
2. Antioch University Internship: Ms. Hayes & Mr. Palmiotto noted that there has not been any
interest, but a new cycle of students is coming. If Ms. Hayes does the work, as she is on the
WCC, there will not need to be office personnel with her. Ms. Hayes may be interested but needs
to check her schedule and give it further thought.
3. Monadnock Conservancy/Neerie Easement: Mr. Peska would like to move forward and resolve
the outstanding request of $9,000 from the Monadnock Conservancy (MC) to cover costs for the
easement. It was noted that Alstead donated $4,000. It was also noted that Mr. Neerie is donating
$4,000 of his own money. Mr. Peska believes that $9,000 is a high amount for this easement. Mr.
Shelley spoke with Ryan from the MC. Ryan said that $7,500 is the flat fee, and $1,500 is for
special building rights. ⅔ of the $7,500 will be invested in the stewardship fund, and ⅓ will go
into the enforcement fund. Mrs. Pschirrer mentioned that the fees are real and based upon real
needs. Mr. Shelley made a motion to pay the $9,000 the MC is requesting. Ms. Hayes seconded
the motion. Mr. Peska noted that he thinks the full amount is excessive, and he would like to see
no more than half of that. Mr. Speed said in his opinion, $7,500 is reasonable, and that he doesn’t
believe the special building rights is the responsibility of the WCC. With Mr. Shelley’s motion
still on the table, Mrs. Kensen made an amendment to the motion to pay $7,500 to the MC. Mrs.
Wilson seconded the amendment. Mr. Shelley, Ms. Hayes and Mr. Peska approve. With all in
favor, the amendment to give $7,500 to the Monadnock Conservancy passed.
4. ARM Grant: Mr. Peska noted that the ARM Grant funding is limited due to the upcoming Route
12 expansion, and it is not worth pursuing funding for the repairs of the deficient reservoir dam.
5. Garland Lumber: Mr. Peska spoke with Mr. Speed. It seems that the cutting work that Garland
Lumber did was not cleaned up properly. They left some downed rotting trees. It was noted that
although it is unsightly, it is good for wildlife. Mr. Dumont asked if the specifications in the
forestry contract covers cleanup procedures. Mr. Peska noted that Walpole has recently switched
the Town Forester.
6. Town Forests – Long View Forest: Mr. Shelley noted that Long View Forest would like to
schedule a Rapid Forest Assessment of the Hooper Forest with members of the WCC, and would
like to hear back from members by Friday Dec. 8th. Date of the walk TBD.
7. Trail Work Volunteers: Mr. Shelley is in charge of organizing volunteers for trail work. He would
like to reschedule for March. He noted he also needs to finish the mapping. Mr. Peska has not yet
contacted the High school for volunteers. The WCC will sponsor a student from Walpole for
conservation camp. Mr. Shelley will come up with a March date next meeting for the trail work.
8. Fanny Mason Feasibility Study: Mr. Shelley is holding off until January.

Adjournment: Meeting unofficially adjourned at 8:55.
Next Meeting: Monday, January 8, 2018 at 7:30.

Respectfully submitted; Steven Dumont, Recording Secretary
Note: These are unapproved minutes. Corrections, if any, will be found in the minutes of January 8, 2018

Minutes for the regular meeting of the

Walpole Conservation Commission

Monday, August 7, 2017

Present:  Alicia Flammia, John Peska, Gary Speed, Myra Mansouri (alt.), Peter Palmiotto (alt.), Jackie Kensen, Kelli Wilson, Lewis Shelley, Cheryl Mayberry (SelectBoard representative), Elaine Heleen, acting secretary

Not Present:  Duncan Watson

Ms. Flammia, chair, called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM.

Seating of Alternates 

Ms. Mansouri was seated to achieve quorum.

Treasury/Budget Report

No Treasury or Budget reports were available.

Minutes

Mr. Peska moved to accept the minutes for the July 10, 2017 meeting as presented. Ms. Wilson seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

New Business

1. Much discussion ensued regarding trail work needed at Mill Pond and Fanny Mason and getting other volunteers to assist. Members will contact other groups such as school kids who need volunteer hours, snowmobilers, bike club, walking group, scout troops, Hooper students, Ag Dept of High School, etc.  Late fall is best for heavy work as there are less ticks.
2. Aquatic Resource Mitigation Fund Program (ARM) re: funding for dam removal/replacement through DES. Mr. Peska will contact Warren Stevens, engineer to get an estimate on time needed to assess the Reservoir Dam and cost to hire him.
3. Prioritize Town Forests for the Town Forester to assess. The Commission members recommend Fanny Mason, Hooper Forest, Reservoir Forest, Nelson, March, Burton, Watershed, Trombley, Great Brook, and Sawyer Easement.

Old Business

1. Palmiotto says that nothing has been done about the Antioch University intern project as school is just getting started again.
2. Monadnock Conservancy/ Nerrie Easement request for $9,000. The sticking point is still the Easement Stewardship Fund. Commission members remember that in the past only the cost of Surveys and Legal fees were covered; it was not the intent to cover the Easement Stewardship costs.  Shelley moved to state that going forward the Conservation Commission will only cover Survey and Legal Fees related to Easements.  No one seconded as attempts to correct the language flooded in.  Mr. Peska moved to table Mr. Shelley’s motion until the Town Attorney could review the motion and recommend the best language to correctly state the intent of the situation. Ms. Mansouri seconded Mr. Peska’s motion which passed with all in favor.
3. Mayberry will confirm that the Selectboard appointed Laura Hayes to the Conservation Commission.

Other

1. Fanny Mason trails have gotten overgrown. A feasibility study needs to be done to establish what work is needed and what it would take to have the trails cleared and completed. Shelley has done feasibility studies for other groups at around $50/hr and he estimates that the FM would take 3 days including write up.  Ms. Flammia will check with the Town Attorney on how to best avoid any conflicts of interest if Mr. Shelley is to be hired to do the study.
2. Peska has looked into the best place for the Commission’s monies. Mrs. Pschirrer, Selectboard member, has recommended a state fund that would earn better interest for the Conservation fund.  Mr. Peska made a motion to move the Conservation Fund to the State fund. Ms. Mansouri seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.
3. Additional property will be added to the High Blue Easement of 40 acres to the North of the current 260 acres with a neighbor contributing over half of the funding.

The next meeting will be Monday, September 11, 2017.

Mr. Peska moved that the meeting be adjourned at 8:45pm.  Ms. Mansouri seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Respectfully submitted,

Elaine Heleen, Acting Recording Secretary

NOTE:  These are unapproved minutes with corrections to be found in the minutes of the next meeting.

Minutes for the regular meeting of the

Walpole Conservation Commission

Monday, July 10, 2017

Present:  Alicia Flammia, John Peska, Myra Mansouri (alt.), Peter Palmiotto (alt.), Jackie Kensen, Kelli Wilson, Peggy Pschirrer (SelectBoard representative), Elaine Heleen, acting secretary

Not Present:  Lewis Shelley, Gary Speed, Duncan Watson

Ms. Flammia, chair, called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM.

Non-Public session: 

Mr. Palmiotto was seated to achieve quorum.

Treasury/Budget Report

As of 5/31/17, the Conservation Commission Fund had a balance of $97,709.77.  This includes a withdrawal of $22,880.70 which was supposed to be in the Forestry account.  The Forestry fund (with that deposit) is $64,570.75.  The Mason Expendable Trust Fund had $307,897.82 as of 4/30/17. The Non Expendable Mason Trust Fund had $12,234.23 at the end of April 2017.

Correspondence

1. NH Timberland Owners Association; still choose not to be members
2. Drinking Water & Groundwater Bureau DES newsletter
3. Reservoir Dam response letter by Mark Houghton; approved by DES
4. BSA (Tax Map/Lot: 11/47; 48) cutting approved
5. A deed was recorded in 1998 shows that the Town owns the Conservation Easement of the Hubbard property off of North Road. However, there are questions of who owns which Easements. Peska moved to allocate up to $2,000 for an internship for a grad student to create a template for an annual report of the list of the Town Conservation Easements for the Selectboard. Ms. Wilson seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Minutes

Corrections to the minutes:

1. 1^st paragraph: “hills to the river; create a corridor” add Conservation before corridor
2. 2^nd paragraph: Antioch is a University, not a College
3. 2^nd paragraph, 2^nd page: “capability to expand the town’s boundaries” should be “capability to expand the Conservation maps to go beyond the town’s boundaries”
4. New Bike Trail: change “illegal bike patch” to “unauthorized bike path” as it may not have been illegal

Mr. Peska moved to accept the minutes for the June 5, 2017 meeting as corrected. Ms. Kensen seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

New Business

1. Anne McBride from the Monadnock Conservancy is present to report on the efforts to create a Conservation Easement on the lands owned by Michael & Kathy Nerrie (owners of Distant Hill Gardens). Approximately 48 acres are in both Walpole and Alstead.  The home, outbuildings, gardens and pond will be excluded from the easement area.  The easement would include a reserved right to build a pavilion for potential school groups.  Monadnock Conservancy estimates the costs to be $18,510 and is asking for $9,000 from the WCC.      After Ms. McBride left, it was decided to table the decision until next month so that some research can be done on whether a payment to the Conservancy’s Easement Stewardship Fund is within the purview of the Walpole Conservation Commission as several members remember that it was not done in the past.
2. There have been inquiries about the vacant position on the WCC. Laura Hayes has submitted a letter of interest, Cliff Peters has not yet sent in a letter, and Steve Dumont (formerly on the Charlestown Conservation Commission) will be moving to Walpole and expressed interest.  After discussion, Peska moved to recommend to the Selectboard to appoint Laura Hayes to fill the WCC vacancy.  Mr. Palmiotto seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor. Alternate slots are available should the other two finish the requirements for consideration.
3. Repairs to the Bellows Falls Dam near Aumand Furniture have started.
4. Kensen has volunteered to monitor the Lazaro Easement as it has not yet been done.

Old Business

1. Reservoir Dam; as noted earlier, Mr. Houghton submitted the form to DES with expected improvements and maintenance.
2. Public Meeting on Route 12 expansion; expected to happen Spring/Summer 2018
3. Fanny Mason trail loop. Palmiotto moved to request proposals for finishing the trail loop pending information from Mr. Shelley.  Ms. Kensen seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Other

Sharlene Beaudry passed on June 7, 2017.  Mr. Peska moved to allocate up to $50 for Ms. Flammia to purchase a card and gift to be delivered to the Beaudrys.  Ms. Kensen seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

The next meeting will be Monday, August 7, 2017.

Mr. Palmiotto moved that the meeting be adjourned at 9:05pm.  Mr. Peska seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Respectfully submitted,

Elaine Heleen, Acting Recording Secretary

NOTE:  These are unapproved minutes with corrections to be found in the minutes of the next meeting.

 Minutes for the Regular Meeting of the

Walpole Conservation Commission

February 6, 2017

Present:  John Peska, Jackie Kensen, Kelli Wilson,  Lew Shelley, Alternate Members: Peter Palmiotto, Myra Mansouri (arrived after start of meeting); Elaine Heleen, alt (acting as secretary)

Not Present:  Tom Beaudry (Chair); Alicia Flammia, Duncan Watson, Gary Speed, Whit Aldrich (Selectboard Representative)

Call To Order:  Mr. Peska, Vice-Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM.

Seating of Alternates:  Mr. Palmiotto was seated to achieve quorum.

Review and Approve Minutes: Mrs. Pschirrer emailed a correction to the minutes: SWRPC is working with Ransom Consulting Co. not Branson. Further clarification on the issue can be found in the minutes of the Public Hearing January 26, 2017. Mr. Palmiotto clarified that Andrew Toepfer (spelling corrected by Mr. Shelley) did not ask to go through the files.  He was merely asking about the procedure if there was a possibility of going through the files. Mr. Shelley moved to accept the Minutes of the January 9, 2017 meeting as corrected.  Ms. Kensen seconded the motion.  With all in favor, the minutes were approved.

PUBLIC SESSION:

Report from Chair:

Treasury / Budget:  As of 12/31/16, the Forestry Fund is $33,628.02. The Conservation Savings Account has a balance of $88,473.75. A deposit of $1,019.14 for Lumber & Stumpage was deposited on 1/30/17.

Correspondence:

• Town & City Magazine

NEW BUSINESS:

• Barry Conservation Camp—This scholarship is given each year enable a student to attend this camp at the White Mountain National Forest during the summer. Beaudry asked Eloise Clark to recommend a student.  Ms. Kensen will follow up to see who is interested.  Ms. Kensen moved to fund this scholarship as budgeted. Mr. Shelley seconded the motion.  With all in favor, the proposal was approved.
• Presentation on Wetlands and Wetlands Permitting will be 6pm March 27 at Keene Library
• Presentation on Pollinators is available for future meeting.

Mr. Palmiotto made a motion that the minutes of the January 23, 2017 meeting attended by Mr. Palmiotto, Mr. Peska, Ms. Flammia, and Ms. Kensen be sealed because it is determined that the divulgence of this information likely would affect adversely the reputation of any person other than a member of this board. Mr. Peska seconded the motion.  With all in favor, the motion was approved.

Mr. Palmiotto made a motion to enter non-public session due to RSA 91-A:3, II(c), Personnel Issues. Ms. Kenson seconded the motion.  With all present in favor, the motion passed at 7:50pm.

Motion to leave nonpublic session and return to public session by Mr. Palmiotto, seconded by Ms. Kensen. Motion: passed.

Public session reconvened at 8:23pm.

Mr. Palmiotto made a motion that the minutes of the Nonpublic Session be sealed because it is determined that the divulgence of this information likely would affect adversely the reputation of any person other than a member of this board. Mr. Shelley seconded the motion.  With all in favor, the motion was approved.

OLD BUSINESS:

• No report is available about the DES inspection of the Reservoir Dam. Since nothing can be fixed without knowing what is expected, the issue is on hold.
• Connecticut River Watershed Council-Members are hesitant to commit money to this request. Mr. Shelley will report back next month after he researches the potential benefits.
• Terms expiring in March. Shelley has decided that he would like to continue as Full Member of the Conservation Commission.  Mr. Beaudry has chosen not to seek reappointment.  Ms. Heleen will provide a letter to the SelectBoard asking them to post his open position and the reappointment of Mr. Shelley and Ms. Heleen.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Friends of Hooper will have a Songbirds presentation in April.  Mr. Palmiotto moved to donate $50 to Chris Rimmer for the Friends of Hooper presentation.  Ms. Wilson seconded.  With all in favor, the motion was approved.

Next Meeting:  The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 6, 2017 at 7:00pm.

ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Palmiotto moved to adjourn this meeting.  Ms. Kensen seconded.  With all members in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:42 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Elaine Heleen, Acting Recording Secretary

(Note:  These are unapproved Minutes.  Any corrections will be found in the minutes of the February 6, 2017 Conservation Commission meeting.)

Minutes for the Regular Meeting of the

Walpole Conservation Commission

January 9, 2017

Present:  John Peska, Lew Shelley, Alicia Flammia, Jackie Kensen (arrived after start of meeting); Alternate Members: Gary Speed, Myra Mansouri, Peter Palmiotto; Whit Aldrich (Selectboard Representative), Elaine Heleen, alt (acting as secretary)

Not Present:  Tom Beaudry (Chair); Kelli Wilson, Duncan Watson

Call To Order:  Mr. Peska, Vice-Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:31 PM.

Seating of Alternates:  Mr. Palmiotto, Mr. Speed & Ms. Mansouri were seated to achieve quorum.

Review and Approve Minutes: Mr. Shelley moved to accept the Minutes of the December 5, 2016 meeting as presented.  Mr. Speed seconded the motion.  With all in favor, the minutes were approved.

PUBLIC SESSION:

Report from Chair:

Treasury / Budget:  The Conservation Commission Savings Account at 11/30/16 has a balance of $88,466.24. The Forestry Fund is $33,625.16. A deposit of $5,425.33 was made on 11/17 and $6,574.85 was made on 11/28.  This money will be going to the Water Company.

Correspondence:

• Comprehensive Environmental Incorporated letter about their partnership with NHDOT for the project to improve @3 miles of NH Route 12 from North Walpole to just north of the NH 12A overpass. The Department’s project website: http://www.nh.gov/dot/projects/walpole14747/index.htm

NEW BUSINESS:

• Peggy Pschirrer reports on the future possible donation of the Westberg Estate property (Map 20 Lot 65 & 66) to the town. This is the Central Plating Co property and as a brownfield is eligible for Federal funds. SWRPC in partnership with Branson Engineering did Phase II and Phase I assessments in 2015 under the impression that they had someone willing to purchase the property. This fell through but SWRPC voted at their 1/3/17 meeting to begin to clean up the property.  New requirements were added such as the test for PFCs. Lot 65 had a wastewater treatment plant for the Plating Co. and is highly contaminated with nickel, chromium, arsenic and others, therefore the soil will have to be removed. Updated tests will be done and a remediation plan will be subject to state and federal approval. Only after it is cleaned up and declared free of liability will the Selectboard move forward with the process designated in RSA 41-14B (as approved at the 2002 Town Meeting). Part of that process will be to get approval by the Conservation Commission and the Planning Board, but that is some time in the future. In October, the Selectboard will apply for 2 grants of $200,000 for each piece of property with the Town being liable for 20% of each of the grants.  Pschirrer already has pledges towards part of that 20%. After the cleanup and donation process is complete, the properties will probably be turned into parking lots as that is what is needed. Mrs. Pschirrer will return with an update and will ask at that time for a letter of support to go with the grant application.
• Walpole Town Forests Management Plan ideas can draw from the Walpole Conservation Plan of 2006 which will be made available to the Conservation Members for review.

OLD BUSINESS:

• Town Forester: Six applications for Town Forester have come in and will need to be reviewed. Mr. Palmiotto provided a list and map of Town Owned Conservation Land. Mr. Palmiotto moved  to call a special meeting on 1/23/17 @7:30pm to review the applications with notices to be posted one week prior.  Mansouri seconded the motion.  With all in favor, the proposal was approved.

OTHER BUSINESS:

• Andy Toefler would like to go through the Conservation Files to create a database of Conservation Lands including date of acquisition, easement language and terms of protection. He was told to go through the Selectboard and that he must be supervised when going through the files.
• Members whose terms are expiring include Tom Beaudry, Lew Shelley and Elaine Heleen. Beaudry will be stepping down.  Mr. Shelley will decide by next meeting.  Ms. Heleen would like to continue on the Commission.  This will be discussed at the next meeting.

Next Meeting:  The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 6, 2017 at 7:30 PM.

ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Speed moved to adjourn this meeting.  Mr. Palmiotto seconded.  With all members in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:47 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Elaine Heleen, Acting Recording Secretary

Minutes for the Regular Meeting of the

Walpole Conservation Commission

December 5, 2016

Present:  Tom Beaudry (Chair); John Peska, Lew Shelley, Kelli Wilson, Alicia Flammia, Duncan Watson; Alternate Member: Gary Speed, Whit Aldrich (Selectboard Representative), Elaine Heleen, alt (acting as secretary)

Not Present:  Myra Mansouri

Call To Order:  Mr. Beaudry, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM.

Seating of Alternates:  No alternates were needed to achieve quorum.

Review and Approve Minutes: Corrections: The Monadnock Conservancy article was not written by Mr. Shelley; he was featured in it. The next meeting date had skipped a month and should have been December 5^th.  Mr. Shelley moved to accept the Minutes of the November 7, 2016, meeting as corrected.  Mr. Peska seconded the motion.  With all in favor, the minutes were approved.

PUBLIC SESSION:

Report from Chair:

Treasury / Budget:  Mr. Beaudry did not get the November balances of the Conservation Commission Savings Account or the Forestry Account. They will be included in next month’s report. Of the budget of $6,729, the YTD amount spent was $2,392 as of 12/5/16.

Correspondence:

Mr. Beaudry received the following correspondence:

• NH Cooperative Extension will have a meeting 12/14/16 in Salisbury, NH on Forest Laws for Municipal Officers & Volunteers
• NH DES will be doing emergency repairs to a deteriorating footer (location not clear).
• Copies of 3 stumpage checks from the Water Co. lot totaling almost $11,000. The equipment is now gone so they are done harvesting. The consensus is that a good job was done.

OLD BUSINESS:

Town Forester:  The RFP (Request for Proposal) for a new Town Forester went out this morning to 4 foresters and Mr. Robarge. All proposals are asked to be in the Town Hall before 1/9/17 when they will be reviewed.

Maplewood Circle: Mr. Shelley went to look at the property and took photos.  A Red Oak does lean towards her house and a Cherry leans to her neighbor.  Nothing is an imminent hazard. He gave her the name of some people who can assess how much it would cost to remove some of her branches.

NEW BUSINESS:

Monadnock Conservancy has sent out an appeal “Keep Farming Strong in Walpole”.  Mr. Beaudry again brought up the fact that there were only 4 farms lost in the State not 19. Mr. Watson moved to deny the appeal since we have a policy of funding administrative costs when land is put into Easement.  Seconded by Mr. Speed. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

OTHER BUSINESS:

The Nerries of Distant Hill Gardens are looking to do an Easement on 37 acres with the Conservancy.  A Conservancy member will be coming to a meeting soon to ask for money to make this happen.

Mason Forest kiosk:  Some citizens are asking for signage for the Fanny Mason Annex as they were unable to find the trails. This will be taken care of in the Spring.

Next Meeting:  Because of the Federal holiday on January 2nd, the next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 9, 2017 at 7:30 PM.

Alternate Member Peter Palmiotto arrived at 8:11pm but had nothing to add or report.

ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Watson moved to adjourn this meeting.  Mr. Speed seconded.  With all members in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:12 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Elaine Heleen, Acting Recording Secretary

Minutes for the Regular Meeting of the

Walpole Conservation Commission

November 7, 2016

Present:  Tom Beaudry (Chair); John Peska, Lew Shelley, Kelli Wilson, Alicia Flammia, Whit Aldrich (Selectboard Representative), Elaine Heleen, alt (acting as secretary)

Not Present:  Regular Members:  Duncan Watson; Alternate Members:  Peter Palmiotto, Gary Speed, Myra Mansouri

Call To Order:  Mr. Beaudry, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:32 PM.

Seating of Alternates:  No alternates were needed to achieve quorum.

Review and Approve Minutes: Corrections: Under the section Maplewood Circle, the “main tree is on the” Mill Pond land not the Mason Forest land. Mr. Shelley moved to accept the Minutes of the October 3, 2016, meeting as corrected.  Mr. Peska seconded the motion.  With all in favor, the minutes were approved.

PUBLIC SESSION:

Report from Chair:

Treasury / Budget:  Mr. Beaudry reported that as of October 31, 2016, the balance of the Walpole Conservation Commission Savings Account is $88,458.97 and the Forestry Account is $21,622.97.   This includes $9,264.77 in deposits from Garland lumber.

Correspondence:

Mr. Beaudry received the following correspondence:

• Monadnock Conservancy Newsletter (includes an article by Lew Shelley)
• Connecticut River Watershed Council
  • 2016 Annual Report
  • Request to join CRWC and donate (tabled until next meeting)
• Supply Line- DES newsletter

NEW BUSINESS:

Town Forester:  A draft of the RFP (Request for Proposal) for a new Town Forester was presented. Issues of timeliness of response, attendance at meetings, and single person vs a firm were discussed. As Ms. Flammia has experience with RFPs, she has volunteered to create a draft with assistance from other members. Mr. Peska moved to have Ms. Flammia put together a RFP for the purpose of hiring a new Town Forester.  Seconded by Mr. Shelley. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

Current Use Meeting:  November 20, 2016 in the Town Hall.

2017 Budget: For last several years the WCC has held to a level budget.  Without the budget reports, no changes are expected for the next year.  Mr. Shelley moved to keep the budget for 2017 the same as the 2016 budget.  Seconded by Ms. Flammia.  With all in favor, the motion was approved.

OLD BUSINESS:

TransCanada Dam Relicensing:  There is a sale pending for all 13 dams, with tributary dams being looked at for sale purposes.

DES Inspection of Reservoir Dam:  This has already happened without notification of any Walpole residents including Mark Houghton or the Conservation Commission.

WCC Meeting –November 7, 2016- Page 2

Mason Forest kiosk:  Per Mr. Shelley, this will be at the top of the list for next spring as it will not be possible before then. Trail work will also be done at that time.

Cheshire County Conservation Annual Meeting: Attended by Alicia Flammia, Kelli Wilson, Elaine Heleen, Gary Speed, and Tom Beaudry.  The presentation on Coyotes was well done although Mr. Speed did add quiet editorial comments which were well liked by his tablemates. Eloise Clark and Rebecca Whippie were awarded Educators of the Year and did a marvelous job with their acceptance speeches. Ms. Flammia was impressed at the wide range of services and projects offered by the Cheshire County Conservation District.

Maplewood Circle: Mr. Speed is not available to report on the tree situation, but members agree that WCC cannot be responsible for limbs/branches hanging over private property. Mr. Shelley will look at the property if Mr. Speed has not done so.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Boat launch: Ms. Flammia noticed that the boat launch off Rt. 12 has a gate. It was explained that there had been damage to the property and inappropriate behavior. The gate only closes off vehicular traffic; foot traffic is still allowed.

Boy Scouts:  Adam Terrill had leftover funds of $13.00 that had been raised for his Eagle Project.  He has elected to donate it to the Conservation Commission. Mr. Peska moved to accept the $13.00 from Adam Terrill and then donate it to the Boy Scouts.  Seconded by Ms. Flammia.  With all in favor, the motion was approved.

Tools: Mr. Shelley purchased the tools as discussed in previous meetings. Mr. Peska moved to refund Mr. Shelley the $357.81 for purchase of tools for WCC.  Seconded by Ms. Flammia.  With all in favor, the motion was approved. They are currently being stored in Mr. Shelley’s garage until a locked box can be found for storage at the Town Garage.

Dairies: There was confusion from an article in the Keene Sentinel regarding the number of dairies in the state and the effects of the drought.  The Commissioner of Agriculture says that the question was asked two different ways and the wrong number was applied to the overall number of dairies in New Hampshire.  Walpole has 8 dairies which is the largest number for any town. “We do not have the largest number of cows but we do have the most dairy farms” per Mr. Beaudry.

Naming of the Falls: Per USGS, the proposed geographic name is “Great Falls”.  The WCC can approve the name, reject it or take action.  Mr. Peska moved to approve the name of the falls as “Great Falls” .  Seconded by Mr. Shelley.  With all in favor, the motion was approved.

Next Meeting:  Because of the Federal holiday on January 2nd, the next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 9, 2017 at 7:30 PM.

ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Peska moved to adjourn this meeting.  Ms. Flammia seconded.  With all members in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Elaine Heleen, Acting Recording Secretary

(Note:  These are unapproved Minutes.  Any corrections will be found in the December 5, 2016, Conservation Commission meeting.)