Wallingford
Conservation Commission Minutes*
*These are
unofficial Minutes subject to the approval at the next regular meeting.
February 23, 2009
Attendees: Shannon
Pytlik, David Klock, Peter Upton, Ralph Nimtz, Tim Chila, Debbie Scranton
Guest: Anne
Miller, Anne Tiplady
(1)
Call To order
7:10
(2)
Approval of minutes
(3)
Walking Tours:
Lowell
Klock has graciously offered to print more copies of the brochure on her
printer on heavier paper. She will
submit a voucher to the committee. The
library has requested run out of brochures and has requested more copies.
Tim will also bring copies to Town Meeting. We will give more out to the
local inns, Mom’s, Sal’s and the Wallingford Locker.
Anne has volunteered to distribute.
(4)
Budget:
$500.00 has been budgeted for the Conservation Commission in the town
report this fiscal year.
(5)
Fluvial Geomorphic
Assessment of the Upper Otter Creek: The
WCC hosted a meeting in January that was well attended and very interesting.
Next step is to do landowner outreach.
The recreation area might be a good location for a demonstration project
involving plantings and invasive control along the Otter Creek.
(6)
Pedestrian bridge:
The State is putting out bids for installation of the pedestrian bridge
between the ball field and the pit.
(7)
Green Up Day:
Scheduled for Saturday, May 2. Debbie
and David have a table and canopy, Peter has the sign.
The group discussed ways to spice up the agenda but felt things were
working well the way they are.
Shannon
suggested giving out light bulbs
this year instead of trees. Anne
gets light bulbs from Aubuchon Hardware for $.99 each or perhaps we can get them
from Efficiency Vermont.
(8)
WCC Terms:
We will ask the select board to reappoint Shannon and David and then we
will have our election of officers. Anne
is interested in participating as well so we will include Anne’s name for
appointment to the committee. Ralph
and Tim are willing to act as co-chairs. Kim
will continue to take minutes and pass them to Debbie via a thumb drive for
distribution and submission to Julie.
Shannon
agreed to run as treasurer.
(9)
New Business:
·
Interpretive Trails in the pit:
We need to ask the Selectboard if we can return to our outreach efforts
at the pit (signage and trail maintenance).
·
Repaint the building at the corner of 140 and the railroad.
·
Energy Committee: Peter
is on the Rutland Regional Commission energy committee. The planning commission
is going to write a letter to the selectboard suggesting that they initiate an
energy committee. The group
needs to make a recommendation to the selectboard regarding our interest in
being the energy committee. Tim is
willing to spearhead the committee as an off-shoot of the conservation
commission. Tim is going to look
into attending an Energy Planning workshop on March 5th.
He will check with Julie to see if the town will pay.
·
Cleaning up Otter Creek and/or planting the buffer at the ball
field (including invasive control). Schedule
for a spring/summer day and combine with a bar-b-que.
·
Town Plan: The
planning commission applied for a grant that was not funded.
Anne Tiplady came to discuss the planning commissions’ attempt to
restart the town plan. They may
follow the model that was pioneered by the town of Starksboro. Anne encourages everyone to
participate.
Shannon
is willing to attend the March meeting (the 9th) to represent the
WCC and offer our assistance.
·
Better Back Roads grant:
Shannon
wrote a grant to minimize erosion on Sugar Hill and Seward Hill by installing
sediment basins, regrading the road, and installing culverts.
·
Website:
Shannon
will email the walking trails pdf to Julie and ask her to put it on the
website. We should create a
newsletter for the website.
·
We should solicit people’s email addresses at town meeting and
at green up day so we can send out information to interested folks.
·
Talks: Kim will call
Scott regarding a bat talk. Anne
suggested a speaker on Global Warming
Next meeting: March 23rd
Selectboard meeting:
7:00 pm
on March 16th
Meeting adjourned at
8:52 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Kim Blodgett
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