Essex Conservation Commission

MINUTES

The Essex Conservation Commission conducted the regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, April 12, 2007 in Room A of the Essex Town Hall. Those members in attendance were Chair, Kay Tucker, MaryAnn Pleva, Doug Demarest, Bob Graulich and Goody LeLash.

1. Call to order.

Ms. Tucker called the meeting to order at 7:37 p.m.

2. Review and Approve March 15, 2007 Special Meeting Minutes

Ms. Tucker referenced the following change: Page 3 under Management Plan Recommendations, 4th sentence from bottom; strike "cleaned up".

Motion made by Goody LeLash to approve the Special Meeting Minutes of the March 15, 2007.

Motion seconded by Doug Demarest and passed unanimously.

Mr. Demarest commented on the remediation work which Mr. Herbert Clark has performed on his property and which was a topic of discussion during the February and March 2007 Conservation Commission meetings. Marian Staye, the Essex Zoning Enforcement Officer had inspected the site and determined that the site would need to be seeded in the spring and Ms. Staye was to have drafted a letter to that effect to the Conservation Commission. Ms. Tucker indicated that she has not yet received that letter from Ms. Staye.

Mr. Demarest noted that Judy Preston contacted him and Ms. Preston stated that she would like to address the Conservation Commission at the May 10, 2007 regularly scheduled meeting.

3. Old Business
Trail Reports and Expenditures
a. Bushy Hill Preserve

Mr. Graulich noted that clean up was done removing a good deal of the thorn bushes and clearing out around the trellis in the area of the pond at the entrance to Bushy Hill.

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Ms. Tucker commented on the deep ruts which were made during the improvement on the drainage areas. Ms. Tucker stated that those ruts need to be leveled-out and once accomplished, there will need to be placement of stone at the entrance trail.

b. Canfield Woods

Ms. Tucker stated that there will be a site walk of Canfield Woods at 10:00 a.m. on May 5, 2007 with the co-commissions of Deep River and the Land Trust.

c. Viney Hill Brook Park

Ms. Tucker commented on the fine-looking signs which Mr. Rich Helmecki created for the Turtle Nesting Area and Observation Rock.

Mr. Tucker indicated that the area in which Mr. Clark performed the clean-up work and more particularly the road between the gate and the right-of-way road which is Town owned and shared by Dennis Robida and Herbert Clark is deeply rutted down to the entrance to the wildlife meadow.

Ms. Tucker stated that there is an outcropping of rock on the trail which is in the vicinity that leads up to the turtle nesting area. Ms. Tucker indicated that if that section could be cleared around that outcropping to the observation rock trail, it would create a good area for exploration.

d. Other

4. New Business
a. Guest Winnie Olson, Report on the Gateway Commission

Ms. Olson stated that she has worked with the CT Estuary Regional Planning Agency since the inception of that Agency. Ms. Olsen noted that Gateway was created at a time when there was no coastal management and no inland wetlands agencies and as such, there was no protection for the wetlands.

Ms. Olsen stated that Gateway is comprised of eight towns; Saybrook, Essex, Deep River, Chester, Haddam, East Haddam, Lyme and Old Lyme. In 1973 the original regulations were created and since that time there have been four updates. In 1973 The Estuary staff collected and analyzed all of the zoning regulations that were in existence at that time and from those regulations the staff put together a group of basic standards. These basic standards have been written into the Essex Zoning Regulations however, Ms. Olsen stated that the "newest layer" of the Gateway Regulations which incorporates a special site plan for

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Conservation Commission
April 12, 2007

houses over 4,000 s/f of living space has not yet been adopted by the Zoning Commissions in the Towns of Essex and Old Lyme.

Ms. Olsen indicated that the Gateway Commission was initially to be funded through State money. However, there was a law suit involving Scovil Rock Crossing and when that suit was settled for one million dollars the Gateway was granted as custodian of the proceeds. A brief discussion ensued.

Ms. Tucker thanked Ms. Olson for taking the time to present to the Conservation Commission.

b. Other

Ms, Tucker commented on a proposal given by Wendy Arnold for consultative work. Ms. Arnold will place the inventories of the conservation easements on a data base. Ms. Tucker stated that there were approximately thirty-nine deeds of interest. Ms. Arnold will charge $25 per hour and she estimates that this project will take 58.5 hours to accomplish. Ms. Arnold will then review the project with Applied Geographics which will require up to an additional 12 hours to accomplish. Applied Geographics will download the information onto the Town's website for an additional $230. The total cost to the Conservation Commission will be $1,993.

Motion made by Maryann Pleva to appropriate $1,993 to cover the cost as outlined in the proposal of Wendy Arnold to mark the open space.

Motion seconded by Goody LeLash and passed unanimously.

5. Inland/wetlands Report

Mr. Graulich stated that he did not attend the IWWC meeting, however he did read the Minutes. Mr. Clark has committed to grant to the Town a piece of his land adjacent to Viney Brook.

6. Correspondence

No correspondence.

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Conservation Commission
April 12, 2007

7. Adjournment

Motion made by Goody LeLash to adjourn.

Motion seconded by Kay Tucker and passed unanimously.

The April 12, 2007 regularly scheduled meeting of the Essex Conservation Commission adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Stella C. Beaudoin
Recording Secretary

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