HORSE HILL NATURE PRESERVE

AD HOC COMMITTEE

Minutes of Monday, June 6, 2005

Courtroom at Town Hall

8:00 p.m.

Members Present: Denise O’Dwyer, Helynne Wenz, Connie Kreider, Debra Huffman, Janet Cormier, Newton Coryell, Harold Watson, Ruth Roulx, Dave McCray, Tim Tenhave

Also Present: Andy Sylvia

Call to Order: Tim Tenhave called the meeting to order at 8:03 p.m.

Announcements and Updates:

Tim Tenhave introduced Dave McCray as the new BOS representative to the committee. Dave stated that he was pleased to be associated with the committee.

Tim announced that there will be no July meeting and that he will be on vacation during the August meeting.

The start of the meeting was delayed to allow time for a trail walk/clean-up. Committee members Chris Christensen, Helynne Wenz, Denise O’Dwyer, and Tim Tenhave participated in the clean-up, as did non-committee member Andy Sylvia. They removed five bags of trash mostly from the sand pit area but report that the property is cleaner than ever. There were some shell casings, and some ATV tracks heading toward Blodgett Hill. There were many limbs in the trails, and it would be good if the committee could get permission to remove the limbs this summer.

The power line corridor is re-growing quickly with low foliage that is good for many animals. A neighbor has reported seeing deer browsing on the new growth.

Approval of Minutes: The minutes of May 2, 2005 were accepted on a vote of 8-0-2.

Open Space Consultant/Definitive Plan: Tim Tenhave informed the committee that Tim Tieperman and Walter Warren wrote a qualifications document outlining what they are looking for in an open space consultant. The document was sent to several potential candidates with a deadline for response of June 6. They will send a request for proposal to selected respondents, choose a candidate, and take the proposal to the BOS for approval. They have asked if our committee would provide a list of members’ qualifications so staff and the open space consultant would know what resources the committee could provide.

Connie Kreider asked what time frame was being considered for the open space consultant’s report. Tim responded that his impression is that they are trying to keep the process moving forward. Allowing two weeks for a response and a 120 day turn-around, the report could be completed by late fall or December.

Dave McCray stated that with the BOS meeting and agenda schedule, it would be July at the earliest and maybe August before the BOS could consider the proposal. He will bring it up to the Board as soon as possible.

Tim stated that staff is considering asking the Conservation Commission for funds to pay for the open space consultant. The Conservation Commission provided funds to buy HH, they paid for the Forester’s report, so staff is hopeful that they will provide funds for the open space consultant.

Reports from Subcommittees:

Wildlife Inventory Subcommittee – Helynne Wenz reported that the subcommittee will conduct inventories on the last Saturday morning of each month. Each member was assigned an area to observe and they will keep a log of their observations, tracking how wildlife changes over the seasons and years.

For the benefit of new member Dave McCray, Tim Tenhave explained that the Forester’s report agreed with the Master Plan’s recommendation that a wildlife inventory be conducted, so the committee formed a subcommittee to begin the task. They will submit their findings to be stored in the committee’s files at the Community Development office at Town Hall, along with all other reports, minutes, and data gathered by the committee since its inception. Dave responded that he has watched most of the committee’s meetings and has always been impressed by the committee’s work.

Harold Watson noted that he believes he saw a Pileated Woodpecker on Horse Hill property. He believes the woodpecker has been working on a pine tree near the Spaulding Trail for several months. He asked that the subcommittee keep their eyes open to make a definitive identification.

Connie Kreider, whose property abuts Horse Hill, reported that she recently saw two large moose heading into the Horse Hill property. Last October she saw three bears on the property. She is seeing more turkey, fox, and other wildlife than she has in years past. Debra Huffman offered the opinion that as more developments are built the larger animals would be expected to congregate in whatever large forested areas, such as Horse Hill, remain.

Historical Subcommittee – Connie Kreider reported that they have not met because they had a problem scheduling a conference room.

Trails Subcommittee – Debra Huffman reported that they have not met because they are still waiting for approval of the trail plan they submitted to staff last fall. She asked if the Trail Plan is officially on hold now while they await a report from an open space consultant.

Tim Tenhave reported that Ernie Buck, the Parks supervisor with DPW, called to update him on the Quarry Trail. The trail has been completed from the Wasserman Park parking lot to Naticook Road, through Conservation Commission managed property. Since this trail connects to a Horse Hill trail, he decided that it would be efficient for his crew to install both trail markers (one on each side of Naticook Road) at one time. This required naming the trail on the Horse Hill side, and staff decided to name it the Quarry Trail to maintain consistency with the adjoining trail. The trail on the Horse Hill side has been improved by an eagle scout, but it needs additional work to be up to town standards. Ernie received permission from Walter Warren to ask for the committee’s help on the trail. He would like one point person to walk the trail with him and note what needs to be done. The committee appointed Debra Huffman as the point person. Denise O’Dwyer noted that the neighbors are willing to help out with the trail.

Parking Subcommittee – Newton Coryell reported that there had been no further work done on the parking lot. He has sent an e-mail to staff to try to determine what steps can be taken to move things along.

Update from Staff: Tim Tenhave has learned that the BOS recently approved an Eagle Scout project to build a kiosk for the new parking lot.

Tim has talked to the scoutmaster to request a CD with the new map created by the last Eagle Scout project.

Questions from the Public: Andy Sylvia asked how he could officially join the committee. Tim told him to send a letter of intent to the BOS.

Comments from Committee Members: Janet Cormier reported that the Parks and Recreation committee is reviewing all town parks and has developed a review format that summarizes what is available, what needs to be fixed, accessibility issues, etc. These will be combined into a spreadsheet that can be viewed as a big checklist. This will go to Ernie Buck for consideration of potential projects. Janet suggested that the HH committee could use the same format. For accessibility issues they had professional input and are evaluating things that you wouldn’t normally think of unless you have a mobility problem. They will rotate reviewers every two years to get a different set of eyes on each property. Tim agreed that using a standard format is a good idea and asked Janet to send him the review format.

Dave McCray clarified his role on the committee as he sees it. He will be happy to help in any way he can but advised the committee that they should alert him to issues with which they would like help. They should not expect him to initiate activities on his own. He noted that he believed the committee has done a wonderful job and he is pleased to be a part of it.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:47 p.m.