2018-06-18-CONCOM-min - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Mrs. Samuels has created a land management plan for the property and will be looking for official approval by the Commission at an upcoming public hearing after review and site visits by the Commission. Jeff Howry, a Lexington resident and new Steward, presented an update on his Cotton Farm orchard management plan. The plan provides an overview and estimated budget for increased fertilization of the trees through compost and mulching, introducing heritage apple varieties through the grafting of scions, and the development of an orchard steward program. The Commission had several comments for Mr. Howry as he fine tunes his plan: - Dick Wolk requested that Mr. Howry provide a more detailed timeline and budget to enable the Commission to apply for funding through the appropriate Town process. - Alex Dohan suggested to Mr.Howry that he reach out to LexFarm board/staff to participate in the orchard steward program. - Steward David Kaufman reminded the Commission that the Willard's Woods orchard areas are now defunct and all but gone due to lack of management so if there is a desire to preserve the Cotton Farm orchard, the Commission/Stewards need to be serious about it. Mr. Kaufman also suggested investigating whether there are any state programs that would subsidize or even give away new apple stock. - Chairman Phil Hamilton reiterated that the Commission is in support of a more substantial and dedicated orchard management plan and that Mr. Howry should develop a more detailed work plan and budget to allow us to fit the work into our yearly work plan and funding processes. 7:15 pm FY19 Funding Overview Mr. McCarron presented an overview of projects that have dedicated funding for FY19 and/or were funded in a previous fiscal year and are ongoing as of FY19. They include: - Meadow restoration and field edge work at Wright Farm and Willard's Woods, funded through the CPA program at Town Meeting 2017. Neither project has started yet due to wet spring weather, field conditions, and the availability of our selected contractor. - Cotton Farm Improvements Design Phase, funded through the CPA program at Town Meeting 2017 - Hayden Woods RTP Grant Project, funded through a state RTP grant that expires at the end of 2019. - Wright Farm Barn Restoration and Educational Programming Development: o Continue working with Mass Audubon educational consultants to develop a needs assessment and program ideas for the barn and property. There is limited funding remaining to complete this task. o Offer public walks, similar to the CLC Walk Series,that will be advertised through the Recreation and Community Programs Fall Catalogue; this does not require any funding and is rather intended to pique interest in the property and barn restoration project.