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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-06-18-CONCOM-min TOWN OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS CONSERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES Monday June 18, 2018 6:30 P.M. Parker Room, Town Office Building 1625 Massachusetts Ave Commissioners Present: Phil Hamilton, Alex Dohan, Ruth Ladd, Dick Wolk Others present: Jordan McCarron, Conservation Stewardship Program Coordinator; Conservation Stewards Holly Samuels, Don Grant,David Kaufman, Tom Whelan, Laurel Carpenter, Jeff Howry 6:30 pm Chairman Phil Hamilton opened the meeting at 6:35 pm and turned the floor over to Jordan McCarron, Conservation Stewardship Program Coordinator. Stewardship Report: 2018 Project Updates Mr. McCarron presented to the Commission a status update on 2018 stewardship projects. The highlights included: - 200' of Hayden Woods RTP Grant boardwalk built with combination of Stewards and corporate volunteer workdays;project on schedule to conclude in the spring of 2019. - Joyce Miller's Meadow restoration complete. More wildflower restoration work at the site planned for Fall 2018 in partnership with Grassroots Wildlife Conservation. - Idylwilde Garden Expansion nearing completion and should be complete and ready for gardening by early July. - Minuteman Technical High School Students engaged in deer browse monitoring data collection at Cranberry Hill. Will be a multi-year project in conjunction with Harvard Forest. Exclusion fencing areas will be installed in a couple areas in addition to the one the students described to the Commission at a previous meeting. - Edible native plants installed at Daisy Wilson Meadow by Girl Scout silver-award recipients; part of larger trail improvement and invasive plant removal project permitted by Commission in 2015 and spearheaded by Stewards Bonnie Newman and Steve Wallis. - New split rail fence around Hennessey Barn and corral-style gate at the end of Robinson Rd installed in early June; gives the property a more pastoral, charming feel. Holly Samuels, Lead Steward at Cataldo Reservation, gave a short update on her ecological restoration work at the property. Holly will begin using herbicide on select species using a cut and paint technique. Additionally, she capitalized on multiple Steward and high-school work days to remove a large amount of invasive woody debris from the property throughout the spring. She reported that her planting efforts have been mostly successful as well. 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. FY20 Funding Request Priorities Discussion Mr. McCarron led a discussion with the Commission and Steward on possible funding priorities for FY20;both Mr. McCarron and Conservation Administrator Karen Mullins will need to submit paperwork for any FY20 funding requests as soon as September of this year. The following funding possibilities were presented by Mr. McCarron for discussion: Willard's Woods cart path restoration and/or land management/site plan. The stone dust cart path/bike path at Willard's Woods connecting Brent Rd with North Street is in need of repair/restoration. Mr. Kaufman has requested its repair for many years now. Mr. McCarron reported that the conservation office has received multiple requests from residents asking for the path to be upgraded. However, Mr. McCarron suggested that having a larger land management and site plan completed for the property first may be better than upgrading the cart path as it currently exists without a comprehensive site plan. - Mr. Hamilton agreed with this sentiment and suggested that the Commission may want the existing bike path to be made accessible. - Mrs. Dohan pointed out that the cart path and parking area on North Street don't align currently; she also pointed out that the existing bike path dumps users onto Brent Rd and North Street, neither of which have sidewalks or safe access for bikers/pedestrians. - Ruth Ladd agreed with both Mr. Hamilton and Mrs. Dohan and suggested that a management plan for the property would help the Commission determine what works best for the community before making a huge investment to upgrade the existing path. - Mr. Kaufman reminded the Commission that there is an old management plan for Willard's Woods on file completed by him sometime in the late 1980s/early 1990s that could at least be used for reference. The Commission agreed that funding for a land management/site plan for Willard's Woods should be a priority for FY20 funding. Wright Farm Barn Restoration and Educational Programming Development Alex Dohan reported that it will probably take $5 million to renovate the barn for the purpose of housing educational programming and other events. Mrs. Dohan and Mrs. Mullins are working with the Mass Audubon educational consultants to put together at least two more community forums for the fall. Mrs. Dohan reported that specific funding requests for FY20 may include: - Structural improvements to stabilize the barn - An engineering/site plan for the entire property - Completing the LMP that Jeff Collins at Mass Audubon began in 2014 (there is funding remaining for this). This project will require more discussion by the Commission to determine which specific items should be prioritized for FY20 funding. Parker Meadow ADA Trail Construction Funds Mr. McCarron reported that conservation staff have not had any luck securing a design firm for the project; design funds were secured through the CPA program in 2014. Mr. Hamilton said that it should be a priority of the Commission's to get the design work done but that we should not seek construction funding until that has been completed. Mr. Hamilton reminded the Commission that there is a constituency in Town, notably the Town's Commission on Disability, Parker Meadow trail users and the greater Stewards community, that are invested in this project. Alex Dohan suggested contacting the ADA trail developer used by Mass Audubon. The Commission agreed that completion of this work needs to be a priority. Trail Connection from Community Center to Upper Vine Brook/Cotton Farm Mr. McCarron reported that a trail connection from the Community Center to Upper Vine Brook/Cotton Farm via the newly acquired Lexington Children's Place property on Pelham Rd had been brought up at numerous Stewards meetings and Greenways Corridor Committee planning meetings over the past several months. - Mr. Hamilton reported that there are major wetland/vernal pool issues in this area. - Mrs. Dohan commented that due to the wetland resources along this route,there would be great potential to create an interpretive educational trail. - Both Mr. Wolk and Mrs. Ladd added that, while the Commission is supportive of this concept,the Lexington Children's Place property is only now being developed and it is too soon to apply for any specific funding for this project. The Commission agreed that, while staff should not seek funding for this project in FY20, staff should have this project on their radar and should start having the right conversations to make this a future reality. Greenways Corridor Committee Priorities Update Mrs. Dohan reported that she, Keith Ohmart, and Mike Tabaczynski have had several meetings with conservation staff and assistant town manager Carol Kowalski in order to plan for both the funding and staffing needs of the buildout and maintenance of the ACROSS Lexington system. Mrs. Dohan reported that possible funding needed by the GCC may include: - Additional staff to maintain non-conservation trails and/or further funding for conservation staff to maintain all trails in Town, not just conservation trails. Mrs. Dohan added that an official definition of a"Town Trail" is needed in order to understand what the overall trail maintenance needs for the Town are. - Survey/legal work as needed for future ACROSS development. Mrs. Dohan concluded that the GCC will continue working with staff to determine what, if any, funding will be required for FY20. Dunback Meadow Community Garden Restoration Mr. McCarron reported that once the Dunback Meadow Community Garden is officially closed this fall,the Commission should prioritize the removal of the garden and restoration of the wetland at that site. Mr. Hamilton agreed that this should be a priority not only for environmental reasons but also out of respect for the gardeners who are being forced to relocate their gardens due to the Commission's concerns about the wetland at the site. Mrs. Ladd agreed and added that the invasive plant pressure is likely high at the site and so time is of the essence. The Commission agreed that the cleanup of the site could likely be done as a Stewards project but that conservation staff should pursue funding in FY20 for the restoration of the site and potentially the entire meadow area along Allen Street, not just the garden site;the entire meadow along Allen Street is heavily overgrown with bittersweet and other woody invasive plants. David Kaufman concluded the meeting by asking the Commission to consider working with two of his former neighbors on Burlington Street to purchase portions of their respective lots as Conservation Land contiguous with Turning Mill Pond Conservation Area. Mr. Kaufman asked Mr. Hamilton to reserve money in the FY20 budget for survey work on both properties; both parcels contain primarily wetland and are undevelopable. Mr. Hamilton suggested that, while the parcels would likely never provide any visitor access, there is value in preserving them. Mr. Hamilton told Mr. Kaufman that the Commission would consider his request. Mr. Wolk motioned for the meeting to be adjourned; Mrs. Ladd seconded the motion. Mr. Hamilton adjourned the meeting at 8:30 pm. Respectfully submitted, Jordan McCarron Conservation Stewardship Program Coordinator