HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-07-22-HATS-min HATS Minutes
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Lincoln Town Offices
Attending. Mike Rosenberg, Bedford Selectmen, Chair, Sara Mattes, Lincoln Selectmen, Elise
Woodward, Concord Selectmen, Elissa Brown, Concord Natural Resources Commission, Joyce Miller,
Lexington Conservation Commission, Peter Von Mertens, Lincoln Conservation Commission, Richard
Canale, Lexington Planning Board; Lisa Mustapich, Bedford Planning Board At 7:38 p.m. the meeting
was called to order.
Round-table discussion with local Conservation Commission representatives: There was an inquiry
regarding inter-town collaborations,projects and issues There is a project to mark the boundary that
was destroyed when the sides of Walden Pond were redone because of erosion control. There is a grant
to use a harvester, for a few weeks out of the year, for water harvesting in the Sudbury river to remove
invasives, to include buckthorn and bittersweet which wipe out whole areas and kill trees over the
course of a few years. Beavers also cause a problem, along with pesticides and issues they create.
There was a question of how much public land is managed by each town as well as how the towns
regulate conformity to bylaws. Concord has about 1,300 conservation acres and an additional 500-1,000
that have restrictions. Lincoln has about 2,000 acres owned by the town and conservation, or by a
Lincoln trust and easement. Lexington has about 1,500 acres owned by conservation. Ms. Brown
discussed the baseline in Concord for restrictions and indicated there are new written policies developed
to define a violation as well as the extent of the violation
There was discussion about the coordination with other permitting agencies and the Commissions' role
in development and redevelopment. Each town typically has 2-3 paid staff as well as field workers and
summer crews. Concord currently has a GIS expert working to map trails and bring mapping up to date.
Lincoln is addressing the issues grandfathering creates. The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, an
independent non-profit, was discussed and recommended for other towns
There was a question regarding the existence and use of zoning tools. Each town has a zoning map.
There also exists an aquifer protection overlay district in Concord, where there is a new wetlands bylaw
codifying a 25-foot no-disturb zone,protecting vernal pools and outlining fining.
Lincoln mentioned one issue is not having control over lawn companies use of chemicals especially on
properties abutting streams and lakes and water supplies It is important to develop collaborations to
discuss and probe herbicide and pesticide management and even push the issue at the legislative level to
uncover what can be done. It was agreed outreach and education are necessary as there is no way to
enforce these kinds of restrictions at this time. However, Conservation can make no use of pesticides a
condition or deeded restriction if someone comes before them with a project Each town discussed their
wetland buffers for new construction, disturb zones, vernal pools and rivers as well as enforcement of
bylaws to determining whether there are infractions, the level of an infraction and how to remedy them.
The towns use field people, rely on neighbors and correspondence to communicate issues and resolve
them. There was agreement that education is the best means to resolve issues and make progress.
Lincoln sends a GIS picture to every new homeowner with brochures to educate them about their
property and town bylaws, and sends information regularly to the realtors Realtors also check in to see
if there are restrictions when they list a property Concord will sometimes take a selective and
discretionary approach to infraction activities and also works to regulate them through the order of
conditions and the site plans.
There was a discussion of the role of Conservation in land acquisition in the towns In Bedford, this is
typically managed through the Community Preservation Commission with oversight from the
Selectmen. In Lexington, the process is overseen by Conservation. There is some tension over decisions
of what to do with acquired property. Often town government must work together to find a solution for a
piece of property that will satisfy needs of multiple boards Pursuit of uses was discussed to include
farming, affordable housing, recreation/fields, open space and agriculture Maintaining some properties
as agricultural is a top priority but there are not many properties available for this purpose. Concord has
an agricultural commission now, whose role is to manage the farm bylaw and traffic management issues.
There was a general discussion of bylaws management and other town land details to include leash laws
and off leash issues with animals Lincoln mentioned they have over 80 miles of a variety of trails and
have to manage these bylaws in certain areas of their trails It was agreed a mechanism needs to be
adopted for public education about the issues. The Massachusetts Resource Commission is a good
training resource. Ms. Brown discussed issues being faced at White Pond with erosion, animals, fish
access, the Bruce Freeman rail trail and the abutting club. Funding has been designated for the design of
the trail from Route 2 down to the street just before White Pond.
There was a discussion of the drainage issue at Crosby's corner and there is currently work with
MassHighway to get a commitment to fund the project. A contract for a land swap is in the works but
has not happened yet.
Mr. Von Mertens mentioned the need for regional collaboration and critical mass of resources to deal
with the composting issues and work effectively Space is also needed to make this work on a larger
scale The towns are interested in collaborating to make this work
The Board inquired as to the biggest challenges Conservation will face in the next 5 years. There will be
more and more marginal pieces of land subject to building and it is expected there may be stewardship
issues with land. There are minimal opportunities for development and there is concern land value will
be lost Another serious issue is how to protect certain areas from invasives and the cost involved in
doing this effectively There was a discussion of the longer-term relationship of the Conservation
Commissions with HATS to include them in the agenda distribution regularly as they are an integral
and interesting part of most HATS discussions. It was agreed the shared dialogue is important and
should occur on a regular basis. It is important to regularly reinforce the goals of the committee, which
would be beneficial to its members and town residents. Mr. Rosenberg thanked everyone for their time
and sharing of their experiences
Route 128 Corridor Coalition: This coalition includes the towns of Lexington, Lincoln, Waltham,
Burlington and Weston. The next meeting is Sept. 2 in the Weston Town Offices. Ms. Mattes will put
the corridor survey and plan on the agenda. MAPC is staffing and assisting with this work.
Unfortunately, there are data errors
Air Force Appreciation event: This event is to celebrate the presence of the Air Force in our midst.
However, as there already is a similar function on base in the fall,we will look at dates more toward the
winter. The scheduled event on base will be Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Minuteman Club. Invitations will
be sent to HATS members, selectmen, town managers and public safety officials. It would be good to
encourage attendance to continue the development of camaraderie There was a discussion regarding
Ms Mattes's experience visiting areas of the country during the BRAC process An observation which
makes our area unique is towns typically grew up around the bases but our communities preceded
existed the base by more than 200 years.
Other events: Following are upcoming events
Sept. 1 - Tops and Blues is coming back to Lowell Memorial Auditorium to give a free 90-minute show.
Invitations will be sent for that as well and base will provide assistance with travel to and from the
event.
Sept 11-12 - Concord will be celebrating its 375th birthday More information to be detailed on the
town website
Other transportation updates: Hartwell Gate will still close as follows: Aug. 4 at 10 p.m. through
Aug. 9 at 6 a.m. and Aug. 27 at 10 p.m. through Aug. 30 at 6 a.m. The public will be informed through
the newspaper and directive signs in the area. There was a discussion about the traffic concerns with
Wood Street
New business: Mr. Corcoran mentioned the new Air Base Group Commander, Col. Leslie Yike, plans
to attend the Sept. 23 HATS meeting. He suggested members e-mail topic suggestions. One suggestion
was the reorganization. On Aug. 19 there will be an active shooter exercise on base, which falls out of
the tragic experience at Fort Hood. The base will be locked down for at least 15-20 minutes, likely
around 9 a m
In early August, there will be a major deployment going out of HAFB via two large aircraft. This will
include members of the National Guard. The members discussed the importance of the community being
informed of these things to be reminded of the sacrifice others are making for our country.
The Hartwell Avenue public meeting overlay will be postponed to September Mr Canale gave an short
update on MAGIC A work plan will be circulated soon but some projects are not ready Ms Mattes last
round table meeting about public communication as extremely helpful, communication is a prionty but a
challenge with 13 towns involved.
Ms. Mattes mentioned a project, by the town of Lincoln, to provide housing for disabled veterans. The
town will provide land, adjacent to HAFB, and is looking for a partner to provide the structure and
deliver services
Future meeting topics: There was discussion regarding postponing the Finance Committee
representatives until the October meeting. There was a discussion about the sales and property tax issue
taking up time at an upcoming meeting. Mr. Rosenberg will research availability for a better meeting
day and time in order to include Finance Committee representatives
Minutes: Ms. Mattes moved to conditionally approve the March 25 minutes tentatively, contingent
upon final edits. The chair will circulate the minutes electronically for edits by the Selectmen. Ms.
Woodward seconded the motion, which was approved 3-0-0. There is no meeting in August. Therefore,
the next meeting will be Sept 23, 2010 Ms Woodward made a motion to adjourn Ms Mattes
seconded the motion The meeting adjourned at 9 32 p m