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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1972-01-17-CONCOM-min.pdf /. ' TOWN OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS CONSERVATION COMMISSION ( P/ �/ MINUTES of Commission meeting of January 17 , 1972. The meeting was called to order by the Chairman, Dr. Kassler, at 8 00 p.m. , with other Commission members Mr. Cohen and Mesdames Frick, Pease and Rawls present, as well as Associate members Dr. toriedman and Mesdames Nichols and Solomon and visitors Paula Alden and Matthew C. Guy. Meeting took place in the Bird Room. Executive Session was declared between 8 and 8:10 p.m. (after which Mrs. Rawls departed due to illness) and again between 8 50 and 10 30 to meet 12 minutes with Mr. Guy and nearly an hour and a half with the Planning Board in their office, after which the meeting continued in the Bird Room. Field and Garden Club has asked that a representative of the Commission be their Morning Study Group meeting Tuesday, February 8 at 10 a.m. at the home of Mrs. Henry Merriam to talk on the Lexington conservation program in a program entitled "Local Ecology". Dr. Kassler asked Mrs. Rawls to attend. Hatch Act Implementation. Dr. Kassler talked with both the Town Manager and the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen and was assured full cooperation by all concerned Town departments on administra- tion of the Hatch Act Filling Along Bank of Vine Brook. Dr. Kassler noted that during the course of his walk along the Vine Brook with Mrs. Pease last week, he found a pile of loan alongside the brook (andsome spilled into the brook) in an area where the Town has a 50-foot channel easement. Within 24 hours after Dr. Kassler reported this to Mr. Irwin, the Building Inspector, the site had been inspected and the Building Inspector reported that the pile of loam had been placed there by the con- tractor who is building a sewer in the area. The contractor will remove the loam and clean up the brook where it spilled as soon as possible. Environmental Concern Committee is the name agreed upon for a new subcommittee of the Commission. Mrs. Solomon reported that she, Mrs. Greene and Dr. Friedman has met earlier in the day to dis- cuss form and function of the Committee. They recommended that the Committee work in 4 or 5 task forces: (1 ) Water Pollution and road salting, (2) Recycling and waste disposal (3) Air P01- 1u-tion and insecticide spraying and (4) Scenic Pollution. A possible fifth group could be formed to work on educational pro- grams. Another topic not specifically assigned was noise pole, lution. The purpose of the Environmental Concern Committee would be to coordinate the efforts of existing groups and to encourage new activities where needed. Agreed that announcement of the new group should begin with the CLC meeting on Thursday and that recruitment efforts should begin as soon as possible. Affirmed that Dr. Friedman and Mrs. Solomon should be Co-Chairmenp and that this Committee will work under the direction of the Commission. l Conservation Commission Minutes 1/17/72 Page 2 Great Meadow is among the topics to be discussed with the Planning Board later in the evening. Mrs. Frick explained that the pos- sibility of, a golf course has not been eliminated, but this is the only other land-use of the Great Meadow besides its present wildlife preserve status. Possible Ford Foundation Grant Proposal could be developed from Mrs. Nichols' envisioned map overlays - showing soil types, watershed outlines, topographical lines, house lots and Town easements as well as open space. A detailed proposal should await further checking with the Town Engineer' s and Planning Board' s offices. Question raised on the availability and scale of the Planametric and Photogrammetric maps, which should be ready shortly as a result of last year' s aerial survey of the Town. Dr. Kassler will look into this. Land Acceptance Committee. In a letter from the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, it was requested that the Commission ap- point two representatives to the Land Acceptance Committee, one of whom should be spokesman. Agreed that Dr. Kassler and Mrs. Frick should so serve, with Mr. Cohen as a backup in case one of them cannot attend a meeting. Napping Conservation Lands. Dr. Kassler asked Mrs. Pease to co- ordinate efforts to set up guidelines to name conservation lands. Others on this committee will be Mrs. Rawls, Mr. Smith and Dr. Kassler. Dr. Kassler pointed out that the entire Commission will be making final decisions on actual names. Minutes of January 10. 1972 were amended, to be approved completely in the next meeting. Dr. Kassler requested that corrected minutes be submitted to him before distribution Conferences. Past and Future. Dr. Kassler reported that he had met with Mr, Cataldo, Town Manager O' Connell and Anne Scigliano last week and that the Appropriations Committee would like to meet with the Commission (with maps) within the next two weeks. Request for meeting with the Commission also received from Spaulding and Slye Corp. , who with Mark Moore Homes of Lexing- ton have proposed condominium and elderly housing off Bedford Street. Deeding of land for conservation has also been proposed. Recommended time Monday, January 24, at 8 00 p.m. (confirmed) . Opinions of Value for 1972 articles have been requested, from Selectmen' s Appraisals Fund. from the Commissi Deed Recordation regulations of HUD have been requested/ by Town Manager. Mobil Station Proposal on Bedford Street-Tophet Swamp will receive official hearing on February 10. Mrs. Pease showed plans borrowed from the Planning Board. Among problems foreseen were the removal of peat for the insertion of fuel storage tanks and the encasement of the brook, which would be extending a cul- vert (under Bedford Street) already deemed inadequate by the �ry Conservation Minutes 1/17/72 Page 3 Located within the Shawsheen River Watershed (See DNR 2/12/72 U.S. Department of Agriculture, / the terrain was described as letter mucky. Anne Scigliano, Editor of the Minute Man, has informed the Commission that she would like to walk the area with Mrs. Pease. Conservation Goals. The addition of phrases "needless destruction of topography" and "against pollution of sight and sound" was re- commended by Mrs. Nichols. Members of the Commission said these are good wordings and could be used in verbal expansion and ex- planation of the "Goals" and could be incorporated in the text when the Commission next considers revising the document. Frick Tropeano Land off Worthen Road near Vine Brook. Mesdamea/and Pease reported on their walk-tour of the area between the Vine Brook and Captain Park Arms on which Mr. Tropeano proposes to build houses and has presented a preliminary plan. The walkers found the most muck and wetness as well as flowing water along the southern side of the property where a ditch divides Mr. Tropeands land from the deep lots fronting on Grapevine Avenue. Several ditches with water flowing from the direction of Grape- vine Avenue were also discovered, as well as a wet area on Mr. Tropeano' s land between where he proposed to build a cul-de-sac road and the apartments. Wettest of all were lots 5 and 6 on the tentative subdivision plan. Commission suggested a 100-150 foot set- back from all watercoxtes.Also mentioned was the possibility that the Planning Board could invoke a requirement that the builder set aside land for park purposes temporarily (this legal power of Planning Boards has been used in Concord and other Towns but not in Lexington) . The Meeting adjourned at 11 15 p.m. The next Commission meeting will be Monday, January 24, at 7 45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, A /004.4.0_ Mrs. Erna S. Greene Secretary to the Commission