Meeting Agenda
Town of Pittsfield
Conservation Commission
Town Hall, 85 Main Street
Pittsfield, New Hampshire
NOVEMBER 13, 2006
7 PM Call Meeting to Order by Mark Wallace
CC members, Keeley, Collier, Wallace, Metcalf, Willoughby
Guests, Dana Sansom, George Bachelder, Ana Herraro, Ernesto Herraro
Moreno – can CC meet 4:30 with Moreno to open bids? Yes, we can.
Spoke with John M, is ill tonight, won’t be here.
Mark Wallace introduced Ana and explained why she was here.
Tucci overview, cleared 13-15 acres, unpermitted impacts, erosion and sedimentation
into two perennial streams and wetlands. Issued admin order and then went to AG’s
office. DES is negotiating a settlement with Tucci. Tucci has been very cooperative and
has done a good job on the property so far.
Has only been 1 year and restoration has almost been completed, except for wetland
issues.
Part of the settlement will be a separate project that he can do, that will benefit the town,
including the public.
SW – are there guidelines and is there a dollar amount that the state is looking at?
Ana – will matter in the end, but cannot speak to that now. If you give us proposals we
can assess them and then decide on what project DES approves.
SW – what kind of guidelines would there be?
Ana – cannot be something that already has violations on it. Something above and
beyond what would be required. Is it a project that will improve water quality, restore
wetlands, create some kind of a buffer to a sensitive resource, conservation land i.e.,
easements.
Dana Sansom – enhancing a town forest for public use, would that cover that?
Ana – yes
Mark Wallace – explained Dustin Barker Town Forest, apprx 40 acres, we would like a
public parking area to be able to make use of the forest, nature trails etc. Parking is not
good, no landing. Need something is safe for the public to access the forest safely.
Dana – grade is so high that it would need to be leveled out for parking.
Ana – would that require a lot of fill?
George – no, not necessarily
SW – wondering if then somebody can come in after the log landing and make a larger
landing.
LC – yes, bring that slope even more for people to be able to access etc.
Paul M – how many vehicles?
LC – 10 to 15
Dana Sansom – explained Sargent Town Forest and parking at that site. 5-8 cars would
be plenty.
Paul Metcalf – gravel or hot top?
Dana Sansom – solving the drainage problem with be a need also.
George – we used to stockpile materials in there, so you can get in there.
Mark W – can trucks can in an out?
George – yes.
Laural – Forester did say he was going to use the log landing.
George – they will haul in anything they need to get in there.
Mark W – that is about what the CC were looking at, something for first of next Spring
and next Summer.
Mark – George you had something going
George – town purchased working gravel pit – the slopes were never loamed, silt pond
was filled in, drainage goes into the river, work that is required regardless, to reclaim the
gravel pit.
Ana – that could be a problem, if it is something that the town would be required to do
anyway.
George – it was an old gravel pit, done before regulations.
Ana – when did they stop operating?
George – we take very little, we take some fill and use it for stockpiling and storage.
There is a stilt pond that fills and drains into the river, that will have to be cleaned
sometime.
Paul Metcalf – is the town exempt?
Ana – no
Discussed project choices, gravel pit or town forest?
Paul M – look more towards recreation area
Mark W – that area is a corridor right George?
George – yes, not up against it but close to.
Donna K – discussed fish and game memo
Dana – NR Conservation Service?
Ana – some funding available.
Dana – some projects are 50/50
SW – part of the land that the town wants to use for Sand and Salt, leaves many acres.
George – 100 or more total acres.
Ana – none on the River directly?
George – correct.
Dana – property owner of property next to railroad tracks would like some sort of
preservation.
SW – if in that 100 acre parcel, where there is some River access, is there potential to
build a road in for public access?
George – sand and salt shed is close to Dowboro Road , ¼ mile from the River.
SW – back to the two projects. Not sure what you want to do from here, take them and
consider them?
Mark – maybe do both?
Dana S – there is River access and we could make a road to go all the way through.
Ana – habitat creation – at location where Fish and Game sent memo about, Sludge
Storage location or potential location –
Donna – we could contact Turner Group and ask what the status is?
George – would not recommend having sludge storage at the Belcastro Pit would rather
have it at the location of the existing WW treatment facility.
Ana – are there 4 wheelers in the area of the railroad track by the gravel pit?
George – yes, they are coming from Quail Ridge. Police and Fish and Game cannot
figure out how to stop them.
SW – you need a letter from the CC listing our choices and we can list a few.
Mark W – would we need to obtain a cost estimate?
Donna – as soon as possible for the letter?
Ana – yes
SW – then what happens after that? Do we get to work with Tucci’s eng or what sort of
interaction will there be.
Ana – you would work with Mr. Tucci and his consultants.
SW – and then the state keeps track of it, monitoring etc.
Donna – like the idea of the landing and the gravel pit wildlife corridor?
Ana – yes
Paul Metcalf – how about snowmobile trails, trail through DB forest.
George – maybe just do part of the gravel pit for slope reclamation and leave the rest
alone for the wildlife.
Talked about easements – SW – if Tucci would give us an easement on the marsh area
that is behind his property that drains into major area of wetlands.
Talked about Drake Field and drainage problems, catch basin caved in and playground
equipment should get moved and trail around the park.
Mark Wallace – we would prioritize it.
Dam land site – restore land?
SW – look at Conservation Easement potential, look at conservation map.
Ana – Lori Sommer is the easement contact at DES.
Dana – thinks that if we want the CC to do “something”, you should concentrate on one
project or a few main projects. Getting one thing done and having the guy do as much as
possible he can to help, we have another thing under our belt.
Discussed drafting up formal money mgmt plan for CC funds, as per John M.
Discussed will meet next Monday and review options and draft letter to DES with
choices for projects.
Discussed all members opinions being respected and everyone being able to voice
concerns etc.
Discussed the role of the CC is not to “police” environmental issues. Rather we should
be a review board and we need to work colarboratively with other boards and town dept
heads.
PAUL MOTIONED
DK 2ND
ALL IN FAVOR