October 23, 2017 | Town Admin Sutton Conservation Commission (SCC) Meeting Minutes Wednesday, August 9, 2017 Present: Dan Sundquist, Chair; Don Davis; Jane Williamson; Wally Baker; Chuck Bolduc; Debbie Lang; Barbara Hoffman and Bonnie Hill, secretary. Absent: Henry Howell, Chris Ashton. Barbara sat in for Henry and Debbie sat in for Chris. Members of the public present: Bob Defelice, Diane Landon, Vic Delvecchio. Call to order: Dan Sundquist called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Previous Meeting’s Minutes: A motion was made by Don and seconded by Deb to approve the minutes of June 14th, 2017, and they were approved unanimously. A motion was made by Don and seconded by Jane to approve the minutes of July 27th, 2017. Dan requested that his quote “we have been discovered” be corrected to read “we have been discovered by non-resident recreational users”. There were no other issues found with the minutes, and they were approved unanimously. Financial Report: There was a $25 expenditure for mowing Enroth. The latest bank statement from TD Bank shows a balance of $0, and Dan will investigate this troubling mystery. The previous statement, from June 30, showed $105,688.49 in the Conservation Account and $5687.47 in the King Hill Reservation account. There is still 100% of the money in the town account for supplies and expenses. Henry needs to put in for his expenses for the KRHS projects. There will be some mowing expenses in the fall. But there should still be enough money for attending conferences, if anyone would like to do so. Correspondence: SRKG Coalition quarterly newsletter, Summer 2017 issue. ASLPT’s quarterly magazine, Chatter, Summer 2017 issue. SPNHF’s quarterly magazine, Forest Notes, Summer 2017 issue. Miscellaneous solicitations. Letter announcing the Warner River designation by DES. Public hearings and a public comment period ended 7/31, and a decision about the designation will happen soon. There is trout in the river, kayaking is increasing, and the water level will need to be maintained. Water quality will be monitored. A quarter-mile wide swath on either side of the river will be considered the river corridor. There will be a Warner River Management committee, but the designation has no regulatory teeth. Sutton is not affected much, as only a small segment of the river lies in Sutton. Dan will send out a web link to provide more information about this. Review of Wetland Applications and Issues: None. Review of Intents to Cut and Logging Issues: R. O’Neil, T/L #2-508,408, Johnson Hill Rd., 45 of 76.4 acres. Dennis McKenney, forester. C & R Krajewski, T/L #9-100,067, Baker Rd., 75 of 125.5 acres. Jon King, forester. C & C Waite, T/L #6-608,249, Nelson Hill Rd, 35 of 40 acres. Jeffrey Smith, forester. R. Deschenes, T/L #2-000,140, Cottage Lane, 5 of 34.4 acres. Alex Jordan, logger. G. Prime, T/L #3-273,167, Beaver Pond Rd, 60 of 181 acres. Tim Wallace, forester. G. Prime, T/L #3-336,192, North Rd, 0.3 of 2 acres. Tim Wallace, forester. R. Stockwell, T/L #4-115,056, Roby Rd, 4 of 4.09 acres. Alex Jordan, logger. New Business Kezar Lake shore frontage ownership- Dan looked at a surveyor’s research report on Horse Beach and Smiley Grove going back to 1795. Around 1931, the ownership trail gets lost. Dan has passed the issue on to Elly, and it will go to Town Counsel. A title research company will dig into the history. Dan asked for a response by September 13th. Kezar Lake Natural Area: Discussion on work plan- Dan asked the group to list the key public concerns that emerged from the public info session, and each was discussed. Don said it should be noted that the SCC cannot solve all of the problems, but will assist in facilitating solutions. It is clear that a cooperative effort is needed between the SCC, KLPA and NSIS, with open forums. Don suggested other town agencies, including the police and highway departments, NHDOT, and Wadleigh State Park. After the minutes are approved, Dan will send them to Vic Delvecchio, president of KLPA. Area of Concern Agency to Consult Safety (cars vs. pedestrians) DOT (speed limit) Safety in the water DES (swim lines) Parking DOT, DES, Fire Dept, State Parks Bathroom DES Kiosk for lake host & educational info DES Signage DOT Boat ramp DOT Beach cleanup (volunteers?) Volunteers / Recreation Committee KLPA, NSIS Boat Trailer Parking DOT Dog Management Natural Area vs. Frontage DOT Right of Way DOT Rubble on road shoulder at beach DOT Chuck asked, what is the goal for the property, and how do we achieve it? Dan said, that is what we are trying to determine. Safety and Parking – Don said one of the first things is to see if DOT is OK with parking improvements. Dan said there are many unknowns. For example, would DOT accept head-in parking, and how much impervious surface would the DES tolerate? The application would have to be prepared by an engineer, and might incur long delays. Don said that to ease the parking situation, maybe we should consider a town ordinance for parking by permit only. Dan replied that we do not own that road, and that would create another duty for the state police. Don said that one of the state parks charges by the carload instead of per person, and this might encourage people to park there instead of parking near Horse Beach and walking to the park. Jane asked if the town has ever considered collaborating with the state park on the issue of parking, letting people park for free at the state park and walk to Horse Beach. The public would need to be educated as to the existence of this large parking area and bathroom facility. Bob Defelice said the parking area near the bridge was actually put in for the fire department. Chuck asked if we should use some of the green land for parking. This gave Dan an idea – maybe we can get money from the state instead of the town, if this parking area could be construed as a pervious pavement demonstration, and hence an educational opportunity. Water safety- Don said for swim lines, you need permission from DES. Boat ramp- Don looked up where the official state boat access is for Kezar Lake, and it is at Wadleigh State Park. Trash and Dog management- Jane said she understands people don’t want trash barrels, but what about small containers for dog waste in bags? These would be cleaned by the town. The members were of mixed opinions regarding this idea and the importance of controlling dog waste. Jane said she will make an appointment with the select board to discuss it. Bathroom- Would the town pay for maintenance? Don said a bathroom needs to be cleaned daily in the summer. Natural Area vs. Frontage- Barbara asked, what about the other side of the road? All of our attention seems to have been directed at the beach side. Wally said, besides the beach, we need to focus on the natural area. Leave it as it is, and make sure nothing encroaches on it. Next steps- Dan summed up by saying that we are hitting a threshold here; let’s get some answers from DOT and DES, then get a cooperative meeting together. He will provide a scale drawing of the parking lot, etc. Wally, Don, Jane and Barbara all expressed interest in meeting with DES and/or DOT. Dan will draw up a simple sketch plan, one for DOT and one for DES. Later in the fall we should schedule a joint meeting with both of them, plus KLPA and NSIS. We will have secret balloting on each issue – dog waste, kiosk, etc. SCC Properties and SRK Greenway Reports KHR – Don went to KHR and said Henry’s kids’ bridge is fantastic. Now we need to get the connecting trail cut. He reported that KHR is being used for target practice. Dan said the town allows hunting on that land, but would that necessarily cover target shooting? It seems to be a safety issue. Don agreed and said the thick shrubbery makes it difficult to see a shooter, especially in summer with the leaves on everything. Wally said the town would be liable if someone gets shot, and we need to draft an ordinance. Dan asked if a hearing would be required. Wally asked if there were any conditions imposed on the land by the owner when it was acquired, and the answer was no. SCC put conditions on the land that it be opened to snowmobiles and hunters. Wally thought this means we could impose further conditions if we want to. Dan will pull the file on the property to check. Trails- Jane said we need some trail work days. Enroth needs a new mailbox and some chainsaw work. Dan told her to contact Henry, as he is going to be coordinating the trail work. Dan asked Don to contact Gerry Putnam about mowing the trails at KHR. SRKG- Don reports that Dave Gardner, Sutton’s SRKG rep, is going to meet with the country club people. They may be amenable to leaving the link trail alone when they log that area. Adjournment: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:50 PM. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 13, 2017, at 6:30 PM. Respectfully submitted, Bonnie Hill, Secretary