Town of Sutton Selectmen Meeting Minutes

Sutton Conservation Commission (SCC)

DRAFT Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Present: Henry Howell, Chair; Debbie Lang; Chuck Bolduc; Yvonne Howard; Joanna Murphy; and Bonnie Hill.

Absent:. Don Davis; Lynn Wittman; Jim Morris.

Others Present: Mark Rosenthal, Donna Catanzaro.

Call to order: Henry Howell called the meeting to order at 6:37 pm.

Previous Meeting’s Minutes: The minutes from the last meeting on November 13th were unanimously approved.

Financial Report:
Debbie sent out a spreadsheet before the meeting. The admin budget report has not yet been received. Our remaining expenses for 2024 will include secretarial expenses, and $100 for a GIS license. Here are the Bar Harbor Bank account balances as of the end of November:

  • Conservation Fund: $229,767.11 (sum of all sub-accounts)
    • Conservation Fund Unrestricted: $213,891.05
    • Sievert King Hill Gift: $14,763.08
    • Donation Holding Account: $1112.98
  • Capital Reserve: $79,649.59
  • Non-Capital Reserve: $1,000.00

Henry said that the Town Admin has issued a last call for budget changes, and asked if anyone wanted to make a change. No one did. The total for next year will be $8,871. Mowing & Plowing will be increased from $3000 to $4000. Secretarial Services will be increased by COLA. Dues & Publications will be reduced by $450, and all other line items will remain the same. The budget committee has already approved $7,000 for the capital reserve fund. The non-capital C.R. will also be allocated $1,000. Chuck will submit a reimbursement for a GIS license, and Bonnie will submit a final timesheet for secretarial services.

The Sievert Family Foundation has made another generous gift to the SCC. Chuck made a motion that the SCC vote to gratefully accept, contingent upon the acceptance by the Sutton BOS, the $2,500 gift from the Sievert Family Foundation for the following purpose:

For the management, improvement, maintenance and stewardship of the King Hill Recreational Area. Both the interest and the principal of this donation may be spent as the Conservation Commission deems to be appropriate.

The vote was unanimously in favor, and the check will be deposited into the Sievert King Hill Gift account after BOS acceptance.

Trail Maintenance and Development

Trails Advisory Committee Report

Update on the KHR donation system – The link to the SCC website will have to wait until the town website has been re-done by the vendor. Bonnie will send Chuck Crispin Fletcher’s email address as a contact person on the website committee.

KHR Penacook Path culvert rebuild/replacement – Henry has been in contact with the Mitchie Corp. and will meet with them tomorrow at 2:00 to look at the situation. Chuck will come too if he can, and they also take a look at the second culvert on Penacook Path. Mitchie is the firm doing the culvert work on Keyser St, and they have the expertise to do a watershed analysis that will meet NHDES criteria. Henry looked at the KLPA’s Watershed Based Plan proposal and said that it will not provide what we need, since it does not go into the specifics of culvert construction.

Renewal of snowmobile agreement – Chuck passed around a revised agreement with the Sutton Ridgerunners (SRR) that he prepared. It is similar to last year’s, with requirements and expectations laid out. The work requirement is lighter, since some heavy excavation work was taken care of last year. What remains is clearing culverts by hand, pruning trees, and putting up “No Snowmobiling” signs where they are needed. The trails where snowmobiling is allowed are the same as last year. Chuck is coordinating with club president Aaron Flewelling, about when they can get out there together and do the work. Henry asked who is supplying the signs, and said the SRR should pay for them. Chuck said they have some signs but might need to order more, and he will let Henry know if he needs his sign template. Chuck spoke about creating a bypass trail so the snowmobiles don’t have to go through the parking lot and over the plow’s snowbank. He said a limited number of small saplings would need to be cleared. This would be beneficial for our parking situation with the plowing. At Henry’s request, Chuck will contact Ann Payeur to get ASLPT approval. Chuck will send the snowmobile agreement to Henry to print, sign, and mail to the SRR.

Review of Intents to Cut and Logging Issues

  • None

Wetlands Review

  • Copy of “Restoration Plan Approval” letter from NHDES to C. Fox, Roby Rd, T/L# 02-020-566, File number 2024-02405.NHDES has approved the restoration plan submitted by the property owner’s hired Wetlands Scientist, Aaron Wechsler of Aspen Environmental Consultants, with certain conditions. By April 18, 2025, 2480 square feet of wetlands impacts shall be restored and/or created, monitored and managed in accordance with the Restoration Plan.
  • Joanna asked about the Planning Board’s proposed wetlands updates, and Chuck advised her to contact Peter Stanley. He said the PB is very protective of the town’s resources, and that town regulations cannot be less restrictive than the state’s.

New Business

Discuss donation of an easement on 35 acres owned by Bob Wright – Henry handed out a packet of information on this property. It abuts the the 129 acre Jeffrey property which is also being considered for a conservation easement. The two parcels together will create a conserved wildlife corridor in an area which has highest priority on our co-occurrence map of conservation value. The packet contained a criteria checklist for conservation land acquisition. Henry commented that this parcel is part of a large wooded, undeveloped ridge line and significant wetland and watershed that feeds into the Lane River in Southeast Sutton. Conserving this property would lay the groundwork for other abutting property owners to conserve land in this important habitat area. Debbie said the parcel was enthusiastically approved at the ASLPT Lands meeting and by the board. She said the conservation costs would be $7K to $10K for a survey and $5K for the stewardship fee for ASLPT. She said Andy Deegan said that ASLPT would be willing to pay for the survey if we reimbursed them later. Chuck said we need to keep careful track of what money we have committed for conservation property, and when that commitment will expire, and we should note this in a financial spreadsheet. Expired commitments can be considered for renewal. Chuck moved that we vote to expend up to $15,000 from the Conservation Fund towards the survey and stewardship fee for establishing a conservation easement on the property owned by Robert Wright, Jr, T/L# 02-319-207, to expire one year from now unless renewed. Debbie seconded, and the vote was unanimously in favor.

Annual report for Town Report – Bonnie said this will be needed soon, and she is willing to write it if people will send her ideas and pictures.

Signage at Webb/Crowell – A local hiker reported that she tried to walk down the Pond Trail at Webb/Crowell and it was impassable. If the trail is not developed yet, the signs should reflect that. Henry said there was a small sign on the post that indicated that the trail was under development, but it has evidently fallen down. Henry said that after the Stockwell donation goes through, we will have a big volunteer effort to develop and extend the Pond Trail. Joanna reported that another local walker saw people putting up game cameras at Webb/Crowell. This is not supposed to be done without the landowner’s permission. Bonnie said she will look for cameras when she and Donna do the easement monitoring there. Chuck said landowners must ask Fish & Game to remove the cameras, as they are not allowed to remove them themselves.

Report on FEMA Risk Management Process attended by Chuck Bolduc – Chuck said FEMA is re-doing its flood maps. This will have an impact on property owners in the floodplains.

Setting up an “Energy Committee” for the Town of Sutton – Henry was contacted by the Lake Sunapee Protective Association (LSPA) wanting to know if Sutton has an Energy Committee. New London has one, and they were interested in coordinating with us. Henry said it would be great if Sutton had one, and it wouldn’t have to be set up by the SCC. The purpose of such a committee is to look for ways for the town itself to conserve energy, through things like LED lights and insulation in town buildings, and solar arrays such as the one in Warner. Chuck pointed out that Warner and New London have greater energy demands than Sutton, from things such as sewage treatment. Joanna said that she talked with a group that goes around to towns and helps with this kind of thing. Hanover and Grantham were two of the towns. She will look up what the name of the group was. Henry said an energy committee also makes it possible for people in a town to get a group rate for solar installations.

Old Business

Status of dog waste station at KHR – Joanna checked the dispenser when she hiked at KHR and said there were plenty of bags. She said she did not see any full bags on the trails.

Update on Stockwell property donation – Rick Stockwell told Henry that the survey has finally been done, and he will send it to Henry. Chuck asked for confirmation that the Stockwells will secure the conservation easement before donating the land to the town. Henry said he would see that Rick understands that that is the plan.

Report on ASLPT walking tour of King Hill Reservation (KHR) – Chuck said that this was a good time, with a good turnout. 14 people hiked Hominy Pot, White Rabbit and the Felch Trail. He said the purpose was to get people outside and show some of the lands that ASLPT has conserved.

Publicity

SCC-sponsored community presentation – Bonnie said we should decide what we want the speakers to cover at the presentation, and let them know. The members indicated that both speakers have done this many times and will know what to say. She said she would put together a flyer and send it out for review. We will need the flyers for posting at places like the Post Offices. Joanna volunteered to hand them out at the transfer station. We will also need smaller versions to run as ads in the Shopper and the Intertown Record. The event will be Sunday, February 2nd at 2:00 PM, at Town Hall. A subcommittee of Debbie, Joanna and Bonnie will meet and come up with a list of landowners with large parcels who will be sent invitations to the event. Other members of SCC are encouraged to send names of candidates. Don emailed us that his neighbor on Shadow Hill Rd might be interested in speaking from the perspective of a landowner who bought a property already under easement.

Property Reviews

Property on Eaton Grange Road – Henry Howell made a motion that due to the sensitivity around property issues, the following discussion be conducted in a nonpublic session per RSA 91-A:3,II. The motion was seconded by Debbie. A roll call vote was taken, with the following commission members voting Aye: Chuck Bolduc, Henry Howell, Joanna Murphy, Yvonne Howard, Debbie Lang and Bonnie Hill. There was no one opposed. A discussion was then held.

Henry made a motion that we exit the non-public session, and Bonnie seconded. A roll call vote was taken, with the following commission members voting Aye: Chuck Bolduc, Henry Howell, Joanna Murphy, Yvonne Howard, Debbie Lang and Bonnie Hill. There was no one opposed.

Correspondence

  • Letter and check from the Sievert Family Foundation.
  • Email exchange with Julia Jones regarding the use of Town Hall for a presentation on February 2nd or 23rd.
  • Email exchanges with Brian Hotz of the Forest Society and Andy Deegan of ASLPT regarding public presentation in February on land conservation
  • Email from Julia Jones asking about the survey of the Stockwell land
  • Email from K. Cullens asking about hunting at Webb/Crowell and status of the Pond Trail
  • Forest Notes, SPNHF’s conservation magazine, Autumn 2024 issue.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 6:30 PM, at Sutton Town Hall.

Respectfully submitted,

Bonnie Hill, Secretary