MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 18, 2000 MEETING OF
THE WILLINGTON CONSERVATION COMMISSION
MEMBERS PRESENT: Peter Andersen, Bob Bittner, Barbara Clark, Gary Griffin,
Carol Jordan, Roger Peloquin, Paul Pribula and Laurie Semprebon
The meeting was called to order by R. Peloquin at 7:20 PM. On a motion by P. Andersen/C. Jordan that passed, P. Pribula and L. Semprebon were seated for T. Treiber and B. Clark, respectively. (B. Clark subsequently arrived at the meeting.) Minutes of the November 20, 2000 meeting were approved on a motion by P. Andersen/B. Bittner.
OLD BUSINESS
Park Management Plan
G. Griffin reported that the inventory of the original Park has been completed by Connwood. The Drobney property still has not been deeded over to the town. First Selectman John Patton told G. Griffin that he has been unable to contact the Drobney’s lawyer.
Fenton-Ruby Park maintenance
B. Bittner described the work done recently by boy scouts from Troop 82. Included was clearing of brush near the bridge and in other areas along the Taylor Pond Trail. It was noted that some of the clearing that had been done near the new memorial bench was recent, had 12- to 18-inch stumps remaining and had not been done by the scouts. As the bench was also sporting a new and improved plaque, speculation arose that the clearing may have done by the plaque installers. Discussion followed regarding the appropriateness of such clearing and what response the Commission should take. Two initial courses of action were agreed upon:
1. G. Griffin will contact the Cokash family to find out if they were involved with the clearing and to explain to them the need for the Conservation Commission to coordinate maintenance and any changes that take place at the Park.
2. C. Jordan will modify R. Peloquin’s memo to the Board of Selectmen and other town boards to make it suitable for reading by the general public. The revised memo will then be posted at the Park’s information center and publicized in other ways.
Open Space Subcommittee - Easement reviews
C. Jordan reviewed recent activity of the Subcommitee. It is the opinion of the Subcommittee that the Conservation Commission does not have the expertise or resources to get involved with the drawing up of easements. Rather, they suggest a role of identifying parcels of land that might be given as easements and providing the owners of such parcels advice and guidance as to options and procedures to follow should the owners decide to become donors. C. Jordan proposed obtaining a printout from the assessors identifying owners with large land holdings. P. Andersen urged development of a strategy for using this information in a timely fashion. P. Pribula noted that a meeting is planned for March 3 for land owners contemplating easement donations. He suggested Willington large land owners could be informed of this meeting. It was agreed that the Commission will try to obtain a list of names of owners of greater than 25 acres of land as potential recipients of a letter
announcing and describing the March 3 meeting. The list, if available, will be examined at the next Commission meeting.
Capital Improvement Plan
C. Jordan described the Commission’s status with regard to the Capital Improvement Plan. We have a $6,500 balance to carry forward to 2001-02 for capital improvements at Fenton-Ruby Park. These funds might be used for, among other things, implementation of recommendations made in the Connwood resource management plan. C. Jordan will write a covering letter and respond to the request from the First Selectman.
Nominating Committee recommendations
The Nominating Committee recommended the following:
Chairman: R. Peloquin
Vice-chair: P. Andersen
Secretary: T. Treiber
Treasurer: C. Jordan
On a motion by G. Griffin/P. Pribula that passed, this impressive slate of nominees was accepted, with thanks for jobs well done.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:51 PM.
NEXT MEETING: January 22, 2001
Respectfully submitted,
Gary F. Griffin
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