NEWBURY CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Special Meeting Minutes March 26, 2007
Present: William Weiler, Deane Geddes, Eric Unger, Frank Perrotta, Katheryn Holmes, William Annable; Brian Hotz, Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests; Gerard Gold, Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition.
Old Business: Pillsbury-Sunapee Ridge Forest Easement Project (Evro).
Hotz detailed the progress of the project, including:
1. The Forest Society’s executive committee voted to proceed with the Evro easement and a secondary project nearby in Goshen. A deadline of May 18 has been set.
2. A purchase and sales agreement was signed March 13 between the Forest Society and North Woodlands LLC, purchaser of 845 acres owned by Evro. A copy of the P&S and a draft copy of a conservation easement deed were given to the commission.
3. North Woodlands purchased the Evro property March 21.
4. Several project transactions have to be done, including a property inspection (including bounds), a hazardous waste evaluation, a title report, settlement of the final terms of the easement, a baseline documentation report, and preparation of closing documents. Copies of these reports will be given to the commission as they become available.
5. Beginning of a major fundraising-public relations effort, including a general press release, large-donor fundraising activities, an on-site interview by a reporter from the Argus-Champion, an “NHPR Credit,” a regional fund-raising letter (April), and a public tour of the property, tentatively set for April 28, guided by Dave Anderson.
Hotz said the Evro property conservation easement being purchased by the society and Newbury was valued at $300,000. An additional $9,000 will be needed to cover carrying costs. Evro purchaser Don Clifford had to borrow money to acquire the property and will have to pay interest until he receives the $309,000 on May 18. He said the total fund-raising goal for both the Evro property and the land Clifford already owns in Goshen would be about $400,000.
Gold asked if the easement would allow development of hiking trails on the protected properties. Hotz said he thought Clifford would agree to trails.
Hotz asked the commission if it wanted him to include an agreement protecting the trailhead to the Andrew Brook Trail in the easement agreement with Clifford. The language could also cover access to the trail during any future logging activities. Weiler told Hotz to seek such language. Hotz said he would contact the owners of the two lots that contain the Andrew Brook Trail trailhead and open discussions. He said the goal would be a trail easement, but a conservation easement protecting 20 acres around the trail would be better.
Gold suggested it might be possible for Newbury to purchase a corridor similar to the one the town owns for the Fishersfield Trail.
Holmes asked if the Andrew Brook Trail had been used long enough for access to it to be grandfathered. She also noted that this was a good time to develop an alternate access via Mountain Road to both the Andrew Brook Trail and the Monadnock-Sunapee Trail.
Discussing the easement language, Hotz answered a query from Gold that it might be possible to include permission to construct a “world-class” cross-country ski course on the property. He said any development of trails would have to be non-commercial.
Geddes asked what the easement appraisal was on the Evro property. Hotz said the 845 acres were appraised at $425,000. He said the 250-acre parcel in Goshen was appraised at $50,000.
Hotz noted that as he brought the various project transaction reports to the commission, the commission would want to show them to town counsel and the selectmen.
Weiler noted that the commission would need time to hold a public hearing on the disbursement of the commission’s $200,000 contribution toward the project. Hotz said the commission should have all the necessary documents in time for the hearing and the closing May 18.
Hotz emphasized that the Forest Society would be pressed to raise its share of the easement cost, $190,000, in so short a time. He noted that such fundraising is largely an education effort and had to be done at the local level. He said word of mouth was important because the society doesn’t have time to do an extensive campaign.
Geddes praised Hotz for the effort he had put into organizing the deal to protect the Evro property.
Adjourned: Moved, Perrotta, seconded Unger, 9:15 p.m.
Prepared by: Frank Perrotta
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