Conservation Commission Meeting Minutes

APPROVED

Newbury Conservation Commission (NCC)

August 24, 2021

Members Present: Katheryn Holmes, Chair; Eric Unger, Vice-chair; John Magee, Bob Stewart, Members.

Public: Andy Deegan - Land Protection Specialist at Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust

Ms. Holmes called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m.

Special Meeting:

A special meeting was called to go over the easement. Ms. Holmes distributed an overview of all the minutes from 2019 that included discussion regarding the easement. Ms. Holmes also reported that she contacted Mr. Deegan with Mr. Magee’s seven suggestions about the last easement that was sent to the Commission.

Mr. Deegan agreed to the following:

1. It will be named with the new document and date.

2. There will be no proposed trails for at least two years after the signing the easement.

3. The signage will be only on the west side of the road.

4. The parking area will be 24’ x 40’ and the Town will sign of on this on the base line documentation report.

5. There will be a 150’ buffer of the vernal pool, 150’ buffer of the stream and a 100’ of the boundary with no trails.

6. Mr. Deegan will contact the surveyor to find out why it was called Mountain Brook in the survey, and he agreed to call it West Branch North Brook.

7. Mr. Deegan will fix the spelling error in the document.

Mr. Deegan explained what the executory entrance means. This means that DES can step in if the Town isn’t keeping up with their obligations. They would need to enforce with the existing easement.

Mr. Deegan will make these edits, send the baseline tomorrow and then everyone should walk the property. Mr. Stewart asked if he could also send a copy of the survey as well. Mr. Deegan will also send the information regarding the vernal pool to Lori Sommer at DES. The next step is that we would receive approval form our Select Board and Ausbon will receive approval from DES.

Mr. Deegan will do a version to compare to the original document as well as a clean version.

Mr. Deegan said the NCC will be getting some funds back, specifically $5000 from the ASLPT fundraising and $10000 from Trout Unlimited.

Mr. Magee made a motion that provided the corrections made tonight (which include, a document with a new name and date with the new version and the name in the footer, no mention of trails for two years, signage only on the west side of the road, parking area will be 24’ x 40’ and the Town will sign off on this on the base line documentation report, 150’ buffer around the main stream, 150’ buffer around the vernal pool, 100’ around the boundary all with no trails, a name change of Mountain Brook and renaming to West Branch North Brook, and the spelling error) are made into a new documents that the easement be approved.  

Mr. Stewart seconded the motion. All were in favor.

Mr. Deegan will send the Commissioners all of the documentation, then it will be presented at the next Select Board meeting.

Mr. Magee made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Stewart seconded the motion. All were in favor.

The meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted,

Donna Long, Recording Secretary