CPC Meeting Minutes
Community Preservation Committee Meeting Minutes
Town Hall – January 11, 2021
Sturbridge, MA
At 7:00 pm the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) Chair called the meeting to order. In attendance: Penny Dumas (PD), Ed Goodwin (EG), Kadion Phillips (KP), Jeff Adams (JA), Ed Neal (EN), and Barbara Search (BS). Kelly Emrich (KE) arrived at 7:03.
Guest: Jeff Bridges (JB), Town Administrator; Tom Chamberland (TC), Trails Committee
This meeting was held remotely pursuant to Governor Baker’s March 12, 2020, Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law, and the Governor’s March 15, 2020, order imposing strict limitations of the number of people that may gather in one place. The meeting was held via the GoToMeeting application and available for public access via the Town’s on demand video broadcast, on cable television, or by telephone access during the meeting.
Joanne Everson, CPC Clerk, read an introduction to the virtual meeting. PD read the meeting agenda and introduced those in attendance.
Approval of Meeting Minutes
No meeting minutes to approve.
Trails Committee Proposal
EN moved the motion to raise and appropriate up to $24,000.00 of CPA General Fund Balance for the purpose of funding trail construction, including bridges, materials, supplies, permitting, equipment and labor, on the following properties; Leadmine, Plimpton, Long Pond, Heins, and Riverlands; KP seconds. Motion accepted 7-0-0.
Roll call vote:
BS, yes EG, yes KP, yes EN, yes JA, yes
KE, yes PD, yes
EG moved the motion to raise and appropriate up to $11,000.00 of CPA General Fund Balance for the purpose of updating and revising the 2012 Recreation Trails Master Plan; EN seconds. Motion accepted 7-0-0.
Roll call vote:
BS, yes KE, yes EN, yes KP, yes EG, yes
JA, yes PD, yes
TC explained the funding requests for Fiscal Year 2022:
$8,000.00 for one 10-day “hitch” of trail construction services by the Student Conservation Association (SCA) on the Leadmine property;
$8,000.00 for trail construction, including bridges, materials, supplies, permitting, equipment and labor for the Seven Ridges Trail on the Leadmine property;
$5,000.00 for trail construction and improvement, including materials, supplies, equipment, permitting and labor for trails on the Plimpton property;
$3,000.00 for trail construction and improvement, including materials, supplies, equipment, permitting and labor for trails on the Long Pond, Heins and Riverlands properties;
$11,000.00 to update and revise the 2012 Recreation Trails Master Plan (the Conway School proposal).
He explained the details for each section of the proposal:
The SCA is asking for two “hitches” to work on the remote trails on the Leadmine property as the program was unable to run last summer due to the Covid shutdown. The funding was approved at the 2020 Annual Town Meeting but was not used.
The Seven Ridges Trail needs a stream crossing in a remote portion of the property; TC added that the scarcity of lumber has driven costs up and he estimates that it will cost $5,000.00 for the bridge alone.
The Plimpton property trails require continuing work; the Trails Committee has identified one or two sites needing culverts or bridge structures.
Heins and the Riverlands properties have miscellaneous needs and the Long Pond property is in need of a gate.
The Conway School will reopen in the fall of 2021 and TC said that they are looking for projects for the students; he added that the price stayed the same but he added some additional funding for miscellaneous expenses and for printing the final report.
PD questioned whether the articles should be separate or put together. Discussion followed and it was decided to separate the Conway School proposal and to have the trails and bridge construction proposals together in a separate article. BS asked what the Conway School is; TC explained that it is a graduate school in Northampton with a Master’s Degree program in Environmental Land Use Planning.
TC updated the CPC members on the progress of other trail grants:
Construction for the Riverlands parking lot and first 2,000 feet of trails has begun with the DPW starting to clear trees.
ST-1 trail on the Riverlands has been approved by the Board of Selectmen and will be ready for a Request for Proposals and will go to bid for construction this summer.
Grand Trunk Trail in Westville (from 2005) will go out to bid in late spring or early summer.
PD stated that the work on the trails is commendable especially during the past year. TC stated that the people counters on the trails are totaling between seven and eight thousand “hits” per month.
Street Beach Engineering Update
JB apologized for not having a proposal for the meeting, but he expects one for the next meeting. He said the plan is for the Town to formally abandon Streeter Road to G&F Industries and to allow new access to the beach.
Informational Update, 80 Leadmine Road
PD stated that the land owner, Sherri Pelski (SP), is interested in conserving the land and has talked with Opacum Trust and the Massachusetts Wildlife and Fisheries Division. She added that SP is interested in knowing what the CPC members think of her property. PD added that she will ask SP if the committee members can walk the property and would recommend that SP get an appraisal so she can make a proposal to the CPC.
Other Topics
EG asked about the Belanger property; JB stated that the Town is still trying to resolve the issue through negotiation and he expects the Board of Selectmen to determine their direction at the end of January.
Next meeting will be announced at a later date once the scheduling can be determined.
EN moved the motion to adjourn; KE seconds. Motion accepted 7-0-0.
Roll call vote:
BS, yes KE, yes EN, yes KP, yes EG, yes
JA, yes PD, yes
Meeting adjourned at 7:56 pm.
/jme