Sutton Conservation Commission (SCC)

DRAFT Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Present: Henry Howell, Chair; Chuck Bolduc; Don Davis; Lynn Wittman; Yvonne Howard; Joanna Murphy and Bonnie Hill.

Absent: Debbie Lang; Jim Morris..

Call to order: Henry Howell called the meeting to order at 6:32 pm.

Previous Meeting’s Minutes: The minutes from the last meeting on August 14^th were unanimously approved.

Financial Report:
There were no expenditure in August. Henry said he will be submitting some invoices for around $500 for trail maintenance materials that will come out of Special Projects. There is $4420 left in the admin budget. Here are the Bar Harbor Bank account balances as of the end of August:

• Conservation Fund: $228,398.76 (sum of all sub-accounts)
  • Conservation Fund Unrestricted: $213,181.56
  • Sievert King Hill Gift: $15,217.20
  • Donation Holding Account:
• Capital Reserve: $79,649.59
• Non-Capital Reserve: $1,000.00

No balance is shown for the Donation Holding Account. The current balance was too low to avoid a service charge, so the treasurer is moving $1000 out of the Conservation Fund into the Donation Holding Fund to get around this. Once we have over $1000 in donation money in that fund, the money will be moved back to the Conservation Fund. It is all right to do this since both of those accounts are unrestricted.

Henry met with the BOS and presented his proposed 2025 operating budget. It is essentially the same as last year but with an increase in Special Projects based on inflation. After some discussion, it was decided that Mowing & Plowing should be raised to $4000. Fall mowing has been costing about $2500 per year, and we really should be mowing in the spring as well. Henry will be going back to the BOS with the revised budget. He has also requested $7000 for the capital reserve fund.

Trail Maintenance and Development

Trails Advisory Committee Report

Update on the KHR donation system – Chuck has been working with Bar Harbor Bank to get the account info he needs to update the connection with Blackbaud..

KHR Penacook Path culvert rebuild/replacement – Henry said we need an engineer and an official plan that analyzes the watershed, with respect to a 100-year storm. He said this project is very similar to what the town is doing with the Keyser St culvert replacement. Michie Corp. is doing the watershed analysis for that one. On top of the engineering work, the construction costs will bring the cost of the KHR project to as much as $20,000. We could take some of this out of the Conservation Fund, but we will need to get a grant for it. Lynn said that Nancy Glynn, our new select person, writes grants for her day job and she thinks Nancy would help us.

Chainsaw authorization for volunteers – Henry said there are 3 chainsaw workshops coming up. The NH Timber Owners Association is giving two, on September 21^st and October 19^th at Beaver Brook Association in Hollis. These are oriented to homeowners and limited to 10 people. The Forest Society is also giving one on September 26th and 27^th. Henry has given Glenn Pogust the volunteer waiver form that he uses at volunteer events, as Glenn is interested in using it for volunteers working on town projects.

Mowing at KHR – Chuck said Dave Carey will be mowing this weekend. He made a motion that we pay Dave Carey up to $3000 out of our available funds for mowing at KHR, and Lynn seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. There is only $578 left in the Mowing and Plowing account, but we have another $2000 left in the other accounts that can be used. Chuck said we can pull the rest out of the Sievert fund. Don asked about using the non-capital capital reserve, but that fund is really meant to be used infrequently, for large special projects. Chuck said that since the mowing is a regular yearly expense, it is better to take it out of the operating budget to the extent that that is possible. Chuck brought up the matter of the old ski trails which we have chosen not to mow, to keep them as wildlife habitat. He said the plan was for saplings on these trails to be cut by hand by volunteers, but that that has not been happening, and at some point we may need to resort to using a brontosaurus. Bonnie said she will try to get out there this winter to do some hand cutting.

ASLPT Foliage Hike at KHR – Henry said Jamie Wilson of ASLPT would like to do a guided hike at KHR during the week of October 14^th and asked if SCC members would like to participate. She asked him for information about trails and parking. He told her that parking is quite limited at the Hominy Pot trailhead but there is additional parking at Maple Leaf and the intersection of Kings Hill Rd and Hominy Pot Rd. Chuck said he would try to be there for the hike, and that he would coordinate with Jamie. He pointed out that that the new trail maps are not on our website, and he is going to talk with Kristi Kisler, Sutton’s website admin. Bonnie said if Chuck sends her a link to the maps, she will try linking them to the website.

Review of Intents to Cut and Logging Issues

• None

Wetlands Review

Henry brought in the container of chloride-free salt that he ordered on the recommendation of Lynn Arnold of the Perkins Pond Protective Assoc, for us to look at. It is made by the Bare Ground Company, and is effective to 10 degrees. The compound is sodium formate. The container cost $19, plus $13 for shipping. Joanna said she thinks they carry this brand at the Kearsarge Co-op in New London.

• Copy of letter from NHDES re: Notice of Complaint Received for T/L# 02-020-566, Roby Road. File # 2024-02405.
• Copy of letter from NHDES to Christopher Fox re: Reported Alleged Violation for T/L# 02-020-566, Roby Road. File # 2024-02405. The complaint alleges that wetlands have been dredged or filled without a permit.

New Business

Old Business

Dog waste at KHR’s Hominy Pot Trail and Penacook Path – Henry bought a bag of cement and will install a post at the gate to the Hominy Pot trail on which the bag dispenser can be mounted. He showed us the sign he ordered that says “Be a good neighbor – Please clean up after your dog.” A sign will also be mounted at the Maple Leaf entrance, without a bag dispenser. He said Joanna has graciously agreed to monitor the bag supply.

Update on Stockwell property donation – Henry said that the Stockwells have signed a contract with the surveyor and are now waiting for the survey to be done.

Property Reviews

Camp Wabasso – Henry read aloud the notice from the BOS announcing that an anonymous donor has offered to buy the property and donate it to the town. Chuck said that the anonymous benefactor is working with an agency to buy all of the parcels. Chuck made a motion to unseal the minutes from our Camp Wabasso-related meetings, and Bonnie seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor.

Other Properties – 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 Lynn Wittman. A roll call vote was taken, with the following commission members voting Aye: Chuck Bolduc, Henry Howell, Don Davis, Joanna Murphy, Yvonne Howard, Lynn Wittman and Bonnie Hill. There was no one opposed. A discussion was then held.

 

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

Publicity

Possible SCC-sponsored community presentation – Henry said the SCC tries to have some kind of educational public program every year. Andy Deegan of ASLPT has offered to give one on “How to Conserve Your Land”. Another option is having Doug Megyesy, a wildlife biologist from NH Fish & Game, give a presentation about turtles, which he did for the Milton Conservation Commission. Yvonne suggested David Carroll, a local turtle expert. Sy Montgomery is another interesting speaker, but would probably be hard to get. Chuck said the guided hike at KHR could be regarded as an educational event, as it will touch on wildlife, history, and land management. The group decided to go with Andy Deegan. Don said in the past when the SCC presents this information, it has sent out personal invitations to some of the landowners with large parcels, if there is someone on the commission who has a personal connection with them. The date will be some time early next year, after the holidays and before town meeting preparations. Henry said we must advertise extensively for this.

October Meeting – Henry will not be here for the meeting, so Chuck will run it, with Bonnie as backup. She will send Chuck the agenda.

Correspondence

• Letter from Commerford, Nieder, Perkins, LLC Appraisal and Assessment Services, regarding T/L # 08-369-498 (KHR). Their records indicate that our property is Posted/No Trespassing, and they need to access it. Bonnie will contact the Town Admin about this.
• Letter from ASLPT asking SCC to become a business partner. Chuck suggested we keep our regular membership for now.
• Lakeside, newsletter of NH Lakes, Summer 2024 issue..

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

Next Meeting: Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at 6:30 PM, at Sutton Town Hall.

Respectfully submitted,

Bonnie Hill, Secretary