UNAPPROVED
MINUTES OF THE BETHANY CONSERVATION COMMISSION, Sept. 14, 2017
Present:
Bruce Loomis, Brian Eitzer, Cathy Rives, Matthew Popp, Patricia Winer
Absent:
Shaukat Khan
The
meeting was called to order at 8:03. Approval of the August minutes was the
first order of business. Patsy moved to accept them, and Bruce seconded with
two corrections. In paragraph five "as part for" should be "as
part of", and "Darrylyn" should be spelled "Derrylyn."
The minutes were approved as amended.
Bruce
asked for nominations for Chair, as we had not acted on this at the last two
meetings. Matthew nominated Bruce, and Patsy seconded. The vote was unanimous.
Bruce agreed to accept the position.
There
were no bills. In correspondence there was a thank you letter from Evan
Whitman, one of the BCS students who received a conservation award from the
commission, and a letter from CACIWC asking the commission for the annual dues
for membership. Brian moved to pay the annual fee, and Matt seconded. The
motion passed unanimously. Brian then moved to reimburse any member who attends
the annual conference, and Bruce seconded. All were in favor.
We
discussed the joint meeting with P&Z that took place before their September
meeting. Members thought we made progress in impressing them with our concerns.
These included the process of referring applicants to the Conservation
Commission for discussion of their proposals for open space, the subject of
waiving the requirement for open space and the issue of how strongly to press
for a fee in lieu if the applicant does not want to set aside land. P&Z
will include consultation with the Conservation Commission on their checklist
for applicants. The first test will be Mr. Woodward's new application for a
subdivision on Mesa Drive. P&Z must refer him to us even though the
Commission will conclude that he does not need to set aside additional land,
since the set aside for the whole parcel has already been made.
There
was a discussion of the traffic sign issue. Bruce and Patsy brought the other
members up to date on the Selectmen's meeting of September 11, where Derry
Gorski said the selectmen will evaluate the signs and will have another meeting
where the public can have input.
We
discussed the COY charities list and the criteria for an organization to be on
it. It should be Bethany based, should be the end user of the money and should
be a conservation oriented organization. There was a consensus that there
should be a cash award. There will be further discussion of the criteria and of
which organizations should be on the list at the next meeting.
The
issue of the open space appendices was tabled.
Brian
brought up the issue of moving the Quinnippiac Trail at the end of Downs Road
as requested by the Regional Water Authority, as he is now the local
representative for Bethany. The Commission discussed the location but without
having a detailed map of the trail. There were no serious objections.
The
meeting was adjourned at 9:05. Brian moved to adjourn and Matt seconded.
Unanimous approval.
Respectfully
submitted,
Patricia
Winer, Secretary Pro Tem
