Open Space, Natural Resources, and Trails Committee

AMESBURY By City Clerk at 6:01 pm, Dec 07, 2023 CITY HALL 62 Friend Street Amesbury, MA 01913 Amesbury Open Space, Natural Resources, and Trails Committee MEETING MINUTES July 26, 2023, 7:00 p.m. This meeting was conducted under the "Executive Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law' G.L. c. 30A, Section 20, signed on March 12, 2020. Attending: P. Frey, N. Cracknell, J. Sherwood, V. Johnson-Hall, P. Rettig 1. Call to Order - 7pm 2. Minutes from May 23, 2023 meeting: Moved, seconded and unanimously approved. 3. Communications – Welcome new OCED Director Nick Cracknell. Nick Cracknell introduced himself and described his history working for Amesbury, and also his recent work as a consultant for developers, including those working in Amesbury. In response to a question about how he will avoid a conflict of interest with his new position as OCED Director, he said that he is no longer acting as a consultant for clients working in Amesbury. OSNRT members introduced themselves. Discussion on recent foci of OSNRT – OSRP, assisting City with protecting tax- title taking properties with conservation value; helping to bring structure to decisionmaking around open space issues; managing use of ARPA funds to hire Mass Audubon to conduct management planning for Amesbury’s open spaces. Discussion on Parks and Recs Commission; N. Cracknell expressed need to rejuvenate that committee. N. Cracknell asked what OSNRT’s role was with tax- title takings; J. Sherwood explained that our role was advisory – advising on which parcels had conservation value and were worthy of Article 97 designation. 4. Chair’s Report - Land Management and Planning Update: Policies & Practices document is now final. We are now working with the City on the next phase, which covers Woodsom Farm and Town Forest. Mass Audubon has sent in a proposed scope of work so next step is for City to review this and offer comments back on scope of work. There are a lot of users and interest in what happens on those properties. OSNRT wants to explore how to solicit public input. Discussion on timing – when should public input be solicited? During management planning process, or is management plan solely identifying opportunities & constraints and then the City takes that and comes up with rules & regulations? Ideally management plan reflects multi-use aspect of properties and comes up with recommendations for how to accommodate multi-use. If there is a public input session, will need to be facilitated. What does the public like about Woodsom Farm and what does the public want to see there? At a minimum, who’s using Woodsom for what and where and when. Who decides what the priorities are for management at Amesbury’s open spaces? At Woodsom Farm / Town Forest?  Task: Talk with Bill Giezentanner about how best to address multiple uses in management goals for Woodsom Farm. Other important questions to answer: Who is using Woodsom Farm, when, and where? Who is managing multiple uses now? Who is not using Woodsom Farm (elderly, disabled, e.g.) and why? How do these voices get represented in management planning process? N. Cracknell will create user map of Woodsom Farm, and a second / list of preliminary list of concerns about Woodsom and who stakeholders are. V. Johnson-Hall and N. Cracknell to follow up with Bill G. on how to address multiple competing uses in management plan. 5. Discussion on future composition and direction for OSNRTC - J. Sherwood. To date OSNRTC has been primarily policy-oriented. With OSRP completed, MVP completed, Management Principles & Policies completed, and management planning underway for Woodsom Farm, and then Powwow Hill / Lake Garner / Battis Farm, should OSNRT shift to being more project-oriented? Taking on concrete projects instead of planning / policies. Is the current composition of the OSNRT most effective for accomplishing this? Opening up is that may be more of an opportunity to get more people involved in the City. Also OSNRTC struggle to get a quorum because of people with multiple committee obligations. It would make OSNRT more flexible and perhaps more effective to open up membership. Amesbury suffers from lack of boots on the grounds with respect to managing open space. The Committee to this point has not been boots on the ground. Since Cons Comm has $0 budget. City Councilors could be non-voting members so attendance doesn’t effect quorum. There will be a new City Council in January, so might be better to introduce change in ordinance prior to that. P. Frey said that there is a City Council sub-committee reviewing committee structure. P. Frey offered to work with Jonathan on revising ordinance. September meeting: review current ordinance establishing OSNRTC and discuss what changes should be made to broaden membership. 6. Motion to adjourn 8:35. Unanimously approved. Minutes unanimously approved October 25, 2023 by OSNRTC. Respectfully submitted, Jonathan Sherwood, OSNRTC Chair