Conservation Commission

MINUTES OF THE MEETING January 20, 2016 LACONIA CONSERVATION COMMISSION CITY Hall Room 200B Approved at the Wednesday February 10, 2016 meeting I. CALL TO ORDER : Dean Anson called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM PRESENT- Dean Anson, Deb. Williams, Assistant Chair, Lisa Morin, Mike Foote and Dick Christopher (A ROLL CALL VOTE WAS PROVIDED) ABSENT - Marnie Schulz II. REVIEW OF THE MINUTES: 1. Review of the public and non-public minutes for the January 6 , 2015 meeting L. Morin made a motion to approve the minutes as written. The motion was seconded by D. Williams. The motion passed 5-0-0. III. New Business: 1. Milfoil Subcommittee Discussion D. Anson updated the Commission (Con Com) concerning the milfoil plans for 2016. The State has agreed to pay for 40% of the milfoil eradication efforts up to a maximum of $10,000.00 dollars. S. Perley received an eradication plan from Amy Smagula, NHDES invasive aquatic species specialist. The plan calls for using Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH) and herbicides at Pickerel, Molten, and Langley Cove. The Con Com is willing to work with the proposed solution but still is very much against use of herbicides within and upstream of the Laconia Water supply. D. Anson added it was suggested herbicides could be used near the Opechee dam without an adverse impact on the water supply. Herbicides need to be applied at the dam because of the difficulty divers have in removing the milfoil from below the rocky obstructions. The Silver sands property in Gilford still has Milfoil issues. D. Anson said Paugus Bay Marina has issues with invasive milfoil as well and are constantly trying to address the problem. D. Anson hoped current use funds could be used to assist D. Williams students summer work program not only for weed watchers but for additional assistance for community environmental efforts. S. McPhie added he was told the City attorney determined current use funds could be spent for milfoil work. It will be important to emphasize that point as the rules must have changed because in the past current use funds were strictly used for open space acquisition and a few other related costs. If additional current use generated funds exist in the City above and beyond the $250,000.00 cap and they are just sitting in an account those funds could go toward D. Williams program before they end up in the restricted account. The justification for allocating anywhere from $5,000 to $9,000 from those funds would be to create weed watcher teams for the State milfoil Plan and enhance environmental neighborhood projects (See attached plan). L. Morin made a motion to approve the allocation of $50,000.00 from the current use funds that have been generated above the Conservation Commission $250,000 Cap of which $5,000.00 would be spent for D. Williams students to be milfoil watchers and for other summer conservation projects. The motion was seconded by M. Foote. The motion passed 4-0-1. D. Williams abstained. 2. Update on 30-foot water-body buffer February Planning Board presentation.  S. McPhie passed out the rough draft of the 30-foot buffer presentation and requested feedback. The presentation will occur on February 5, 2016 at the regular Planning Board meeting. IV. Liaison & Sub-Committee Reports: 1. Permit Sub-Committee review and updates Two NHDES permits were reviewed and commented on. V. Other Business: 1. Subdivision/ Site Plan update The open space document letter from Prescott Farms was received. S. McPhie indicated they added all of Prescott Farms concerns to the latest TRC Conservation comments. He enclosed a copy in the Conservation Commission packet tonight. Please feel free to remind S. McPhie if there were any points he had missed from the last discussion. The final submittal is still lacking with some of the technical reports needing to be corrected. All City departments made a presentation to the Mayor concerning this large proposal. It was felt doing so will improve any future communication on this issue. 2. Commissioners Comments None 3. Staff Comments None VI. Old Business: 1. Non-Public Session concerning land acquisition per RSA: 91: A: II (d)–(“roll call vote required”. D. Williams made a motion to approve the minutes as corrected. The motion was seconded by M. Foote. The motion passed 5-0-0. D. Anson requested entering Non-Public Session concerning land acquisition per RSA: 91: A: II (d). A Roll call vote was made with Dean Anson, Deb. Williams, Lisa Morin, Mike Foote and Dick Christopher all voting to enter Non-public session. A general discussion occurred concerning the current parcel discussion warranting no new minutes. 2. Brook Subcommittee updates D. Anson and S. McPhie will fill the Con Com in at a later meeting on the status of the Black Brook study. VII. Adjournment: L. Morin made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by M. Foote passing 4-0.