Conservation Commission

City of Laconia Conservation Commission Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - 6:00 PM City Hall in the Armand A. Bolduc City Council Chamber Accepted 8/4/2021 7/21/2021 - Minutes 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair D. Anson called the meeting to order at 6:03 PM 2. ROLL CALL Members present: Dean Anson, Mike Foote, Lisa Morin, Stacy Soucy 3. SALUTE TO THE FLAG The commission saluted the flag. 4. RECORDING SECRETARY Taylor Daigle, Conservation Technician 5. STAFF IN ATTENDANCE Dean Trefethen, Planning Director 6. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS L. Morin motions to accept the minutes of the July 7 th meeting with some edits to spelling. M. Foote seconds. All vote in favor. 7. OLD BUSINESS 7.I. Lake Host @ Messer St. The commission is still looking for a Lake Host to work at the Messer St. boat ramp. The commission discusses reaching out to youth and retired residents for the paid position. There is still a need for matching volunteer hours as well. There is mention that if a lake host is not found, the commission may face challenges receiving the grant next year. D. Anson will draft a letter about the position and send that to T. Daigle for distribution to the commission members. 7.II. Milfoil Management D. Trefethen shares that the city has allocation $20,000 to milfoil management for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. There is additional carry over from the previous fiscal year. There will be herbicide treatment on Lake Opechee in the end of July. 7.III. Perley Pond There is no news on Perley Pond. 7.IV. Rain Gardens There is no news on Rain Gardens.  There is no news on Perley Pond. 7.IV. Rain Gardens There is no news on Rain Gardens. 7.V. Water Quality Monitoring D. Anson will reach out to Bob Craycraft to see if he would be willing to help with deep water sampling. D. Anson and T. Daigle will schedule a time to do testing on Paugus Bay soon. 7.VI. Endicott St. E MBL:164-72-1, Gardens @ Winnipesaukee Applicant went in front of the zoning board on 7/20. M. Foote brought the old 2017 recommendations up at the ZBA. M. Foote also mentions concern with house #77 being completely within the vernal pool setback and suggests that this house be removed from the plans. There is also discussion regarding the amenities that The Gardens will offer in exchange for higher density in the development. It is noted that the Commission will still support the directional buffer for the vernal pool on this project despite what is noted in the 2017 TRC comments. The commission voices agreement that this will be a good development for the Weirs. The applicant will have their new plans in on 8/4. If the plans are delivered early, the commission will see them at the 8/4 meeting. If plans are received on 8/4, the Conservation Commission will see the applicant again at the 8/18 meeting. D. Trefethen and T. Daigle will voice any concerns at the next TRC meeting. 8. NEW BUSINESS 8.I. Belknap Mill - Conservation In The Park Event D. Williams, D. Anson, and T. Daigle will make a presentation at the Belknap Mill Environmental Day regarding the Winnipesaukee Watershed and invasive species. M. Foote will stop by during the event. 9. NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES APPLICATIONS 10. OTHER BUSINESS M. Foote discusses that the commission should looking into adding signage to the Pickerel Pond launch area for kayaks. It would be beneficial to draw out the accessibility to the area as well. D. Anson discusses that the next steps with the property are to decommission the old well, work with DPW on the parking lot, and sign installation by Adel Signs. DPW is waiting for drier weather to take care of the parking lot. D. Anson will follow up with NHDES regarding what is needed to decommission the well. D. Trefethen will follow up with Adel Signs about the installation. D. Anson discusses two properties potentially in violation on Leighton Ave North. One property is installing a septic system and there are no erosion controls on the property. The second property has built their driveway within the pond buffer. D. Trefethen and T. Daigle will look into this. D. Anson mentions the annual Winnisquam Watershed Network meeting on Saturday 7/24 at 9am. It will be informational regarding the watershed management plan, water quality, and milfoil management. The commission discusses the possibility of bringing in speakers on affordable housing for the Master Plan Committee. T. Daigle will begin compiling data regarding green space requirements in neighboring and similar communities to Laconia. The Planning department will review those findings and discuss opportunities for updating green space requirements in the Laconia Zoning Ordinance. 11. LIAISON AND SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS S. Soucy discusses the Planning Board’s compromise on the 718 Endicott North property. The board  T. Daigle will begin compiling data regarding green space requirements in neighboring and similar communities to Laconia. The Planning department will review those findings and discuss opportunities for updating green space requirements in the Laconia Zoning Ordinance. 11. LIAISON AND SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS S. Soucy discusses the Planning Board’s compromise on the 718 Endicott North property. The board approved the front half of the project and will wait on the decision regarding a wetland delineation to approve the back half of the project. S. Soucy also discusses the conceptual proposal from North Water Marina. They plan on redoing the entire property and stabilizing the bank. There may be some future concerns on the height of the building going from 35’ to 55’. 12. STAFF REPORT 13. ADJOURNMENT M. Foote motions to adjourn the meeting at 7:45 pm. L. Morin seconds. All vote in favor.