Conservation Commission

City of Laconia Conservation Commission Wednesday, September 8, 2021 - 6:00 PM City Hall in the Armand A. Bolduc City Council Chamber Approved 10/20/2021 9/8/2021 - Minutes 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair D. Anson called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm 2. ROLL CALL Members present: Dean Anson, Deb Williams, Lisa Morin, Mike Foote, Wesley Bates 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 6.I. Minutes 8/18/21 L. Morin motions to accept the minutes of August 18 th with revisions to spelling. D. Williams seconds. All vote in favor 7. OLD BUSINESS 7.I. Messer St. Boat Ramp Kiosk T. Daigle discusses the materials received by NH Lakes addressing invasive species. The commission suggest waiting until the spring to use these materials, but D. Williams suggests looking into materials regarding NH Fish & Game regulations to put on the kiosk this fall. T. Daigle will investigate some materials, including a bathymetric map of the bay. D. Anson mentions that the current kiosk at the boat ramp is a temporary one, and that T. Daigle should contact DPW about replacing it with a permanent board, with weather protection. There is also discussion about the NH Lakes Monitoring program at this site for the following year. D. Anson suggests offering to pay more. 7.I.i. Pickerel Pond The commission discusses potential conservation projects to work on at Pickerel Pond. D. Anson brings up the well on site that should be abandoned based on safety concerns. To do so, the well needs to be tested for contamination. L. Morin mentions that we may want the well in the future, potentially to support a small boat washing station on the property. A second project idea is to identify any invasive species in and around the pond and to develop a management plan if there are any present. A third project is brought up by D. Trefethen. He discusses that a ramp of some kind would be beneficial to those using the pond for fishing and kayaking. He suggests a concrete ramp that will not need to be removed seasonally. M. Foote notes that a ramp might be tricky to properly  brings up the well on site that should be abandoned based on safety concerns. To do so, the well needs to be tested for contamination. L. Morin mentions that we may want the well in the future, potentially to support a small boat washing station on the property. A second project idea is to identify any invasive species in and around the pond and to develop a management plan if there are any present. A third project is brought up by D. Trefethen. He discusses that a ramp of some kind would be beneficial to those using the pond for fishing and kayaking. He suggests a concrete ramp that will not need to be removed seasonally. M. Foote notes that a ramp might be tricky to properly install with the mucky conditions of the launch site. L. Morin suggests using a geogrid as a launch surface. D. Anson and D. Williams discuss the public interest in the pond and plan to reach out to a local kayak renter about what he thinks might be most effective at the launch site. 8. NEW BUSINESS 8.I. Natural Resource Inventory 2021 T. Daigle gave an overall update on the status of the NRI improvements. She mentions that almost all the data has been updated and the writing is close to being done. When it is, she will send a copy to the commission to review and share ideas about the recommendations section. D. Anson asks D. Trefethen about the bid process for any contractors that we may want for fieldwork. D. Anson suggests sharing the document with Luke Powell for input on it. There is discussion on how updated the vernal pool data is for the city. 9. NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES APPLICATIONS 9.I. 98 Lucerne Ave Wetlands PBN 10. OTHER BUSINESS M. Foote brings to the commission’s attention the importance of open space and current use as a means to provide recreational opportunities to the community. The value of open land is discussed and there is recognition that there are more areas in our community that are valuable in this regard. M. Foote brings up he topic of roadside mowing and the effects that will have on the spreading of invasive species, particularly Japanese knotweed. There is the question of if DPW treats the roadsides with anything to prevent the spread of invasive species or if it cut and left alone. L. Morin mentions that the “NH Good Roads Association” may be a good partner to discuss the management of roadside invasive species with. D. Trefethen brings up the North Water Marina project with the commission. He addresses the current demolition work happening on site and that, after discussing the conditions with the applicant, there is no concern for or need of erosion controls along the water yet. D. Anson asks that when the applicant comes before the commission next month that they present the site master plan to them. D. Anson and L. Morin discuss the flooding concerns and pond status surrounding Jewett Brook and Black Brook. D. Anson discusses the importance of utilizing our current water basins as water storage in the future and that that is an opportunity to mitigate some flooding issues. There is discussion about working with the Gilford Conservation Commission on concerns regarding Black Brook. There may be an opportunity to dredge the pond connecting Black Brook to Lake Winnipesaukee and now might be the time to investigate permitting with DES for that. L. Morin shares the community fest event to be held at the Belknap Mill on 10/16 from 12p-4p. L. Morin will be present at the event running a table. She offers to share any outreach materials the commission would like, if they are not already planning to attend the event. T. Daigle and D. Trefethen discuss the topic of updated green space and density ordinances. T. Daigle asks the commission what they think about the idea of density bonuses based on positive utilization of the green space on a property. D. Anson suggests looking at this as a case-by-case basis rather than an ordinance. L. Morin highlights that a case-by-case approach may lead to unfair or detrimental results if not monitored carefully. D. Trefethen mentions that areas of focus for this concept would likely be areas of the city that are already nonconforming to green space requirements, such as the areas surrounding the downtown. This could be an opportunity to increase density in an already dense area without further negatively impacting the environment through sprawl. T. Daigle will send out the research on Laconia’s green space as compared to other communities. D. Anson asks about what the Laconia Sewage Treatment plant treats. D. Trefethen explains that it treats  carefully. D. Trefethen mentions that areas of focus for this concept would likely be areas of the city that are already nonconforming to green space requirements, such as the areas surrounding the downtown. This could be an opportunity to increase density in an already dense area without further negatively impacting the environment through sprawl. T. Daigle will send out the research on Laconia’s green space as compared to other communities. D. Anson asks about what the Laconia Sewage Treatment plant treats. D. Trefethen explains that it treats mostly sewage, and some small amounts of stormwater. It is then sent to Franklin for further processing and then discharged to the rivers. D. Anson asks that the Taylor Community’s environmental community be added to the Conservation Commission’s distribution list for emails, agendas, and minutes. T. Daigle will add them. D. Trefethen also mentions that they can sign up for notifications on such from the city website too. 11. LIAISON AND SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS 12. STAFF REPORT 13. ADJOURNMENT D. Williams motions to adjourn the meeting at 7:27 pm. M. Foote seconds. All vote in favor.