Conservation Commission

City of Laconia Conservation Commission Wednesday, June 18, 2025 - 6:00 PM City Hall in the Armand A. Bolduc City Council Chamber Draft Minutes 6/18/2025 - Minutes 1. CALL TO ORDER D. Anson calls the meeting to order at 6:02. 2. ROLL CALL Dean Anson, Deb Williams, Bob Harrington, and Lisa Morin are present. 3. SALUTE TO THE FLAG 4. RECORDING SECRETARY Grey Draper 5. STAFF IN ATTENDANCE Grey Draper- Conservation Technician 6. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS 6.I. 5/21 Minutes L. Morin motions to accept the minutes. B. Harrington seconds the motion. Unanimous. 6.II. 6/4 Minutes L. Morin motions to accept the minutes. B. Harrington seconds the motion. Unanimous. 7. NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES APPLICATIONS 8. OLD BUSINESS 8.I. Con Con Checklist Final Draft L. Morin motions to accept the Con Com Checklist as the final draft and submit it to the Planning Dept. to be included in the Site Plan & Subdivision Regulations update draft proposal.. D. Williams seconds the motion. Unanimous. Final edits to the Conservation Checklist were discussed. Broken links have been removed, and it was suggested that a maintenance schedule be adopted to review and update the checklist annually. Concerns were raised about ensuring the checklist’s applicability to both major projects and smaller developments, and whether it would apply to the state school redevelopment project. It was confirmed that the checklist might not apply retroactively to projects already in the planning stages. 8.II. Wetland Regulations Continued until next meeting. Members will submit their marked-up copies of the wetlands regulations for consolidation before the next meeting. There was discussion of the absence of designated prime wetlands in Laconia and Con Com outlined steps needed to create such designations. These steps include conducting a formal study by a wetlands scientist, holding public hearings with a subsequent  8.II. Wetland Regulations Continued until next meeting. Members will submit their marked-up copies of the wetlands regulations for consolidation before the next meeting. There was discussion of the absence of designated prime wetlands in Laconia and Con Com outlined steps needed to create such designations. These steps include conducting a formal study by a wetlands scientist, holding public hearings with a subsequent vote on the designation, and submitting findings to the Department of Environmental Services (DES) for approval. Con Com considers whether the NRI consultant could assist with identifying and mapping prime wetlands as part of their scope of work or as an additional task. 8.III. NRI RFP 2nd Draft The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Natural Resource Inventory has not yet been posted. A meeting is scheduled with Tyler and Rob to review the RFP before submitting it to Gina for posting. The tentative deadline of May 12th for the RFP was discussed. Members clarified that this date is not tied to any external deadlines and could be adjusted if necessary. It was noted that changes could be made during the review process, provided the overall timeline remains on track. The current draft RFP contains highlighted text in red and yellow to draw attention to areas requiring review. A planning meeting related to the RFP is scheduled for Friday afternoon but may be moved to Monday afternoon due to Bike Week. 9. NEW BUSINESS 9.I. Natural Resources Chapter 1st Draft G. Draper updates Con Com that he has begun the RFP for the Natural Resource Chapter of the proposed Mater Plan. 10. LIAISON, SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS, AND UPCOMING EVENTS 11. OTHER BUSINESS Invite Rob & Tyler to a meeting A proposal was made to invite Rob and Tyler to the next Conservation Commission meeting to guide the group on the regulatory process and advise on strategy development. Contribution to WWN Currently, no funding remains in the milfoil budget to contribute to the Winnisquam Watershed Network, as available funds were used for the Aqualogic project, which will begin in late June. Community Garden Suggestions were made to explore improvements in utility access for the garden, such as installing a water line or a solar-powered pump, and to potentially involve other local gardening groups, including Prescott Farm and master gardeners. Lake Hosts The boat ramp will be staffed beginning the weekend of June 28–29. Water Sampling Scheduling There was discussion around scheduling water sampling for the following week, with a tentative plan to conduct it on Monday. It was agreed that having three people for sampling would be preferable for ease of work. The Winnisquam Watershed Network recently conducted a training session with five participants, one of whom may be available to assist. Laura is unavailable next week. The Winnisquam Watershed Network will borrow one of the meters on June 24 due to issues with their own equipment. According to Liam, samples must be delivered for analysis within 14 days of collection. Samples should be kept on ice or refrigerated, but not frozen, until submission. Deep Water Sampling  work. The Winnisquam Watershed Network recently conducted a training session with five participants, one of whom may be available to assist. Laura is unavailable next week. The Winnisquam Watershed Network will borrow one of the meters on June 24 due to issues with their own equipment. According to Liam, samples must be delivered for analysis within 14 days of collection. Samples should be kept on ice or refrigerated, but not frozen, until submission. Deep Water Sampling June’s deep water sampling was completed collaboratively by FB and the Water Department. July’s sampling will be conducted with Bree Rossiter, who has all necessary equipment. 12. STAFF REPORT 13. ADJOURNMENT D. Williams motions to adjourn the meeting. B. Harrington seconds the motion. Unanimous.