Commission on Conservation & Agriculture

Commission on Conservation & Agriculture MINUTES Special Meeting of January 21, 2020 Present Absent Public Staff_______________ Elisabeth Holder Larry Owens David Brown Marek Kozikowski Bob Daniels David Bauer Brian Gartner Katherine Owens Michael Thomas Kate Miller Judy Konopka Ellen Lukens Barbara Schukoske Jane Brawerman James Miller A. Call to Order Meeting called to order at 7:03 p.m. B. Accept the Agenda A motion was made by Commissioner Konopka to accept the agenda. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Gartner. The motion passed unanimously. C. Public Forum None D. Approval of Minutes Commissioner K. Miller made a motion to table approval of the meeting minutes of the January 7th special meeting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Daniels. The motion passed unanimously with one abstention (Schukoske). E. Request for Comment 1. 2020 POCD The Commission discussed elements that should be included in an open space map and other criteria that should be considered in identifying priority areas for conservation. The criteria include existing protected open space, City owned and other private property, wetlands, prime agricultural soil, endangered species, flood plains, steep slopes, farmlands, unprotected open space and State owned property. The existing ranking system should be used to help determine priority acquisitions. F. Officer and Committee Reports 1. Chairman’s Report i. POCD Update Chairwoman Holder reported that another POCD Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 23. She is preparing comments on the latest draft. ii. Acquisition Committee to review and rank incoming property purchase offers Chairwoman Holder stated that many offers for land purchase or donation have been received to date. David Brown offered to help evaluate sites. Page 1  iii. CFPA visitor and collaboration No new information to discuss. iv. Certified Wildlife Habitats Program No new information to discuss. v. Annual Report and proposal to revamp committees Chairwoman Holder outlined highlights of the Commission in the previous year. She also discussed the goals of the Commission for the next year and will update the list based suggestions made by Commissioner K. Miller including adding the development of a compressive open space plan. Chairwoman Holder also suggested revamping and reorganizing some of the committees. The Commission agreed to keep all the committees as they are all included in the Commission by-laws. The Commissioners chose which subcommittee they each want to sit on which is as follows: Acquisitions: Ellen, Liz, Brian, Judy Agriculture: Barb, Bob, Jane, Jim, Judy Management: Kate, Jane, Kat Outreach: Brian, Judy Trails: Jim, Mike, Liz 2. Trails Committee i. Trail Work for Winter No new information to discuss. 3. Agriculture Committee i. Farm Market and Stand Ordinance Update Commissioner Daniels stated that the agricultural survey was updated and available for review. He also presented that the draft ordinance was drafted and passed along to the Department of Planning, Conservation and Development. Kozikowski stated that this ordinance should wait until after the 2020 POCD is adopted. 4. Outreach Committee i. Future Events Commission Gartner presented that Trails Day will be held in early June. Commissioner Gartner presented that an event for Earth Day is being planned by the City and there may be opportunities for the Commission to get involved. He also suggested holding an urban core walk that would be coordinated with downtown events. 5. Open Space Management Committee The committee is seeking to clarify the mechanism for appropriating and managing the funding for any open space management. 6. Open Space Acquisition Committee The Commission will hold off on any further investigation until the open space map is updated to show priority areas for open space acquisition. Meanwhile a meeting will need to be scheduled to finalize the process for acquisition reviews. G. Old Business 1. Kleen Energy Property No new information to discuss. 2. Landfill Trail Page 2 No new information to discuss. 3. Open Space Regulations Kozikowski stated that prior to proposing new open space regulation in the subdivision and zoning codes, the open space issues should be studied under a comprehensive open space plan. 4. Red Maple Swamp No new information to discuss. 5. Livingston Updates No new information to discuss. 6. Timber Management and Southern Border Safety No new information to discuss. 7. Country Club Road No new information to discuss. 8. Chiaravallo Development Rights Update No new information to discuss. 9. NEAT Urban Farm Update Kozikowski stated that the lease has not been signed for use of land on Miller Street as a community garden. H. New Business No new business. I. Member Forum Commissioner K. Miller discussed adding comments to the POCD requiring a comprehensive open space plan to be done to inventory existing open spaces and identify opportunities for open space conservation. With this plan, the City can prioritize implementation of open space management, including management for natural resources, safety and access. J. Adjournment Commissioner Schukoske made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Gartner and passed unanimously. Meeting ended at 9:15pm. Page 3