Commission on Conservation & Agriculture

Chairperson Bob Daniels Commission Vice-Chair Members Brian Gartner Michael Thomas Kate Miller on Jane Brawerman Daniel Penney Barbara Schukoske William Gardner Conservation & Alternates Vacant William Wilson Vacant Vincent Senatore Agriculture Staff James Sipperly, Environmental Planner Corinne Milardo, Administrative Assistant REGULAR MEETING Minutes DATE: Tuesday, May 21, 2024 TIME: 7:00 p.m. Meeting was held in person in Room 208, Municipal Building and via WebEx. In person attendance: Commissioners: Bob Daniels, Barbara Schukoske, Daniel Penney, William C. Gardner, Michael Thomas, Kate Miller Arrived at 7:06 pm), Jane Brawerman (arrived at 712 pm) Vincent Senatore (Alternate) Public: Diana Martinez, Matt Mitchell WebEx Attendance: Public: Lorenzo Jones, Sr., Kimmie Haitian, Nisheena, Maya, Richard. Absent: Commissioners: Brian Gartner, William Wilson Staff in Attendance: James Sipperly, Environmental Planner Corinne Milardo, Administrative Assistant A. Call to Order Chairperson B. Daniels called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm. B. Accept the Agenda Motion: To add Ravine Park to the agenda under Old Business number two. Moved by D. Penney, seconded by B. Schukoske. Passed unanimously: 6-0. C. Public Forum 1. Miller/Bridge Street Community Farm Proposal Diana Martinez, 143 Prospect Street, Middletown, is the owner of Dee’s Crafty Bee’s that has leased a property on Miller Street where they are starting a small community farm called Miller Street Community Farm. D. Martinez is part of a group called Cultivating Justice which is to develop farmers of color and women. This group was also created because food access and affordability was an issue for them. Their initiatives are to teach backyard chicken keeping and also teach people how to grow their own food. Once they have learned the necessary skills and are ready to start their own farm businesses, they will help them get their infrastructure set up. D. Martinez stated that they have two bee hives on Miller Street which she would like to build up to six bee hives. The farm on Miller Street is a non- profit. Currently, everything is being grown in raised beds. They want to eventually start planting in the ground. They had the soil tested by the State and they didn’t find any heavy metals or anything like that. The food that is sold from the Miller Street Community Farm will be offered to the residents of Miller If you require special accommodations for any meeting, please call the ADA Coordinator at (860) 638-4540, (voice) or (860) 638-4812 (TDD/TTY), or the Town Clerk’s Office at (860) 638-4910 at least ten (10) days prior to the scheduled meeting. Page 1 of 5 and Bridge Streets first at no cost to them. The surplus will be sold to support the farm itself. D. Martinez pointed out that Lorenzo Jones, Sr. and Kimmie Haitian are starting their own farm businesses. B. Daniels asked how much land they have. D. Martinez answered over an acre. K. Miller noted to D. Martinez that there are a couple of openings on the commission so if she knows of anyone that is interested to please submit their names. She also mentioned that if the City offers kayaks and canoes that can be utilized by residents that would be great. D. Martinez commented that if you want individuals to join commissions or committees there has to be a mutual level of respect in the participation of these meetings. B. Daniels asked if there is a way for people to make donations. D. Martinez answered yes. B. Daniels offered the assistance of the Conservation Commission. Lorenzo Jones, Sr., added that this program is a great introduction for the youth of the Middletown community so that they can learn civic engagement. J. Brawerman asked if they were connected with the Vo-Ag. D. Martinez answered yes. A lot of the Vo-Ag kids have connections to farmers or they live on farms. Matt Mitchell spoke in regards to his plans to potentially farm a piece of property on Randolph Road. He is aware of the wetlands on the property and is looking for solutions to be able to make use of that property for farming. J. Sipperly stated that M. Mitchell will need to go in front of the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency to determine what his options, if any, are for that property. J. Brawerman asked if anyone has delineated the soils on the Randolph Road property. J. Sipperly answered no. That is something that still needs to be done. K. Miller suggested adding to the next agenda how the city interfaces with members of the public on agricultural lease issues and delineation issues. D. Approval of Minutes 1. March 19, 2024 Motion: To approve the March 19, 2024 minutes. Moved by B. Schukoske, seconded by W. Gardner. Passed unanimously: 6-0. 2. April 16, 2024 Page 2 of 5 Motion: To approve the April 6, 2024 minutes. Moved by B. Schukoske, seconded by V. Senatore. Passed unanimously: 6-0. E. Request for Comment None. F. Officers and Committee Reports 1. Chair’s Report i. Chamberlain Hill Road conditions – Update from Public Works J. Sipperly reported that Public Works is aware of the problem and it will take some time and money to fix the issues. B. Daniels asked if there is going to be any bonding for roads this year. J. Sipperly answered he doesn’t know. D. Penney added that the Public Works acting director walked the road and came up with some solutions for drainage. Public Works is also going to do some paving. D. Penney also said that Eversource has taken some corrective action for water that was running off of their roads. ii. Membership updates – Re-Appointment and Appointment of new Members in May J. Sipperly passed out the latest membership list for the Commission on Conservation and Agriculture. iii. Open Space Acquisition Fund Balance – reimbursement from CT DEEP $372,000 – Majestic Oaks J. Sipperly stated that the fund balance is the same from the last meeting however the City received a reimbursement check from the CT DEEP for three hundred and seventy two thousand dollars for Majestic Oaks. 2. Agriculture Committee i. Vo-Ag (Ag-Lab) B. Daniels reported that everything is going well with vo-Ag. 3. Outreach Committee i. Conservation Corner Update None. 4. Open Space Management Committee i. Wilcox Management invasive species study Page 3 of 5 K. Miller reported that on April 19th she had twenty-one students at the Wilcox property. Assistant City Planner Gary Middleton was present as well. The students pulled out a lot of garlic mustard and trash. They mapped a lot of trails. J. Sipperly informed the commission that Gary Middleton reached out to the State Forester. G. Middleton found a program that DEEP has where they go out to fire prone areas. There’s federal money to come in and clear out the dead wood. G. Middleton is in the process of contacting the State Forester so that they can come down and do a study on the Wilcox property. K. Miller asked about the timeline for the RFP. J. Sipperly answered soon. ii. Open Space Priorities/Signage – 4 New Signs Proposed C. Milardo stated that the signs should be ready the week after Memorial Day week. iii. Trail Maintenance Needed J. Sipperly stated that we have money to use and we’re looking for recommendations. K. Miller suggested Guida. M. Thomas stated that Guida’s is being maintained. 5. Open Space Acquisition Committee i. 470 Chamberlain Road ii. Country Club Road site iii. Pameacha Pond location iv. Miner Street, Map-Lot: 06-0057 v. Saybrook Road Forest Land J. Sipperly updated the commission that 470 Chamberlain Road needs an appraisal done. The Country Club Road site is still in contention. The Saybrook Road Forest Land will be purchased by David Brown, president of the land trust using federal funds. The Pameacha Pond location is off the list and Miner Street, Map-Lot: 06-0057 has already been purchased. G. Old Business 1. Trail Guide updating and reprinting and contract – intern working with Gary Middleton J. Sipperly informed the commission that we have an intern who will assist in mapping the trails. J. Brawerman asked about reprinting the trail guide. J. Sipperly answered we’re not there yet. 2. Ravine Park Page 4 of 5 J. Sipperly explained that Ravine Park is a public park not an open space so we can’t use fund from our open space bond towards maintenance at Ravine Park. Public Works is responsible for maintaining the park but we can certainly work with Public Works. K. Miller asked if Ravine Park be designated as open space so that we can use open space maintenance funds. J. Sipperly answered that he will speak to Director Kozikowski. H. New Business 1. Nature Gardens trail maintenance, vegetation management and tree removal and planting J. Sipperly stated that they went out to the Natures Gardens with a consultant. They received a proposal which seems pretty high for a quote which includes water bars, drainage, curtain drains to keep water off the trails and build the trails up. J. Brawerman asked why we have to manage the water when we can rebuild the boardwalk. B. Daniels commented that just replacing the boardwalk could save a lot of money. J. Sipperly answered that the proposal wasn’t itemized. I. Member Forum None. J. Adjournment Motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:49 pm. Moved by J. Brawerman, seconded by B. Schukoske. Passed unanimously: 7-0. Page 5 of 5