Conservation Commission

City of Torrington CONSERVATION COMMISSION Meeting Minutes January 23, 2024 Regular Meeting 1. Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 6:30 pm Members present in person in Room 215 of Torrington City Hall unless otherwise noted. Roll Call & Announcements: Members Present: Christine Altman (Chair), Dan McGuiness (Vice-Chair), Dan McGuinness, Karen Svetz, Jeremy Spitz, and George Craig. Members Absent: Michael Kaneb and Erin Stelma (Secretary) Staff: Nate Nardi-Cyrus – Assistant City Planner Members of the public: Members of the Torrington High School Environmental Club 2. Minutes: a. November 28, 2023 Special Meeting A motion to approve the minutes was made by Mr. McGuiness, seconded by Ms. Svetz. All commissioners voted aye. 3. New Business: a. Review 2023 Report to Council The Commission discussed the drafted report to City Council, provided by Mr. Nardi-Cyrus. The Commission agreed the beginning of the report was good but wanted to add new activities in the section describing 2024 projects: - Add Housatonic Valley Association wildlife road crossing project - Explore municipal food waste recycling - Explore Northwest CT Community Foundation funding - Host a meeting of local conservation groups to coordinate efforts Mr. McGuinness made a motion to transmit the report, as amended, to City Council. Second from Ms. Svetz. All voted aye. b. Highschool Environmental Club Introduction  Two Torrington High School Environmental Club members introduced themselves and their groups efforts at encouraging recycling and food waste reduction. They are interested in partnering with the Commission on events and future projects. 4. Old Business a. Eastside Flooding Issues The group reviewed Mr. Nardi-Cyrus’ updated draft letter for distribution to streamside property owners east of Route 8. The Commission provided minor comment and agreed to have Mr. Nardi- Cyrus forward on those revisions to the Mayor for final review. If approved in time, the next Conservation Commission meeting will be to stuff envelopes for the mailing. b. Staff updates: i. HVA wildlife crossing assessment training – scheduled for April 6th, 2024. Mr. Nardi-Cyrus will ask HVA how long the training will be and if it can be held in the AM. ii. Food Forest Planning – Parks and Recreation agreed to allow us to use the site at Bannon Street Park. Mr. Nardi-Cyrus will follow-up with Cynthia regarding a site visit and potential partnership with the Conservation District in developing a planting plan. The group started brainstorming community partners, which might include the elementary school, neighborhood watch, and the UConn Master Gardeners program. It was suggested a letter also be drafted and sent to neighborhood residents encouraging them to reach out to us if they were interested. iii. Red Mountain Trail – Consultant has been retained and is in the process of drafting a new site plan. iv. Urban Forest Management Plan – Mr. Nardi-Cyrus discussed this funding opportunity, which the City intends on applying for to complete some combination of Street Tree Inventory and Forest Management Plan. The Commission will be included as an important stakeholder in the process, if funds are awarded. v. Open Space Inventory –The new visits will not be scheduled until late spring 2024. vi. Natural Resources Inventory - Nothing new to report. 5. Adjournment: A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. McGuinness, seconded by Ms. Svetz. All commissioners voted aye. Meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm. Nate Nardi-Cyrus Nate Nardi-Cyrus, Assistant City Planner Staff to Conservation Commission