[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:01] Okay, it's okay. I call to order this meeting.
[15:00] There's no, you know, per the deed, there's no vehicle access allowed on Sklar parcel. And having blocked off the old parking area, which is this area that's the right of your approach, the vote launch has created parking issues.
[15:15] So all the parking for access to both parcels and the vote ramp currently exists only on the town parcel. There is no parking on the Sklar parcel.
[15:22] In my master plan, I made several recommendations for improving the parking, but nothing is
[15:27] enacted on.
[15:29] And then we've had, you know, I've been down there doing, like, volunteer days or
[15:32] deaths and they're picking stuff up and people complain about the disorganized and haphazard
[15:39] parking head in, but because there's nothing that tells people the park head in, they park
[15:44] parallel before they wipe out the two or four spots.
[15:47] People pull in there with trailers, and we should be having a scientist that's trailers should
[15:50] to go on the circle.
[15:52] So these are all common sense things
[15:53] that because nobody's approved the master plan,
[15:56] we can't really do anything about it.
[15:58] So part of the situation is where it is.
[16:05] Volunteer days, we've scheduled monthly volunteer days
[16:07] throughout the spring and summer.
[16:09] We've had good participation of picking up trash
[16:11] and coming back on some of the bittersweet.
[16:13] There's a group called Climate Action New Hampshire
[16:15] that has stepped up with a group of volunteers
[16:17] on several of the days.
[16:19] So they show up in mass and give them plastic bags
[16:22] Then they go off and come back with full plastic bags and I hold them off with them.
[16:25] So at least we have some trash picking up happening.
[16:31] So other accomplishments.
[16:34] The SCAR pamphlet was updated and posted on the Merrimack Outdoors website.
[16:37] I personally edited it and went out and measured all the trails with GPS.
[16:42] And there's trail distances on there and everything else.
[16:45] We have a SCAR Facebook page that's regularly updated and has many visitors.
[16:49] Tom and I replaced the plexiglass on the kiosk and all the postings in it are current.
[16:56] Trail cameras have been installed on the kiosk and all the major trailion of the entrances.
[17:01] So the trail camera images were used to detect individual dumping a junk boat trail on the property.
[17:07] The license plate got the license plate from the camera.
[17:10] Marock PD went out, it actually got live in Amherst.
[17:14] Amherst PD knew the person, it was a known individual.
[17:20] There was contact and refined and then PD removed the boat trailer.
[17:25] So that was, the PDW has cleared multiple fallen trees on the trails for the two parcels.
[17:30] They actually were there two weeks ago.
[17:32] We have Tom Sunday with thank you message every time they do it.
[17:36] And they have repaired the access road in late spring and replaced
[17:40] bullets and they've moved some of the boulders back that
[17:42] vandals have moved to get into the parcel.
[17:47] And then there's an individual called Keith LeBot that
[17:50] installed a very large trash barrel by the boat ram with services
[17:53] regularly, but many visitors don't buy it by the carry and carry
[17:56] out, or even use a trash barrel, which is amazing.
[17:59] You've got a trash barrel there and you'll find beer cans.
[18:02] people. Anyway, that's the situation.
[18:08] On going issues, motorbikes and small SUVs still access in the trails. They can get
[18:13] around the, the, the, the, the, the old doesn't think they're blocked. The trail
[18:17] engine says, uh, between wearing helmets and no license plates. It's very hard to identify
[18:21] them. Uh, actually one individual went around the Eagle Bluff entrance with a Jeep. He
[18:25] created a new trail entrance. He kind of went around. And so, uh, we moved some brush to
[18:30] kind of covered over so people didn't see that was a way to get onto the trail.
[18:36] And the parks still being used by teenagers and others for late-night parties and other
[18:39] things.
[18:40] And the trash is being left behind and even the bonfire and fire works on one evening.
[18:45] The cameras have been instrumental in detecting this.
[18:47] We provided multiple images.
[18:49] I know Tom has felt multiple reports with MPD.
[18:52] MPD is now regularly coming back there every evening.
[18:55] I see them on the cameras and caught them or watched the whole scene unfold on the cameras
[19:00] and the party activity has less than I actually haven't seen any in the last maybe six weeks.
[19:06] So the MPD going back there on a regular basis has been instrumental in cracking that.
[19:11] And the fact that we know what's happening and so forth.
[19:16] So that's that but going back to the cameras.
[19:19] So I've handed out a sheet of paper.
[19:23] The cameras, so two cameras were donated by another individual, I don't know who that was
[19:27] that was when I first joined the subcommittee, I found the two cameras were insufficient
[19:32] to really cover all the areas. So I donated, well, I don't refer to the Wi-Fi camera
[19:36] that overlooks the program. And then for more, we're on sale, so I bought them and installed
[19:41] it on the property. Now, these are cellular cameras. So the camera comes with 100 free images
[19:48] a month. And some cameras, those are sufficient because there are trail entrances you see people
[19:53] coming in, people going out sufficient, others look over the parking lot or other, let's
[19:57] say, more active areas like the boat launch and they generate, you know, hundreds of images
[20:02] and they require paid plans to actually be able to get more than 100 images.
[20:06] So I've been covering the cost up to this point, but after I kind of sat down to the math,
[20:11] it's a significant amount of dollars.
[20:14] So I'm requesting that MCC pick up the cost of that or I'm going to stop paying for them.
[20:19] This would be something that at the request of the subcommittee you could bring it to the
[20:24] commission probably out of fund 53 because that is accessible for trail maintenance.
[20:34] So anybody, if you'd like that done, either someone from the subcommittee or Tom as the
[20:40] liaison can bring that as a formal request to go on the agenda.
[20:44] And what's the method that gets done, do I get reimbursed, or do you guys pay directly?
[20:49] There's no process for reimbursement, but what can happen is for future proposals, then that can come to us.
[20:58] That would be like the finance, and then if we don't have the, all right, so.
[21:02] I'll get that in the future agenda.
[21:05] For our discussion.
[21:07] Subcommittee.
[21:07] For the reimbursement.
[21:08] Okay.
[21:09] Well, not reimbursement.
[21:10] Basically, so other than the Wi-Fi camera, the other six cameras are with a company called
[21:16] SpyPoint.
[21:18] That's their business is selling cameras and subscription plans, currently it's under
[21:22] my email and on my credit card.
[21:25] So ideally, this should go to some sort of email that is the towns because the town, these
[21:31] cameras that belong to the town, donate them and the billionaires of the town.
[21:37] First of all, if I leave the committee, then nobody's there to look at the images and see what's going on.
[21:44] So we really need to have a way to turn these over to the town formally so that they're on a town account.
[21:52] Pauline, is that something town council would need to see as a gift to the town?
[21:56] Any expenditures of funds have to come through us, and there's a document on our the town council website
[22:05] that you have to fill out for what the purpose is if you want to come to the town council meeting,
[22:09] it requests funds, et cetera. It's pretty standard. It's right on the town council page.
[22:15] I mean, you fill that out. You make a presentation like this, and we vote out.
[22:21] So do, so which method should I be pursuing?
[22:24] If you're talking about equipment to convey it to the town, that goes through the town.
[22:29] So that's a donation, you know, I'm not looking to get reimbursed for them.
[22:33] And if it's for operational expenses for keeping it going back, it's like $700 a year, it's, you know,
[22:39] that would probably come to conservation commission out of the fine.
[22:41] I think so, but any expenditures of money has to come through.
[22:44] I would imagine Merrimack Conservation Commission has a bucket of money, and Town Council
[22:50] has to approve that expenditure, we approve donations, et cetera.
[22:55] That's right.
[22:56] Normally when we approve something it has to go to finance, we're not the last stop.
[22:59] But for equipment, there's no question that goes through you.
[23:02] So do I do the equipment like ASAP?
[23:04] I mean, does that, because I think that, that's separate.
[23:06] I'm donating the equipment.
[23:08] But then I'm asking the town to pick up the ongoing maintenance of it.
[23:11] Right.
[23:11] So, two, two different.
[23:13] You've got to get the donation approved before you can ask them to maintain what you were
[23:17] donated.
[23:17] All right.
[23:17] So, so there's a, you said, a form on the right.
[23:20] It's on the town council website.
[23:23] Okay.
[23:23] And it's basically a request for a presentation and in that there is requesting for funds, you know, that kind of thing.
[23:34] You've done the hard work.
[23:35] I mean, this is great. This is basically a cover sheet.
[23:38] And I could, it will look like one
[23:49] of these.
[23:50] It just fell in the blanks.
[23:52] And it's all, we get those, it gets approved to get on our agenda and then people attach all their paperwork to it.
[24:00] Okay. But do you want to attach the ongoing cost or just the cost that I used to pay
[24:06] for them? I'm just trying to understand.
[24:07] It's an ongoing. It's ongoing. As soon as we get them, we get them on the next agenda.
[24:12] The more information the town council has, I'm just trying to understand what I need to
[24:16] get approval from you guys to pay for it or do I go to the town and get approval of what I'm
[24:20] trying to understand.
[24:21] To accept the donation of the cameras, which will make it a town responsibility, you have to
[24:27] get take care of, go through the counsel.
[24:31] It sounds like the cameras have already just getting that boat trailer out of there.
[24:35] Yeah, the party they were, they had this big bonfire and it's like people.
[24:40] Yeah, I hope people understand that even moving the boulders, yes, that counts as vandalism.
[24:45] And on fire and so forth, the fire department would probably love to have a chat with somebody
[24:50] about that that is not permitted in any of our properties.
[24:53] And fire works, too.
[24:53] I'm like, it's a big one, so it's okay.
[24:56] And I think, so what that didn't happen is they actually
[24:59] straight painted the camera yellow, and not the lens just
[25:02] the side of it so people would see it.
[25:03] And then I think they put the fireworks out right in front
[25:06] but it's like, they were almost like taunting us to say,
[25:08] here, here, so that's
[25:16] the update.
[25:17] So Tom, as I understand it, there's, are you going
[25:20] to be communicating about the status of the RFP?
[25:25] Are you going to send a message?
[25:26] Could you make sure that, I guess, Keras is copied on it, too?
[25:31] It may, I'll leave him a canal tomorrow.
[25:35] I can't be gone for a week.
[25:36] I don't know if the back of the next, next one.
[25:39] Email works.
[25:39] I just throw up a question.
[25:41] You know, where are we?
[25:42] Yeah.
[25:42] Yeah, so I may not get to it.
[25:43] Like I mean, I mean, I was bugging Bob once a week.
[25:46] I was trying to keep it to a reasonable level.
[25:50] So, I'll send him, I'll just send him email to Bob.
[25:52] I'm not leaving tomorrow until about a new time.
[25:54] Okay, so that's a follow-up and then approaching town council is a follow-up. Those are the two items I see right now
[26:06] Thank you very much for pulling this together
[26:08] No, my pleasure. That's a good challenge to the other subcommittees like I know that mine hasn't
[26:15] Challenge in terms of what the you've set the pattern. Oh in terms of set of the update. You mean? Yes. Oh, okay
[26:22] Thank you having worked in corporate America for 40 years
[26:26] a presentation.
[26:29] Can I stay a listen to the mowing?
[26:31] Please.
[26:34] The next item is appointment of Laura Robock as a full member of the Fields
[26:38] Farm Subcommittee with the term to expire June 30th, 2027. Is anybody here from Fields
[26:45] Farm or do we handle this? Okay. Well then, would anybody like to make a motion?
[26:52] Okay, go ahead and move through. We accept Laura Roeback. It's a four-member field
[26:56] farm subcommittee with the term to expire June 30, 2027.
[27:00] I'll second.
[27:02] All in favor?
[27:04] One, two, three, four, five. All opposed?
[27:08] Of state?
[27:09] Yes.
[27:10] Okay. So one, two, three, four, five, six, zero, one.
[27:15] Congratulations, you're on.
[27:19] Review of wetland permit. This is not one we need to vote on. This is one to be aware of.
[27:24] I will read it off the agenda. Wetland permit by application from Lindsay Langer Revecable Trust.
[27:31] The proposal intends to repair and replace in kind a portion of the pre-existing retaining wall adjacent to
[27:38] Babusik Lake, tax map 6A2, lot 164. The portion of the retaining wall to be repaired is more or less 34 feet long,
[27:46] 3.3 feet high, and 1.4 feet in width, resulting in no change in configuration or dimensions post construction.
[27:54] The proposal includes 110 square feet of permanent impact along the 34 feet of shoreline.
[28:00] The parcel is located at 2, Langer Way, tax map 6A2, lot 164.
[28:06] Included in our packet was a link to the Department of Environmental Services forms.
[28:11] This department by notification means it is not a complex thing.
[28:18] This is a, anyone who has comments, please speak up.
[28:23] But this is a project because a retaining wall is collapsing.
[28:28] To prevent further erosion and further damage, the property owner would like to rebuild it.
[28:33] Judging from what the documents I looked at that provided to DES,
[28:38] they are basically trying to do exactly what they have.
[28:40] If they're not trying to expand, there will be no taking of more land, there will be no excavation.
[28:46] This is to be done in dry circumstances, so we do not need to take a vote, but we do want to forward comments to the town clerk, actually.
[28:58] That's where the environmental services forms go, our signature is not required.
[29:04] Does anyone have any comments or concern they want to express?
[29:07] I
[29:10] like that they're proactive on replacing something that's coming into the week.
[29:16] Yes, I'm always happy when people live on the booster lake.
[29:19] We hear about septic systems and retaining walls.
[29:21] And I'd much rather see upkeep than it collapse.
[29:26] And I did read the proposal.
[29:28] It was really well done.
[29:30] So I will contact Brenda Duong, the town clerk who signed off on it and say we do not have
[29:37] an issue with it.
[29:38] Okay. Next item. Vote on appropriating up to $2,500 from Fund 53 for the removal of tree stumps along the road leading to the future parking area on Fields Farm Property Tax Map 4-A lot.
[30:00] This was submitted by Steve Perkins. I'm sorry, Steve's not here tonight, but he averaged ship plan for the selective foresting. There was no provision in the contract for stump removal. We'd like to get that done while the current contractor is there with his equipment. And that deadline is coming up rather than wait till the next phase of the plan goes into effect when that contractor would be asked to put it in. Easier to get it done now than to try to do it later.
[30:31] So this proposal is only to stomp the width of a road.
[30:37] I've been access road from Amherst Road, I assume, down to the river.
[30:43] Is there also going to be, they talk about a parking area and we've discussed having parking
[30:49] areas down there, but also be stomped.
[30:53] The road needs to be stomped is what I have here from the Forester.
[30:57] I don't have a map.
[31:01] It says, three stamps along the road leading to the fact that I'm not, so I'm assuming it doesn't clear the fact that I'm not.
[31:08] Yeah, those logging company will clear all the brush that remains along the road, but we should have them deal with the stump.
[31:13] This is Steve writing.
[31:15] I think we should have them deal with the stamps because they have the equipment on site now that could handle the work.
[31:21] Okay, and it does in fact say future parking area, I know that's been a subject of discussion here.
[31:31] So,
[31:35] okay, I don't, I just offered language to make sure that I get a motion right, but
[31:40] let me make it and we can poke at it.
[31:43] I move that we allocate an amount not to exceed $2,500 from fund 53 for removal of stumps
[31:53] pursuant to the excavator quote provided by Steve Perkins.
[31:58] Yes.
[31:59] Any second.
[32:07] Further discussion or questions?
[32:10] Just a question.
[32:12] Do we know when that work is supposed to be done with?
[32:16] I do not have a date.
[32:18] Steve indicated to me that the current contract is likely to be done at the end of the month
[32:24] before the next phase comes, but I do not have a date by which it could be done.
[32:30] He did say that the contractor said it would be a two-day job.
[32:33] Okay,
[32:39] if nothing else, all in favor?
[32:44] Seven, zero, zero, let's do it, thank you.
[32:52] The next item, discussion, possible action regarding other items of concern, review, conservation
[32:59] commission rules of procedure.
[33:01] This comes from our annual meeting.
[33:02] We had some concern about the procedure where student representatives were concerned and
[33:09] and how elections within the commission are concerned.
[33:15] So in your packet, you've got a copy of the rules of procedure with the suggested amendments noted.
[33:23] One of them, Article 4A4 with there shall be a maximum of one student representative.
[33:31] The added language that we are asked to consider is this individual must be in 9th through 12th grade,
[33:36] and she'll present a letter of recommendation
[33:38] from their educational institution
[33:40] to the town manager's office for the position.
[33:43] The town council, she'll be the appointing authority,
[33:46] the term length, she'll be one year.
[33:49] And then the next letter B, the student representative
[33:54] she'll be a resident.
[33:55] Yeah.
[33:55] I spoke with Mr. Assembly.
[33:58] Yes.
[33:59] Because there is a student.
[34:00] It's
[34:04] called the committee.
[34:05] I'll get this for you.
[34:06] Oh, your mic.
[34:09] No.
[34:12] I thought it was, I thought it was, I'm sorry, it's okay, I'll go for it.
[34:19] The student does have to be approved by the school board to be on committees, so
[34:25] that needs to get back in there.
[34:27] Okay.
[34:28] Which is why the principal, it seemed like it was taking a long time, but
[34:33] it's because it is a process, because students are involved in public meetings,
[34:39] recordings, recorded, et cetera, that the school board is the one that ultimately has to
[34:44] approve that. So instead of the town council, should be the appointing authority, the school
[34:50] board, then it comes to the town council. Ah, okay. So is the term supposed to be roughly
[35:00] equivalent to the school year? An academic year. So it says a year and that they didn't
[35:06] care about that part of it because given the time involved in doing this, if the school
[35:13] year starts at say September 1st, it's probably November by the time we get someone.
[35:20] There's a student waiting.
[35:22] That's been wanting this position for over a year.
[35:26] He talked to me at the National Light Out.
[35:28] So I'm a kind of, I promise that I would move this forward.
[35:31] The principal is also ready, and I believe Keras and the principal met before she went on vacation.
[35:38] But I don't know because I reached out to Keras but she's not responding.
[35:42] So we can make that term anything.
[35:48] And usually a school board is going to meet, they meet all summer just like we do.
[35:53] They have to say hi to contracts and all that sort of thing.
[35:56] So it shouldn't take that long process.
[36:01] But if you wanted it to be longer than that, I mean, what is it, I forget what the
[36:05] school board does, I think the school board is a year,
[36:10] I don't know though.
[36:12] And that would leave the previous holder in place until the next one, correct, gets
[36:16] around, which might be in November instead of the next one.
[36:19] And then of course, we run into the boundary conditions of 9 through 12th grade.
[36:24] If they start in 12th grade, then they're going to have graduated by the time their term expires
[36:30] in November. Not to exceed one year? And then we're potentially left without someone.
[36:39] There's a lot of complication involved in this and getting students to exhibit their interest
[36:47] early so that they can get in front of the school board and in front of the school officers
[36:52] and principals. And that may have to start in eighth grade so that they can take their
[36:56] term, if we were to say the term was June 30th like all of our other terms are.
[37:02] It's my understanding the student doesn't go before the school board, it's the principal
[37:06] that's going to recommend the name to the school board, just like they're going to teach
[37:09] a contract.
[37:13] So a letter of recommendation from their educational institution to the town manager,
[37:19] where would the school board come in?
[37:21] If we were to put a lot of recommendation has to come from the principal to the school board.
[37:26] It's
[37:29] just like a couple step process.
[37:31] Okay.
[37:32] So a letter of interest from individual to the school board?
[37:39] So I noticed that we detailed the term lengths, but there's nothing in the procedures that
[37:47] dictates the term start dates, and I assume we just work on those by our own convenience.
[37:56] So we can probably work out the details of this later and move ahead with these changes
[38:01] that we're talking about here.
[38:03] Not to bother that.
[38:04] And I would like in it to our terms, you know,
[38:08] we just Laura is on the subcommittee
[38:11] that we just decided tonight.
[38:12] So we don't put the dates on when openings come,
[38:16] we use them.
[38:17] And there probably hasn't been an interest
[38:19] before this for a student.
[38:21] It has been a long time since this is the first I've heard
[38:24] of one being interested.
[38:26] So in recent recent, we had one.
[38:28] We had one, but then.
[38:29] We had a student rep the first year, and after her term was up nothing since then.
[38:39] So maybe that's a discussion to have with the school board about how they intend to solicit candidates and get some interest going.
[38:48] But it's not the school board to solicit, it would be off this committee to solicit, the school board solicits their student reps, but not other committee student reps.
[38:59] So MCC would recruit that's why we're working on this and I don't think it's
[39:05] important.
[39:11] I think it is important to have a term length but I don't know if
[39:14] it's important to have it November to June or so. That's why I was indicating that it
[39:19] doesn't say anything in here about start and end days. I would just say here. And I'm happy
[39:25] with doing that and we can work out. It's simple. It's later with the you know with the
[39:29] the school administration.
[39:33] I mean, we don't have start and end dates, do we?
[39:37] We have end dates.
[39:38] We have end dates.
[39:39] And the starting is whenever we are.
[39:41] Right.
[39:42] On town council.
[39:42] I think this is probably safer to leave it as a year.
[39:45] And the procedure is student interest principal,
[39:48] school board, town council.
[39:51] Because they are you.
[39:54] And so you went through that, right?
[39:57] So hypothetically though, let's say they started September
[40:00] and they're in their senior and high school.
[40:03] And then we have a rolling year for them, right?
[40:07] But they've graduated, they graduate May, June.
[40:10] Does that matter?
[40:15] Although we call out in the rules that it does,
[40:17] because they're no longer in 12th grade,
[40:22] this feeds into those details.
[40:29] Hopefully they have a filler in there by then.
[40:32] I was going to see you make that.
[40:33] So what we could do is slightly modify the language
[40:40] to say they must start their term in the night through 12th grade, which would solve
[40:47] that problem of the couple of months' rollover.
[40:53] I'm just concerned that this sounds
[40:54] like it could be a time-consuming process because you have to get the school involved
[40:59] and then the principal has to go in front of the school board and then the school board
[41:02] has to go in front of the town council and then just waiting for meetings could take two
[41:07] months.
[41:07] That's right.
[41:08] And there's probably nothing saying that the same student couldn't continue on in another year.
[41:14] That's right, that's how the commitment is for a year, but if you renewable, yeah, it's renewable.
[41:21] Just as with the regular MCC number.
[41:23] I know that one concern was that what if students from other schools,
[41:28] charter or private or homeschooled wanted to apply?
[41:32] I know that that was something we discussed earlier.
[41:36] If the town, but the town manager was saying this is something the school district needs
[41:40] to be involved in, so that would mean the student goes to a principal in this district and
[41:45] the principal would then send it to the school.
[41:47] Okay.
[41:48] And it says that the student representative shall be a resident of the town of Merrimack, which
[41:53] does not necessarily mean they have to go to school in Merrimack.
[41:57] They could, as you say, go to a charter school in Bedford or Manchester or something.
[42:07] So is this language we are prepared to hammer out tonight and vote on for this paragraph?
[42:15] I don't think we have any problem with B about the student representative being a resident
[42:20] of the town of Merrimack.
[42:21] Although I would suggest an Oxford comma would be correct after the word alternate.
[42:26] Thank you.
[42:27] It's one of my things.
[42:29] And we'll come back to this paragraph in a minute.
[42:31] On the next page, Article 5 elections, the commission shall elect from among its members
[42:36] by majority voted its annual meeting following a motion duly seconded, that sounds very much like something that
[42:44] somebody has more formal than I am put in there. I have no objection to that. Does anyone have any objection to that language being added?
[42:54] Check that one off. When electing officers only the votes of seated members count,
[42:59] alternates not seated in place of a full member cannot vote. Any concerns over that language?
[43:09] And the officers are the ones listed in section A.
[43:13] And I think, all right.
[43:15] That leaves the only language to work on is back to the procedure for recruitment, interest, whatever.
[43:26] So, what, let me, I may be saying something for the third time, but let me make sure I understand it.
[43:31] This comes from our town manager's office.
[43:34] is that the appointing authority is going,
[43:37] the town council is the end of the line,
[43:39] student, principal, school board, town council.
[43:45] The Conservation Commission can recruit,
[43:48] but we are not involved at any point after that
[43:51] until the student is named.
[43:53] You might be involved in discussion
[43:55] because the current principal is asking for a meeting
[43:59] with Karis, the student, maybe even myself.
[44:04] A student had a meeting in Prop 2, wanting to know what it entails, and I really could
[44:13] have given him much information, other than that we meet twice a month, could volunteer.
[44:18] It's on some cleanup things, et cetera, would be up to him, but he asked for a meeting with
[44:25] that.
[44:25] So that's why we thought it would be good for him to talk with Keras as well.
[44:29] Thank you.
[44:33] So again, my suggestion would be to modify the first sentence.
[44:37] The individual must be a night through 12th grade when appointed to solve the problem of,
[44:47] they graduate nine months into their term.
[44:50] Thank you very much.
[45:06] And shall present a letter of recommendation from their principal to the school board. So instead of educational institution that is principal to the Maramex school board.
[45:28] Do we need to be pedantic about the fact that the charter schools often have a headmaster rather than a principal?
[45:38] I don't think so, because I think there's something else. Please. Going back to Article 5C, I got a hard time reading that.
[45:46] I thought only alternate sitting in a place of a form that we can vote would be,
[45:51] would be more concise and more clear.
[45:55] I don't know what the matter is.
[45:56] I don't know.
[45:56] The challenge has been, or the town council appoints the rep,
[46:00] but the recommendation of the school board.
[46:04] Okay.
[46:08] Okay.
[46:09] Hold that thought.
[46:10] Okay.
[46:11] It's not a big deal.
[46:12] I mean, I'm not going to make a, uh, uh,
[46:14] Oh, I did not edit this.
[46:16] I'm sure there's red pens all over the place,
[46:19] including mine ready to pass.
[46:21] Okay, Pauline, could you say that again please, because it sounded like a good summation.
[46:27] Town council appoints the rep with the recommendation of the school board.
[46:33] Upon recommendation of the school board,
[46:48] there shall be a maximum of one student representative.
[46:52] This individual must be in 9th through 12th grade when appointed and
[46:56] shall present a letter of recommendation from their principal to the school board.
[47:01] The town council shall be the appointing authority upon recommendation of the school board.
[47:07] The term length of the student representative shall be one year.
[47:13] I wonder if we should clarify that it's a rolling year instead of an academic year.
[47:19] Oh, like a says one year.
[47:24] Yeah, I'm just just to be super clear for so that you can differentiate like in case people think
[47:32] I think it's an academic year and then they're put off because it's November and they haven't applied.
[47:38] Shall be one year, notwithstanding academic calendars.
[47:43] That works.
[47:43] I was just thinking one year from the day of your appointment.
[47:47] Yes.
[47:48] Okay.
[47:48] That's what it works.
[47:50] That seems a little easier.
[47:52] One year from date of appointment.
[47:54] One year from date of appointment.
[47:57] Notwithstanding it's too big of a work.
[47:58] Tell them afterwards, you and I can make sure, or you show me what you've got.
[48:02] Okay.
[48:02] So, you know it will go in the minutes.
[48:04] Okay.
[48:05] It is.
[48:05] Like I said, it's not a good deal.
[48:07] And this is the last time we will look at these until next July, so.
[48:11] So, with the goal running?
[48:13] Yes.
[48:14] Yes.
[48:15] We do.
[48:16] That's why I wanted to get the language out, so.
[48:18] Yeah.
[48:20] So, who wants to make the motion to accept the amendments as submitted?
[48:27] I make a motion to accept the amendment to Article 4, Sections A and B, as committed.
[48:37] So that would be, individual shall be in 9 through 12th grade, when appointed.
[48:43] Shall present a letter of recommendation from the principal to the Maramax School Board for the position.
[48:48] Town Council shall be the appointing authority upon recommendation of the school board, the term link shall be one year from date of appointment.
[48:56] Yes.
[48:57] Andrew
[49:02] and Laura.
[49:04] All in favor.
[49:08] Opposed?
[49:09] Yes.
[49:09] Thank you, 7-0-0.
[49:11] And that leaves us with what is on Article 5.
[49:15] Do I have a motion for the language as proposed?
[49:20] Tom, did you have some comments on this language?
[49:27] I had trouble with this article with Section C. I had to read it three times before I got
[49:34] right.
[49:36] Only alternates see it in place of a full member can vote. That's how I would
[49:42] amend it. That's how I would change it.
[49:46] Oh, yes, to indicate who can vote, not who cannot vote.
[49:49] They just want to make sure we don't accidentally say that only alternates can vote.
[49:56] But whatever language we want, if this is okay with everybody else's way it is, I'm fine with it.
[50:03] I think yours is a little clearer.
[50:07] Do I have a motion in for what language?
[50:13] Can you say it one more time?
[50:14] I move to amend the rules of procedure from June 10th, 1924.
[50:26] Our applies section C to read only alternates ceded in place of a phone member can vote.
[50:41] Does that clarify?
[50:43] Should it be only members and alternate ceded in place of a member?
[50:48] Well, it does specify the only votes of seated members count.
[50:52] Okay.
[50:53] Prior.
[50:53] That's the first clause.
[50:56] Alternates must be seated.
[50:57] No, it's the same.
[50:58] Okay.
[51:05] Okay.
[51:06] That was Tom.
[51:06] A second.
[51:08] Or is there a second?
[51:09] A second.
[51:12] All in favor?
[51:16] All opposed?
[51:18] Abstained.
[51:20] So, did you?
[51:21] You may have motion.
[51:22] So, you're stuck with it.
[51:24] Question.
[51:24] Do we also need to approve the change in Article 5, Section A?
[51:30] Yes, we do.
[51:32] And I will entertain a motion.
[51:34] I move to approve the proposed amendment to the proposed changes to Article 5, Section A, as written.
[51:42] Second,
[51:47] all in favor?
[51:50] All opposed.
[51:51] All abstained, 7, 0, 0.
[51:55] And that's it for the rules of procedure.
[51:57] Thank you very much.
[51:58] continued
[52:01] discussion to review and consider three bids for lawn mowing services for the Sklar Riverfront Park.
[52:11] As Tom and Nick pointed out, they got bids from three agencies.
[52:18] At the last meeting, we were concerned because it wasn't clear that the bids, that the numbers were alike.
[52:26] The finance department sent our questions to the bidders.
[52:33] Emails were forwarded to Keras and me responding from two, and that is Greenscafe and Gaffney
[52:40] property.
[52:43] Looking at the spreadsheet, we got last time, which covered the trails within Sklar,
[52:50] each bidder, and their comments.
[52:53] One of them, better grounds management, gave their, the request for proposal said that it estimated their need service every three weeks, and theirs was monthly, theirs was the only quote that did not reflect every three weeks.
[53:13] GreenScape confirmed to finance the annual total they are looking at is $5,760, which is
[53:23] the total of the figures above it.
[53:26] We didn't know was this per event or what, they said their annual total for a contract
[53:32] extending from July 31st this year to July 31st of 07 would be $5,760.
[53:39] dollars.
[53:41] Gaffney property services clarified in their email that they are looking at $1275 per
[53:51] visit to all four trails.
[53:54] Per visit?
[53:55] That's right.
[53:56] Per visit and they estimate between seven and nine visits.
[54:00] If I look at eight to make it even with greenscape, $1275 times eight is $10,200.
[54:07] dollars. None of this includes emergency work which would be a bit on separate, or
[54:15] handles separately. Better grounds, I did not, I did not receive a follow-up email. The
[54:23] total of the figures they gave per trail comes to 7,500, 15. That is probably annual,
[54:37] but
[54:37] So the totals, for the numbers, what we are looking at for green scape is 5,760, for
[54:44] Gaffney, 10,200, and for better grounds, $75,515,
[54:55] so that may help clarify.
[54:58] At this point, Sklar is waiting patiently for us to recommend an agency.
[55:09] I hope to hear from everybody about this.
[55:12] My comment is better grounds.
[55:14] I'm grateful for their bid, but they said monthly, not every three weeks, and what the
[55:21] request for proposal was every three weeks.
[55:26] GreenScape has a favorable bid and there I
[55:37] looked at their reference.
[55:41] Each of these places does have, did bring references and
[55:45] I did check online to see if anybody had any issues we needed to be concerned about.
[55:50] I found none so that's where I am on this.
[55:55] Sorry, did you say greenskate or gaffney?
[55:57] Greenskate.
[55:59] And so they're going to, um, there'll be eight different visits from now.
[56:06] Yeah.
[56:07] For each trail, eight different visits.
[56:10] Well, I'll try to combine.
[56:14] I did like that greenskate specifically calls out how many times they will visit,
[56:20] rather than saying monthly, where is that the first of the month?
[56:24] Well, the first of this month is not in the summertime, so there could be questions there.
[56:32] This is what I was looking for.
[56:34] Greenscapes references were the Department of Conservation and Recreation in Massachusetts.
[56:38] Worked on a trail in the Blackstone area, the FAA in New Hampshire, presumably,
[56:45] Nashua, and the town of Palam, maintenance and roundabouts in there.
[56:50] So this is, they are familiar with the area.
[56:53] with all of these, all of these are local companies.
[57:00] For real, yeah, Tom and Nick, you said you met with.
[57:03] I'm sorry, but I've got to raise,
[57:05] will it worry you met with me?
[57:08] I think, I think I did better ground management
[57:12] on that Friday by myself.
[57:15] Yeah.
[57:15] Yeah, I think GreenScape is the one that we both went with together.
[57:23] The guy, I think he's from Northridge.
[57:37] I believe what we are in a position to do
[57:40] is recommend? I don't know if this comes out of fund 53 or it becomes out of the town. I
[57:48] don't know if this I think this may come out of fund 53 but I'm not sure. I wonder if
[57:54] a motion should be phrased in a manner that it's fund 53 unless the town's procurement
[58:01] process. What is fund 53? That is the fund hold on I've got the language here. This is used
[58:08] It's a conservation fund used for buying land, improving the trails on MCC-owned land,
[58:15] conducting studies on that land, or preparing plans for the land.
[58:19] It is funded by the tax revenue from removing parcels from current use.
[58:27] There's a 10% levy.
[58:31] So, you recommend but still has to go to council for these.
[58:38] I believe would probably go through you for it because this finance knows the wiggle room for a bit.
[58:48] I think it's 5 percent, but that's not our decision.
[58:53] What we can do is, what we can do as far as I know is recommend one of these agencies.
[59:00] So
[59:16] is it the thinking of the commission that we have a recommendation to make yet, or are we still looking at more information?
[59:28] I think I have what I need.
[59:31] I'm ready.
[59:39] Okay, so we have a motion.
[59:52] I think, yes, and if it is.
[1:00:00] This to come out of other funds we can be advised, but what would happen is if we're supposed to do fund 53, saying fund 53 would cover.
[1:00:06] Sure.
[1:00:07] Can I give you an outlaw of draft version to accept the bid from the green scape land
[1:00:18] design in
[1:00:21] the amount of $5,716,760 total to come from $253,
[1:00:35] let's see, I'll see.
[1:00:37] That's designated by the Finance Department.
[1:00:40] Yes, designated by the town.
[1:00:42] Okay.
[1:00:44] We recommend accepting the bid.
[1:00:47] Okay.
[1:00:48] So is that clear enough?
[1:00:51] Well, I have one question.
[1:00:53] Because these bids are for spring and summer, we're already halfway through summer.
[1:00:59] So, greenscape, if you look at the numbers, they clearly gave a specific dollar
[1:01:05] figure for each mowing they would do in spring and in summer.
[1:01:10] So I'm assuming this would be pro-rated by the fact that there are only, say, two or three
[1:01:15] mullings left this summer.
[1:01:17] What would they do before the conclusion of the term of the contract?
[1:01:24] I assumed this contract was rolling as well, and would go into next spring.
[1:01:28] Oh, yeah, the request for proposal was July 31st, so July 31st this year, now.
[1:01:33] Okay.
[1:01:34] Right.
[1:01:37] Yeah, so it doesn't have to be all in its calendar year.
[1:01:39] Right.
[1:01:40] Oh, that's not going to be.
[1:01:43] All right.
[1:01:43] So you've dabbled a tell in the water.
[1:01:45] Go ahead and dive.
[1:01:46] I don't know if I can say it again.
[1:01:49] I move to appropriate from, or to approve the bid.
[1:01:53] I'm sorry.
[1:01:54] To recommend the bid.
[1:01:55] To recommend the bid.
[1:01:56] I move to recommend the bid submitted by Green Landscape Design.
[1:02:03] GreenScape Land Design?
[1:02:04] Yes.
[1:02:05] GreenScape Land Design.
[1:02:06] This is why we do graph.
[1:02:13] From, from, from fine 53,
[1:02:17] or as designated.
[1:02:18] Or as designated.
[1:02:20] By the town.
[1:02:22] By the town.
[1:02:25] Did I get it right?
[1:02:26] We'll find out.
[1:02:34] I have a thing about if you give the reader of your document any chance to misunderstand,
[1:02:46] Well, the nice thing about working with the Conservation Commission is I will hear in a big hurry from the town staff if I went off the rails.
[1:02:58] Okay.
[1:02:59] Tom has made a motion. Do I have a second?
[1:03:01] Second.
[1:03:06] Are you prepared to vote? All in favor?
[1:03:10] Seven.
[1:03:11] Seven, zero, zero?
[1:03:13] Thank you.
[1:03:23] I'm grateful to the Finance Department and to the bidders for providing this additional
[1:03:28] information without which we could not have concluded this tonight.
[1:03:34] The next item is a discussion and potential vote on herbicidal treatment warning signs
[1:03:39] with an estimated cost between $100.40 and $144.16 from Fund 53. Tom.
[1:03:49] Okay. You have two pages of quotes. One has four quotes on it and the other one has one.
[1:03:56] The four, she, whoever wrote this quote, Kelly, I said she asked me questions.
[1:04:07] I only have one the one the one the one there's one twenty six fifty so I have the phone. Okay. I have
[1:04:17] Okay, yeah, I don't have that second one. Okay. All right, so they're both okay. So this is actually the final quote that she gave me. Okay, okay. So
[1:04:25] does that say? And it's for the amount of one one twenty six fifty six. Okay. So can I it's one hundred and forty a maximum?
[1:04:35] Would that be appropriate?
[1:04:36] Yes, amount not to exceed.
[1:04:38] Okay.
[1:04:39] So we are getting the one-sided signs with stepstakes.
[1:04:42] That's correct.
[1:04:43] That's correct, yes.
[1:04:50] I make a motion to appropriate from fund 53 an amount not to exceed $140 to cover the
[1:05:01] costs of herbicidal warning signs from apographic.
[1:05:09] Hi.
[1:05:10] Is there a second?
[1:05:11] Second.
[1:05:14] Any discussion?
[1:05:17] All in favor.
[1:05:19] Oh, I'm sorry.
[1:05:20] Oh, I'm sorry.
[1:05:21] It's OK.
[1:05:22] My quick question was, we're putting these in Sclare.
[1:05:25] Yes.
[1:05:25] OK.
[1:05:26] Well, we're putting them.
[1:05:30] We're going to use them in Sclare.
[1:05:32] And then we're going to store some place and if we can use them again. That's right. It's not property specific. Okay, okay. Okay. All in favor of the motion.
[1:05:43] Posed abstained 700.
[1:05:49] And again, Tom, before anything happened, Gage Perry has made me aware of something that I wasn't. We do need to let local beatkeepers know so that if there's a schedule put out
[1:06:00] Please get it to calm down as soon as possible so they can blast it out to us. They know where the beatkeepers are. We don't
[1:06:11] Approval of minutes from the July 27th meeting.
[1:06:18] I mean, can we approve the meetings of the July 27th meeting as amended?
[1:06:25] Is there a second?
[1:06:29] My first change is I was in fact at the meeting.
[1:06:39] I've got one.
[1:06:41] Page three, line 82.
[1:06:45] The word in should be three,
[1:06:56] sorry Tom, what was the first change you made?
[1:07:02] Line 82, the word in should be is the type of.
[1:07:09] And I got another one on line 24.
[1:07:14] And the word R is the respect of the type of.
[1:07:18] Okay.
[1:07:26] Anyone else?
[1:07:28] Sarah.
[1:07:31] On page one, it says that I spoke about my involvement with the Invisives Committee.
[1:07:37] I was never on the Invisives Committee.
[1:07:40] I was interested in Invisives Committee.
[1:07:42] Okay. Her interest in Invisives.
[1:07:46] Just to be clear.
[1:07:48] That's substantive, thank you.
[1:08:12] any other comments?
[1:08:16] Are you prepared to vote? All in favor of accepting the minutes.
[1:08:23] 7-0-0.
[1:08:26] Thank you very much.
[1:08:30] Any comments from the commissioners before we break up?
[1:08:37] I will say at Horsail there was a group of residents walking through. There was a mishap
[1:08:42] this weekend and they did exactly the right thing. They informed us right away.
[1:08:46] I documented what happened so that we could contact Comdeb.
[1:08:51] If this ever happens when you're out, it's not, doesn't have to be a formal conservation commission activity.
[1:08:58] This was not, but we need to be aware of what's going on in our properties.
[1:09:01] And I really appreciated being updated when we did.
[1:09:05] And arising from that is maintenance in horse hill, stay tuned.
[1:09:15] Yeah, with the signs that we just approved, will that come back to me when they're ready
[1:09:21] to be picked up?
[1:09:22] Should be.
[1:09:22] Okay.
[1:09:23] Okay.
[1:09:24] I'm trying to get this in before Eric starts his work, obviously that would be good.
[1:09:30] Oh yeah.
[1:09:30] Yeah.
[1:09:32] Yeah, there's a couple of things that have to be done before he starts his work.
[1:09:34] One is the signs and the other is the notification.
[1:09:38] All right.
[1:09:39] All right, this meeting is adjourned at 7.40pm.