[0:00] The elevator, use the stairs.

[0:01] If you need assistance, please ask

[0:03] assistance of one of the commissioners.

[0:07] Let's have introduction to commissioners.

[0:09] Starting to my left.

[0:12] Elizabeth Carver, land Manager,

[0:15] Bob sro, Eileen Chabo,

[0:18] Charlie Foot Town Council Lee Liaison,

[0:20] And I'm the chair Ricardo Bgo.

[0:23] We have a, a brief discussion today dealing

[0:28] with public access at the Martin Farm in Cornelson

[0:32] and Fernando Properties

[0:36] to support the

[0:40] FSMA compliance

[0:42] during active agricultural operations provisions.

[0:48] I hope to enact some emergency emergency limitations

[0:52] that will last 90 days

[0:56] and allow the commission

[0:59] and the other stakeholders involved to come up

[1:01] with permanent, a permanent solution on

[1:05] how we're gonna deal with these regulations that were,

[1:11] the regulations happened

[1:12] after we had this property put in conservation easement.

[1:17] So there's a conflict between the new federal regulations

[1:21] and what we allow on the pro, the,

[1:24] the conservation easement properties.

[1:27] We're gonna reference a boilerplate agreement from

[1:32] our land manager, Beth Carver,

[1:35] and the stakeholders at JNF Farms.

[1:37] Everyone has a copy of it. It is dated

[1:42] Friday, 8 21, 20 26, 2 30

[1:47] 9:00 PM and it'll be attached to the minutes.

[1:49] As part of the permanent record, I'm gonna have our,

[1:53] our land manager, Beth Carver, go through the nine points on

[1:58] the, we'll call this the memorandum of understanding.

[2:04] I hope to see a motion to adopt those provisions

[2:09] for a period of 90 days.

[2:13] And then we'll have a vote on it.

[2:15] It'll give us 90 days to, to come up

[2:18] with a permanent solution with the, with the stakeholders.

[2:21] So, Beth, can you take, take it from there? Yeah.

[2:24] So I met with Andrew Chisholm

[2:26] and Melissa Fernando,

[2:29] who attended the last Conservation Commission meeting.

[2:33] And just to get an idea from them of what kind

[2:37] of measures would work for them.

[2:40] So this is what we came up with.

[2:45] So one, remove the signage, showing trails going

[2:49] through the Martin Farm from the town website

[2:52] and the trail head kiosk.

[2:53] So right now there's some trails going through, like

[2:57] where they have electric fencing and around their silo.

[3:01] Remove the signage showing both parcels 1197

[3:06] and 1 47 dash 1188 dash three outlined in red from the town

[3:11] website and Trailhead kiosk.

[3:12] So that's the map that's online right now kind

[3:15] of combines the town owned land

[3:17] and their land that has a conservation easement on it.

[3:21] And which property is that, Beth?

[3:22] It doesn't say on number two what property

[3:24] That is.

[3:25] Yeah, so those parcels are the,

[3:29] I can I actually, I have a map if you would like, I can kind

[3:32] of hold it up to the camera maybe.

[3:37] So that's this parcel and this parcel here. Is

[3:41] That also the Martin Farm? I guess that's

[3:44] Where, Nope, the Martin Farm is connected,

[3:48] but the Martin Farm is this collection

[3:52] of parcels here. Okay. So

[3:53] The 1197 and 1 47, which property do those go with?

[3:57] Is it Cornelison?

[3:58] So yes, that's the Cornelison property. Okay. Yep.

[4:01] Thank you. Yep. Post new signage in the Trailhead

[4:05] kiosk on holiday AVEs stating no dogs, no hunting,

[4:09] no motorized vehicles.

[4:12] Post new signage on trees, flanking the trails

[4:15] that empty into the two fields

[4:17] stating keep out fields, stay on trail.

[4:22] And if you'd like, I can show you the location of those

[4:27] post new signage on two stakes along the edges

[4:30] of the upland field that are similar in fashion

[4:33] to the employees only signage posted around the j

[4:36] and f Farms farm stand post

[4:40] new signage on trees flanking the English Range Road

[4:44] driveway entrance to the field that are similar in fashion

[4:46] to employees only signage posted around the j

[4:49] and f Farms farm stand

[4:52] post new signage at the Stonewall break entering the ball

[4:55] farm property reenter trail here.

[5:00] The posted signs covering the Martin farm can remain

[5:03] until the end of the planting season.

[5:06] And the post signs looking into the town owned Cornelius

[5:11] and parcel will be removed.

[5:16] So after reading those,

[5:20] I'm wondering if there's any wisdom to

[5:25] label 'em as food production fields

[5:27] or something like that, just

[5:30] to alert people why they're being asked to stay out of them.

[5:34] Right. And also

[5:39] the, if you look on your sheet there, the, there's some

[5:43] in parentheses, it, it shows who's responsible for each one

[5:46] of those signages.

[5:48] So d is responsible for some of it.

[5:50] And then the folks at the other stakeholders are

[5:54] responsible for some.

[5:55] So if this gets adopted this evening, you know,

[5:59] Beth is gonna lead.

[6:02] Getting all that signage put up, getting it, get,

[6:04] getting it purchase and getting it put up.

[6:07] And you guys can have more questions in just a second,

[6:09] but I, I, I failed to announce that this

[6:15] MOU was

[6:18] after a meeting with myself,

[6:22] Charlie Foot and the town administrator immediately

[6:26] after our previous meeting on first what this

[6:31] rapid response subcommittee has for jurisdiction on it.

[6:36] And second, if, if there was any liability to the town,

[6:41] if we chose not to act

[6:44] and we chose that this was the best way to, to deal

[6:48] with both of those things for a temporary,

[6:51] and again, it's on a temporary basis,

[6:53] the permanent solution is not

[6:54] gonna be what you see in front of you.

[6:55] The permanent solution is gonna be something

[6:59] I think a lot more friendly to all parties,

[7:01] but in order to get something done right away, this is what,

[7:04] this was our, our kind of best, our best swipe in a,

[7:09] in a in a short period of time.

[7:11] Any other questions on it?

[7:14] The only other thing that I, there is a statute

[7:18] regarding posting that specifies the lettering size

[7:23] and stuff that we should be following that.

[7:27] So in, in, in, in the motion,

[7:29] if you're gonna make the motion in the motion,

[7:31] maybe you can add that to the motion that we use.

[7:34] Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah. That we use that. Yeah. Yeah.

[7:37] 'cause that's important. So. 'cause I don't think it's

[7:39] probably not, it's probably not binding

[7:42] unless it, unless you use that.

[7:43] So maybe in the motion that's made, you can refer to that.

[7:49] Any other questions?

[7:53] So I'll detain a motion.

[7:56] Can I ask questions? The only way you would be able

[7:59] to ask questions if I, if I open suspend the rules,

[8:02] suspend the rules, and open up a public, a public hearing.

[8:05] And I, and we don't, we, we weren't intending to doing

[8:07] that tonight, but you're welcome to send any questions.

[8:10] You might have to, to the town website,

[8:13] to the council chair, and, and I'll either answer it myself

[8:16] or I'll get, I'll get the right person answered for you.

[8:20] Oh, okay. Good. All Yeah, that's,

[8:22] that's probably where I would've sent you anyways.

[8:23] Chair that. Yeah, good. Ask some

[8:25] Questions.

[8:26] It's not clear to me whether we are like,

[8:29] are we totally closing all the trails during the

[8:34] agricultural crop work?

[8:37] Or are we going to have some access to certain parts

[8:40] of trails Yes.

[8:42] While that's going on. Yes. Because that's important as

[8:45] Well.

[8:46] We will, and if, if it's helpful, I can show on a map like

[8:48] where the signs will go.

[8:49] Right. So I don't know if this is the best way

[8:54] to show here on the big screen,

[8:56] but, so here's the Cornelius

[9:00] and Parcel here, right?

[9:01] So Holiday Ave is, oh goodness. Okay.

[9:04] Holiday Ave is right here.

[9:06] And then this line is the trail that goes through the woods

[9:09] and then it empties out into the field.

[9:11] This is the field that like, if you go up the hill

[9:16] here, you'll be in the ball property.

[9:19] The ball property is right here. Right? Right.

[9:21] So here's a hill, here's

[9:22] where the trail spills out into the field.

[9:24] So the intent is to keep this entire trail open

[9:28] to the public, but just posting signs on these trees

[9:33] where it like empties out into the field.

[9:36] Right. The signs that say, so we're

[9:38] Moving that 30 foot Setback, keep outta fields,

[9:40] stay on trail, and then

[9:42] There's a 30 foot setback acquired by the FMSA

[9:47] from the crop fields. They have to

[9:49] Right.

[9:50] You have to stay away 30 feet.

[9:52] So, yep. And then, so, and then right here as well,

[9:56] because this is a sweet corn field right now.

[9:59] Yeah. So there'd be signs here just saying,

[10:01] stay on the trail, keep out of fields

[10:03] and signs right here saying the same.

[10:06] Okay. Yeah. Stay on the trail, keep off the fields.

[10:08] That's, that's the goal. Yeah.

[10:10] Got it. And then they would also be able, the, the,

[10:13] the point of the reenter trail here sign is

[10:17] that they would be able to come out here, go up here

[10:21] and enter the ball field,

[10:24] the ball ball, farm ball, property.

[10:26] Yeah. Property. And get into the woods that way.

[10:31] Okay. Thank you. You're welcome.

[10:34] Before we get a motion, I probably should have talked a

[10:37] little bit about the origin story of this,

[10:38] of this process and why it exists.

[10:40] The FSMA require the FSMA guidelines.

[10:44] If there's an infraction on a

[10:47] crop producing field,

[10:49] an infraction would be something like a dog, you know,

[10:56] peeing or a human peeing or, or pooping on

[10:59] or near a field that, that field, the entire crops for

[11:04] that entire field can need to be quarantined

[11:07] for the entire growing season.

[11:08] That was what, that was what triggered a lot of this,

[11:11] a lot of this discussion.

[11:12] So just for the public record, so people know why we had

[11:14] to act on this pretty quickly,

[11:18] especially during the growing season.

[11:21] Okay. If there's nothing else, I'll entertain a motion.

[11:25] And the motion when it's made

[11:30] could be as simple as adopting the provisions outlined in

[11:33] the email of 8 21 from the land manager

[11:39] to the stakeholders.

[11:40] Okay. I'll make a motion that we,

[11:42] With that added language about the,

[11:44] about the, and then add mine.

[11:46] Okay, good. Maybe can do

[11:47] a friendly amendment, something like

[11:48] that. Oh, you can do it.

[11:50] All right. I'd like to make a motion that we adopt

[11:55] the provisions one through nine contained in the email

[12:01] entitled Recap of Meeting eight slash 21,

[12:05] dated 8 21 20 26 at 2:39 PM

[12:10] And also include in addition to that,

[12:16] the provisions for proper dimension of signings

[12:20] that's required by statute,

[12:23] I don't remember, by statute number,

[12:26] By state statute, By state statute.

[12:28] And in accordance with that, we would post those signs

[12:33] For a period of 90 days, for A period of 90 days.

[12:37] Okay. That's a good motion. Is there a second?

[12:41] I'll Second. All right.

[12:42] So we have a motion by Eileen, a second by Bob Sperl.

[12:45] We're gonna do a roll call.

[12:47] All, all those in favor, starting to my left.

[12:51] That's you, Bob. Aye Eileen Aye. Chair votes? Yes.

[12:55] So the, the motion carries

[12:57] and is unanimous with no other business

[13:00] before the committee, I'll detain a motion to adjourn.

[13:05] I'll make a motion that we adjourn.

[13:07] Is there a second? Second. First by lien. Second by Bob.

[13:10] In favor say aye. Aye. Aye. We are adjourned.

Conservation Commission Emergency Meeting - 8/24/2026

Transcript