the South Open Space uh and Management Committee meeting at 454 College Highway in South, Massachusetts on Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. Roll call. Connor Flurry, Phil Price, >> McCain,
>> and Sabrina just stepped out of the room. I'm assuming she's here for a meeting. >> Um, so our first item is approve meeting minutes from last meeting. >> Okay. Would you want to do that now? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Sure. While we're waiting for her,
>> um the only person who responded was uh Phil and Phil said it looked fine to him. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Nobody has any Yeah. >> any things. I guess what you probably need to do is say that >> make a motion. >> I make a motion to approve last meeting's minutes. >> I second the motion.
>> Do we need to do a roll call vote then? >> Yeah. Connor Flurry. >> Phil Price. I >> Martha Kane I. Okay. >> All right. Um, so this is the town clerk's copy which is all stapled together them. And
then this is the Mhm. I can get it. This is the one for our notebook. All right, we kind of skipped over public comments. Sabrina, are you here for a thing or just kind of I think my public comment time or
>> um you guys are going to talk about soci right? Yeah, I'm basically here just fork. >> All right, that's the first thing then. So review uh first item uh under new business is review and discuss work that needs to be done at Woodland Ridge Road and Sophowski property. So Martha was so
gracious to write up a report for Stanowski on November 7th, 2025. Basically a lot of what she felt was needing to be done, including uh picnic tables in brush bird boxes.
Um, I think the field that was there was a concern about what time to harvest it and so forth. Kiosk, trash cans, and that's Yeah. And that was done back in November. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah. Snow. I just went, you know, just to look and took some photos as I was going. Yeah. And >> and then made up that little report just so that you folks would would see >> Yeah. >> what I thought. >> Yeah. >> And >> yeah, I know there was a little bit of
chatter about redoing bird boxes and possibly pulling out picnic tables and redoing them. Um yeah, when you saw the the pictures, um I took there are two p there are four picnic tables at the preserver and two
of them um had the multifllora rose and other vinage probably bittersweet and stuff coming up through um the spaces between the boards. >> Oh boy. >> So they're just about they've just about been eaten by the vines in there. Um,
again, I looked at it in November and then I was there the other day, too, checking again. So, there weren't leaves on the stuff. It could be poison ivy in there as well. But the tables themselves looked good. You know, they looked like the wood was was good, that they were salvageable.
Um, so it would just be a matter of cutting all that vinage, maybe moving them a little bit too. Um, that's kind of why I'm bringing this up now because I feel like if we're going to do any of that, I mean, obviously while things are still growing, still dead from winter, it's probably the time to do it, you know, in
the next month or two here before we get a deep >> goes crazy, >> you know, harder to recognize the poison ivy. So, if you are very >> um allergic to it, you know, to be use a lot of caution >> there. Um, a lot of it is multifllora
rose, which which has very bad thorns. So that if we work on that, >> um, we should wear leather gloves and, you know, kind of old clothes that you don't mind getting torn up and stuff. >> But, um, I did go the other day and just look to see if the boxes had stayed the
same or if anybody had done anything. Just, you know, maybe the scouts, >> but nobody had. >> Yeah. >> So, I took down uh, two of the boxes um, and opened up the ones that I could get to. I didn't have big clippers with me
to be able to cut my way through the multifloor rows to get to some of them, but the ones I could get to, I did. Um, and of course, there are no doors on those boxes for monitoring or maintenance. So, I had to stand there with my screwdriver and take out like
five or six screws to get the door off. Some of the boxes were so bad they were almost crumbling apart in my hands. And um some of them were so packed filled with mice nests. The mice urine smell was horrible, you know. Um so it's if
any of us go in there to do that, which you know I I know I will, but I'm going to suit up a little better than I was the other day. So um I thought what I would do, I have some older boxes at home that are still in good shape. So,
the two that I took down, uh, one of them is in the field, it's right where the little monument is. You can see how it's had slid down the pole. >> Um, um, this is the big field. And, you know, again, this is this field could be
mowed in the middle of summer or whatever. But I thought if I just ear um I thought if I um of course I would mount it up the proper mounting and I would put a predator guard on it. Um that's how the mice got in and and
destroyed the boxes. Before there were no predator guards and they just climbed up the poles and you know >> um >> made a mess of things. >> I'm going to ask kind of both of you this question. Any of the plants or brush that are in these picnic tables or by the bird boxes are they invasive
species of plants at all? >> Multifllora is invasive. If >> we pull these picnic tables out, should we come up with a plan to then take care of the those invasive species or are we like what what can we do? What should we do? >> Those field edges are loaded.
>> Yeah. It's what what we do to sort of maintain is brush hog the field edge. >> Yeah. Um it's I mean it would be lovely if we could get rid of them. But >> is that where these picnic tables are? Because I see there's like a bunch of stuff around these are >> the little ponds in the front of the
preserve >> behind the horses. >> I haven't gone past like the community garden. >> Okay. >> So there's these are past that gate. >> Um they are to So actually have a map somewhere. >> You're right. If you're Yeah, I have I
have a map on this thing. So, here's like the trail head or the community garden. Um, and here's that gate that you're talking about. These are the two ponds. >> And this is the horses right here. And you can actually walk back there. The
their fence is their property mine. Everything else is senka. >> So, one of the picnic tables is in here. And I think one is in here. >> Yeah. One one picnic table's over here. Another one's Wait, one picnic table's here and another one's over here. Yeah, >> they're close to those. So this is this
is the field's edge then. It's not like it's in the middle of somewhere where we could take it and be done with it. It's it's basically >> this is mode. They've got parts of this mode, but then part of it is wooded in through here as well. >> Mhm. >> Um and um the other picnic table is up
up higher. >> It's um probably somewhere around here. That one is the one that has it's like on a sea of poison ivy. >> Oh, is it? So, right now would be probably a good time to just sort of scoot it away from that scene of Poison Ivy because I think it's just ironic. We're like, "Hey, come picnic on poison
ivy." >> Yeah. >> Scratch one is by the community garden. >> Yeah. And that that one by the community garden is >> fine. I think um I don't know if it needs to be painted or sanded or anything like that. >> Pull these out. Are they going to be in the middle of field or it's going to be
in some farmer's way? >> No. >> Or are we? >> No. And I think the one that's in like entirely entangled, I remember when we we cut back that multifloor nose, that picnic table was free like two years ago
and it we basically pruned the multifllora cuz I saw it engulfed engulfed that picnic table. We can scoot it over and move it into a different spot. >> Yeah. >> Um is there any reason they're in these spots? Like is it like it's a good out of the way area? Essentially, what I'm
getting at is is it worthwhile pulling these out, taking care of the invasive species, and maybe doing like a nice stone pad and putting the tables there, or are we better off just moving it somewhere where there this multif floral stuff isn't? >> We might be better off moving it.
The thing about the this the >> the stone like pad is that the multifloor rose is along the wood woodland edge >> and it just kind of grows over. So even if you have that, you know, little patio
area, it doesn't matter. You're just going to >> going to arch over and it's like, >> yeah, it needs constant maintenance. We we really need a volunteer crew that is dedicated to Sophenowski >> to, you know, help us with that. I think
the um agricultural commission might be a good um group because they're the ones they did a volunteer thing a couple years ago when we we cut back that multifloor rose. >> So they're they're motivated at least they were a couple years ago.
>> They talked to us about it. Jennifer was here at the last meeting >> and u she told us about the community garden. I hadn't realized it was the agricultural commission that does that. And um so we were talking then about maybe having a mutual workday and that
we would work together >> uh on various things. So >> that would be great. >> But I think we also need neighbors or people who enjoy using Sabonowski, you know, to see if we could get some help that way. Mhm. >> that um
even somebody who is keeping their eye on it, who regularly walks their dog or whatever um to report to us if they see something. But you're right, those um invasive species are just crazy and in a
year's time they you know they can easily engulf the bird boxes. You saw the pictures. So you you really have to have >> a dedicated person or persons who are
going to be maintaining monitoring that stuff. >> Yeah. That basically there's been almost no maintenance on the property. Yeah. Like >> that's obvious. >> Some neighbors have come and like cut cut trees that have fallen on the path and sort of scooted over the logs.
>> Um they do that on their own. >> Yeah. Um we have the mowing around the community garden. We do that. We have um the hay fields. They are hayed. >> Mhm. >> One or two times a year. Um and then we
have the perimeter of the hayfields brush hoged. Those are the maintenance things that you do. >> Absolutely. who does I guess it's Con that pays the um the person who does the haying and the hay fields or >> so the haying and the hay fields um we
had an agreement with the solex >> okay >> so they take care of the fields they do the hay they keep the hay so that's sort of like a net zero thing and then I think it's still the also brush hog and
we pay >> $600 per brush hog And that's two times a year. So, it's $1,200 um >> a year. And we had we have a grant or money left over from a grant. And I don't know what grant it was, but it'd be nice if we could apply for that grant
again. Um because I think we have maybe two years worth of brush hogging left to to pay for the maintenance of the field >> um before we're going to start having to use um taxpayer money. Well, one thing that I found with hay fields is, you
know, when the farmers have to hay, they have to hay. And it's usually around the summer solstice or is that right? Yeah, solstice. Um, and I have lost several broods of tree swallows and bluebirds when the big mowers come in in a field
like that. So, I think before we put boxes out there, I thought I could the one that I was just showing you, I could do that one and if bluebirds decide to nest in it, I think they'll be out of there by
June and then I can take the box down. >> Okay? >> You know, or plug it up somehow so that tree swallows or something else doesn't get in there. But if um my experience with the Graanby land trust in Hulcom farm in Graanby that when farmers have
to hay they have to hey >> right the right time you have to take advantage of the right >> and I can't say but I've got you know a box of bluebirds within 3 days of fledging. Can you wait three days? >> Yeah. you know, and and after seeing so
many die, you know, >> I really think it's it's not ethical to put a box in the middle of a field like that when you know it's going to be paid. >> So, with the Grand View Land Trust, what we do there is they do have they hatch some wildlife preserves. So, they have
some fields that are deliberately not mowed in the summer for wildlife, not just birds, but you know, there are ground nesting, you know, like bobbins and things like that. Um, but also, you know, just your rabbits and, you know, your regular mammal type critters, too.
And, um, so that's where we've been putting the boxes lately. I have found that I can't put the boxes where the scouts have them at Sophonowski, which is in along the edge of the field, because of the house rens. >> They're native birds, but they are
crazy. I mean, they take over boxes. The male house ren will put his little sticks in every single box and then he'll go around if the bluebirds try to nest or the tree swallows the chickies and he'll puncture all the eggs. So they're they're really they're really a
problem. Um >> bullies. >> They're what? >> Bullies. >> They're bullies. They're tiny now. They can't kill an adult, you know, bluebird or tree swallow like the house sparrows can do. U but the house rents are a problem. And also along the edges, the
bears are a problem. The bears are mostly wooded woodland species. They don't necessarily like to be out in fields. But I have found at some of our properties in Graanby that if a bear really wants a bear box, it's going to
go 200 feet through blackberries, through multifurals, whatever, and it's going to eat those birds. So, you know, I've tried many things at Mary Edwards. I could put the boxes way out in the field and the bears so far, knock on wood, haven't messed with them. But
at Seth and Lucy Hulcom and some of our others, the bears are have just been impossible to work with. And you know, if it's your backyard and you want to buy an electric fence or something to put around your own home, but if you're doing this for, you know, for a town or
for a land trust or whatever, that, you know, that's not really possible. Mhm. >> So, there are a lot of um things to think about when you put bird boxes up. Is there um a contact for the Solex that
that do the um >> Yeah, we've got Kevin. Kevin's on the commission. >> Okay. So, I can just talk with Kevin. >> Yeah, absolutely. >> And see what Kevin thinks, you know, about >> um is it his family or >> his family? His I think his dad does the
hang or uncle. Um, and I don't know a whole a whole lot about it. It I just kind of went into autopilot when I took over. Um, but I distinctly remember that they weren't allowed to mow until after July 1st because of
>> wildlife, whatever wildlife, I don't know. Um, Kevin might know that better. Okay. >> It also might be in one of these files. >> Okay. >> The reasoning. Um, >> well, that's good. That means our tree swallows probably many of them could be out by then.
>> Okay. >> Um, but I I noticed in in in working with the Graanby Land Trust in Hulcom Farm that a lot of times the mowing was right in June, right around the solstice time. >> Uh, usually the bluebirds were out by
then, but the tree swallow was not. >> Okay. >> And then at Hulcom Farm, they had some fields because of invasion species of plants in the fields. They were mowing several times this summer, >> right? >> And that was a really impossible situation. So, um
>> the birds can tolerate, you know, if you're just lawn mowing like around the community garden and stuff like that, that's not a problem. But those big mowers when they take everything out of the field and >> and one of one of my sites, the farmer came in right after it. He leased it
from the Graanby Land Trust and sprayed manure everywhere. And I had manure all over my boxes. >> I had to clean all that up. And >> it was a it was not I'm laughing because I'm so used to in North Carolina working with golf courses where I've had to be
careful with chemicals and the big, you know, sprinklers spraying into your boxes. And yeah, I got used to and learned how to work around things like that. But >> I'd never worked in hayfields before. I never, you know, so this is new to me. >> Yeah. >> So I had to learn the hard way, unfortunately.
So, Sophenoski may not be it's it's it is a nice place. There are bluebirds there. You probably heard them if you were there. >> Yesterday or the day before, whatever day it was you were there. I was there. >> There's one that's singing. That's why I told him I'll be back with a box. Just a minute.
>> So, there is there is a resident bluebird there that I think maybe they've already found a tree cavity and that that would be good. >> Maybe. Yeah, there are some good snags on that property. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, um, boxes. >> Should we essentially taken those boxes
down before? >> Yes, I think they should be taken down and >> different asap. >> Yeah. Yeah. Well, when I went around, I'm pretty sure the ones that I could get to, like I said, I took the front off and and some of them were so packed full that a bird couldn't try to nest in
them anyway. But I I'm not worried that we're going to be taking a box out there. There's a live active nest going on. um is this time when they're bluebirds and you know are are making nests. >> But um yes, we should take those down
and probably like you say >> burn them. >> You save the poles maybe. U poles. I don't >> Are they wooden poles? >> They're they're the metal one in you know >> what do you call this? Like like they use an electrical >> like bent post kind of
>> No, like a conduit. No, they're >> a pipe. Like a pipe. >> It's like a pipe. a metal a metal they use it in electrical work an >> EMT yeah remember anyway it's it's a 1 in >> so um I think if I get some lighter
boxes the boxes I usually use are are heavy heavy boxes they're they're 1 in thick pieces of wood and which is excellent you know because in the winter if the birds use them for roosting it's excellent insulation in the summer it also helps with the heat as well you
know some more insul Um, but I've used some thinner boxes that I know will fit on those poles and just as an experiment just to see what happens. I think we're going to get a little house rent in the one by the community garden because that box was stuffed with sticks and twigs.
But the other one was by the memorial plat, >> the little bench and whatever. That one um it looks like it had been used by bluebirds before. So, um, so maybe we'll get a Uber there >> and then I'll just get up with Kevin
and, um, find out, you know, when they're going to mow and kind of keep my I'll be monitoring these boxes every 3 to four days. >> Um, so that I'll know. And you I use um a 4 inch wide PVC pipe
um or yeah, I guess you would call it a pipe. Um, and it's about 4 and 1/2 to 5t tall that I put over the pole and then I keep it slick with turtle wax and nothing well very few things can get
climbed that >> but you do have to block off the top where the you know the pole comes up through the pipe and then you've got your bird box here you know >> you don't want anything >> but yeah they well they they'll go down in and explore more because they're
cavity nesters. >> That's why so many out in the gas and oil fields where they have those open pipes, you know, um so many birds die down in those things because the cavity nesters cuz they go down and explore then they can't get back out. So, um
I've learned again the hard way. I've learned many lessons over 20 years of this work. You know, you don't ever leave. You would think with the with the bird box post thing coming up that they wouldn't, but they still do. So, I just use duct tape. I use a white
PVC and then white duct tape so it all kind of blends in. Doesn't look bad. It It looks professional. I think some people object to the white and so I've been experimenting with black pipe now and um this would be the first season. I've got two with the black predator
guards at Mary Edwards and two at Hulcom Farm. And so I'm just going to see. Um, they seem to be as slick uh as the white ones. Uh, whether that's going to cause a heat buildup. Yes. Below the box, I
wouldn't think so, but >> um I'm still experimenting with that. But that the black does blend in better. >> Um, if you're worried about aesthetics, which you know, some people are worried about aesthetics and worried that that
black tube would be conducting a lot of heat and heat rises. >> Yeah. So, >> go for the white. >> Yeah. Yeah. Well, I I'll tell you >> or green or >> orange so that the farmers can see it. >> Yeah, >> the white is good. You know, if you do
have some mowing going on at certain points because it it is more visible. Um, so anyway, it they they'll be white because that's what I've got right now in my shed. >> So, what should be a deadline? Let me take these bird boxes down by like when that you said right now they start nesting
>> any anytime. Look, I've fixed them. so that um nothing's going to be nesting in them. The the the ones that are broken and you know and falling apart and what have you. So um I have actually seen and rescued a site where some of the boxes
have done what I you saw in those pictures. They were down the bluebirds were so desperate. This was in North Carolina at a golf course where it'd been neglected for years that they were nesting in those things and I had to use duct tape and whatever I could come up with to hold it together till they got
that brood out of there. before I could replace that stuff. And um I also learned about chemicals. U some of the boxes, I don't know who did put the boxes out there, but they put them on near the greens, you know, where there's a lot of chemical use. And I had
two female bluebirds dying on the nest and you know, it was it was a mess. >> Yeah. Lots of trial and error. Those poor bluebirds. But they were so desperate for nesting sites that that's why they were using those bad, you know, falling apart
things. But I don't see that at Sophonowski. I don't see that as a problem. I'm just going to replace those two boxes and then whenever we >> How many How many How many boxes total are there? >> I don't know. Some of them are so hidden in >> I don't think there's more than six or
seven out there. >> That sounds about right. I honestly I don't know. And I don't know which troop did it. It's been years. They're probably graduated from college. That was my thing that I I was hoping that they don't go out there and where's
our blueberry? >> No. >> No. >> That happens so often with scouts, particularly with Eagle Scouts, too. They do a big project like that and then they leave >> and then if you don't have anybody monitoring and maintaining, then you you've got a big bad mess. >> Yeah. Yeah.
>> And a lot of park managers have gotten mad about that and don't do Eagle Scout things anymore forever reason >> or specific projects where they can leave it and not be maintained. >> It's not going to be maintained. Yeah. Well, you know, the park manager shouldn't accept a project like that
unless they're willing to maintain it, right? >> The park manager and volunteers. But Right. >> Yeah. So, I mean, if there's a time when we all go out to work on the picnic tables, we could do it that time. >> Yeah. I kind of want to discuss the second half of this and then we can kind of weigh our options. So the second
thing we have on here is the the work that needs to be done at Woodland Ridge. So we did a post um replacement there. When was that? During the summer >> over the summer. Yeah. >> Yeah. We we Concom and all of us went out there to do that and one of the homeowners brought to our attention that
the island in the middle had some remember off the trail there had that poison ivy trail. Um, I think that'd probably be a good idea to get taken care of because the the people that live in Woodland Ridge, kind of walk there and take the dogs for a hike. And there's a pretty big I mean, it's got to be what, 50 by 20. It's it's a huge
patch right off the trail of poison ivy. So, again, I feel like this time of year is probably the time of year to deal with it while everything's still dead and not growing yet. Um, >> so what I think you had said before that there was a technique you were going to
use covering it. I guess there's a tarp. >> Yeah, I think is put a tarp down on it and have the sun just bake it. Leave it there. I don't know if that'll work. >> 20 20 by 50. Yeah. >> Yeah. I'll have to go get the exact measurements. But yeah, it's pretty big.
>> Big put a couple tarps down, but I don't know if that'll work. >> I don't either. >> Um that's what I do in my garden when I want to kill things, >> right? >> I just put a tarp over it, let the sun bake it, and come back in a few weeks. poisonite being a bond, it's going to grow out under. So maybe
>> I didn't think of that. >> We are opposed to some kind of for um wheat pillar spray chemical. >> I'm not necessarily opposed to it. Um if we can get somebody So if we do if we do an
herbicidal treatment on town property, it needs to be by a licensed. >> Okay. >> Um so Yeah, they're done. Gotcha. >> If we put a tarp down. >> Gotcha. >> It's okay. >> I understand. >> I understand
>> the way to handle >> or maybe just try one section and see how it how it reacts. >> Yeah. I mean, we could try an experiment, I suppose. But, you know, and maybe do some more research and see, but it seems like a licensed herbicide person,
but that would be chuch-ing chuch-ing >> ching ch-ing. and we just I just got a 10% cut on my budget last year budget for years stuff. So it's like 10% from our 5% last year. So we're like >> really scraping by.
>> So >> So but this is this is a public open space property. It's owned by the town. It's not a private development type open space. It's a public. >> It's an interesting situation where for whatever reason the
town acquired the open space in that subdivision. >> Mhm. >> And and we are supposed to be maintaining it. >> Okay. >> Um so that becomes the question of what this priority is it sinowski? Is it
poison ivy? I mean, I don't know how fast poison ivy grows or when the growing season of it is. I would imagine it's probably coming up here in April with the rain that we usually get in April. I mean, that makes everything kind of come into full bloom. >> So, um I don't know. What are your guys'
thoughts on prioritizing? >> Doesn't seem to take a lot of time to tarp down just to see. >> Yeah. >> You know, personally, I don't think it's going to work that way, but I mean, we could try. I might have a I might have a big round tarp for that for a swimming
pool cover from a friend, you know. So, I think it's at least 20 maybe 25 ft circular. >> Not sure if any of the oils will stay on the tar. >> It It was in my pool. Guy who had a pool, okay, >> gave it to me. I've been using it to cover firewood. It can it can continue
its life out there. >> I learned later in life that I am allergic to poison. Not severely, but >> I am I'm severely. >> Right. though if any like if you're going to touch the tarp again afterwards. >> So I probably would >> be helping. I mean I have suited up at my park in in
Raleigh, North Carolina. There were times where I did suit up and I still you know I had plastic bags double layers all over my arms and you know and and was very careful putting everything in in another big bag and I still ended
up with poison ivy. But yeah, it's it's not fun. >> No poison ivy for you. You do. >> Yeah, I I can do other things, but I think I'm going to stay away from deliberately working Yeah. with >> poison ivy. I mean, I've ended up with
poison ivy many times from digging holes to put my bird box posts in because there's poison ivy all through the fields here. And and I've read that with climate change and as the carbon dioxide goes up in the atmosphere that vines are going crazy to say
>> they're growing much better than trees now. And um and that seems to be the case. But I just that's one thing I've learned since I've been here that the field edges here are just loaded with vines. Most of them are invasive species.
>> Yeah. >> Um I didn't have quite as much. I could usually find some openings, you know, uh, in North Carolina around these, but not here. >> No. Well, especially if it's not being maintained. >> Yeah. >> We got lots of bunnies.
>> So, if you guys want to, you know, pick a day to go out and throw down a tarp there. I mean, I don't think that >> one. Sounds like a pretty quick hit and run. Yeah, sure. >> Should we get some spikes maybe to hold the tarp down? Yeah, >> they have those big um I don't know what
they're for, but they're galvanized spikes. They're like a you know a foot long to 8 in long. They're, you know, probably 3/4 diameter. >> I I've got the little dainty thin ones like you'd stake out some stuff in your garden. They're only about yay long and they're just the real thin metal, but I've got a hundred of those. >> Something like that would probably be
pretty good. Yeah. >> Jam a bunch of those down if we want. >> Maybe some heavy, >> right? I mean, if we want this at a at a zero cost. >> That's one thing New England has is rock. rock. >> Um, is that something we want to handle before? Because you said that the bird
boxes are pretty set where nothing's going to nest in. >> Yeah, I'm not worried anymore. It's it's more of an uh looking at the aesthetics of it and seeing all these and the ones that are up on the barred owl boxes that are up on the trees that are falling apart. I mean, that's going to take
ladder work and you know, or maybe not. I mean, maybe if you had some big club or something. >> I was just thinking maybe just take a rock and just it down. >> You two on your rocks through the mult get there. But yeah, it's more of a it
just looks bad, you know. >> Yeah. >> Um and again, when we're educating the public about I just have a real pet peeve. People put bird boxes on trees. Now, B owl boxes, it's okay, but bluebird boxes, they put them on trees.
They let the house sparrows just nest like crazy in them. And uh people are so irresponsible that you hope that the properties that we have um that we could educate people about, you know, that that would be part of it. >> Yeah. You can even put it on the the
kiosk. >> Absolutely. You know, >> I've got the map that map um canister in the back of my car right now. It had completely fallen >> falling apart. Yeah. I noticed somebody had taken it out. Maybe it might have been you. But yeah, um I mean it's a
wonderful opportunity. We have maybe we partner with the the uh Southwick Land Trust and do more, you know, educational programming out there. >> Um I would love to do bird box programs out there, you know. Um so
we want to show them the right way to do things. >> Yeah. >> Not the wrong way. >> Yeah. Yeah. But Senoski needs a whole lot more than than than just that. The picnic tables and the boxes. We might want to walk and and and trim.
>> Yeah, we definitely need a good couple couple working days at Selfowski. That's why I figured, you know, we would kind of figure out our priorities. >> Um, >> do we want to send out a mailing to people in in Woodland Ridge and see if we can get some help or do you want I mean >> I mean are we just going out there to
put this tarp down or is there something else we're looking to do? >> Yeah, pretty much. >> Just going out put the tarp down. would be a huge thing, >> right? We just go out and figure that down then. Right. I mean, I think we can get it done quicker than trying to coordinate with three or four other people. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Um, do you want to set a date for that?
Try to get it done for April sometime in April or >> Sure. >> Um, you know, we can discuss it over email. Kind of see how the next couple weeks goes. We have to watch the weather. I think the biggest thing, you know, because I I don't know if poison ivy spreads easier when it's wet. you know, essentially if we go out there right when it's raining, are we getting
more chance of getting it real versus if it was dry? >> I I don't know. >> I'm not familiar enough with poison ivy to know, but maybe it's something we can research in the next week or two here. Okay. >> The oils from the plant, but you bruise the leaves. >> My wife is very alert to it. I'm not too bad.
>> You bruise the leaves or the twigs or or whatever. >> If I tell her this is what I'm going to do, she won't allow me back into the house until I >> Well, they make those painters suits. I'm thinking about grabbing. I have some of those like the painter suits. So like the onesies I think if we got someone else and just threw them in the trash after rubber gloves.
>> So it sounds like this poison ivy is growing fairly low to the ground. >> Not the kind on a tree. >> I wonder they took a picture. It might take me >> I think the first thing to do is probably just go out there and just see what's even there. See what survived the winter. Maybe it's not even there anymore.
>> Maybe back. >> No. And you might, you know, if you could get a second tarp. I mean, if it's if the trail is going right through the patch where it's on either side, you might want to try a tarp on either side. If it's just on one side, >> I think it was just on the one side. Do
you remember being Sabrina? >> It's on the north side. >> Just on the one side of the trail. Some somebody um mows like a walking path >> through the grasses and um they kind of just mow
>> I don't know if they mow over some of it, >> but I know it's on the north side. I don't know if it's on the south side. >> I don't remember seeing it on the left. >> Try to see if I have I'm in August right now. We did it in August, right? You might want to make some kind of a
sign, too. Um, well, you could. I mean, that would really be ugly. I was thinking about one of those like a yard sale kind of signs that you could just with a magic marker. >> You got a blank on the back side. You can
>> say again. I've got it. >> You do? >> This all poison ivy. Oh, okay. Okay. Yeah, you take a lot of tarping. >> Yeah, I remember. Yeah.
Well, are are people is it brushing up against the trail so that people would >> It's right up like it trail and it's right there standing I'm in the I'm >> walking on the trail when I'm taking that picture like can we just get like I don't know some deer or
>> let them goats goats eat poison ivy just like let them loose >> I do >> kind of like corral them for >> I used to have two dwarf goats too but anymore >> they're so cute Can I put them on a leash out there? >> Got the African pygmy goat.
>> No, it's a dwarf goat. It's a It's a >> Not the ones that passed out when they got scared, are they? >> I don't think so. >> All I know is All I know is we had a horse stall. We had the entire thing fenced and they were jumping probably about 8 feet in the air and getting like above the horse stall. We came in the barn like they're looking at you. How
did you get over the horse stall? >> So this is the satellite of Woodland Ridge. I mean, can you identify where that is there? Or >> I feel like it was Wait, where were we? We We want Maybe it's like right around here.
>> I wonder if it was big enough that you were seeing some of those patches there. >> And then you know what? I think it's this round part. That's that you can see it on the satellite, right? Was what I was wondering. >> Was it that deep? The red spot. That red spot. >> I think the red spot is the poison. I
thought it was around like the bend of the road there and we went >> and then it's like in the center. >> Was it? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I'll have to go back there again and familiarize myself with it. It was so long ago. >> Yeah, that does look like it. It probably is. >> Yes, you can kill poison ivy by putting
a tarp over it. As this method effectively, this is AI smothers the plant by cutting off sunlight and preventing photosynthesis. Using a dark colored or heavy black plastic tarp is best as it heats the soil hills the foliage and weakens the roots over a
period of one to two growing season. And then video >> here's a video. This video demonstrates the effectiveness of using a poison ivy. If you go to Google and just put in can you put a tarp over poison ivy to kill
it, you'll even get the video. So, uh key considerations duration. The tarp needs to be left in place for a long time, usually for at least one full grow grow growing season, sometimes up to two years to fully kill the extensive root system. >> Okay, >> that's what you're trying to kill. >> Ensure the tarp extends well beyond the
edges of the patch to prevent the plant from simply sending out runners to find the light. H >> securing the tarp, use rocks, bricks, see down. You know what I'm talking about. To hold the tarp down tightly, ensuring no light or air can get in, which also
prevents it from blowing away. Preparation is more effective to cut the poison ivy down as low as possible before laying the tarp over the area. That's dangerous. Monitoring periodically check the area to ensure the tarp hasn't developed holes or shifted. Downsides time inensive. the
runners. It can try to escape by sending out runners. Aesthetics, the tarp will be an eyesore obviously >> and safety. Removing the dead brittle vines in the tarp later still carries a risk of reaction as that urole, however it's pronounced. Oil can remain active
and it's alternate methods. A faster method is to use Roundup and brush be gone >> or manually manually removing the plant using full protective gear. >> No way. parks and wreck go out with a bottle of Roundup or is that it had to be a license? Something like that. Okay.
>> If somebody in parks and wreck may be licensed >> doubt. >> No, that's that's a pretty involved license. >> Yeah. >> Like a background check. I had a staff member at my park who was, you know, got his pesticide herbicide
license for us because we are having to kill so many fire ant nest things. Um, so >> I was thinking about >> maybe not maybe not self invasive, but um it's it's a lot. It's a lot. You have to do a lot of horses and stuff.
>> Yeah, >> maybe we could do I don't think No, you don't want to breathe in the the >> I know. I know. Very dangerous. >> Very dangerous. Very dangerous. >> Yeah, the oil also. >> But maybe with the barberry at Sonowski. I don't know how far how far you've gone
down the white trail to go to the back field. >> It's there right when you come off the community garden. >> There's a better patch. There's a much more impressive patch where it's all the understory just all barberry and park is like through there with a flamethrower
and just >> prescribed burn. >> Prescribed burn. Exactly. And it's >> if we have people that's that's you need certification as well. >> Yeah. >> And Yeah. >> Really good methods. I know >> you need to have certification because it can be dangerous. It can get out of
control. >> Of course. Yeah. >> Um, so I almost feel like we probably should put up some snow fence by the tarp and maybe send a mailing to the people wood just to keep an eye on, you know, if you use this trail, you know, keep an eye on it. If you see tarp folded back, let us know or go ahead and fix it at your own risk.
>> Can you attach something to the mailbox or something? Or do you have to mail it? I'm just thinking chuch-ching ching. What least expensive ways to get that across? I don't know if it's >> Do they have an HOA? Do they have >> They do they have an I don't know if I don't
think they have an HOA. >> Okay. >> Um I don't know how many people live there, but we could send out a letter. >> Okay. If you guys have posted to do that. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Everything I just put it in the mailbox
over there and they send it for me. >> Okay. So until they say stop, >> you keep doing it. >> Do you have like an address like you know between turn 83 and 94? I mean should we go on Google map and find that or do you happen to have >> everybody on Woodland Ridge and then
there's some fingers that come off of it. >> So should we just map it then find out? >> Should knowing ridge and it'll just come up with all the beessors. Looking at the map, this is at least 50
feet by 50 ft. >> Yeah. See? Okay. It was pretty close. >> Yeah. It's it's there there's no 20 to it. It's 50 by 50, you know, 50 on the short dimension, a little more on the long, >> but we only need to do probably like a 10ft buffer off the trail or 20 ft. We don't have to take care of the whole
thing just off the trail. That way, if you know, you got little kids walking by and they stop by and ride with their eye, they're not going to >> Well, it's it's almost there's a a a fork there at the trail and you're almost encroaching on one side. You're definitely on this one and you're getting close to the other. But yeah, >> I might even have a second tarp too once
we open our pool. So, um I don't know when that's getting open, but you know, might be able to contribute that to have two of them. >> Remember, it might have to stay for two years. We scrap our every so year. >> Yeah. Like every three years, they get a
new tarp. So, I don't know what cycle we're on. It's on my parents house. I don't know what cycle they're on with it. So, if they're like, "Yeah, it's going this year. Give it to me." >> Yeah. >> You know, don't throw it out. I'll take it. Um, so okay, >> we'll give it Second Life. >> Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Great. Um, so
that'll be kind of what we do. I'll go there and assess what's there, get some pictures sent through the email, and then we'll we'll think of a mailing, you know, write up some sort of letter and then we'll we'll start to come up with kind of when we're going to do it. And maybe maybe by that time it'll be next meeting. If not, you know, we'll figure it out. But I think sometime pretty
flexible, be easy to run over there and take care of. >> I think sometime before I think sometime in April will probably be the best. You know, I think anything further than that will probably on that cusp, but >> and I'm supposed to be going to the April meeting of the agriculture agricultural commission so I can ask
them um if they have any scheduled work days at Soponowski and let them know that, you know, we're planning on doing some stuff with. >> Yeah, that's a good idea. >> So, um, you know, maybe we can do it together or it would still be good to
know what they're doing. I noticed that. >> Did you attend one of the meetings already after last meeting? >> No. Um, they didn't have me on the agenda. I think they were what she was saying was they were going to try to put it I didn't want to disturb their meeting by bringing up the action plan
and the the homework assignment that we had given >> until they were ready to talk about it. >> Right. Right. Okay. So, now they are. >> No, but I but if I'm going there um in April, I think it would be the second Wednesday of April >> anyway to talk about that with them. Okay.
>> Answer questions. I can ask them about um their their projects out there and let them know, you know, I was noticing that their side gate to their garden, a little eye thing, you know, the hook goes in. What do they call that? An eye hook or whatever. Anyways, this is
missing. So, you can't really close that gate. >> Oh, >> so bunnies and critters can get in there for sure. So, you know, if people want to grow something, they have this elaborate >> some really amazing. >> They have this elaborate fencing, but
then if the gate doesn't close, >> you know, kind of >> Yeah, >> that sounds that sounds good. Then we can uh >> we can kind of see if they're able to help us. So, any help us find out what they're what they're doing >> and we'll come back. We'll probably put this again on the agenda without you
know, we'll do the So, then we can kind of discuss more of what we're going to do with the vert boxes and the picnic tables cuz you know that that's a whole plan in itself. Yeah, I will I will go and replace those two bird boxes hopefully by the end of the week >> and uh and put the predator piles on
then and then from there. >> Yep. All right. So, our second item here is to discuss public hearing for OSRP uh public via public hearing section. So, I know part of the OSRP is we have to host a public hearing, ask the public
questions or they ask us questions and we kind of can put that into our our OSRP. Um, I feel like this kind of goes hand inand with the survey questions. Um, just kind of want to start thinking about that and discussing that before we get to that point. Um, what are your guys' thoughts? I mean, what what what
are we going to how are we going to construct it? What are we going to ask? You know, are we going to do the survey questions first and then maybe they can piggy back off of those questions and face to face with us. I'm still keeping my fingers tightly crossed that we're going to get this grant and that the PVPC is going to help us with all this
because it is a line item in their quote that they would help us organize this and gather that input and schedule those meetings and all that. So, I'm I'm very much hoping that if this grant comes through that, >> you know, they can help us a lot with that. But >> we'll put the brakes on that then for now. >> Okay.
>> Yeah. Because it really there's an art to doing it to get good responses. That's such a good point. >> But, you know, just even just organizing a meeting and getting, you know, all these announcements out and and all of this stuff great. >> We can do that. But, I mean, to lead a
meeting to encourage the best responses from people, people to participate, there's really an art to that. >> Yeah. And so if we have these planner people from Pioneer Valley helping us, um they will do a much better job than
unless there's somebody that you know, Sabrina, that's here that >> does a wonderful job of leading focus groups or forums or >> Sure. There's plenty. I just don't know any. >> Okay. Well, we could we can ask Diane. Diane's our leazison.
So we >> and there might be something in the files from the last time they did like these public um hearings. I remember actually going to one of them towards the end of um >> and I'm sure Dennis Clark was probably involved and we could pick him up and
then there were forums and there >> I don't know which one I went. >> The hearing has the you know all the laws in place which you have to follow. It's a where you have to have a notice and it has to be done a certain way and da y >> ask.
>> Yeah. Whereas I'm thinking something more relaxed more like a forum. >> Okay. for those that are interested >> open panel >> and you know but leading a which which I would call a focus group you know leading something like that to be
productive and get the good answers that you want to get um does take some knowledge and experience. So >> I was thinking more that way rather than a hearing kind of thing. >> I don't know if there if it are we
required to have a public hearing. I think it said a hearing or I don't think it said >> doesn't mean the oring. >> Let's see if I can find the quote from the PBP sending too. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah, I've got that here somewhere. Just says list the meeting surveys, public participation opportunities. D we do have to have public participation opportunities but I don't think they have to be hearings and I remember leaving this is just my cliff note
version here >> so I don't have all of the the details of it >> well if we do get that >> there okay so task one update require JS maps and data task to facilitates committee
meetings, community engagement and public input and then in quotation survey and public vision session. So I would imagine that's probably that. >> Yeah, that's their just participation session. >> Input and survey and public. Does that mean they're going to handle the survey
questions too? >> Because we were working on the survey question. I think I mean I'm going to guess that they certainly would like some input from us on what those ought to look like and they probably have some guidance on like >> better format or questions or some things you might want to consider and all that. So there' be a little bit of back and forth. >> I think we should probably still work on
the survey questions and at least we have something to bring to them and say this is what we think. >> What do you think? >> Well, the biggest problem is if we got it >> we need that other committee because we need to know. Yes, >> we we understand open space, you know, and so our brains are focused that way,
but there are people from parks and wreck who maybe want to know something specific about their ball fields or whatever that we could put on the survey because this is an open space and recreational plan, you know. >> Um >> the big the big question I see floating out there and this is probably going to
be a trigger, but is the proposed dog park and stuff like that. Like who's taking care of that? And you know, I've been kind of monitoring that the last few weeks. You know, people are concerned about dog poop and maintenance. So, it's like those kind of things. It's good to have someone that's like >> they they do this and they do this, you
know. So, >> but so to to get the kind of information that we need in order to create the action plan, which is going to be these are the actions that we're going to be taking over the next seven years to hopefully improve our open space or to improve our recreational opportunities
or whatever. you know, we are going to need to carefully construct that survey to get the stuff we need. Um, and I think the survey that we've we've had in the past has been interesting, but I don't think it really helps us make a
decision on what action to take necessarily. Um, and I just want to make sure that those parks and recck people and the agricultural commission who are partners u get what they need, too.
So, uh, if PVPC can help us that way and give us general guidance, but then we need we need that committee. So, I don't know where that committee is at. Maybe that's an agenda item we're going to talk about later. But, >> you know, we need we need to get that committee up and running next month
because hopefully I will hear from the grant, you know, by the end of April. >> Okay. By the end of April. >> Well, they said four to six week. >> Okay. So, it could be the middle of April. I was hoping the middle of April, but by the time, you know, we get the contract and all that written up with
PVPC, it might be the end of April. So, we should have that committee in place. So, where is it? What are they doing? I don't know if it's up to the conservation commission to do it or if it's the select board that is
responsible for getting this group of people together or >> I think it's the select board because this is um you're getting representatives from planning from what I hear planning. >> Yep.
>> Conservation. Um I don't know if you guys have I don't know if Dennis is >> Dennis has said something like he's gonna be on the >> um he said he'd be the conservation. >> Yeah. So and it is up to the select
board to appoint >> and create that. I think it's it would be an ad hoc. >> It would be an ad. >> So it's the select board that creates that. Um um I can't remember I think in the last one
or two meetings we had talked about in the concom who we would want to >> represent for concom I think we said Dennis I could be remembering that wrong I do a lot during our meetings and my it's like I'm not always focused 100%
all the time um uh so yeah that select board. I don't know if it's on their purview. We've we're dealing with >> we approach them. Should we have some
people lined up? >> Diane, she's our lay status >> because I know we're dealing with budget. We're and we're going to start doing uh elections and >> ultimately my next point is that the seems like
>> the elections are coming up. So what happens if our liaison changes or things move around or we get new people in office that decide not to do this? I mean what are we >> Well hopefully this committee will be in place before the town meeting before the elections. I'm hoping >> when elections
>> elections I think is May 9th and then the town meeting is I think the following week and that's when the new select board if it's we have a new that's when the select board gets sworn in after our town meeting. Um so if it's
a new person I I think it's just Joe Dei is the opposing. So I don't know I don't think he would squish this. Is Diane the only one that's up for reelection? The other two are their terms go a little longer. So,
>> so they they're three years and it's staggered for years. >> Yes. >> Mhm. >> Yep. >> Okay. Yeah, I've seen the signs. >> Okay. >> For Joe Dei. I don't know who he is. I have to do some research. I guess >> he's a previous uh select board. Oh, he is. >> Yeah. Long running. I think he was on
for like nine years or something prior to that. Okay. >> So, he's very knowledgeable. He he's he knows the history and everything. He works he's not he doesn't work. He is on the finance committee right now. So he's he's done a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
>> Um he also is part of the South Civic >> Fund. Yeah. Is that right? >> Official title. >> And they do the um food pantry and they do >> they usually have stuff in like the
Westfield News. They they will have I can keep my eye out for that. Yeah, >> articles, you know, where they interviewed Diane, they interviewed Joe, I guess, and we can learn that way. But anyway, um, we could right now, you
know, if you wanted to ask her as there >> and just see where that's at, you know, tell her that, >> well, she knows. I think we're desperate and she understands. I mean if they want us to to have do the second committee and do it that way this ad hoc committee
then >> we need we need that now I mean it's so >> December is our deadline >> and it's tomorrow is April >> well it's not necessarily the deadline it's when it's I mean it's a picture
perfect deadline right it's when it's going our the plan's going to expire so that means we are not able to apply for certain grants but Right. >> Honestly, I'm not applying for grants right now. I'm busy trying to figure out. >> Right. But other committees,
agricultural commission, parks and wers, others other than conservation commission. They lock up the ability to get grants for everybody. >> Yes. Like planning >> grants. Not all grants, but certain grants. Good grants. >> Um. Yeah. And that's one of the main
reasons why we did it. >> I mean, doesn't want to be the people holding things up then. >> Exactly. at least for too long. >> I think um one of the grants was I think land grant. The reason why we bought Sulfanowski >> is we had we were able to apply for that grant because we had
>> Mhm. >> It was previous privately owned. >> Yeah, the Senowski owned it. >> I never would have guessed own that property. >> Okay, so old business current status on the PBCP fund for the OSRP. Um, I know
we kind of touched about that a little bit earlier, but I know Martha, you've been you've been spearheading that. What is there any finally I won't give you all the details because it's hilarious and would take too long to tell you the story, >> but I did Yes, I did get the grant
submitted March 18. >> Okay. And um I also sent all the materials to um Daria Mattis, however you pronounce her name, uh by email as well uh because they were having a lot of trouble with their grant site, their
website. Um so and then four to six weeks from there will they will give you an answer. >> So you submitted it when? March March >> March 18th. So, April 18thish, we should hear back >> would be four four weeks and you know,
or by the end of April, we should know. Um, and Nicole is our administrator on that, Nicole Parker. And so, um, I submitted the grant, but she's getting all of the information because she's the grants administrator for here on this
particular grant. And, um, but she'll keep me informed, I'm sure. And once we get the if we do get the grant, then she'll be the one working with the PBPC on the on the um contract. And we will at that point I had to it was tricky
because the grant covers two fiscal years. Our fiscal year 20 uh 2026 ends June 30 and the fiscal year 2027 starts July 1st. And so I had when I did the budget sheet
based on the proposal that you were just looking at, I had to try to figure out what could I put in 2026, you know, and what should I put in 2027 because it doesn't carry over. >> So I explained to Daria, I said this,
you know, we don't know if PBPC will actually even be available. you know, we'd like to get started, you know, before July 1, you know, on maybe the survey or or a public forum or something, but we don't know if they're going to be available at that point. And
so what she said for us to do before we sign the contract with PBPC that we can amend that budget sheet and resubmit the budget sheet. So, I put a little bit of the money, I think 2,000 or something, um, in there in 2026 now, so we could
get started if we got the grant. And PBC said, "Yes, we're coming right right at you." You know, we can we could get started, but if it turns out they can't, then I've got to get that money over to 2027 so we don't lose that 2,000, whatever it was. >> So, it's a little tricky, but it'll
work. >> And Nicole's smart. very smart financially, so she'll she'll know how to >> be on top of that >> help us with that. >> Good. >> So, that's where that's where it stands. Um, >> so we're just waiting to hear back. It's the balls in their court at this point. >> That's right. And they they will let
Nicole or me know if they have any further questions. Um, I haven't heard anything, you know, except that they they did get it. They received it and Daria also received the materials I sent by email just in case. So, they've got
all the materials. So, we're we're just waiting. >> Mhm. Okay. All right. All right. I'm going to kind of roll the last two into one big question here. So, we have status update on survey questions as well as status update and OSRP. Um, is there any status on any of those?
>> I've looked at the survey questions a little bit. um you know how some of it was worded is you know how often you use the recreational facilities at and it lists these long list of all the open space things it correct me if I'm wrong
but I don't think there are any facilities at a number of these properties um Fletcher Park and Miller Road now is that the softball fields what is which one is Fletcher Park >> and Miller Road >> Powdermill Road
>> Oh Powder Mill Fletcher Park. >> Yeah. >> I don't know. >> I I I got I got conflicting information looking it up online and one point is just a dot in the woods and then another one's that it's close to uh the entrance to the Legion Hall which was where the softball fields. >> Yes, that's a park and wreck question
because I don't know where. >> Yeah. But but like say Goose Pond, is there anything back at Goose Pond? Is there even a picnic table? >> I think what they mean is that the pond itself is a facility. >> Well, >> I think that's they're going to broad definition of facility. headache. >> Well, you know, and so then the the
follow-up question then is is have you used the trails app? And then there is, you know, this >> large overlap between these two questions. And I like I said, I view >> at least half of these items in question one as probably only having trails as
their only available >> facility. Yeah. >> Um, you know, now that New Town Beach, that's a different kind of a >> of a situation. So, you know, I don't know if you just boil those two together and say, "Have you visited any of these sites in the past year, you know, um
>> right >> kind of a thing as as opposed to differentiating those." Now, then they list, "Have you been to these other facilities and list off, you know, the golf courses and the Frisbee golf place and and and all that." That's that's all good. Now, the water resources again,
you know, I'm I'm googling to find, you know, does anybody know where Pearl Brook is? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Oh, she she didn't know. But mean, you know, I mean, how many people >> there's Well, there's a subdivision that off of Brook Road. So, I'm assuming
those people would have >> like to be kids that run down there and stick their feet in. >> Inspect is can the public even access without going through private land. >> Yeah. >> Right. You know, so there are a list of brooks here, you know, Slabbrook, Tuttlebrook, Whitebrook. >> I don't know. White Brook. Okay.
>> Well, right. And um so I'm going to guess that the participation there is is is pretty low. Um and right is it is it even accessible? Um >> the water may be public but you know the land getting >> so like Mbrook I know sorry to interrupt I know Mbrook goes through the Granville
Gorge right so we know people would be accessing it that way >> right and now the Granville Gorge is covered twice in the first two questions on facilities and as trails >> facilities there. So that's very like why are they using the term facility? >> Well, that that was my point. Yeah. You
know, and so it's just like, you know, have you been to any of these places and boil these down, you know, and that would knock condense two or three questions down to one if we want to kind of tighten the survey up. We >> kind of get the facility question because I'm sure a lot of people ask, what does that even mean? Facil facility.
>> There's no bathrooms there. I think we want to ask ourselves why are we even asking the question in the first place? What is that going to help us? >> Right. You you're trying to figure out where people go and what do they use and what do they enjoy and and so you're right. I you know, right? Have you have
you been to any of these places? Do you know where these things are or or something to that effect would be a more succinct way to to get at this? Uh and then like we had talked about before there may be questions I think you had said Phil multiplechoice type questions
to help us to decide in the next seven years which of these projects or potential projects do we want to try to tackle >> right >> um I think you had mentioned something like you know do we want to have maps or brochures so people can find
>> I mean I think that was some feedback from previous ones too right >> and so asking questions like that to find out what people would feel was the most useful, >> right? >> And that's also the public forums, focus groups, or whatever you want to call
them. We can ask similar questions, >> right? >> Um to get at those things so that we we can write that action plan um so it's something that's really needed and and doable in seven years. I did a little
bit of research with the Google forms just to poke at it a little bit and there is a way that you can format the question in the survey like kind of what is laid out here and have this long list of items with >> multiple check boxes by it and all that.
So that that is all achievable if say the grant doesn't come through in PDPC and we have to do our own >> thing to do our own survey. I think we can figure that out in group Google forms if we have to to plan for that then if we don't >> right >> and again that's something where we want
the full committee to help us figure out the survey questions >> agreed >> um it's really good you know that we're doing the work we're doing now >> right >> you know just I before we would finalize uh something I think getting their input
would be very important Yeah, maybe I'll take a pass. I'll see if I can write something up to consolidate a couple three of these into something or other. Yeah. Okay. >> And think about what would you like to know as you as a member of the open space committee, you know, what would you love to know that will help you figure out what to do
next? >> Right. >> What kind of questions? >> Yeah. Do you want me to put you on for next agenda then? Or do you think do you need some time to work on that? Um, >> I don't want to keep asking for status updates when it's nothing. You know what I mean? Like I don't want to pressure you, you know? >> Uh, I I'll I can get something together
by the next meeting. >> Okay. I'll put you on for the next one. >> Um, and then any any updates on the OSRP or is that just kind of at a standstill >> as as a whole, you know? Well, you know, just so that you know, the letters went out to the different responsible parties
in the action plan >> and so Sabrina has submitted something, you know, already um actions that have been taken and suggestions that she has for changes. Um so that's our conservation commission >> coordinator coordinator. The coordinator
part, not the commission. >> Yeah, you're the coordinator. So hopefully the commission will maybe not. >> So we've heard back from a commission Yes, a is working on it. I'm going to go to sorry >> lake management committee has sent me okay their feedback. Okay.
>> Um and planning I saw an email going through um that planning is working on it. The planning committee or commission I guess or a commission anyway. So there that's um that's four entities.
So I think there were like eight that that went out because there there were a couple that no longer were in existence that were listed as responsible parties. >> No longer or never actually became in existence. >> Yes.
>> Because maybe wishful thinking. >> Yes. And um and there was one I think maybe it was the um community preservation that I think they I saw something. They have to go back and look at the emails that they >> what did you say >> weren't really interested in.
>> Not not that we're not interested in it. It's that it's not in our purview to do any of those >> um things. Um what we do is we >> come up with our own plan >> um annually. That's what we're supposed
to do. Um we hold a public hearing >> and then we review applications for projects who who like where they wants funding. >> Um and that's is essentially the only things that CPC does.
>> Um I'm trying to remember what the questions were, but um I think just like >> so do they have any goals? I mean, are they are they looking at um the master plan or or something to help them to
select the projects that they want to fund? Um I'm just wondering how is it just like, oh, this seems like a good idea, or is there a bigger game plan out there and they're saying, oh, this will fit with this in the master plan, and
this will fit with that in the base plan. And so this should be a priority because >> well luckily we I don't know if it's luckily actually we don't get that many applications. Okay. So, um if they meet the criteria, usually it goes through
the town meeting, but it is something that is considered that um is this a goal in the master plan or in the open space like and it does it does weigh in when when it's being reviewed with with the commission or committee. Um, so they
would have some interest in in knowing about the master plan and knowing about the open space plan >> to see what might fit. >> Yeah. And even so I I essentially wrote up the CPC plan and when when I did that, I looked at the master plan. I
looked at the open space plan. >> Um, >> yeah. CDC right now. I know that there's been sort of a push, not push, a need, a want for more affordable housing and that's
not a part of open space. I don't know if it could be necessarily. >> Um, but we have not had a lot of applications for >> affordable housing. Mhm. >> Open space we usually get a few but not
to the point where they're competing um for funding because we have so much right now in the >> Can you give an example of like what some of the projects would be >> that you would fund >> for open space or >> that would be related to
>> um well we just did 74 college highway um where we bought the conservation restriction for that. So, it's open space. It's 10 acres. >> Um, >> it is the Morehouse. >> The field behind the Morehouse.
>> Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Historical Society. Yeah. >> And it was permitted for a marijuana facility. And the the permitting LA lapsed. Um, and then the price went way down. It went from like 900,000 to like >> we'll say 200,000 because of the
permitting lapsed. >> The valuation of it. Oh. all the all the price of the lot. >> Yeah. >> Oh, >> yeah. >> So, did you guys buy the land or you just bought the rights to it? >> We bought the essentially the building rights to it. Um, which is conservation
restriction and then the the historical society owns the property. >> So, that's a recent one. We also did the North Pond property where we own the property but the state owns the conservation restriction. >> Um,
pickle ball courts. >> Mhm. >> So, yeah. So, you just recreational. >> Yep. >> More traditional >> spray park. >> We've done the I think it's Yeah, the spray park's working right now.
>> Um at Wall-E Park, maybe Wall-E Park itself. I I don't know. They use CP CPA funds for that. >> Mhm. >> But >> Okay. So anyway, so long and short of this is that so far there's four entities that
have answered the questions or are in process of answering the questions and they have till May 1st the rest of them and you know >> writing an email to myself to remind everybody because they're going to be like what are you talking about even though I sent them probably like five
emails already like come on guys. Well, I mean it would help to know, but uh yeah, we we'll just have to do what we do. >> Yep. >> Regardless if people respond or not, they'll have an opportunity to look at the drafts that we come up with that the
ad hoc open space recreation planning committee comes up with. >> Um >> so what's what should our next focus be? Do we do we wait do we get stagnant till we wait till you get back to us or till we hear PVCP? Well, >> I mean, you know, there's >> contact Diane and find out where the
status of that committee is. Um, that that's the main thing. You're going to keep working on the survey. I because of the grant and everything else, I didn't have time to look again
at Mr. Chatbot's work. >> I had no further with it. I didn't do any further with it. But there's no reason why, you know, we can't continue to as we're interested and I am interested in looking at the different chapters and looking at what
you've produced already with AI and comparing it to what's in the workbook that where it tells us you have to have this, this, and that in chapters in section 4, you know, and this is what our old one looked like and this is, you know, and maybe >> try playing with it a little bit. Um so
there's no reason why um we can't keep ourselves thinking on these things and preparing. But the big question is when is that committee going to start? When can we get started? Is there a committee?
>> Yeah. Did they make it yet? >> They they said the last time they talked to them, they said they did. >> So it was voted on and that it was a thing. >> Okay. And then that was pretty much it. >> And and there was some confusion last
time. I don't know if maybe we're in this same issue, you know. So the select board that yes, there can be an open space committee, us the open space management committee, >> and then the conservation commission was
still thinking that the select board needed to do something. And the time Diane attended one of our meetings, she said, "No, we said you can have this committee and this committee reports to you and now it's up to you. Go do go make them a committee and >> tell them what you want them to do and
so on and so forth for us." So I don't know if this is a similar situation where the select board has said yes, there can be this ad hoc committee >> and they're looking to conservation to then make it happen and make it so. I I don't know. I I take your point that
you're saying that a rep from from so I I don't know. So maybe it's not. >> So hopefully the conservation commission has given their suggestions to the select board and so that's what I'm hoping has happened by now. >> I can't remember if I did it or not.
>> Yeah. Well Dian will know conservation. So but there's there's the planning board the park and wreck. I don't know if they've talked about it. I don't know if they know about it. Well, I did reach out to Dave Spino who's on the planning board if he would be interested in this
because he was on it last time >> at the time right now. He said he's busy if he has to. >> He will, but he's busy. Um, so >> you see, you know, if somebody like that said that to me, I I wouldn't try to force them or, you know, if
>> you got a person like Jennifer um the Petrio >> um >> who's on the adcom, >> she's on Yeah. and the a um section of the action plan. There's four goals in the action plan in the open space and recreation plan. And the third goal I
think it is is all egg. So I mean they they have a big role to play in this and if we've got somebody like Jennifer who's very excited about being on this that committee to help you know revise the >> that's the kind of person I would like
to see on that committee. um someone who's going to work and and be able to attend the meetings. >> Um and someone like Dave could just review a draft, you know, or and comment, you know, be an adviser, >> you know, that's all he has time for.
>> So, if there's nobody on the planning board that can or planning uh committee that can sit on this ad hoc committee, uh I don't think we should force them. And that's just my opinion. You know, get the people that >> really want to be on the committee and
then the others will have opportunities to weigh in, be consultants for us. >> Um, but to hold us up any further is just it's just wrong. It's just wrong. >> Yeah. >> Enough said.
>> You have other matters with you. You have anything to add on to that? Anything you want to discuss? >> No. Um, only that I do have files about Sofanowski if you guys wanted to look through them. I honestly have not looked through I looked through the hanging
contract one. >> That one's educational. Um, but this one is for trails. I think we applied for a grant or we had a grant for trails. >> I I haven't looked through it yet. Mhm.
>> Um, but it could be useful. >> Can we take those and file them in our thing upstairs or do you want those? >> We want them in my files. There's got to be a reason why they're in my room and not yours. Um, unless um
>> cuz we're not going to have time tonight to reveal. >> No, I know. I know. I know. Um, but you can h you can access do do you have access to that room to your files? Do you have a key? >> No, >> you don't have a key. >> No, we just always hope and pray it's open when they leave here. It's been a
week here that it's alive. But other than that, >> like you guys should have a key because your file >> I didn't get a key. Yeah, get that for the excellent. Yeah, I I got a copy of Jeff Jordane's um forest stewardship
management plan for Sophenowski. Um it was a 2012. >> Was that upstairs? >> It was there were several copies. So I I pulled one >> one out. There was this big fat one and like I said, there were several copies of it. So I thought, well, I'll just
take one to read. And and then I I found this which looked like something you had found too. There were multiple copies of this as well. Um which I you know I've just sort of skimmed through some of that stuff but it >> was a management plan. >> Yeah. >> Lovely.
>> Where'd you find these in that cabinet up there? >> Yeah. that you remember the night that we were in there the ones and I think I probably said to you there's multiple copies of maybe I said to Phil >> I'll just take one of these because they obviously there were handouts at one
point and they had multiples of it so I wasn't like I was taking something that there's only one copy of >> right well I've done that you know conservation office where I've purged if there's copies of things >> we only need one Maybe
>> look at this. One of the main objectives of the open space committee will be to develop a detailed mapping system of the property. >> Did didn't you have to make the map for that? >> I made the map. That horrible map of when I was >> It's better than nothing. >> I was interning. That was like
>> Yeah. >> 13 years ago. I made that map. >> Yeah. >> I hate it. >> But ugly. It's the only thing we have. >> This isn't This isn't the map. >> Yeah. This is This is This is the map. That's That's the map.
>> The map. >> Oh, wow. Look at that. >> I mean, I'd marked my fridge. >> I'd marked it all up. >> I'm pretty sure I walked What I did was I used G uh GPS and I walked the trails. I think I did that to >> Mhm. >> when I used Yeah.
>> ArcGIS back in the day when it was >> clunky and not online. Is that through your phone or is that through >> I use like a station a Garmin >> GPS? >> Mhm. >> Okay. Cool. >> Yeah.
>> So, um you brought those with you, but we we can access are are they going back in your office? >> I can I can give it to you. Just make sure you give it back. >> I I don't know if we need them. I mean, we can probably look at our next meeting. I I don't think we're going to
need them immediately. Yeah. Just keep in your office if we need them. >> It might be good to go through them and if there are >> things that we think we need copies of, we could make copies of them. >> I will put them I will label them and say please return to conservation office
when finished and put it in your open space files upstairs. >> Okay. That way if we forget about it, the next person after us can read that and put it back. >> Maybe next meeting we'll do what we did
when we went up there. We just won't we'll just do a That's all we'll do. The whole meeting is >> Yeah. And I think you could have you could have gone up there tonight. I don't think there's anybody. >> Oh, we just always get this one and it was this room. So, >> well, this is all set up by whomever. So, it's ready to just click and
>> Oh, well, you can tell Margaret like do the upstairs one. >> Okay. >> If you want to. It's up to you guys, but it's nice to to be able to access your files. >> Okay. All right. That's the end of the meeting. Closing the meeting up at 8:28.
Uh I make a motion to end the meeting. >> I second a motion. Um meeting closed at 829. Now that is it.