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Town of Reading
Meeting Minutes
Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Town Forest Committee Meeting At Mattera Cabin
Date: 2013 -11 -05 Time: 7 PM
Building: Location:
Address:
Purpose: Town Forest Use -- Including Refinement of Camping Regulations
Attendees: Members - Present:
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Mike DeBrigard, Jennifer Driscoll, Tom Gardiner, Kurt Habel, Farrukh Najmi,
Terry Selle, Kendall Stackhouse, Bill Sullivan, Rick Wetzler
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Presenters identified below; approximately 18 dog- owners
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Rick Wetzler
Topics of Discussion:
1. Grace Strohman was introduced while distributing copies of her "Getting to Know
Your Backyard" booklet (in which RTF is profiled among Reading's other preserved
sites). She received highly favorable comments by committee members and
enthusiastic applause from the committee and guests.
2. Also well- regarded was Doug's presentation on RTF user frequency by type, for
September and October 2013. His research, as summarized in the charts he
circulated, addressed the disparity between actual visitors he interviewed at RTF
and respondents to the town -wide, Fall 2012 survey (some of whom rarely or never
visited RTF). Chief conclusions are:
e 86% of users arrived via Grove St, the rest via Wood End;
e Entrance rate averaged 6.8 people /hr;
e 91% of users were dog - walkers;
e Groups ranged in size from 3 -16 people.
3. With a majority of attendants being dog owners, discussion focused on associated
management issues, including:
e The importance of self - policing and over - riding respect observed among dog
walkers.
Since inception of Reading's 1974 leash law, dog licensing has provided a useful
census. Presently the Town has over 2000 licensed dogs.
Regarding the proposed draft regulation regarding dogs —
o Leashed tend to be more uncontrollable than unleashed;
o Given explicit focus on canine regulation by Town by -laws, RTF's
jurisdiction on the issue was questioned.
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Town of Reading - Meeting Minutes
• The ability to enforce further regulations was also addressed.
• Dog (and owner) etiquette guidelines have been circulated by dog owners
using RTF; it was mentioned that these guidelines should be posted (as
should corresponding guidelines for campers)
• It was proposed that controlling dogs be left to owners, who would be
urged to use leashes if they felt the need for further control of their dogs.
• Accordingly, the Committee was urged to strike the provision in the
proposed regulations identifying the number of unleashed dogs allowed.
• Further useful background can be found within the booklet-assembled by RUFFS
(Residents Using Fields & Facilities Safely).
• Dog walkers can be considered "Eyes of the Forest" and can be relied upon to call
about brush fires, close the gate, pick up trash, and movetree limbs that have
fallen across trails.
• Re- situating the trash can has apparently made a difference with respect to
owners depositing bagged dog wastes; now the cans tend to be 50 -75% full.
4. Parking & access: What's the solution?
• ATVs and motorcycles occasionally proceed past "No unauthorized vehicles"
signage
• Adding a gate that would be locked at the top of compost yard, starting down the
hill, could prevent joy- riders from driving cars and other motorized vehicle into
the forest
Opening up Strout Ave to parking is likely to result in more illegal trash
dumping; Mike DeBrigard added that DPW has been aware of significant
increases in illegal trash dumping throughout Town recently.
RTF Committee should be represented at the Selectman meeting on 12/10/13
when the master plan for Strout Avenue is discussed.
5. The minutes from the 8/6/13 meeting were approved as submitted.
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