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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1971-08-30 Town Forest Committee Minutes 54 It is interesting to note the wording in the deed of the Ordway Pit property from Campanella & Cardi Construction Company to The Inhabitants of the Town of Reading on July 27 , 1959 whien appear in Book 9776 Page 363, in the Southern Middlesex Registry of Deeds. The wordixz in the deed reads, "following an old town or bridle way ." The rcr:'inF: on the map of 1425 and the deed of 1959 .cam be considered the.,-authority for the inhabitants of the Town of Reading to use the road through the property of the Meadow Brook Golf Club as a "Right of Way" to go from Grove Street to the Town Forest. T.'ay 22 , 1971 -Lenneth Lever in Boy Scout ':roup 702 , sponsored by the Old :i outh iuethod.iat Church, run a c„uservation yrojoct for his Life rank in Scouting. Bis Scout workers from his troop included : Tom Dlanch•:rd , E'ark 1=abel , Allen Rice , Don Norton, Steve Norton and Tom Fuller. They out down the small and defective trees or. the small knoll going into the Forest just beyond the filter house . August 26 , 1971 The Reading Chronicle carried a map of the Town Forest on the Editorial Page . The following information was printed undernesib the map . This map prepared by David V.Galvin shows the 252 acres of Reading's Town Forest and wellfields , located in the Northwest corner of town . The Forest is comprised of about 152 acres acquired piece by piece over many years , an, dedicated to recreation. and conservation. 'Phe remaining 100 acres contain the town 's water supply , its wellfielde. The entire parcel is critical watershed land adjacent to the Ipswich River . Engineers and scientists are firm in their belief that the Ips^rich River and its watershed will soon be the lone source of domestic water for not only Reading, but most of the communities which lie along its banks . Identifiable land marks on the map include the town filtration and pumping plans at the end of Strout Ave. , and the system of paths (dotted lines ) and roadways through the Forest. Vehicular traffic is banned in the Forest , but the area is used extensively by campers , pienicers and nature lovers . August 30 , 1971 7 :50 rM „ ; Qrmal posted w�etiLb el tnu I"" sorest Jo ;,ittso wws held at the residence of Chairmen James S. Perry, 15 Pratt Street , Readirg , Mass. Members present included: James S. Perry , Chairman Benjamin E. Nichols , Secretary Irving E . Dickey 55 Chairman Perry reported the balare a remaining in the 1971 budget is $1 ,354.62 , which included ';89 .00 received from the United States Department of Acricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service covering part of the cost of the saplings which were planted earlier in the year. It was voted to ask Elmer Dykens to work $ur hours each week at $3.00 per hour , with no fringe benefits , to go through the Forest and collect and remove any refuse which has collected . '."his work will continue until the snow flies . Chairman Perry telephoned L^.r . Dykens , who agreed to do this work. it wes voted to authorize ,lilliam ;v.aodrien -co use tae Town's tractor grass cutting equipment emd clear the brush and grass from the roads in the Forest . It was voted to write a letter to David V.Galvin , 20 Fairmount Road , reading, thanking him for his efforts over the years in motivatirg the townspeople to acquire and use the Town Forest . Chairman Perry will talk with Town Counsel James Killam III regarding the responsibility of the Town when mini-bikes and snow-mobiles are used in the Town Forest by under age drivers . The records of the meetirg of April 12 , 1971 were read and approved. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM. December 31 , 1971 AMAL REPORT OF THE TOWN FOREST COMMITTEE FOR 1971 To the_ Citizens of Reading: Ne submit our report for 1971. the vlu aoaa from grove street to Aunared ..ore meadow through the Meadow Brook Golf Club and the Ordway Pit Area has been developed into a passable road. The gravel for the road was obtained in a gravel bank In the Ordway Pit . Picnic tables have been constructed and placed around the Forest so family groups may enjoy the woods. Dr. Norton Nickerson again has brought his students from Tufts University to study ecology in field work in our Forest . The saplings which were planted during the last decade are growing well, and time alone is needed to bring them to their full growth. The older trees are growing better now that much thinning has been done .