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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-07-13 Trails Committee MinutesReading Trails Committee Minutes: Joan Hoyt July 1:3, 2010 N In Attendance: - f Members: Tom Gardiner, Joan Hoyt, Dave Williams CD , Assoc. Member: John Parsons Conservation Commission Administrator: Fran Fink Walkable Reading Representatives: Ginny Blodgett, Everett Blodgett, Virginia Adams and Gina Snyder 73 on N The meeting came to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Town Hall. Representatives from Walkable Reading attended the meeting to explain the Pod Tour program that they have developed and are continuing to add -to. This is a program based at the Reading Library. They would like to add some of Reading's trails and conservation areas to their tour program and were checking to see if the Committee was interested in participating and if so, which properties would be appropriate to add to the tour. After some discussion about the choice of properties and trails, it was decided that Mattera and Bare Meadow were appropriate. Dave Williams 'volunteered to write up a narrative about the Mattera and Bare Meadow Conservation properties, including some of the natural history. Once he has done so, the Trails Committee and Fran Fink will review it prior to submitting it. She feels the Cons. Comm. would be happy about the addition of these properties to the Pod Tour Program. In order to contact someone from their group go to walkablereading(a~comcast.net. 2. Bare Meadow Trail Enhancement Project: Things To Be Done a. Signs and Blazes - Fran and Kim Honetschlager have been out into the Bare Meadow trails and have put together a trail blazing plan. We reviewed the maps and plan they have designed in detail. b. Fran will be away on vacation until August 9, 2010 so if anyone from the committee wants to get out and work on blazing or digging, they should be in touch with Kim. Possibly we can arrange for some trail adopter/volunteers to help out. John Barnes, Ray Boyd, Jim Sopchak, Brian Walsh, Brian Tucker might be candidates who would be willing to help. C. Post holes need to be dug at the areas where trail head posts will be put as well as where the kiosks will be. Might the DPW be willing to use their au er to help with this? If so, we agreed that someone from the committee should be present to guide them in the process. d. The three kiosks that are stored at the Mattera cabin garage have to be assembled and put in the ground. Fran and Kim have talked about where exactly the kiosks will be displayed. Large - Mattera Trail entrance Medium Haverhill Street trail entrance Small - At Wood End Cemetery trail entrance e. Discussion about the need of a sign for the Pine Hill Trail next to 695 Pearl Street. Might Will Finch be interested in making a sign using his router? f. Fran met with Amanda Lewis on Friday July 9, 2010 to see the cabin and boardwalks and the progress we've made. Amanda is from the Department of Conservation and Recreation 3. Adopt-a-Trail Program - John Parsons has made many phone calls; to get updates on the adopters and will continue to do so. With so much of our energy being put toward the Bare Meadow "enhancements", the adopt-a- trail program has not been kept up to speed as we would like. The Trail Adopter Event night is scheduled for Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at the Reading Senior Center at which time we can remedy this by visiting with current adopters and welcoming new adopters. 4. Dave asked that once school starts that the Committee not meet on the first Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Voted to adjourn the meeting (3-0). The meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m. ~ 1/~ /10 Bare Meadow Conservation Area Bare Meadow is an 84 acre site located in the north east area of Reading. Bare Meadow was acquired from three major sources between 1972 and 1973. A large parcel was a gift from Miriam Corey. Further land was acquired from Reading residents Mr. Bachelor and Mr. Zilano. The remainder of the land was acquired through smaller purchases. An additional 30 acres was added to Bare Meadow in 1983 by swapping a smaller parcel of highland with a citizen for a desired area. In 2007, the Town purchased the Mattera property, including a cabin. There are four entrances to Bare Meadow. One is off of Haverhill St. and another is off Franklin St. next to the Wood End Cemetery. Both are signed and have limited on-street parking. The two primary entrances are off of Pearl St. and at the Mattera Cabin on north Main St. Both are signed and have ample off-street parking. Bare Meadow includes two small open meadows with long grasses, remnants of an apple orchard, and beautiful wooded areas with trails that connect with the Northern Area Greenway, spanning from Main Street to Haverhill Street. Many stone walls mark earlier farming uses of this land. Bare Meadow Brook flows through the woods and joins the Ipswich River at the northern end of the conservation lands. There are three certified vernal pools in Bare Meadow. Many plant species can be found here including Lady slippers, Partridge berry, Witch hazel, and others. Wildlife is plentiful. There are White-tailed deer, Red fox, Raccoon, and others. It's a great area for bird watching. The American woodcock nests here and in the early spring it performs an amazing courtship flight over the two meadows. Great horned owls nest here and recently, Bluebirds have nested in the bluebird boxes installed in the meadow that can be viewed from a platform at the high spot of the meadow. Recent improvements to Bare Meadow have included the construction of a handicapped accessible trail running approximately 150 yards from the parking lot at the Mattera cabin to a new viewing platform constructed at the highest point overlooking the meadow. In addition, the trails have been cleared and improved with new blazes, signage, and maps. Bare Meadow is a wonderful place to visit year round. Spring brings the advent of wild flowers, nesting birds, and a chorus of sounds from the vernal pools. The beautiful Oak and Pine forest offer a respite from the hot summer days, while in the autumn; Bare Meadow comes alive with the colors of fall. During the winter, folks can enjoy sledding, snow shoeing, and cross-country skiing along the well-marked trails.