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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-09-13 Trails Committee MinutesReading Trails Committee Minutes: Joan Hoyt September 13, 2010 Members: Tom Gardiner, Joan Hoyt, Dave Williams, Susan GiacWne~ Assoc. Members: Will Finch, John Parsons, Matthew DesMeules M In Attendance: Kim Honetschlager - GIS Coordinator Fran Fink - Conservation Commission Administrator w -:1, C-1, Tom Hegarty, Boy Scout from Troop 702 ° rs The meeting came to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Berger Room of the Town Hail. uo:xz cn cn 1. We welcomed Matthew DesMeules as a new Associate Member to bye Trails Committee. 2. Tom Hegarty is a Boy Scout from Troop 702 who is working to attain his Eagle Scout badge. He is proposing to build a boardwalk at Alligator Alley in the Town Forest which will connect to the current boardwalk that a previous Scout built. Phase 1 of the project would be clearing out the existing boards and bridges that are no longer usable, on Oct. 30, 2010 (rain date is 11/6/10). Phase 2 of the project would be building the actual boardwalk on 10/31/2010 (rain date 11/7/10). Tom believes the cost will be around $1,500.00 for materials under his current design plans. After the group reviewed Tom's plans, there was much discussion about the conditions in the wet area where this boardwalk will be built, what the best choice of materials would be for this area and what the best boardwalk design would be. Suggestions were made, ideas came up and it was recommended that Tom speak with the Building Inspector regarding making some changes to his design plans, Mike DeBrigard about the possibly that DPW might provide some composite to the site, and to the Andover Village Improvement Society (A.V.I.S.) about borrowing their "Bammer", a tool used for sinking boardwalk support posts into mud and muck. 3. The Committee voted 4-0 to accept the Minutes of the August 10, 2010 meeting. 4. Adopt-a-Trail Evening at the Senior Center on Sept. 29, 2010, 7:30-9:00 p.m. Invitations have gone out to previous adopters, notices have been posted around town, on RCTV, to Walkable Reading and Friends of Reading Recreation and Kim will post it on the town website. Dave will narrate and answer questions. Alan has created a powerpoint outline for Dave to follow. Discussion about the Adopt-a-Trail Handbook and the quarterly trail reports that adopters should be sending in. The committee decided to make a few changes to the form which Fran will re-draft and e-mail out to the Committee to review. We will vote on the changes on Sept. 29, 2010 prior to the Adopt-a-Trail event starting. Tom will post this is a meeting. Will and Kim will bring maps, an outline of the Trail Committee activities, tools and examples of invasive species. Joan will bring the pamphlets and print outs about ticks and mosquitoes that the Board of Health provided. Joan and Sue will provide refreshments. 5. Bare Meadow Enhancement Project - Fran suggested posting information in each of the Bare Meadow kiosks as to where the funds came from for the project. Final punch list of things to be done: 1. Attach edging on the boardwalk; 2. Put in trail head posts in the meadow 3. "You are Here" signs 4. Transfer composite from Haverhill Street to shore up the edges of the cement where the Judi LeBlanc benches are. Fran asked the Committee if we were interested in applying for another DCR Grant with the Franklin Street boardwalk entrance to Kurchian Woods in mind. The boardwalk is in bad shape and needs to be replaced. The deadline is November 1, 2010 which she thinks is possible to get done. Fran spoke about the possibility of a trail connecting ROLT (Reading Open Land Trust) property and Charles Lawn Cemetery beginning at Kiley Drive. Fran gave an update on the Johnson Woods Trail. The developer has planned out a proposed trail and would like the Committee to check it out. Plans were made for those available to attend a site walk at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010 to walk the flagged trail. Kim mentioned that there would be a site visit to the property where the water treatment plant used to be at the end of Strout Avenue to determine the future use of the area. The site visit was scheduled to take place at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010. She hoped that someone on the Committee would be able to attend. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Tom will post the meeting with the Clerk's office. Voted to adjourn the meeting (4-0). The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.