HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - WREC - 01/07/2015 Weir River Estuary Park Committee (WREPComm)
Meeting Minutes from January 7th, 2015
The meeting, held at Hingham Town Hall (210 Central St) on Wednesday January 7',was called to order at 7:10pm.
Members-present: Dick Avery(Cohasset), Patti Coyle(Hingham),Judeth Van Hamm (Hull), and Dave Sibor(Hingham);
absent: Faith Burbank(Hingham),Scott Plympton(Hull). Guest: Ronit Goldstein,Aquarion Water Co.
Housekeeping: Members present reviewed and approved the minutes from October 29th meeting with some changes;
no other votes were taken. Patti Coyle volunteered to serve as Scribe.
New Member: All welcomed David Sibor to the Committee,taking the opportunity to share WREPComm priorities,such
as:fostering recreation, protecting habitat and shellfish beds,Tri-Town collaboration,and education. The word 'Park' in
the name is key to giving identity to the land and water; "Park Headquarters" is the Weir River Estuary Center.
Water Matters Forum update: Members recalled the very first"water forum", held in 2004 at Jake's Seafood Restaurant
in Hull. The five"Water Matters"forums in 2013 and 2014 were well-received in the community. Last summer's
drought took priority at Aquarion, making it difficult for Ronit Goldstein to reconvene with the stakeholders to schedule
Forum#6 and discuss possible topics and speakers. Possible date: late March or early April. The next Conference Call
with stakeholders was not scheduled. Aquarion's plan to hire a hydro geologist/hydro engineer are not yet finalized.
Updates on current activities:
a) Cohasset: 559 Jerusalem Rd. has been cleared by the owners;there are beautiful views just down the road at the
Rattlesnake Run area (near Windy Hill Rd). The tide gates at Straits Pond have had some monitoring problems
recently. New development at the Curtis Estate (across from Black Rock Beach)is not allowed to connect to sewer
under current the contract. Stormwater at Atlantic Ave. is currently a low priority in Hull.
b) Hingham: 149 Rockland St/Barbuto property--CPC mtg 11/19/2014:This property continues to be on Open
Space priority list. However,the price and the preliminary appraisal are nowhere near each other. CPC Chair
Curley explained to Mr. Barbuto that the town is prohibited by law to purchase a parcel for more than the
appraised value. 134 Rockland St/Boyle property--Still no applications filed for Town Department/Commission
review.Trails Plan--Several properties, including Bare Cove Park and More-Brewer Park, have been visited by BSC
Team. Next working group mtgs are set for 1/13/15 @ 4pm (with BSC) and 2/3/15 @ 7pm (stakeholders).Walk
planned 1/8/15 at Triphammer Pond, McKenna Marsh and Leavitt St. Conservation Land.
c) Hull: Lofchie property--efforts continue to protect a portion of this 2-acre property at the western edge of Straits
Pond. The State will refund 50%of owner's tax for a donation of land. Hull Land Conservation Trust has raised
over$50K toward the goal of getting a Conservation Partnership Grant by June 20,2015. Judeth Van Hamm has
provided the owner with a list of activities that would need to be completed before then.
Committee Action Items:
a) Annual Report for 2014—typically due in Hingham by mid-February
b) Goals for 2015:each member will bring 1-3 things they'd like to work on in 2015 to our next meeting
c) Hingham Trails Plan
d) Conservation Land Management Planning
Items of interest:
Weir River Watershed Association topics for Board Meeting on Jan.Sth: 1) status on Aquarion,flow measurement in
Weir River, moving the town of Hingham forward with irrigation system restrictions; 2)Town of Hingham received a
grant to evaluate impacts from sea level rise (vulnerability assessment of effects on infrastructure); 3)status of smelt
habitat(Foundry Pond area);4) Clean Up day
Wrap-up
Next WREPComm Meeting:Wednesday, Feb 11t'from 7-9pm at Hingham Town Hall
iof1