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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - WREC - 07/11/2019 Meeting Minutes Weir River Estuary Park Committee Thursday July 11, 2019 w a a u F R Hull Town Hall (253 Atlantic Ave) L ruAKY PARK Based on the idea that this estuary is defined more by ecology than town boundaries or land ownership— "a Park where the trails are water"—the Boards of Selectmen in Hull, Hingham and Cohasset agreed to each appoint up to three members to a tri-town committee. (WREPComm is not a 501(c)3 non-profit Watershed Association.) Formed in 2002, the purpose of the WREP Comm is to support each Town's Master Plan/Open Space Plan in the Weir River Estuary Park through: 1) Land protection, 2) Conservation and restoration of wildlife habitat, 3) Stewardship education, and 4) Recreation which supports habitat protection. 1. Call to Order: Members present— Dick Avery (Cohasset), Tom Bell (Cohasset), Patti Coyle (Hingham), Scott Plympton (Hull); absent—Judeth Van Hamm (Hull). Quorum reached. Guests: former Hingham Chair Faith Burbank and soon-to-be-appointed Hingham member Sharon Allen. The meeting began at about 4:05pm. Patti Coyle agreed to take the minutes and also chaired the meeting. 2. Updates on activities since last meeting September 2017: a) Cohasset: Dick Avery reported that the Seawall Reconstruction project at Crescent Beach in Hull is still hung up in court. The riprap has been torn up and replaced with some big boulders along the wall. {The 2015 Hingham Annual Report reflects that the Town of Hull was awarded a$1.5M grant plus a$1.5M low- interest loan for the final design, permitting and reconstruction of the Crescent Beach seawall at Gunrock by the MA Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs in October. Among many other benefits, the minimization of the over wash resulting from this project will improve the ecological health of Straits Pond.} For more background, take a look at: https://www.patriotledger.com/news/20190201/hull-sea- wall-improvements-still-stalled. Tom Bell shared that the Cohasset Center for Student Coastal Research (CSCR) has arranged for resident/student Eleanor Dunn to monitor the nitrogen and PH levels in the Pond and the status of the filamentous algae this summer. A "Discovery Paddle Tour of Straits Pond" will be held on Saturday July 13t",8-10am. b) Hull: Straits Pond Island (SPI)—the Conservation Restriction (CR) at the end of Richards Rd. for an access path out to Hull-owned SPI and on to Eastman Rd. was rescinded by the Lofchie family sometime in April 2019. However, Scott Plympton reported that all is not lost. MA Dept. of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) Land Protection Specialist Jim Comeau has reached-out to the family about selling notjust a portion of the property but the entire lot. Hull Land Conservation Trust(HLCT)hopes that the Cohasset Conservation Trust (CCT) will continue to be patient and hold the matching funds aside, to be applied to a transaction in the (fingers-crossed) near future. Weir River Woods — years ago, land was purchased to provide an entrance/parking to the Weir River Woods on Chatham St. Several years later, paperwork showed that the wrong parcel had been documented as'purchased';some improvements had been made to this parcel before the error was found. Town Meeting appropriated$13,900 from the Community Preservation Open Space Reserve to be used by the HLCT for the acquisition of the adjacent Easingwood property (Map 47/Lot 194). Boundaries are OK and the CR was transferred to the Trustees of Reservations; HLCT hopes to place some signage. A boy from Cohasset is doing an Eagle Scout project in these Woods. c) Hingham: Patti Coyle reported that the development at 29 Canterbury St (8 single-family homes, now referred to as Patterson Pond Estates) has been proceeding noticeably, using the last of the available inventory of sewer connections in the Weir River Sewer District(WRSD). The Sewer Commission continues its moratorium — there are no new sewer connections available in this area. Foundry Pond: The Conservation Commission signs at both Kilby & Weir St entrances have been repaired. Queen Bess the Weir River Estuary Park Committee 7/11/2019 Meeting minutes swan has moved within the estuary to near Cumberland Farms in Hull. Representatives from Coastal Zone Management, MA Division of Fisheries & Wildlife and Conservation Agent Loni Fournier believe that the condition of the culvert at Kilby St. has no remarkable effect on local flooding or habitat, and that time, effort and money should be spent elsewhere. Tom Bell had also looked at the culvert up-close and said that, in his opinion, it is not collapsed. —8 volunteers signed-up for Herring Count from April 15t"-May 315Y —no fish were spotted in the ladder. Through Facebook contact, Philip Lofgren (Weymouth Fish Warden) has offered to help at the fish ladder before/during next year's herring run. Potential development in the ACEC: 'No action' status continues at Boyle property 116-134 Rockland St (septic perc test failed); rumor has it that a perc test was done recently at 50 or 51 GWB (results unknown). Mr. Boyle has not yet filed any application with any Town Department. Misc: The standard Conservation Commission signs have been placed for both Sidney's Pond & 60 GWB. Hingham Chair Patti Coyle supported & participated in the first session of Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Grant Program at Hingham Town Hall on 12/12/2018; the purpose is to further the town's ability to plan for and respond to the effects of climate change, including sea level rise and increased intensity of storm surge. The summary report of these meetings is on Hingham's website at https://www.hingham-ma.gov/306/Climate-Change. d) Clean-up Day status in 2018 & 2019: Spring Clean-up continues to draw a good crowd to Straits Pond in Cohasset, while support in Hull seems to be the same few stalwarts. In 2018, Hingham had a smaller turnout, but they came with big trucks! Broader promotion on Facebook(along with an estuary neighbor on the Community Service Committee at the Middle School) brought energetic fresh faces in in 2019. 3. Priorities for FY2020 a) Action Items that can be completed in the next 6 months: members expressed enthusiasm for activities in fall/October, such as an Estuary Paddle, Estuary Bike Tour, and/or a Fall Clean-up. b) Longer-term Action Items: monitoring 1) the DCR/Lofchie parcel-purchase for SPI; 2) Crescent Beach Seawall Reconstruction project at Gunrock. c) Administrative: Members will look into accuracy of WREPComm information at Town websites, contacts at the Town Halls for posting, and Open Meeting Law Training. After a brief discussion, members were not opposed to going back to the practice of alternating meetings at the three Town Halls. d) The members adjourned at about 5:30pm 4. Next meeting: proposed for Thursday,Sept. 5t"at 4pm in Cohasset Town Hall.