1). K. Thatcher moved to approve the minutes for May 22, 2002 as amended. The motion was seconded by L. Borofsky and passed by unanimous vote from the Board.

2). DES permits - Kathy stated that dock application permits no longer need to be signed by Conservation members or the Town Clerk. The new document is a dock notification sent to DES. Fees are no longer collected. Warren stated that it is very difficult to get residents to correct things once they are done. He thinks the Docks need to be policed during the planning process not after the fact. DES has regulations which they hope are being complied with when the application form is submitted. Kathy is afraid that plans and intentions are not always the outcome of the final project.

• A). DES is asking for more information on the Joerger application.
• B). DES has not yet responded to Riendeau's request.
  Joerger and Riendeau are both Connecticut River Projects that involve substantial disruption of the banking.
• C). Kurt Nowill was approved without conditions. He wants to install a dry fire hydrant so the Spofford Fire Department can have access to the lake for water. No more than 10 linear feet will be disturbed.
• D). Tom has been contacted by Fred Szmit about Kalich pond running over North Shore Road. DES conditions to allow them to dredge the Southern end of the pond were that they needed to restore the northern end of the pond to its preexisting condition. Kalich needed to install something at the dam site to catch water running down the stream to keep it from running into the lake. The water is running over the culvert on North Shore Road. A DES representative was available to look at the site last Saturday. Steve pointed out that Kalich had 3 years to respond to DES.

3). Tool Time - Lynne submitted the budget for the grant on the Anne Stokes loop. She has 2 people who started working on the trail on Monday. There are 8 muddy spots on the Anne Stokes trail that need to be redone. On September 15th 2002 and March 15 2003 the Commission must submit biannual progress reports on the project. September 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 the Commission must report on the condition of the tools purchased with grant money.  Lynne has spoken with Chris Gamarche who is the head of the trail bureau. Lynne is hopeful that the Commission will come in under budget on the project. Any extra funding can be used for connecting trails to the Anne Stokes Loop with a written request. Lynne met with Town Administrator, Rick Carrier and Town Treasurer, Ed Cheever, to establish a method for releasing the funds as needed. The Commission will submit bills to the Treasurer. The Commission will reimburse the Town when the CD's roll over. The plan is to deposit LCHIP grant money in a more flexible checking account for payment of expenses. 3 Commission members must sign off on requests for funds to establish that items purchased were used for Commission purposes. Lynne submitted paperwork for Conservation members to keep track of volunteer time on the Anne Stokes loop. Skilled trail laborers are being paid $9.00 per hour. There are no arrangements for Workman's Compensation yet. When they cut wood for the bridge hourly rate will increase to $10.00 for skilled labor. Jeff Newcomer, for example can submit skilled labor time when he updates maps, and posts to the web, but only on Anne Stokes loop.  Steve presented the receipts of equipment purchased by the Conservation Commission with about $1,000 of grant money; such as, shovel with serrated edges, 14-inch Husqvarna chain saw with safety helmet, gas can and extra chains. Fireside True Value offers 30% discount. T. Duston has a shed at his house which will be used for Conservation Tools only once a padlock is purchased. Lynne would like to take a picture of Commission members with tools for progress reports. The Commission will meet at 9AM Friday July 5th or 10 AM Saturday July 6th at Tom's house to assess work done. Lynne would also like to check on work next spring to see how repairs hold up over the winter.

4). Conservation Easement - Tom has been contacted by property owner Leo Berman to buy a conservation easement along Daniels Mountain Loop. Conservation Land is worth approximately $250 per acre according to the Monadnock Conservancy. The Commission is interested in 35 - 40 acres of it. Tom would like to buy a Conservation Easement on this land for around $10,000. The easement could be purchased for less if logging rights are retained by the owner. The Commission is interested in pursuing this endeavor.

5). Progress Reports - The grant money from LCHIP has not been forwarded to the Conservation Commission yet. Tim Butterworth has cut down the tree in Friedsam for the Commission. The Commission is concerned about liability to the Town if someone falls off the bridge. There is a muddy section on the trail near the cemetery that needs to be worked on.

6). Kathy discussed her conversation with Bill Mitchell who stated to Selectmen Warren Porter that she, as a representative of the Conservation Commission, proposed to buy his land for a very low price. She is concerned about her reputation with the Town. The open space committee went defunct because land in the center of town is more valuable than land on the outskirts which is where Commission has focused their efforts, because the land is more affordable. Warren stated that if you make a living by farming you make enough money to live. When you retire from farming all you have is equity. Unless you are willing to part with equity you don't have any means to live.

7). The next meeting will be on August 28, 2002. The Commission voted not to meet in July. Lynne requested that everyone come in with time sheets filled out for Anne Stokes loop so that she can submit the progress report in September.

8). Other -

• A). Lynne had estimates done to remove brush and trees at her house. One Company asked her if she needed a permit because she is within 150 feet of a protected stream. Tom would like to discuss a method for enforcing the regulations for removing trees in the shoreline protected district. In Tom's opinion this is a zoning issue. Lynne would like to make sure that the Companies know what they need to do, because the property owner usually does not know. Lynne did not realize that she was a 150 feet from the stream until it was pointed out to her.
• B). The Commission reviewed the preliminary budget that Rick would like to have confirmation on by August 1st. The Commission would prefer to discuss budget after some of the expenses incurred by grant money on Anne Stokes loop shows up. Tom felt that it was unreasonable for Commission to begin working on the budget process in June.
• C). Lynne presented a document from Keene State College for a community service award to be awarded to a faculty member in 2002. She would like to nominate Tom for his dedication and energy to the Conservation Commission and the Greenway Project. Lynne will submit the nomination letter along with newspaper articles about Conservation Commission.

9). The meeting adjourned at 9:55 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Amy LaFontaine
Secretary