11/17/16 Minutes

Meeting date: 
Thursday, November 17, 2016

Minutes, Hollis Conservation Commission, 17Nov16—

Members present:-John Sheahan, Martha Turner, Joanne Toone, Eric Wright, John Mattor

 

  1. The Minutes of 20Oct16 were reviewed and accepted.
  2. Website status. John Sheahan is the point man on this initiative. He has been given descriptive text on Indian Cellar and Googins Woods parks (JAM). Administrative assistant Bennet Flinner is the towns website master. Joanne Toone knows website management and can be most helpful with the HCC portion. Maps of our parks should be on the website, with QR code access at the kiosks for people with smartphones.
  3. IC handrail at new steps. Half of the cost has been paid to Nathan Deyesso. It should be finished in early December.
  4. Googins Woods. With the aid of volunteers Ashley Martin and Ryan Lavigne the trails are all completed and blazed, except for a small piece on trail 4. Several more trail arrows need to be placed, a kiosk needs to be constructed and installed, better signage at the entrance needs doing, and the trail map needs to be completed and reproduced.   We need a documentary of the project to be aired on our local community TV channels. (Patrick Bonsant) We also need to make contact with the Googins sisters to keep them informed as what has been done (JAM will contact)
  5. Indian Cellar Teahouse building replacement. (John and Sally McGarry) –Still work in progress. This property abuts the entrance area of Indian Cellar and we should pay close attention on what happens.
  6. Consideration of the 30-acre Johnson property donation for conservation on the south-west end of Deer Wander road. We need to take a serious look at this offer, and maybe consult the select board and the planning board.
  7. HCC budget for next fiscal year. JAM has a meeting with selectwoman Payne on 30Nov16 and we will go from there.
  8. Salmon Falls parking lot snow plowing. It has been horrible in past years, and must be addressed before winter. JAM has tried to contact Robbie Hanson but has had no return calls. Suggestion was made to place a row of large stones at edge of parking lot and adjacent lawn to suggest a limit of access.
  9. We have a new box for trail maps at IC.
  10. Pedestrian bridge across the Saco river linking Indian Cellar preserve with the park in Buxton is still alive and under consideration. The HCC will defer to higher authorities for action, but they are in strong support of the project.

                                  John A. Mattor, Reporter for this meeting