Approved 1/15/2010
TOWN OF WELLESLEY
NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
December 18, 2009, 9 AM
NRC Office, Lower Level, Town Hall
Attending: Neal Seaborn, Chair, Paul Cramer, Vice Chair (leaving at 10 AM), Heidi Gross, Secretary, Joan Gaughan, Richard Bashian, Janet Hartke Bowser, NRC Director.
Guests: Barbara Searle, Board of Selectmen Chair, Terri Tsagaris, Board of Selectmen.
Public Voice
There were no citizens present who wished to speak at Public Voice.
Update on Lower Falls Charles River Park Project and CPA Funding Application
Ms. Searle updated the NRC on the status of this project and stated that it is uncertain whether a temporary path is now part of the proposed project, since National Development is moving ahead with its project and there will need to be coordination between the DCR, the Town and National Development as to how best to sequence the project. Ms. Searle stated that she will follow-up with the CPC since it appears that they did not think that a temporary path was part of the CPC Application and she will keep the NRC updated on the status of the project.
Update on Fuller Brook Park Preservation Master Plan and CPA Application
Mr. Seaborn, Ms. Bowser, and Ms. Gross updated the NRC Members on the status of this project and indicated that they met on December 11, 2009 with Ms. Babson from the Board of Selectmen to discuss how best to move the project forward and how to gather support for funding the project. It was suggested that a stakeholders group be created in order to help advise the NRC and to advocate for funding of the project. It was noted that this could also be an educational effort, since many of the stakeholders have not fully reviewed the plan. It was agreed that the following boards would be invited to serve on this Advisory Committee: Board of Public Works, Historical Commission, Selectmen, School Committee, Community Preservation Committee, Trails Committee, and a resident/abutter, with Mr. Seaborn, Ms.
Bowser, and Ms. Gross representing the NRC. It was concluded that this would be an informational and consulting group, which seeks to educate the boards, build support for the project and seek a consensus and advocacy of the plan for approval by the CPC and Town Meeting. After further discussion, a motion was made and seconded, and the NRC voted 5-0 to establish this Advisory Committee to help educate these boards as well as to help advocate for funding the plan.
Director’s Report
Meeting with National Development to Discuss 27 Washington Street Project Changes
Ms. Bowser stated that Mr. Mark Paris, Vice-President of National Development, contacted her to schedule a meeting at 10:30 AM this morning, directly following the NRC Meeting in order to review the project changes at this location with the NRC.
Update on Status of Open Space and Recreation Master Plan and Public Hearing January 12th
Ms. Bowser stated that she continues to work on the PowerPoint Presentation that she will make at the January 12th Hearing on the Open Space and Recreation Master Plan.
Off-Leash Dog Enforcement Issues at Perrin Park
Ms. Bowser stated that there continues to be a number of complaints regarding large numbers of dog’s off-leash during on-leash hours at Perrin Park and she has requested that Animal Control Officer Sue Webb increase her monitoring of dog issues at Perrin Park.
Fuller Brook Park Preservation Master Plan Public Hearing January 12th
After further discussion regarding this public hearing, Ms. Bowser stated that she will contact a number of people whom she knows will be supportive of the Master Plan and invite them to the CPC Public Hearing. The NRC concurred with this approach and indicated that as much support that can be gathered would be constructive.
Discussion Re: Exchange or Release of NRC Land on Morton Park/Acquisition of Real Property
Mr. Seaborn stated that Ms. Searle and Ms. Tsagaris met previously with him, Ms. Bowser, and Ms. Gross for the purposes of reviewing a possible land exchange involving Morton Park. Ms. Searle explained that the Selectmen are attempting to find a possible site where additional parking spaces could be located near the American Legion site at 494 Washington Street, the current location proposed for the Senior Center. As currently designed, the American Legion site will have 33 on-site parking spaces, but the Board of Selectmen believe that this will not be adequate to accommodate the parking needs of the Senior Center.
Ms. Searle explained that the Board of Selectmen would like to explore with the NRC the idea of using some of the NRC land at Morton Park for parking for municipal use by the Senior Center, the Police Station and the public. Ms. Searle stated that in order to address the parking shortage at the Senior Center, the Selectmen would like 30 additional parking spaces. According to plans prepared by the Town Engineer, this will require approximately 15,000 sq. ft. of parkland, depending upon the exact location of the spaces, and whether or not they are angled or 90 degrees, as well as the location of the sidewalk or path to Washington Street. Ms. Searle reviewed two maps with the NRC, one showing the Morton Park area controlled by the NRC as parkland, and a second map showing the Cochituate Aqueduct Land
in this area, which is municipal land controlled by the Board of Selectmen. The aqueduct land in this area starts at Washington Street near the Police Station and extends to Grove Street in front of the Post Office. The aqueduct land bisects the Police Station land, Wellesley Housing Authority Land, Morton Park, and Town Hall Hunnewell Park, and is approximately 107,500 ft. or 2.5 acres. Ms. Searle stated that the Board of Selectmen would like to propose a land swap with the NRC, involving a piece of NRC land at Morton Park being exchanged for Board of Selectmen aqueduct land. Ms. Bowser briefly reviewed the NRC’s Open Space Management Policy regarding release or exchange of land. She stated that under the State Constitution, and the laws of Massachusetts, such release or exchange of land requires the following:
· a majority vote of the Natural Resources Commission
· a two-thirds vote of Town Meeting
· a two-thirds roll-call vote of the Massachusetts Legislature.
In addition, the policy states that because open space in Wellesley of equivalent value and usefulness to the Town’s present holdings is virtually unattainable, proposals to release or exchange constitutionally protected Town-owned open space will be considered only on the basis of a 2:1 exchange ratio, favoring open space.
Ms. Searle and Ms. Tsagaris explained that the Board of Selectmen are examining all options at this point, and wanted to get initial feedback from the NRC as to whether or not the Board would consider this request for a land exchange. If so, the Board of Selectmen will continue their planning process and develop a more substantial proposal and plan for the NRC’s further consideration and discussion. Mr. Cramer stated that his initial reaction is to not support a land exchange, because he feels that other options should be examined and exhausted before taking any open space. He stated that he would like to see the cost associated with running a shuttle bus from the Community Center or other locations for seniors examined. He stated that in general he feels that Wellesley needs to keep its open
space and his sense is to not support this proposal. He recommended that the Selectmen should instead explore using other underutilized existing parking in the area. He was not convinced that there is a demand or need for additional parking in this area. Ms. Gaughan concurred with Mr. Cramer’s position. Ms. Tsagaris indicated that their benchmarking study shows a need for up to 60-100 parking spaces at the Senior Center. Mr. Bashian stated that he is open minded with regard to this proposed land exchange. Ms. Gross stated that she is also open minded and would consider a land exchange and would like to have further detailed discussions and one of the conditions would be that the NRC would acquire all Cochituate Aqueduct land in this area including all aqueduct land at Town Hall, resulting in a beneficial trade-off in favor of protecting additional open space. Mr. Seaborn stated that he is open minded and emphasized that the land trade-off and the value of
open space would be important. A majority of the NRC Members are open to the possibility of a land exchange and they would like additional information to be considered. Ms. Searle stated that she will work with the other members of the Board of Selectmen to further refine this proposal, and that they would come back with more definitive information and site plans for the NRC’s consideration.
Next Scheduled NRC Meeting
The next NRC meeting was scheduled for January 12th, which will be a public hearing on the Open Space and Recreation Master Plan and the Fuller Brook Park Preservation Master Plan at 7:30 PM in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room in Town Hall.
Adjournment
After a motion was made and seconded, the NRC voted 4-0 to adjourn the meeting.
Respectfully submitted:
Janet Hartke Bowser
NRC Director
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