MINUTES OF MARCH 16, 2000

[Approved April 6, 2000]

Present: Robert Boisselle, Paul Locke, Nancy Naslas, Bruce Rider, David Valade

1. Minutes
   It was voted to accept the minutes of March 2, 2000 with a few editorial comments.

2. Correspondence:

   • Mystic Watershed Collaborative from Tufts University: An invitation to attend a press conference at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, 3/28, to announce a new and exciting aim at restoring Mystic River Watershed. The conference will be held at the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse, 32 Shore Drive, Somerville. The conference will serve to enhance the public's understanding of the major challenges facing the watershed and explore a possible solution using existing models from other watersheds.

   • Conservation Commission Survey from the DEP for their circuit riders and what they are going to do with these people. It is basically questions concerning do you have an agent or secretary, a computer, what are the background of our members, bylaws - do we have them, and any technical issues that you would be interested in. Bob will fill this out and return it.

   • Toxics in your community - this from the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at the University of MA. It tells you how to find chemicals in your community by company and to find the chemicals. They have training sessions, a green list, the solution prevention research library to search for online catalogs or Email the librarian for different types of technical policy tools and strategy from national/international books, journals and reports. They have a web site: www.turi.org/turadata.

   • From the Public Records, Archives Division at the Archives at Columbia Point, we have the conservation commission records retention schedule. We don't have to keep all data. There is a whole series of procedures for the record custodian to do - how long to keep: the Annual Report permanent, 1 mint copy; correspondence - 3 years if no information or evidence of value; minutes are permanent; hearings of public notice one year; invoices seven years; receipts after completion of satisfactory audit; Certificate of Compliance after being recorded in the Registry of Deeds; Certificate of Emergency Project one year; Determinations of Applicability - until the project is completed; engineering drawings permanent; environmental data forms after Certificate of Compliance has been issued; Notice of Intent - after Certificate of Compliance has been issued and recorded in the Registry of Deeds a lot of this material dissolves; Order of Conditions - to extend permit one year following termination.

3. Invoices

   It was voted to pay the following invoices:

   1. MACC Registration - $60.00

   2. A pond watcher handout which Bob is going to post at the kiosk so there will be some material as they go into the area - $3.00

   3. Wetland publication.
      The Melrose Free Press stated last week that the high school is looking to upgrade some of their books. Bob put together a small list of books, costing approximately $143. as listed below: A Comprehensive Review of Wetlands, Assessment Procedures, The Wonders of Wetlands, Wetland Planning Guide, and Evaluation of Planned Wetland. This will probably go to the high school library and also corresponds to the vernal pool material that we submitted to the school department two weeks ago. Right now we do have enough money in the budget and Bob will have further requests for purchases for the high school library in the future.

   The final total for the above invoices is approximately $210.

4. Flag Acres and Knox Trails Entry Ways

   Bob produced the 2 topo maps - Flag Acres Trails and Knox Trails, especially the entry ways. Barbara Jesse is going to look at this and spruce up the entrance ways for the public. We are also getting new signs 8 x 8 with the name of the trails and Conservation Commission's name under it - dark color with gold letters. Barbara is a tree warden for the Parks Dept. and does a lot of landscaping. We expect she will have a design for us to look at in early or late April.

5. Conservation Commission Web Page

   www.cityofmelrose.org - web page for city of Melrose which includes the city departments. Bob talked to the ITO people and they are anxious to put the conservation commission in. We could have pictures, schedules of meetings, minutes of meetings, forms, link to DEP Wetlands, and also with other links we have the DEP Wetland Publications, DEP General Publications, Wetland Science, Education and Information Resources, Facts about Wetlands, Wetlands and Water Sheds, Wetlands and Bio Assessments, Wonders of Wetlands, Environmental Map, Schoolyard Habitat and World in our Backyards. We are also going to try to include the Guide to Trail Maps on the site. The Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissioners is another link we can add on and examples of Conservation Commissions from various communities. Paul Locke will follow up on the links. Nancy will take pictures with her digital camera and David has a scanner to assist with the pictures.

6. Annual Report

   Bob passed out the Annual Report of the Melrose Conservation Commission Fiscal Year 1999 for the commissioner's review.

7. Budget Request for FY01

   The Budget Request FY01 for the Melrose Conservation Commission was reviewed.

8. Herbicide Treatments

   Voted: To approve the Aquatics Control proposal to do the work minus the $5,000 of hydro raking. The total estimate for the project is $12,300.

9. Melrose Conservation Commission Chairman

   It was voted that Bob Boisselle be re-elected the Chairman of the committee for the coming year.

10. Voted: to open up the meeting to the public. There were no comments by the public.

    Voted: to close the open hearing.

11. Voted: to adjourn the meeting at 8 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy Pritchard
Commission Secretary