CONNECTICUT
RIVER GATEWAY COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES
August 23, 2007
Present/Absent: CHESTER
Margaret
Wilson, Martha
Wallace
DEEP RIVER Amy Petrone,
Nancy Fischbach
EAST HADDAM Logan Clarke, Robert Boulware
ESSEX Fred Vollono, Ed Marlowe
FENWICK Chuck
Chadwick
HADDAM Scott Thompson, Susan Bement
LYME
Kevin Mazer, J. Melvin Woody
OLD LYME Rudi Besier,
Ted Crosby
OLD SAYBROOK Madge Fish, David LeMay
CRERPA Steve Williams
MIDSTATE RPA
Raul
De Brigard, Stasia DeMichele
DEP David Blatt
STAFF
Torrance Downes,
Dorothy Papp,
TIDEWATER Judy Preston
Call
to Order
Chairman
Fred Vollono called the regular meeting of the
Gateway Commission to order at 7:43 pm in the CRERPA meeting room.
Approval of Minutes
Peggy Wilson moved to approve the minutes of June 28, 2007. Raul de Brigard
seconded. All were in favor.
Staff Report
· The Commission received a thank you letter for their contribution to the CT Land Conservation Council
· Two newspaper articles of note: “Less can be more when designing a house” from the New Haven Register; and “The House on the Hill” from the Courant Sunday Edition on July 8, 2007.
Treasurer’s
Report
Peggy Wilson and Nancy Fischbach met with Liz David of Merrill Lynch to go over the investment results for the last two quarters.
· Liz reported that the Gateway Bond Funds were exposed to subprime market holdings at less than 1% of bond investments.
· As of August 17, 2007, total investments worth $1,560,193 represent more than a 50%cumulative increase since the accounts were opened with Merrill Lynch in 2002.
· Since June, 2007, the managed account is down 1.78% and the mutual fund holdings are down .017% since July, 2007, compared to a 10%+ fall in the market.
· The managed account has increased 5.54% since it was opened last November, and the rest has made 3.64% this year.
· Liz will come to a full Commission meeting this winter once the results of a full year are in.
Steve Williams moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report and pay CRERPA $4240.36 for staffing invoices for June and July, 2007 and Tidewater Institute $2240 for June and July staffing. Melvin Woody seconded. All were in favor.
Referrals
There were four referrals of no significance to the river scene and 1 subdivision in Haddam which Torrance brought to the Commission’s attention due to the possibility of large scale tree removal. Melvin Woody moved to write a letter of no opposition to the variance but including an admonition to be sensitive to the protection of watercourses, wetlands, and slopes in the future development of the lots. David Blatt seconded. All were in favor.
Tidewater
Judy Preston is scheduled to give a detailed report on Tidewater activities in September.
Adoption Status of 2004 Standards
Old Lyme ZEO Ann Brown requested a copy of the Gateway Standards that stood apart from inclusion in Old Lyme’s Zoning Regulations, implying that the Commission may be considering non-acceptance of some or all of them. Staff will notify Rudi Besier and Ted Crosby of the opportunity for public turn out and input once the date of the meeting is verified.
Fred Vollono reported that there is a new zoning chair in Essex and it may be a good time to get back on that agenda. Also one of the strongest opponents to the Gateway Standards is no longer on the Essex Commission.
Other Business
Status of Gateway owned properties
Torrance presented a map produced by Margot Burns that shows the 8 properties owned in fee by the Gateway Commission and introduced a discussion regarding the Commission’s responsibility for stewardship. Melvin Woody noted that the State should hold title to the Seldon Creek property and perhaps a few others. Peggy Wilson said it is time to take stewardship of properties seriously. Staff will research the status of transferring appropriate easements to the State.
Tree cutting invoice from James Kaiser,
Haddam
Susan Bement reported on her visit to the property and Torrance passed around a photo of the tree before cutting provided by Mr. Kaiser. Linda will contact the attorney as to possible liability in such situations. Meanwhile staff will write a letter to Mr. Kaiser informing him that the Commission declines to pay the bill as he made no effort to reach the Commission so they might address the problem themselves and conceivably recycle the firewood from the tree in question.
Property acquisition opportunity
Torrance reported that the Commission received an offer of sale from Tim McCain of 9.1 acres of property in Haddam for $550,000. The property is also being offered to the Nature Conservancy so there is some potential for a concerted funding effort. Staff will research the property’s assessed value and ecological condition, as well as inform Mr. McCain that there may be some interest in preserving the property as open space.
For interest sake, Fred Vollono reported that Essex has allocated $50,000 toward extending the Bushy Hill Nature Preserve. The property is not in the Gateway Area, but it’s a piece of good news nonetheless.
Melvin Woody thanked staff for distribution of the Annual Report and said it looks good.
Adjournment
There being no further business, Melvin Woody moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:53 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Dorothy Papp
The
next meeting of the Gateway Commission is Thursday, September 27,2007.