Andover Conservation Commission —  Minutes, May 3, 2023

Members present: Jenny Bodwell, Tina Cotton, Sooze Hodgson, Nancy Robart, Jesse Schust, Nancy Teach, Lee Wells
Also attending: Donna Duclos
Tina was voted in as a full member.

  1. Minutes: approval by unanimous vote.
  2. Dyer’s Crossing/McDonough lot 

We will refer to it as McDonough Parcel. We will contact Colin Brown in Bristol for surveying.

  1. ASLPT 

Roundtable meeting canceled. Ben Wallace will be the new director and will work with Deb Stanley for several weeks.

  1. Rt 4A update 

Andy will be taking the issue to the Lands Committee of ASLPT tomorrow. We should know within a week if they will move forward on it. Assessment has been done and Carter Bascom is waiting for the final assessed value. 

ASLPT will not pay for more than the assessed value. Sooze and Jesse can then look for conservation buyers. It will then need to be surveyed. Clean-up and hazardous waste assessment will need to be done.

  1. Andover Village junkyard ownership transfer 

Planning Board talked about this in the past; didn’t put in the Master Plan junkyard ordinance. Abuts prime wetlands and school-owned land. We can show up for this meeting, but we are only an advisory board. We can let the town know what the issues are. 

 

Site is listed by the state as a hazardous waste spot. We can attend the meeting next Wednesday, 6 PM, at the Andover Fire Station. Jesse will make a statement at the meeting re. the points: gateway, wetland, adjacent to prime wetland, master plan. Jesse will draft something and we will work on it in the coming week via email.

  1. Beaver deceiver  

Elbow Pond clear — culvert before those BDs are full. Valley Road (BD removed) culvert stressed by flow. Jesse will contact ARM about alternate design. Emery Road looking good; water level is very high.

  1. Community education/outreach 

Invasives lecture with Garden Club: announcement will be in Beacon. We are responsible for set up and clean up. Wednesday, June 21, 6:30 PM. Jenny could bring food goods made from invasives. Jenny will get in touch with Christine Dixon and bring samples and recipes. 

 

  1. Trails

At some point in June there will be an SRK all trails barbecue meeting to get more information about the trails and work days.

  1. Website updates 

See above: Alan McIntyre will post things for us, if we mail them to him.
Nancy Teach and Liz Wolf are sharing Garden Club presidency.

   10. Andover Covered Bridges 

Jesse looked at underside of the Cilleyville Bog Bridge (near old RP Johnson). The footing is coming apart. Jesse also looked at the Bridge Street bridge. The run-up to the bridge is not in good shape; water is running against the side of the bridge.

Jesse contacted the Society for Preservation of Covered Bridges about it. Yearly cleaning
should be happening every spring. Jesse will contact Frank and copy Kimberley Edelmann and the Select Board about the recommended guidelines from the Society. 

The bridges are part of the road budget. The Select Board has discussed it as there is concern about the bridges. They are working on the bridge roof now. Jesse will draft something and send it out to us. 

 

  1. Wetland Buffer Warrant Article 2024 

Long term goal. Sooze has contacted Elizabeth Harper in Wilmot — no response.

  1. Outstanding Business
    Banner — do we need a better banner/logo graphic? Lee will send KWW library logo to
    committee. Jenny made a good rough draft graphic.

Bradley Lake land — town was eager to sell, but surveying wasn’t properly done. Lots listed as
larger than they actually are. An abutter is interested in having that land put into easement. At Town Meeting in late ‘90s Conservation Commission was charged with putting the land into easement. Could we have those lots surveyed at the same time as the McDonough parcel?


Property behind church abutting Ordways — an engineer was at the site and expressed
concern about wetlands, too much clearing. We can check maps; they can communicate with state about it. We can find out who the owners are. We’ll ask Ordways to keep us updated. Jesse checked wetland status before the Town sold it – none listed.


DOT — was surveying the road near the McDonough Parcel.