Present: Nancy Robart, Tina Cotton, Sooze Hodgson, Nancy Teach, Lee Wells, Jerry Hersey, Jenny Bodwell

Also attending: Donna Duclos

Kimberly Edelmann, Town Administrator, stopped by to introduce herself and offer help.

Correspondence
Copy of notice to Planning Board from DES – concerning a request to build a home at 450 Depot Street – which will require wetland work to be done. 

Thank you card from the Garden club for our donation of $25 from Mary Lou McCrave, who is stepping down as Head of Garden Club.

Garden Club:  Chris Dickson will be the contact person from the club to help arrange for a presentation about invasive plants. Douglas Cygan – potential speaker.  Sooze will be the point person on this.

Lake Sunapee Protective Associate is doing Wetlands trainings – two Fridays, January 27 and February 24, from noon to 2 PM.

Town Report: January 23 deadline.  Thanks to Tina for her work on this. Spent some time making revisions.

McDonough Parcel:  Nancy T and Nancy R met with the new Town Administrator, Kimberly Edelmann. Nancy T gave her a copy of the January 6 version of the warrant article. Kimberly sent us a copy of the deed.  We need to go to the January 25 Select Board Meeting to discuss the Warrant Article.  She suggested that we get the market value of the land. The Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) will have the final say on the wording of the warrant article. It will also be important for us to get an estimate for the cost of maintaining the lot. 

We will need to be well prepared going into informational meeting and Town Meeting.
As the warrant article differs from our initial petition in response to the town’s attempt to sell the land, we will need to collect at least 25 signatures for a petition that deals specifically with the Town Meeting warrant article, which proposes that the Town decide to make this conservation property.

ACC Budget
New line item in our budget-wetland specialist ($500) already included. We have $1,350 in our budget for 2023. Reserve Account: $62,000.

ASLPT

Route 4A Land Update: Sooze contacted Carter Bascom, the real estate agent working on this property. The land has been taken off the market. It is posted “no trespassing, no hunting”.  ASLPT may now be willing to approach purchasing the property as there is no offer in the pipeline.  Owner may be willing to come down in his price. 

Nancy R called Andy Deegan (ASLPT).  The grant he was looking at was for land that would not be changed in any way (no trails etc).  An abutter and others in the area have expressed an interest in contributing to purchase the land. We are willing to contribute from our reserve fund.  Before we try to fundraise, we need to know that the owner is interested in selling this lot for conservation land, and what his asking price may be.  Sooze will ask Carter Bascom to sound out the owner and ask if there has been a recent survey. Assessed value of the land is listed as $91,419.

Ryan Murphy should then be contacted to see who might be willing to contribute.

Beaver Deceiver Update: Elbow Pond looks good – one side flowing, other side frozen. Emery Road looks good – high but flowing well.