The meeting began at 7:10 PM.

Commissioners in attendance: Phil Trowbridge, Dave McKay, Laura Bonk, and Al Heavey

1. Approve the Minutes of the 7/14/04 Meeting

The minutes were approved unanimously.

2. Review, Process, or Distribute Mail Received

• Letter from DRED Parks and Recreation re: Land and Water Conservation Fund – P. Trowbridge will research grant options for public boat launches. The Candia Heritage Commission received $35,000 for a similar project from this fund.
• Allenstown Planning Board minutes from 7/21/04 – No action needed.
• Flier for Suncook River Cleanup on 8/14/04 from the Friends of the Suncook River – No action needed.
• Letter from DES Wetlands Bureau re: permit for Catamount Pond beach work – No action needed
• Email from Dean Murray on 8/9/04 re: Suncook River pollution – P. Trowbridge will follow-up

The group decided that, for future meetings, mail will be listed on the agenda as either needing action or FYI. FYI items will not be discussed unless there is a question.

1. Confirm Plan for Booth at Old Home Day on 8/28/04

The ConCom will staff a booth at Old Home Day starting at 9 am. Al Heavey cannot attend so Phil Trowbridge will cover the afternoon shift.

• Al Heavey will leave his table beside the garage at 15 Webster Street.

1. Update on "Welcome to Allenstown" Signs

Laura Bonk sent a memo to all Town Boards and put a notice in the paper asking for ideas on the wording for the signs. Jenna Gray contacted NHDOT and learned that the Selectmen must sign a letter to NHDOT asking permission to install a sign on the roadside. NHDOT must approve the exact location of each sign and must be present when they are installed.

• Jenna Gray will scout out good locations for the signs and will solicit input on sign language at Old Home Day.
• Laura Bonk will compile comments on the sign language from town boards.

1. Open Space Plan

Phil Trowbridge presented a draft of the Open Space Plan. The Plan has a short memo explaining the methods, a map, and a table. The group reviewed the draft plan and made comments. The plan will be sent to the town boards and local land trusts for comments during September.

• Phil Trowbridge will revise the plan and send it to the reviewers before 9/1/04.

1. Sale of Town-owned Parcels

In the past month, members of the ConCom visited all of the remaining town-owned parcels. The parcels that are near the southern edge of Bear Brook State Park contained many signs of moose and were good hunting areas. One of the parcels in the northeast corner of town contained a large stand of mountain laurel. All of the parcels were identified as priorities for conservation in the draft Open Space Plan. Therefore, the ConCom decided that the Town should retain ownership of these lands and designate them as Town Forests.

• Phil Trowbridge will write a letter to the Board of Selectmen with the ConCom’s recommendation.

1. Report on Suncook River Cleanup on 7/17/04

The ConCom sponsored a Suncook River Cleanup on July 17, 2004. Eight people participated in the cleanup: Judy Silva, Paul Dyer, Dan Murray, Jenna Gray, Al Heavey, Phil Trowbridge, Laura Bonk, Brett Geoffrey (of Manchester), and Andrew Waranowski (of Hooksett). The participants split into three teams and cleaned up trash from the Ferry Street boat launch and lower Suncook River, Iris Pond, and the Suncook River south of the Albin Ave boat launch. The trash that was collected filled three trucks, and included five tires and two air conditioning units.

• Laura Bonk will submit a photo and a brief article about the cleanup to the Hooksett Banner.

1. Update on Boat Launch Projects

The next step for the boat launch projects at Albin Ave and the Rte 3 Bridge is to develop a plan for any improvements that are needed at these sites to make them car top boat launches with a few parking spaces. The ConCom also needs to pay attention to the Route 3 Bridge construction project to make sure that the boat launch remains in the design. Laura Bonk sent a letter to the owners of the Osgood parcel informing them of the ConCom’s interest in using the land for public park.

• Al Heavey will develop plans for constructing car top boat launches at Albin Ave and the new Route 3 bridge.
• Laura Bonk will contact NHDOT to get an update on the State’s plans to purchase the Osgood parcel.

1. Brainstorm Ideas for Fall Projects

The two main projects for the fall will be the boat launches and implementing the Open Space Plan. The fall community event will be an orienteering course in Bear Brook State Park.

• Dave McKay will contact the manager of the orienteering course and work on logistics for a one day orienteering class for the Boy Scouts and anyone else who is interested.

1. Confirm Next Meeting

The next meeting of the ConCom will be on Wednesday, September 8, 2004, 7:00 p.m., Allenstown Town Hall

2. Adjourn

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 PM.