Notice of Public Meeting

Allenstown Conservation Commission

Date: Wednesday, September 8, 2004

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Allenstown Town Hall

MINUTES

The meeting began at 7:10 pm.

Commissioners present: Phil Trowbridge, Al Heavey, and Jenna Gray

Guests present: Dean Murray, Mike Frascinella

Approve the Minutes of the 8/11/04 Meeting

The minutes were approved with one amendment. Dean Murray was added to the list of people who participated in the River Cleanup.

Review, Process, and Distribute Mail Received

The ConCom received the following mail over the past month. None of the items required action.

Date	Sender	Subject
8/27/04	UNH Cooperative Extension	Forest Laws Workshops for Municipal Officials
???	Armand Dupont School	Welcome to Allenstown Signs
8/20/04	DES Wetlands Bureau	Wetlands and Non-Site Specific Permit 1999-01788
8/18/04	DES Wetlands Bureau	Complete Trails Notification
8/5/04	Southern NH Snow Slickers	Notification of Trail Development Having Minimum Wetlands Impact
???	UNH Cooperative Extension	The 6^th Eastern Old Growth Forest Conference: Moving Toward Sustainable Forestry, Sept. 23-26, 2004,
8/1/04	DES Watershed Mgmt	Watershed Conference 2004, Nov. 13, 2004
???	UNH Cooperative Extension	Granite State Woodlot and Wildlife Management Course, Sept. 20-24, 2004

2005 Budget

P. Trowbridge reported that most of the ConCom’s budget for 2004 had not been spent. The funds must be obligated by 12/31/04. There will be extra funds left-over due to cost savings in the NRI, training, and dues budgets. The group had the following ideas for the left-over funds:

Hire a forester to evaluate the town-owned parcels for forestry.
Signs at Albin Ave and Twin Oaks Campground boat launches reminding boats to not pollute the river.
Stabilize bank at Albin Ave boat launch with railroad ties and clean fill.
Print pamphlets about wildlife and natural resources in Allenstown, particularly about the rivers. One could be a map of the river. Distribute pamphlets at boat launches, Town Hall, schools, etc.
Construct a small information board for the Albin Ave boat launch (larger and more diverse than a sign).

Action Items

P. Trowbridge will get a price quote for the timber cruise.
J. Gray will get a price quote for boat launch signs and pamphlets.
Heavey will get a price quote for railroad ties and clean fill for the Albin Ave launch.
D. Murray will get a price quote for materials for an informational board.
The group will decide how to allocate the left-over funds at the October and November meetings.
P. Trowbridge will develop a budget for 2005 at the same level of funding as 2004.

Plan Orienteering Class in Bear Brook State Park

The group decided that this class would have to occur before hunting season (November). There may not be time to pull this project together in October.

Action Items

P. Trowbridge will talk to Dave McKay about the project.

Update on Boat Launch Projects

The group developed a conceptual plan for the Albin Ave boat launch. There will be a sign or an informational board. Parking will only be allowed in designated spaces (5-6 total) around the edge of the paved circle. The launch will be for car top boats only. The ramp is too steep for motorboats on trailers. If a suitable space can be found, there will be a picnic table. However, there will NOT be a garbage can. The launch will have a "carry in/carry out" policy. It may be necessary to erect a privacy fence between the launch and the nearest neighbor’s house. The only site work will be to smooth out the upper portion of the launch ramp and to stabilize the bank against erosion. All of this site work can be done by hand. Heavy equipment is not needed. There will be no construction or structures in the water. The boat launch will initially be open to anyone. If the site is heavily used, access can be restricted to Allenstown residents. Swimming will not be allowed in the launch area.

Action Items

Heavey will meet with the neighbors to get their thoughts on the launch.
J. Gray will develop a plot plan for the parcel and the existing land use.
Phil will research eligibility for grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund

Update on "Welcome to Allenstown" Signs

The group reviewed the suggestions for the signs. All agreed that the signs should say "Welcome to Allenstown" or "Allenstown" and "Inc. 1831". Twelve slogans have been suggested by the ConCom and by the public. The group decided to narrow the list to five options to be voted on at the 11/2/04 election. The slogans need to be short (less than ~35 characters) and should be specific to the town. Based on these criteria, group decided to retain the five slogans shown at the top of the following table.

Slogan	# Characters	Decision
A Great Place to Live, Work and Play*	36	Keep
Home of Bear Brook State Park	29	Keep
Home of the Great Outdoors	26	Keep
Where Neighbors and Rivers Meet	31	Keep
Where the Rivers Meet	21	Keep
A Community Built by a Diversity of Hard-Working, Friendly People - Past, Present, and Future	93	Reject
An Old Fashioned Town	21	Reject
An Old Mill Town in Mainstream America	38	Reject
An Original American Town	25	Reject
Plant a Business, Watch It Grow	31	Reject
Proud Heritage, Proud People	28	Reject
We Don't Hide Our Pride	23	Reject

*This might be the official town slogan.

J. Gray researched locations to place the signs on Route 3 and Route 28. The Route 28 location will be on the west side of the road, immediately south of the bridge over the Suncook River. For the sign on Route 3 at the Hooksett town line, the best location is the wooded area on the east side of the road just before the Mobil station. It will be difficult to place a sign near the Route 3 bridge into Pembroke while the area is under construction. The group decided to start with the two other signs and deal with the Pembroke sign when the construction is complete.

Action Items

J. Gray will determine the dimensions for the signs by talking to Armand Verville.
P. Trowbridge will compile slogans for the election (see above).

Update on Open Space Plan

P. Trowbridge distributed draft copies of the Open Space Plan for review and comment. Comments are due by 9/30/04.

Confirm Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. at the Allenstown Town Hall.

Adjourn

The meeting was closed at 9:00 pm.