Agricultural Commission, May 15, 2018

AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION MEETING
MINUTES

May 15, 2018

Attendance:       Steve D’Aquila, Jim Dunn, Chris Hugo, Eileen Charbonneau, Maleah Gustafson, Ryan                                      McKay

Absent:                   None

Others Present:       Tom O’Shea

The meeting was called to order @7:10 PM

The group recapped the Invasive Species talk from the previous Saturday.  The event seemed to be a big success; about 30 people attended and there were a lot of good questions.

The group updated the status of activities related to the Farmer’s Market.  The meeting with the Board of health last week was productive.  They agreed in principal to reduce permit fees for Holden Farmer’s Market vendors to those applicable for last year (generally $40).  A permit fee change requires a formal Public Hearing that must be scheduled at a later date, but in the meantime, the Town agreed to accept the reduced fee in lieu of the new published fee.

There was limited discussion of the possibility that the State will get involved in vendor permit fees for vendors who participate in multiple markets, as the many fees can get costly.  Any action by the State though seems far in the future and will not impact what we are doing.

There was discussion about Ag Comm following through on promises to support the Farmer’s Market with additional publicity.  Ryan is working on a banner for his “Back 40” event and will look into a Farmer’s Market banner that meets the Town’s specifications as well.  Steve will work with the Town Manager for funding of a banner purchase.

On a motion by Maleah, seconded by Chris, the revised minutes of the March 20, 2018 meeting were unanimously approved.

On a motion by Jim, seconded by Steve, the minutes of the April 5, 2018 meeting were unanimously approved.

Tom O’Shea was present for the meeting and has indicated interest in becoming a member of the Ag Comm.  He will fill out the ‘Do Something’ questionnaire and Steve will push his name to the Board of Selectmen.

Jim reported that he had arranged with Ken Warshall, State Bee Inspector, to give a talk in July about ‘Introductory Bee Keeping’.  Steve will coordinate details directly.  The group will publicize in the ways that have become standard.

Jim reported that he had been invited to attend a Conservation Commission meeting last week and answer questions about the Chapter 61 Property Prioritization Schedule that we have been trying to use.  The questions were mostly general with no suggestions for improvement received.

The Ag Comm has had a head’s up from the Town Manager that a property on Princeton St. has been proposed for removal from Chapter 61A.  We will know more when we get the paperwork, but the parcel is very small, remote and does not appear likely to generate much interest.

Steve reported on his attendance at a forum on Climate Change and Impacts on Towns.  While it was informative, he didn’t perceive a new role for the Ag Comm coming from it.

However, the Town is currently working on updating the Master Plan and Ag Comm may have some input to that activity.

Some members noted difficulty completing the property prioritization schedules that have been assigned.  Working one example through in detail in a group setting might be useful.  We will attempt this at the next meeting.

On a motion by Jim, seconded by Eileen, the meeting was adjourned at 8:52 PM.

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Respectfully submitted;

James Dunn

Acting Secretary