Trail Committee Meeting Minutes

June 15, 2009

Present:  Lenore Budd, Colin McNaull, Greg LeRoy 

Absent:  Jason Reed, Stewart Pierson, Martha Keenan, Launa Lagasse

Current Funds Status:

Committee was unable to field a quorum because of emergencies and vacations.

1)  May minutes previously accepted in email poll.

2)  June 6th National Trails Work Day Critique

Everyone was satisfied with our approach and accomplishments.  News story has appeared in Burlington Free Press and with luck, will be in the next issue of The Hinesburg Record with photo. Russell Trails Bridges – Accomplished.  Gilman South Entrance Trail Rerouting for Gillespie Copp-Welch & Hinesburg Riparian Forest Trails – Accomplished.

3)  June 13th hike Critique.  From Old Town Forest, Hayden Hill Entrance to the Hollow Road, via the Old Town Forest crossing Lincoln Road continuing through the Carse land to the Hollow Road with Jason Reed guiding the expedition.  This worked out well and mission accomplished. It would have been desirable to collect a GPS track of the route walked but no one on the  Committee has mastered the GPS units available to us.

4)  Colin to contact Colin David Raphael to see if more information can be obtained on his RM 138 - Park & Recreation Design; Recreation design methodology applied to the design of public and private recreational facilities course. (Done, info will be sent when received.)

5)  UVM STUDENTS:  We are still struggling to find the best way that we can use the UVM students under the direction of David Raphael.  One idea is to have them help the committee prepare and hold a public charrette in December to identify desired trail connections throughout the town.   We are hoping that David Raphael will be able to provide us with more guidance at our July 15^th meeting.

We discussed having various Trails Committee members working with students on particular areas of our mission.

We thought that the following items may work best for the UVM students and our immediate goals.

• Establish an interlocking series of footpaths and trails that connects all areas of Hinesburg.
• Develop appropriate maps for public trails and for trails on private land with landowners’ permission.

[Charrettes take place in many disciplines, including urban planning; the charrette has become a technique for consulting with all stakeholders. This type of charrette (sometimes called an enquiry by design) typically involves intense and possibly multi-day meetings, involving municipal officials,  and residents. A successful charrette promotes joint ownership of solutions and attempts to defuse typical confrontational attitudes between residents and developers. Charrettes tend to involve small groups, however the residents participating may not represent all the residents nor have the moral authority to represent them. Residents who do participate get early input into the planning process. For developers and municipal officials charrettes achieve community involvement, may satisfy consultation criteria, with the objective of avoiding costly legal battles. Other uses of the term "charrette" occur within an academic or professional setting, whereas urban planners invite the general public to their planning charrettes. Thus most people (unless they happen to be design students) encounter the term "charrette" in an urban-planning context.]  Wikipedia

6)  Colin to send out UVM Course Information, RM 138 - Park & Recreation Design;

Recreation design methodology applied to the design of public and private recreational facilities. (Done)

7)  Equine Census Update – Colin hopes to start late June and have project completed by mid July.

9) Need to add the LHTF (LaPlatte Headwaters Town Forest Committee) and the OTF (Old Town Forest Committee) to partners Trails needs to coordinate with in a routine and systematic way.

Respectfully,

Colin McNaull 6/25/09

Lenore Budd corrections 6/25/09