Hinesburg Trails Committee Minutes

Date:  Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Updated:  10/22/09, 10/24/09, 10/25/09, 10/28/09, 10/31/09

Place:  Hinesburg Town Hall

Time:  7:00 PM

Came to order: 7:05 PM

Adjourned:  8:31 PM

Present:  Bobby Kennett, Cathy Ryan, Lenore Budd, Jason Reed, Colin McNaull, Stewart Pierson

Absent: Greg LeRoy, Launa Lagasse, Martha Keenan

Public:  Michelle Fisher, Steve Fisher

September 16, 2009 approved as submitted.

Jason attended the Selectboard seeking $1000 for the 2010-2011 budget.  Our funding request for $1,000.00 is still in place.  Jason also brought up the FOTW funding request in terms of the amount of financial support this group receives from other towns as opposed to the amount of money provided to them by Hinesburg via the Trails Committee.  They may approach the town directly.

LaPlatte Headwaters Update – Town wide meeting held to get final input before submitting to Select Board.  Participants’ recommendations are to be considered to be included in final report.  The committee is recommending that they sunset themselves and that the town have a single committee to manage both the LHTF and the Old Town Forest. 

Hinesburg Town Forest – Awaiting finals decision from Select Board.  A committee has been appointed to create a master plan similar to the one now being completed for LHTF.  They are currently scheduled to begin meeting in December.

Ancient Roads – The recommendations of the TRAIL COMMITTEE for portions of ancient roads to be retained has been communicated to the Ancient Roads Committee. Official action by the Select Board has yet to be taken. If an ancient road is retained, then it becomes available to motorized vehicles unless its use is modified by Select Board...  If it is abandoned the ancient road reverts to adjoining land owners.

Colin contacted all the Ancient Roads Committees in the adjacent Ancient Roads Committee in the surrounding towns of Shelburne, Richmond, Huntington, Starksboro, Monkton, and Charlotte to see where they stand with Ancient Roads.  None have found Ancient Roads that end at the Hinesburg border.  We have asked Charlotte to take another look concerning their southeast portion where Hinesburg has identified some Ancient Roads and where there is a pending land conservation Raven’s Ridge project that straddles the towns of Hinesburg, Charlotte, and Monkton.

Committee membership:   Martha Keegan, a charter member of the committee, wishes to drop off the committee when her term ends in February 2010.  We accept this news with regret.

The Fishers, Michelle and Steve, who attended our meeting, stated their interest in being involved with the Trails Committee, one as a member and the other as a worker bee.

Lenore volunteered to do our next article for The Hinesburg Record to appear in our Trekking Column which needs to be submitted to the paper by November 4, 2009.  This schedule precludes giving the town the results of our November 18^th meeting.

The meaning “PVT” in road signs about town was discussed.  A PVT road is less private than a driveway, but much more private than a class 4 road:  the homes on PVT road can limit access is they wish and agree.  PVT is also a key to which roads are maintained and plowed by the town.  A PVT road is not a “public” access road to public areas.

Vermont Recreational Trails Grant: agreement that Lenore seek $500 to purchase an up to date GPS unit that will include the Hinesburg Quadrangle Topo Map.  The GPS units on loan from HCS while appreciated are just not user friendly.  The new unit will help the Trails Committee provide current and up to date information to the town and relieve some of Alex’s work load.

Colin is to send a copy of the current red and white reflective arrow trail markers that we have in our inventory.  Jason had mentioned that our current painted blazes do not show up in the dark very well if you are using a headlamp.

Colin is to send an advance copy of our October 24 Trekking article written by Jason Reed.

Colin has been in contact with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps and CVU to see what assistance that can provide to the work that we do.  Steve Fisher graciously volunteered his son Lucas for two days a week to work for the Trails Committee this summer as part of his CVU senior project.  Lucas has good experience working on FOTW trails.

Trails is also formally charged with Sidewalk promotion, i.e., expanding them outward from the Village Center.

Cathy has made contact with Aaron Kimball concerning improvements on how Trails are presented on the town website.

Assistance from UVM

The UVM student visit, 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM, was held on and October 1, 2009 at our town hall, we had one hour of Q and A and then a guided walk by Howdy Russell through the Russell Trails System.

Colin was the only person to have heard from the students at the time of our meeting.

Colin is to provide an updated information sheet on which students are assigned to which projects that will be involved in the town meeting.

NOVEMBER 18TH MEETING ON FUTURE OF TRAILS IN HINESBURG. Working with UVM's David Raphael and his students, we imagine a process of soliciting the hopes of those who attend our meeting for a trail system in Hinesburg.  This will not be limited to the Village Center.  Depending on the number of people who attend (we will meet in the big meeting room on the first floor)  people will gather around a town map which will have multiple overlays showing property lines and all roads especially including class 4 roads which can be used as trails for this purpose.  These dreams will be penciled or dotted on each map (or overlay) and then at a later time brought together onto one map. This will be the document the TRAILS COMMITTEE REVIEWS and boils down into a proposed plan.  For example, if three people are interested in a trail connecting Lake Iroquois with the Town Forest, the Committee might research the problems further and pending the results, add it to a dream list.  Likewise, there might be suggestions for new trails which currently don't have merit and are therefore discarded from our immediate planning process.

The 18th event and follow through on other events they have planned. (such as: 1) inventory trails 2)  document existing GIS data  3)  GPS trails on public land , etc. 

The actual leadership of the event will be negotiated between David and Colin.  The roles of the rest of us will gradually be revealed.  Colin, Stewart, Robert, and Martha will set up the hall on the afternoon of the 18^th.

Colin is optimistic about the projected meeting because the Trails Committee is moving ahead on getting a current consensus on what the town wants from our committee.

The key area of concern is what UVM will be able to provide us in terms of maps and/or slides for a power point presentation prior to further discussions.  Stewart and Lenore will be following up on this with David Raphael at UVM.

We decided to use the term Meeting vs. Charrette to increase attendance.

Publicity:  Michelle offered to make posters and place them as well around town.  She will also get them on the CVU and HCS web site.   We also count on Front Porch Forums and the town list serve to all committees and word of mouth to promote this event.  Colin to write and send an official invitation to invited town officials and town committees to our meeting.

Jason, who has had experience with student projects in the past, pointed out that there will probably be a last minute demand on committee members time as students rush to complete their assignments at the last moment and that we should be ready to accommodate these requests to the best of our time and ability.

Tabled Items:

1.  Raven Ridge Preserve Conservation Area Project:  Lenore led a walk of this 350 acre parcel in the southwest corner of Hinesburg. The parcel is in three towns: Hinesburg, Charlotte, and Monkton. Colin and Stewart also were on the walk.  See http://www.vlt.org/RavenRidge.html for more information on this project.

2.  Robert’s Rules of Order

3.  FOTW funding request.

4.  Trail Stewards (Duties and goals to be defined at October meeting.)

Geprags - Cathy

Russell Trails - Stewart

Copp Welch Gillespie Lewis Creek LHTF - Colin and Lenore

Old Town Forest - Bobby and Jason

Next meeting date: November 18, 2009 (Third Wednesday of the month)

Submitted by Stewart Pierson 10/22/09

Colin McNaull 10/31/09