Hinesburg Trails Committee

Meeting Minutes - February 17, 2010

Updated: 2/18/10, 2/19/10, 2/22/10

Place: Hinesburg Town Hall

Time: 7:00 PM

Came to order: 7:05 PM

Adjourned: 8:30 PM

Present: Colin McNaull, Lenore Budd, Cathy Ryan, Michelle Fisher, Bob Kennett, Greg LeRoy, Stew Pierson, Launa Lagasse

Unable to attend: Jason Reed

Special guests and Public: Jane Sheldon, (candidate for membership on Trails) Mike Snyder (County Forester), Kristen Sharpless (chair of LaPlatte Headwaters Management Plan drafting), and Ken Brown (Hinesburg Select Board)

Minutes of January meeting approved

Treasury Report:

Our newest committee member, Michelle Fisher was welcomed aboard. She replaced Martha Keenan who chose not to continue after many years of service to the community.

LaPlatte Headwaters Section

Election of officers for February 2010 to January 2011 term: Chair: Colin McNaull, Assistant Chair: Cathy Ryan , Secretary: Stew Pierson.

Hinesburg Town Forest – See discussions below

LaPlatte Headwaters Town Forest – See discussions below

Next Article for the Hinesburg Record: Michelle Fischer volunteered to do our next Trekking article due March 3, 2010.

Reports on contacts with our stakeholders

Selectboard - Length of board terms: Colin has succeeded in having term lengths be extended to three years from two, allowing smaller rotation each year. Select Board meeting: March 22nd: chairs of committee are invited to attend or to have Assistant Chair attend if they can not attend. It is at 7:00PM. Meeting intended to see what Selectboard and Chairs of various committees can do to assist the town, chairs needs for time from town employees, etc. “Up to date” map of Town Forest provided by FOTW and posted on website.

Town Admin – Doug Olufsen and Jeanne Wilson have developed 3 town walks and maps for the village. These have been posted on our website.

Conservation Commission: Lenore has requested that the Chair of the CC send her meeting agendas and minutes. The CC will likely be re-activating their previous request for the Trails Committee’s input on their Greenspace Plan.

DRB – Colin was unable to make the meeting on the 16th dealing with the Kinney Drug project but did send an email to DRB stating our interest in having sidewalks constructed that will lead to the Carpenter Carse Library.

VAST – No report.

Planning Commission: Lenore learned from Alex that the Planning Commission will be revising the Town Plan this year, and. As part of that effort, the PC would like some kind of map from the Trails Committee showing a network of future trails before June 2010. The Planning Commission is seeking in-put from the Trails Committee concerning "trail possibilities". This would not be regulatory but potential dreaming. This will have to take precedence over developing input to the Official Map, but will also facilitate the latter effort. Lenore, Greg, Launa, and Michelle have formed a subcommittee to compile our ideas and public input into an appropriate map. They will get together between regularly scheduled TC meetings (NOT NECESSARILY WEEKLY) and will report progress to the full committee.

Fellowship of the Wheel – Has provided current map of their trails in the Old Town Forest, including the Eagle Trail. They also provided preliminary ideas on how to get from the center of town to Lincoln Hill/Hayden Hill.

Four Wheelers (ATF) – No Report

Hinesburg Town Forest

The present situation: All Town Forest maps show THE EAGLE TRAIL but EAGLE can not be easily found because of the tangle of FOTW trails, and the complete absence of trail markers for EAGLE. Further complicating the matter is the poor condition of portions of EAGLE suggesting the need to make some changes in the trail. Should the rectifying of this situation await the completion of the Management Plan (perhaps two years off) or are there bread crumbs we can spread temporarily so that EAGLE can be found and enjoyed?

The section of EAGLE which needs this work is most between the Economu Road parking Lot and East Hayden Hill Parking lot. The Trails Committee has an inventory of Red Trail markers with reflective arrows that would be distinctive, especially if we added an “E” to them for marking or confirming the start from the trail heads, important turns, and before and after FOTW trails that cross the current, mostly self evident portion of the Eagle Trail.

THE PLAN: Trail Committee will caucus to present Mike Snyder with a request for his services. This would make this section of the trail “findable” but not necessarily repair the eroded sections . The Town Forester volunteered to flag his concept for the north/south route which could suffice till the Management Plan is completed at some time in the future. The revived Eagle Trail can be worked on again when the Management Plan is completed.

It is planned that trail committee members, possibly the older retired guard, will go with Mike as he lays out a trail which the Trail Committee can then review. The goal is to have this preliminary work done in the near future, especially if the snow cover remains thin as it is now. Hopefully this process can be completed in the spring of this year (2010).

Colin was given the task of advising the FOTW that there is a moratorium on developing any new trails in the Old Town Forest and FOTW trail management, maintenance, etc. should be passed by the Town Forester prior to the work being started.

What authority does the Trails Committee have unto itself, and when does the Trails Committee need to seek approval of the Selectboard?

answer: That question can only be answered on a case by case basis. For example, any issues affecting the Town Forest or LaPlatte Headwaters would be presented to the Select Board unless the appropriate Management Plan provided the sought for guidelines. To that end, Mike Snyder, County Forester, has been designated by the Selectboard to represent them in matters pertaining to the "old" Town Forest. There will be issues that he can decide himself but others which he will refer to the Select Board. He decides but will consult with Trails. As soon as the Selectboard appoints the new Management Committee, and a plan has been prepared and approved by the Select Board, then Mike's role will change to being a consultant or advisor.

Goals for Trail Committee work: (found in the 1/19/'10) mailing entitled: TRAIL COMMITTEE GOALS DRAFT AND WORK IN PROGRESS.

1) Charrette Consolidation Lenore has done the preliminary work on this and now has a subcommittee (LeRoy, Lagasse, Fisher) to complete a first draft for us to review.

2) Website no discussion about this

3) Signage: Included in Old Town Forest

4) Use and refinement of UVM survey drafts: no discussion

5) town/village trails vs. rural trails we are hard at work on this

6) new objective brought to use by Michelle Fisher. GEPRAGS; make it more user friendly; signage and mapping. It is a well used park because of its visible location. It deserves more attention.

Many people when asked about listing their private trails on a town map or allowing a new path across their property have asked about the question of Town Compensation in terms of lower taxes for allowing their trails or property to be used/crossed by other members in the community. Colin worked out a spreadsheet idea that could be used to come up with an annual dollar figure which is not very much. Lenore pointed out that although this formula may be interesting, if done, it would change the liability question considerably. Currently, a landowner that allows the access does not acquire any liability by doing this good deed for the general public. This possible compensation idea has been scrapped because it would be potentially bad for town and landowner alike.

This is what one of our signs says:

Private Land

Please be respectful.

No easement exists for this partial of the trail and access is with permission of the owner for no consideration.

The Trails Committee decided not to have an information table in the lobby of CVU on town meeting day.

New Items: Included above.

Tabled Items: Official Map

Next meeting date: 3/17/10

(Third Wednesday of the month)

Submitted by Stewart Pierson, Secretary 2/18/10

Mission: The mission of the Hinesburg Trails Committee is to support the development and maintenance of an interlocking set of trails and dirt roads for recreational and non-motorized transportation uses. The Committee will work to assure that Hinesburg is a community where sidewalks, trails, and unpaved roads provide a safe way for residents to travel, to connect with each other, and to enjoy both the village and surrounding rural area by foot, bicycle, and on horseback.