Ideas Flow Like Water

The February 2 meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission had an agenda that was absent of any hearings. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t business to attend to and ideas to explore.

Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon opened the discussion with the commission to craft 2016 Conservation Commission goals. The commission members, along with Farinon, came up with an impressive to-do list.

First on the list is to complete the update of the Explore Rochester Trail Guide that is a partnership with Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School students.

Second on the list is to continue working on a new open space plan with the assistance of SRPEDD.

The third idea is to create a sub-committee that would be responsible for making site visits to evaluate all town-owned properties with an eye towards any work the parcels might require. This thought then inspired the fourth idea: forest management planning.

And finally a fifth idea, now a goal, is to develop a brochure that would assist residents, especially those moving into the community, on ‘living near wetlands.’ The thought here, the commissioners agreed, would be to help residents understand what they may and may not do to property situated near or that includes jurisdictional areas.

Commission member Kevin Cassidy said, “People don’t know what they can and can’t do. This is better than handing them an enforcement order.”

After listing the goals, they reviewed several completed projects from their 2015 list: the creation of a new Conservation Commission website; a digital version of the trail guide; and updating the open space plan.

Farinon then directed the meeting towards the Makepeace Neighborhood Fund, a $2,000 grant that Rochester has received. Farinon asked the commission to consider using the fund to partner with other departments for the construction of a paved walking path around the town’s baseball fields located near the senior center. Commission members concurred that this was a viable and worthwhile use of the grant monies.

Lastly, the commission discussed some edits to the Surface Water Protection Bylaws, a newly written set of bylaws proposed to be included on the warrant for Rochester’s Annual Town Meeting.

The bylaws would help to ensure that Rochester’s fresh water resources and surrounding watershed areas would be protected by local laws enforceable at the local level, including restrictions for water withdrawals by ‘tanked vehicles.’

Commissioner Michael Conway reported to the commissioners that the water commission had unanimously agreed to support adoption of the new bylaws.

The next meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission is scheduled for February 16 at 7:00 pm in the Rochester Town Hall meeting room.

By Marilou Newell

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