10/18/10
Open-space management committee presents outline; gets 6-month extension to draft management plan
Town Council also approves updated rules of procedure for the Conservation Commission governing public comment at meetings
The Town's Open Space and Greenbelt Management Committee has reached the first checkpoint in developing guidance for use of the Town's Open Space.
The committee submitted an outline of the plan proposal to the Town Council on Sept. 30, 2010, well within the committee's charge to present the Town Council with status reports every six months.
Filling in the details, however, will take longer than expected, so the Town Council on Oct. 13, 2010 granted the committee a six-month extension to complete a draft of the plan
"This is a great deal of work," said Town Councilor Jessica Sullivan, who has been working as the Conservation Commission's liaison and, along with the Conservation Commission, serves on the ad hoc Open Space and Greenbelt Management Plan Committee.
The committee has been meeting monthly, usually after the Conservation Commission's regular business on the second Tuesday of the month. A public forum was held in June at the beginning of the planning process. More forums may be held as part of the committee's plan for public participation.
"The committee has been working regularly, very hard on this," Sullivan said. "But it's quite comprehensive," she said. The plan will include an updated inventory of open space and how those spaces are used; short- and long-term maintenance recommendations; and, some recommendations on policies the Town Council might consider.
The council, at their Oct. 13 meeting, voted unanimously to grant the extension, changing the deadline for a completed draft plan to June 30, 2011.
Conservation Commission rules update governs public comment at meetings
In a related matter, the council on Oct. 13 approved an update to the Conservation Commission's rules of procedures, which now include rules governing public comment at meetings.
Marti Blair, representing the commission, thanked the council for its leadership in facilitating public participation at Town meetings through the Town's new communications strategy.
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