Groton Trails Committee

Meeting Agenda

20 June 2023, 7:00 p.m.

Conference Room 102 - The Groton Center – 163 W. Main St., W. Groton

Chair:  Paul Funch

Vice Chair:  Wanfang Murray

Clerk:  vacant

7:00     Call to Order

7:00     Vote to approve 16 May 2023 minutes

7:05     Reports

1. (7:05) Member changes – Welcome to Tom Montilli; new applicant Bob Fournier; farewell to Heidi
2. (7:20) Trail Projects
   30. Nashua Riverwalk – Proposed compromise to DCR; meeting with new DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo on June 30.
   31. Trail Maintenance –Town Forest (trimmed trails); Gamlin Crystal Springs (removed old and put up new trail markers); Gibbet Hill, Wharton Plantation, Hayes Woods (general trail maintenance); Hayes & Shepley Hills (chainsawed trees); NRRT (blew off from Broadmeadow to Sand Hill Rd.); Still Meadow (mowed field trails); thanks to Carolyn Wisnowski for 8 hours of work on Town Forest, Hallet, Hemlock Grove, Lawrence Park, Spencer Circle, Hayes, and Surrenden Farm.

• New Trail Projects – Casella Preserve (assessed and marked new trails); Priest Trail along Martins Pond Rd. (requires landowner agreement to implement); Brown Loaf (successfully advocated for east-west and north-south connections and permitting of horses and mountain bikes); “Unkety Parcel Group” CRs – assisting with developing trail management plans with Conservation Administrator

1. (7:45) 25^th Anniversary Planning – final list of 25 POIs; pamphlet revisions; incorporation into website; jacket patches; publicity on FB and in newspapers
2. (7:50) Greenway’s River Festival – booth supported by Murray, Montilli, Paananen, McKinley, Lynch, and Funch
3. (7:55) Website and Interactive Map – problem with gps coordinates being included in emails from interactive map has been corrected; updates and revisions to trail tracks
4. (8:05) Votes to reimburse Backpack Leaf Blower repair invoice ($230); pamphlets for River Festival ($15); trailhead posts ($448 and $156); current Gift Fund balance
5. (8:10) Letter of Support – For Town of Groton to apply for Seed Grant through MassDevelopment’s Commonwealth Places program.  The grant will support the Destination Groton Committee’s “Groton Gathering Project”.

8:20     Discussions

1. (8:20) Parcel listing and stewardship updates – links to locations
2. (8:30) Grotonfest (September 30) – Vote to participate
3. (8:40) Attention to Town Boards/Committees/Commissions issues (Planning Board, Conservation Commission*, Stewardship Committee*, Complete Streets Committee*, Sustainability Committee, Park Commission, Town Forest Committee*, Greenway Committee, Williams Barn Committee, Destination Groton Committee, Groton Conservation Trust Stewardship Committee*, Friends of Nashua River Rail Trail, Squannacook Greenways)
4. (8:50) Stoddart Trail enhancements (Danielle & Peter Haley request)
5. (8:55) Discussion with NEFF (Corey Wrinn) - RDA for Keyes Woods bog bridges and dump clean-up

9:00     Adjournment

The listing of topics that the Chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting is not intended as a guarantee of the topics that will have been discussed. Not all topics listed may in fact be discussed, and other topics not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.