Vassalboro Conservation Commission
Minutes from Aug. 14, 2007

Members present:
David Jenny, Charlie Hartman, Mary Ellen Johnston, Holly Weidner.

Meeting was held at the Fire Dept. due to conflict with the Planning Board. We did not have sufficient members present to address the important agenda items regarding process. It was agreed that these should be tabled until the next meeting.

We did have a good general discussion about the organizational structure of the Commission. David brought the manual from the Maine Association of Conservation Commissions to provide a guide. According to this, we are not an official commission because we were not established through an article in the town meeting warrant. It would be a simple matter of asking a selectman to do this next year.
The manual offers guidance on everything from membership to duties, projects, spending money, and hiring professionals.

We discussed the Outlet Stream at the request of Charlie Hartman who lives there. The issue is the water level and the fluctuations that occur when the China Lake level is adjusted. The recommendation of the Commission members present was to ask Paul Mitnik, Charlie Hartman, Don Robbins and Mike Vachon to meet and look into the new system by which the outlet dam is opened and closed, now that the Kennebec Water District is not responsible for it.

We had a discussion about ways to inform the public of programs available to them for land protection or tax relief. We could possibly make a brochure if there were money available from the town.

Last, we discussed the need to begin to identify the largest parcels of land in Vassalboro by looking at maps and determining what the natural resources are that could be considered valuable and worth protecting. Aside from involvement in the Kennebec River Initiative, specifically a river access site in Vassalboro, we have no projects as of yet. We agreed that part of our next meeting should be devoted to looking at the Natural Resources/Habitat maps.

The next meeting will be Sept. 11, at 7PM, at the town office.

Respectfully Submitted,
Mary Ellen Johnston, Chair