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HomeMy Public PortalAboutPond Parcel Planning -- 2022-04-20 MinutesDATE: April 20, 2022 TIME: 2:45 PM PLACE. Remote Participation Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 026314898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 Fax:(508)896-8089 Pond Property Planning Committee Meeting Minutes REMOTE PARTICIPANTS: Kari Hoffmann, Dave Whitney, Cynthia Baran, Paul Ruchinskas, Elizabeth Taylor, Chris Williams, Jan Crocker, Katie Gregoire, Doug Wilcock, Donna Kalinick, Brandon Rice, Hal Minis, Bill Henchy, Anne Weirich, Amy Henderson. Steve Ferris joined the meeting at 4*00pm Call to Order, Declaration of a Quorum, Meeting Participation Statement and Recording Statement: Donna Kalinick called the meeting to order at 2:45pm and read the meeting participation and recording statements. Ms. Kalinick announced all members of the Committee who were present, a quorum was declared. Introduction of Members, Liaisons, and Representatives: Each member introduced themselves and gave a brief background of their experience; the makeup of the Committee includes: • Select Board representatives- Dave Whitney and Kari Hoffmann • Water Commission representative- Cynthia Baran • Brewster Affordable Housing Trust representative- Paul Ruchinskas • Open Space Committee representative — Elizabeth Taylor • Natural Resources Committee representative- Chris Williams • At Large members- Doug Wilcock, Jan Crocker, Katie Gregoire • Recreation Commission liaison- Brandon Rice • Vision Planning Committee liaison- Hal Minis • Finance Committee liaison — Bill Henchy • At Large member alternate- Anne Weirich • Brewster Conservation Trust alternate — Amy Henderson • MA Audubon representative — Melissa Lowe • Lead Town Staff Support- Asst, Town Administrator -Donna Kalinick Brief Overview of Sea Camps Property Acquisition and Relevant Town Strategic Plans Dave Whitney reviewed the PowerPoint presentation regarding the acquisition history of the Sea Camps property, this presentation is included in the packet which starts on page 4. The land as we know it is made up of two parcels acquired by the Delahanty family. Selectperson Whitney reviewed a timeline of Select Board and Town Administrations actions in acquiring the properties, this includes executive session meetings and public engagement activities. At the September 25, 2021, Special Town Meeting over 1,000 Brewster residents voted nearly unanimously to purchase the two Sea Camps property. On November 29, 2021, the Town purchased the properties. PPPC 04.20.22 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 1 of 4 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 026314898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 Fax: (508) 896-8089 Pond Property . Planning Committee Meeting Minutes Review Committee Charge and Role Liaisons, Representatives and Town Staff Selectperson Hoffmann reviewed the purpose of the Pond Property Planning Committee. The full charge is available in the packet. a. Identify existing conditions of the former Cape Cod Sea Camps Pond property L Includes 7 structures and there is 1200ft of beach front b. Evaluate potential low-cost, short-term public access opportunities c. Develop and propose interim public access plan (committee may take 12-18 months to complete all tasks) d. Develop and implement a public engagement strategy to ensure broad community input e. Determine property long-term uses appropriate for the Pond property, taking the adjacent Long Pond Woodlands (Robinson) property into consideration f. Identify and evaluate potential partner organization with shared interests and values, particularly MA Audubon and Brewster Conservation Trust g. Propose recommended long-term uses and partnerships h. Develop an implementation plan for the proposed uses Selectperson Hoffmann reviewed the participant roles of the committee, noting that there are 10 voting members that make up the quorum, the opinions and expertise of everyone is important. Ms. Kalinick added that it is important to note that the Select Board left the warrant articles with the broadest number of possibilities for each parcel so that during the process we could consider multiple uses including conservation, water protection, community housing, passive and active recreation and any municipal possibilities and in the case of the Bay parcel a community center. Review Plans for Technical Assistance and AnticipateAD inevt+ Timeline Ms. Kalinick stated that there are plans for technical assistance, and the Town is currently working on a scope of work in order to go through the process of hiring a consultant to assist both committees. The Town is working with Reed Hilderbrand to help write the scope of work, at this time Administration is reviewing the scope of work with the intent to put together a request for interest. This will be sent to selected firms to put together proposals to assist in the planning processes. In order to fund this, at the last Town Meeting, we allocated or re -allocated funding in the amount of $175K. A Community One -Stop grant has been filed and we should find out if we receive the grant within the next couple of months. Ms. Kalinick noted that by then we will have an idea the costs of the planning process. The timeline for the Pond parcel will be shorter than the Bay parcel, looking at about 12-18 months, and 18- 14 for the Bay parcel. The goal of the work of the committee is to create a comprehensive plan to be brought to Town Meeting for approval. It is important to incorporate community engagement, so when the plan is brought to Town Meeting it has already been vetted by the community. The Pond Parcel Planning Committee and the Bay Parcel Planning Committee will work with the same consultant, they will also communicate on a quarterly basis to check in on the planning process. Ms. Kalinick reviewed the meeting formats and how the community will be able to engage with the committee. She noted that the format of all meetings may change based on State Regulations that are PPPC 04.20.22 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 2 of 4 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 Fax: (508) 896-8089 Pond Property Planning Committee Meeting Minutes expected to expire on July 15th. Town Administration is working on the remote participate policy. Review Financing &Potential Partnerships Ms. Kalinick reviewed that the Town acquired both parcels for $26M, however the financing is different for each one. Financing for the Bay parcel was $20M and was done as a debt exclusion, which was voted on at Town Meeting and residents had to approve at the poll for a debt exclusion to be added to their tax rate for a fixed amount of time. For the Pond parcel, there is short-term borrowing of $6M for 5 years. For this parcel there was free cash in the amount of $1.75M, the Town also received an allocation of $250K from the Water Commissioners, so we borrowed $4M. The Town also has substantial pledges and contributions from Brewster Conservation Trust and Mass Audubon. These pledges will be completed overtime. There is an understanding between Brewster Conservation Trust and the Town that a large portion of the parcel will be subject to a conservation restriction, but there is no defined amount of land at this time. With MA Audubon there is an understanding that they would like to conduct programing on the Pond parcel, and this will be worked out through the planning process. Ms. Kalinick explained what free cash is and how the Town certifies each year. Update on Property Maintenance and Short -Term Public Access Plans The Town hired a property manager for both parcels, this person is on site each day during the work week. This was a former long-term employee of the Sea Camps and is very familiar with both the parcels. Our Town staff, Natural Resources, Water Department, Police, Fire, Administration, Recreation, Facilities, and the property manager meet about every three weeks to review the operational needs. We realize that there is a desire by the residents to gain access to the properties. In December we had over 600 people come for the guided tour, which was limited to the Bay parcel. Ms. Kalinick reviewed the plan for the beach access at the Bay parcel, noting that we hope to have approval and construction completed by July 15t for access between Sam — 8pm, with the last cars entering at 6pm. The Town is planning on holding four community events at the Bay parcel, 2 movie nights, a Brewster Band performance, and a Touch -a -Truck event. The Town did look at the viability of opening the pool for this summer, but it was too much to take on currently. Regarding the Pond parcel, short term access is something this committee will consider. Open Meeting Law Reminder Included in the packet are the guidelines that are provided by the Attorney General's office. Ms. Kalinick reminded the Committee that we are bound by the Open Meeting Laws of the State of Massachusetts and provided a brief overview of the important aspects of the Open Meeting Laws. Public Announcements and Comments None Discuss Upcoming Meeting Schedule &Format There was discussion on the meeting schedule for the committee, proposed is the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 4pm. Realistically, the Committee will meet once per month for the initial time frame, until the PPPC 04.20.22 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 3 of 4 Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 026314898 Phones (508)896-3701 Fax: (508) 896-8089 Pond Property - Planning Committee Meeting Minutes consultant is on board and preliminary work is completed so the Committee can have substance for their meetings. Next meeting will be on May 18th at 4pm, this will be a site visit at the Pond Parcel, more details to follow. Steve Ferris joined the meeting and introduced himself, Steve is an at -large member of the Committee. Ms. Kalinicl< noted that she is acting as the facilitator and the committee will elect officers at a future meeting, including a Chair, Vice Chair and Clerk. Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair: None Next Meetinl;s: May 18, 2022 (Site Visit) Adjournment Elizabeth Taylor moved to adjourn at 4:15pm. Selectperson Hoffmann second. A roll call vote was taken. All voted in favor of adjourning the meeting. Respectfully submitted by Erika Mawn, Executive Assistant Approved: Signed: Accompanying Documents in Packet: Agenda, Committee member list and participant roles, Overview of Brewster's acquisition of the former Cape Cod Sea Camps, Sea Camps Planning Committee charges, Review of Reed Hllderbrand documents, Community Planning Grant information, Sea Camps Property Manager documents, Memorandum on Short-term public access, Open Meeting Law Guide and Educational Materials. PPPC 04.20.22 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 4 of 4