Minutes 2005

Royalston Open Space Committee

Meeting Date: October 13, 2005
Members Present: Aaron Ellison, Kim MacPhee, Pattie Carrier, Dean Lisiewicz, Christine Beckert Long
Chair: Aaron Ellison
Clerk: Christine Beckert Long

The meeting convened at 7:30 p.m. at town hall.

Minutes: The committee unanimously approved the minutes of September 8, 2005.

Internal Matters: The Board of Assessors has approved the housing of the map cabinet in their office,
but requires Select Board approval.

Open Spaces:
(1) Aaron will give the Select Board a bulleted list of to-do's based on the committee's August 11
memorandum regarding properties of unknown ownership.
(2) Aaron reported that a resident who owns a small parcel along the Millers River in South Royalston
is now asking $25,000 for it and that the Select Board has referred the matter to the state.
Whether this resident owns one or both of the parcels the committee reviewed earlier is unknown.
(3) Aaron will forward information about the Quabbin-to-Cardigan initiative (Q2C) to town boards, the
Army Corps of Engineers, The Trustees of Reservations and the New England Forestry Foundation.
Q2C reps still plan to organize an informational meeting; Aaron will keep the committee apprised.
(4) The committee in November will resume its analysis of the maps with the goal of prioritizing parcels
important to its goals.

Community Preservation Act: Aaron reported that the Conservation Commission is excited about pursuing the CPA. Kim will make a presentation to the Historical Society and Pattie to the Historic District Commission.

Town issues:
(1) Kim reported that the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee has no word yet on whether the town has won
a state Smart Growth Technical Assistance Grant.
(2) Aaron will meet next week with the Board of Assessors about the tax status of properties with a
conservation restriction. At that time, he will also seek to obtain a copy of the parcel ownership list, which the committee can then use in conjunction with its own maps and the assessors' maps obtained earlier.

Public Outreach:
(1) Pattie reported that "Conservation Options for Private Landowners," a brochure published by the Land Trust Alliance costs $14 for 25, $55 for 150. The committee at this time, however, is enthusiastic about a
Royalston-specific brochure drafted by Elizabeth; Aaron will ask the assessors if it can, when finalized,
be included with a tax bill mailing. The committee will also consider including that sheet or a similar one in the town newsletter six months later.
(2) The committee discussed the possibility of having a regular column in the town newsletter, the first
explaining what the OSC does and subsequent ones exploring landowner options. Kim volunteered to write these.
(3) Kim raised the question of how best to target major landowners, particularly in light of the committee's
map analysis (see "Open Spaces," #4, above).

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

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