Loading...
Conservation Commission -Minutes-20070312 Approved Conservation Commission City of Muskego Minutes of Meeting Held on Monday, March 12, 2007 Chairman Leonard Pilak called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM and led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance. Present: Mr. Leonard Pilak, Ms. Sharon Roy, Mr. Howard Schneider, Ms. Karen Hartwell, Ald. Bob Melcher, and Conservation Coordinator Tom Zagar. Excused/Absent: Mr. Ted Decker and Mr. Bill Miller The meeting was posted on March 7, 2007, in accordance with the open meeting law. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES – A motion was made by Ald. Bob Melcher to approve the minutes of the meeting held January 22, 2007. Seconded by Ms. Sharon Roy, motion carried. OLD BUSINESS Erosion control project on Holz Island/Little Muskego Lake – Mr. Zagar noted that he and Howard Schneider assisted Dan Flamini of the Engineering Department in surveying the island. Cross section elevations of the banks were taken in several areas that had been flagged last fall. Conservation Easement for the Ridges Conservation Lands Located in the SE ¼ of Section 6 – No action. Howard noted that he recently saw the Muskego Land Conservancy attorney and mentioned that the draft of the easement needed to be reviewed. Development of Engel Conservation Area – Mr. Zagar informed that invasive shrub removal continued over winter and that he met with the DNR Forester for advice on managing a wooded section of low quality trees (elm and box elder). He noted that he might plan to remove all trees in this section and replant with either prairie or reforest it with a better assemblage of seedling trees. Discuss recommendations for City of Muskego Conservation Plan Updates – This item was merged with item #4 of new business. NEW BUSINESS Discuss renewal of Kelsey property farm lease for Jack King – Conservation Coordinator Tom Zagar advised the Commission that Jack King inquired about the rental rate for the 2007 farm lease for this property. The farmed area was reduced to less than half the previous size – from nine to about four acres – because of construction of a Conservation Commission Meeting – March 12, 2007 – Page 2 retention pond on the site. He was getting diminished yields from his alfalfa crop that had been planted about five years ago and inquired about future rent charges. Mr. Zagar noted that any consideration of lowering the rate would have to be made by the Conservation Commission. Upon consultation with other City staff, it was suggested that the rate remain the same and the lease could be terminated if he chose. The Commission agreed that the rate for farmland rental was a fair rate based on other local farm lease rates and that it should not be modified. Recommend Enrolling ~7 acres of Engel addition into US Fish & Wildlife Partners for Wildlife Program – Mr. Zagar explained that the City has an opportunity to enroll 5.5 acres of land into the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Partners for Wildlife Program. Through this program a project can be conducted to restore wetland functional values to approximately 5.5 acres of former agriculture-drained wetlands at the Engel Conservation Area. These lands are part of the approximately seven acres of lands that were dedicated to the City from the Woodland Creek subdivision development and are located immediately east of the 67 acres of wetland currently being restored through the USDA- NRCS Wetlands Reserve Program. Costs for conducting earthwork for the 5.5-acre wetland restoration will be borne by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The only financial obligation to the City will be to supply the seed. Some leftover seed stock will be utilized with the remaining seed costs paid out of the approved 2007 Conservation development budget. The City will also supply in-kind labor and equipment to conduct seeding operations and the first year of mowing. Howard Schneider motioned to recommend enrolling 5 of the 7 acres of Engel addition into US Fish & Wildlife Partners for Wildlife Program. Seconded by Karen Hartwell and carried by all. Review Rustic Structure designation for Rusdahl property – Approximately two years ago, a barn located on the Rusdahl property at the corner of Durham Drive and Hi View was designated as a rustic structure. Its designation is subject to an annual review to assure that it is kept in a presentable state. At last year’s review it was noted that certain restorations were needed. At a meeting of Conservation Commission last spring (2006) Mr. Rusdahl said that missing bordering/trim around doors and windows would be replaced and painted to match and that the upper loft door facing Durham would be replaced. Currently the trim has been replaced but has not been painted. Len Pilak stated that the owners should be held to their promise to finish the upkeeps or potentially lose rustic structure designation. Commissioners all agreed that the owners should complete the repairs. Recommend adoption of Parks and Conservation Plan for the City of Muskego 2007-2011 – The Commissioners resumed discussion of recommendations for the conservation plan update (Item #4 Old Business). Len Pilak pointed out that Chapter 7, the Recommended Conservation Plan chapter, had considerable use of the word “should” in describing recommendations. He asked if it could be more strongly worded to assure that recommendations are fulfilled. Mr. Zagar explained that using words such as “shall” or “will” would be too rigid and doesn’t take into consideration other circumstances such as ability to provide funding. The Commission also discussed stormwater retention ponds. Len agreed that ponds with taller vegetation around their perimeter usually don’t have nuisance goose issues. There Conservation Commission Meeting – March 12, 2007 – Page 3 was discussion and concern about water quality of retention ponds but ultimately there were no modifications to the plan suggested regarding this. Karen Hartwell suggested that developers be required to use plants native to the area and noted how some plant species from the western US were used in a previous subdivision prairie planting. Tom Zagar said he is working on specifications to alleviate this problem and will add verbiage to the plan regarding prairie-planting specifications. Sharon Roy presented a document on green development and construction. She suggested that the recommendations chapter include promotion of green construction practices. Mr. Zagar said he would add a section on this to the plan and perhaps use of sustainable green construction practices could be an incentive for granting COPD zoning density bonuses. Len discussed getting feedback from the community, in a public hearing. He noted how addressing the concerns of naysayers brought consensus for the plan to rehabilitate Big Muskego Lake. Mr. Zagar noted that public hearings are sometimes not well attended but that a press release could encourage more public participation. MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS AS AUTHORIZED BY LAW – Mr. Zagar noted that the DNR is close to acquiring property on the east side of Big Muskego and that they will be contacting the Mayor’s office to seek City financial participation. The Commission had previously recommended partnering in this acquisition. Sharon Roy told the Commissioners about a firm called Midwest Computer Recyclers that have computer drop boxes for citizens who wish to dispose of old computer equipment. Mr. Zagar said he’d look into the idea of having a collection location in Muskego. He noted that he previously found that Onyx recycling would take computers & monitors but not at the Muskego location and will look into creating responsible disposal options for Muskego residents. ADJOURNMENT – Karen Hartwell moved to adjourn, seconded by Alderman Melcher, and carried by all. Respectfully submitted, Tom Zagar