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2010 Monthly Meetings:
January
February
March
April
May Bi-annual Membership Meetings:Spring Meeting
DPA Board Meeting Board members in attendance: Jamie Pierce, Karen Lowery, Mike Lowery, Lisa Jacobs, Grace Olin Fun Run Karen gave an update on the fundraising for the Fun Run. She said there were fewer donations though she remained optimistic that the gap would be filled. We decided this year’s T-shirt would be teal. The deadline for corporate sponsors is July 23rd and August 3rd would be the date for the flyer folding party. The Iron Chef competition to benefit the Council on Aging is scheduled for later in the day after the Fun Run, and Bob Smith will be the lead chef for the Dudley Pond Association. We discussed possible assistants for Bob. Lisa Jacobs volunteered and we suggested asking Frank Cuttita and Dave Poole. We also discussed publicity for the Fun Run and decided that we would have sandwich boards, a blurb written and placed by Henry Stimpson in the Wayland e-News and Town Crier, and announcements in school newsletters and running websites. This year, there would not be posters on the telephone poles in Wayland. Finally, someone suggested writing an email about the Fun Run to the membership to request assistance on race day with a link to a form to complete. Pond Health Mike Lowery gave a report on the weed and health status of the pond. He said the divers have completed the hand pulling and the money for hand pulling had been spent. He mentioned there has been a gray haze in the water and he had taken water samples to send off to the State lab in an attempt to identify it. The dissolved oxygen and pH tests looked normal and the secchi disc readings were at 10 ½ feet. Mike had contacted the State lab to come out to test for suspected cyanobacteria. In addition, he and the divers will continue checking for milfoil growth this summer. Mike reported that he is in the process of obtaining money from the State to add a mapping layer in the town’s GIS on phosphorus sources. It costs $200 for a GIS seat. Mike said he would check with the town if there is already an available seat that the DPA can use. Trailer Ban Acting in his capacity as liaison between the Wayland Surface Water Quality Committee and the DPA, Mike brought up an idea suggested at the WSWQC, of lifting the ban on boat trailers in Dudley Pond. Board members said the ban was difficult to enforce and the town did not have the resources to do it. Enforcement is not under the purview of the State Environmental police. The purpose of the ban is to limit the reintroduction of milfoil and other invasive weeds in Dudley Pond. Jaime argued that it would not be prudent to lift the trailer ban because Dudley Pond’s milfoil problem continues, and trailers which were in Dudley Pond may carry milfoil to other bodies of water. He also stated that it would be difficult to defend a lifting of the trailer ban to the Town Meeting when the DPA continues to request town funds for milfoil treatment. Respectfully Submitted, Susan Green
DPA Board Meeting Board members in attendance: Lafe LaClaire, Jamie Pierce, Jack Peters, Karen Lowery, Mike Lowery, Bob Smith, Jackie D., Cheryl Kreinbring, John Darack and Lisa Jacobs. The meeting began with a discussion of the next steps in the election of new a DPA board following the Spring DPA meeting in which the membership was unable to elect a new board due to lack of a quorum. The current board agreed to stay on until the Fall membership meeting. Danielle Smith resigned as 2nd VP because she is going to college in the Fall. Lafe LaClaire, in his role as the President of the DPA has the authority under the DPA bylaws to appoint a replacement 2nd VP. Lisa Jacobs will fill Danielle Smith’s spot and Lafe appointed Susan Green to fill Lisa’s position as Secretary. Brainstorming to Recruit New DPA Members and Leadership A brainstorming discussion ensued to devise a plan to recruit more members to fill in the ranks of DPA leadership. Jackie suggested conducting a survey of all members. People also came up with a list of names of people who might want to be more involved in DPA Someone suggested creating a Member-at-Large position on the Board as a means of training newer members. The Member-at-Large position may serve as a ladder to other Board positions. Others suggested the need for increased outreach to residents including:
Other suggestions for recruiting Board members included looking to people already active in DPA and DPA-related activities such as the Dudley Woods folks and those who have volunteered on the “Fun Run.” Especially with “Fun Run” volunteers, the idea would be to tap into people who have had shorter term, less intensive initial involvement and ask them to be involved in a more regular basis. Respectfully Submitted, Susan Green and Lisa Jacobs
DPA Spring Membership Meeting After the traditional spaghetti dinner cooked by Bob Smith and Jamie Pierce, Lafe LaClaire called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. Board members in attendance: Lafe LaClaire, Jamie Pierce, Jack Peters, Karen Lowery, Mike Lowery, and Bob Smith. Approximately 22 DPA members present. Milfoil Update Mike Lowery presented a report about the status of the milfoil. In spite of the longest and strongest dose of sonar application in the pond’s history, there remained significant amounts of old growth milfoil. Divers hand-pulled 18,000 plants of which 7,000 were old-growth plants. At the end of the diving season, surveys were conducted of the remaining milfoil plants. This milfoil was mapped and areas of the pond with the highest milfoil concentration were identified for proposed future herbicide application. Before the milfoil could be further treated, one issue was that the Order of Conditions from the Conservation Commission (CC) allowed spot treatment for 5 acres but the predicted area needing spot treatment was 16 acres. Mike Lowery, representing the Wayland Surface Water Quality Committee (WSWQC), presented the spot treatment proposal to the CC, and received approval to spot treat 20 acres. The treatment plan calls for spot treatment of triclopyr during late May/early June, the period of fastest predicted milfoil growth. The triclopyr treatment occurs at the weed base and will disperse throughout the pond. Hand-pulling of the largest milfoil plants (aka “the buffalos”) is occurring already. Removal of root-crowns is cheaper and faster after herbicide treatment so hand-pulling will continue after triclopyr treatment. While we can control weeds through herbicide treatment and hand-pulling, milfoil will persist as long as there are sufficient nutrient inflows including:
Lastly, during a two year trial period, circulators didn’t appear to be reducing milfoil levels. The circulators have been moved to near the Chateau and may operate more successfully in the shallower water there. Dudley Pond Fun Run Karen Lowery presented the DPA Fun Run update. This year’s race will be the 14th annual Fun Run and will be held on September 12, 2010. DPA's Fun Run proceeds contributed 25% of the costs for pond treatment and supplied funds for the WSWQC. Karen asked for assistance in variety of areas including:
The Newcomer’s potluck will be held at 3 Priscilla Path, the home of Susan Green and Dave Poole from 4:30 to 7:30. The Ice Cream Social with ice cream, kayaks and a carousel organ will be held on June 20, 2010. Town meeting is beginning Thurs. May 13th and will address the Doran Road issue. Doran Road Update Jackie Ducharme spoke. Wayland Housing Authority has a plan to create affordable housing on Doran Road on a 7 acre parcel, “Dudley Woods,” owned by the town. The Wayland Neighbors for Responsible Land Use submitted an article to Town Meeting to protect the pond by preserving the Dudley Woods and by setting aside a 1 acre area for wastewater management for community septic area. The Wayland Neighbors are looking at options for use of Dudley Woods including trails with workout stations. Wayland’s Master Plan has a commitment to purchase large areas of land for conservation. The Wayland Neighbors argue that this is the last open space acreage in Cochituate so it ought to be saved. The Wayland Neighbors have posted signs around town to vote Yes on Article 15 to support Dudley Woods. Since this is a change in zoning bylaws, it needs to pass by 2/3 vote. They encouraged DPA members to go to Town Meeting in support of Article 15. Treasurer’s Report In 2009, DPA took in $17,521 and expenses were $7,212 with a profit of $10,469. The overall fund balances are: the operating fund of $35,389 and the endowment of $67,292. Election Due to lack of a quorum of 20 DPA members, the election could not be held. There was a discussion of how to engage pond abutters and neighbors in the DPA to bring new blood to DPA and the Board. Judy Currier suggested that the current board stand until the Fall DPA meeting. Members suggested active recruiting of younger families, and developing an active membership list for more frequent communication. The list could also help determine who is currently a member and who could be solicited for membership. One person at the meeting suggested the DPA might be a victim of its own success. People may not know that more people are needed to help because the DPA appears to be so successful at milfoil treatment and fund-raising like the Fun Run. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
DPA Executive Board Meeting Attending: Lafe LaClaire, Jamie Pierce, Lisa Jacobs, Jack Peters, Bob Smith, Danielle Smith, Mike Lowery, Karen Lowery, John Darack, Susan Green & Deb Weiner. Lafe LaClaire called the meeting to order at 7:45 P.M. Milfoil/water quality report Mike Lowery reviewed the bids for the triclopyr spot treatment this summer, and ACT came in with the lowest bid at $11,000. There are 4 areas identified for treatment but there are an additional 2 areas recommended for treatment this summer. ACT will spread the triclopyr before June 1. Jamie Pierce made a motion to approve $2K extra to cover the 2 additional areas identified. The $2K falls within the $15K line item budgeted this year. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously. We are looking into selling the circulators which have had a marginal effect on eliminating the milfoil. We will continue to use them while Mike looks into selling them. They will be installed in shallower water near the Chat until they can be sold. Dudley Woods In advance of the Town meeting, Tom Fay, a Wayland selectman, is trying to get the housing authority and the Dudley Woods people to talk about how to use this open space. One of the three articles re: the master plan, has been pulled. The DPA will use the Spring meeting on May 2, to discuss how DPA reps will support this project at the Town meeting on May 13. Fun Run Update Bob Smith researched outsourcing some of the run logistics to an outside firm. There were several quotes for different levels of activity, ranging from $1200- $2400 and would include managing a website, providing tents and banners, do the mailing lists & publicity, but wouldn’t include marking the course and other important tasks. After some discussion, the DPA fun run staff already has much of this work covered through volunteers and time tested procedures. We have identified a few new websites that will help us attract more runners and help better publicize the event. Karen reported that we are getting twice as much revenue from sponsorships as from registrations and raffle sales. She has requested more help in getting sponsorships/ads. Bob Smith will organize a fun run planning meeting to identify other areas of concern. Newcomers Pot Luck Dinner, May 23, 4:30-7:30pm. Lisa J. is getting an updated invitation from Cliff Kolovson and will deliver them to the 11+ families identified as newcomers to the Pond. We invited Mandy & Ken from the Chat to join us. Lisa will get the drinks and paper goods, Brian C. will provide a cooler and ice. Lafe will mention the party at the Spring Meeting and will send an email invite to the general membership. Ice Cream Social, Sunday June 20, 12-3pm Mike will contact the pipe organ player to play at no charge (we will make a donation) Breyers will donate 4 tubs of choc. and vanilla ice cream. We are looking for additional donations of whipped cream, sauces, mix-in’s etc. Lisa will contact Ben & Jerry’s in Natick to see if they can contribute. Charles River Kayak has agreed to provide boats again. Jim Thompson & Danielle Smith will work on getting some “lifeguards”. Lisa will look into getting some vendors (Russells, septic co’s, vets) to participate. Spring Meeting and Newsletter The Spring membership meeting will be Sun. May 2 from 5-7pm at the Sr. Center. We will go back to the spaghetti dinner tradition. The general membership will help the board decide how to move forward given that noone has come forward to be President. Jamie Pierce has agreed to remain as treasurer; Lisa Jacobs will change to a VP position and Susan Green will be the new secretary. Lafe LaClaire has agreed to stay involved- either as a new VP or as President until a new one can be elected. Lafe will create the Spring newsletter to include:
The next meeting will be the Spring Meeting on May 2, 5pm at the Senior Center. A motion was made and seconded to adjourn at 9:20pm. Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Jacobs
DPA Executive Board Meeting Attending: Lafe LaClaire, Jamie Pierce, Lisa Jacobs, Bob Smith, Danielle Smith, Mike Lowery, Karen Lowery, Jackie DuCharme, Susan Green & Grace Olin Lafe LaClaire called the meeting to order at 7:40 P.M. Milfoil/water quality report Mike Lowery has submitted RFP’s to 3 companies for spot treatment using triclopyr this summer. Since the treatment is more effective on larger plants, a late May/early June date is targeted. The $16K handpulling cost and the $12K for triclopyr will be split 75/25 between SWQC and DPA. DPA’s layout will be $7K total. There has been some discussion about applying for additional funds through the Commonwealth. Jamie will review the budget category descriptions to see if we should add additional line items. Dudley Woods Jackie Ducharme reviewed the status of the Article for the May Town meeting. The article calls for putting the majority of the land into conservation and setting up trails and walkways. The remaining piece would be used for community septic systems for both pond and non-pond abutters. Jackie requested that a DPA member speak at the Town meeting supporting the conservation use. DPA will agree to share our charter - basically to do no further harm to the pond - to support the article at the meeting. A motion was made that in lieu of speaking at the Town meeting, the DPA will write a statement supporting the Dudley Woods Article, which could be read at the meeting. The board unanimously voted that this request be voted on by the DPA membership at the Spring meeting. Lafe will draft the statement. Earth Day DPA will have an info table at Earth Day on April 11, Town Center. Fun Run Update Karen Lowery reviewed the Jimmy Fund/Dana Farber/Alzheimer Run in mid-March that used the same course as the Fun Run. She got some great ideas to incorporate into our run. Bob Smith will contact a race management company to see if it makes sense to outsource some of those responsibilities. Karen is gearing up for sponsorships and passed out forms for corporate, individual, and food sponsorships. Nominating Committee We are still looking for a President for the 2010-2011 board. Susan Green has agreed to be on the board, possibly a VP position. Lisa Jacobs discussed having Susan consider the Secretary position and Lisa would consider one of the VP slots. This will be further discussed at the April board meeting. If no one steps forward for President, we will need to bring it to the membership at the May 2 meeting. Spring Meeting and Newsletter The Spring membership meeting will be Sun. May 2 from 5-7pm at the Sr. Center.
Newsletter articles: Social Events: Newcomers Pot Luck Dinner Susan Green has agreed to host the Newcomers Dinner on Sunday May 23 from 4-7pm. Brian Cichella and Marcia Filiurin will get the list of newcomers to Lisa J. Ice Cream Social will be held on Sunday June 20 from noon to 3pm. Mike is looking into a pipe organ/organ grinder for music. Lisa has contacted Unilever/Breyers who will supply vanilla & chocolate ice cream. All other past participants (Charles River Kayak, Russells) will be contacted. The next meeting will be Mon. April 12 at 7:30pm, at Lisa Jacobs’, 8 Lake Shore Dr. A motion was made and seconded to adjourn at 9:10pm. Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Jacobs
DPA Executive Board Meeting Attending: Lafe LaClaire, Jamie Pierce, Lisa Jacobs, Bob Smith, Danielle Smith, Jack Peters, Mike Lowery, Karen Lowery, Jackie DuCharme, Jennifer Steele, Andy Jagolinzer, Thom Klem. Lafe LaClaire called the meeting to order at 7:40 P.M. Milfoil/water quality report Mike Lowery reviewed the treatment and handpulling activities of 2009. Along with Ted Fiust and Alison LaClaire, they identified approximately 16 acres to spot treat in 2010. Moving forward, however, Mike thinks the use of spot treatment and handpulling needs to be addressed. He is less than satisfied with the chemical used to treat the pond, and the ensuing results. He would like to work with ACT to find a better solution so we can kill the milfoil, not suppress it. Mike also reported that the circulators aren’t doing too much to get rid of the milfoil but he thinks they improve the water clarity. We will install them again this year. Mike also talked about the regulations on stormwater and septic output, mainly involving houses close to the pond. WSWQ believes there are hot spots on the pond and they are looking for resources to better measure and regulate what seeps into the pond. A TMDL study- (total maximum daily load) has been used to analyze nutrients in lakes around the state: where they’re coming from and how to minimize them. The EPA has allocated $350K to the Commonwealth for this type of study and Dudley Pond is a good candidate. There’s a special SWQ meeting on Feb. 25 for which a $3-4K proposal will be requested to get this process started with the EPA. DPA would contribute 25% toward this study ($750). A motion was made and seconded to allocate $750 toward the study. The motion was passed unanimously. Dudley Woods The Wayland Neighborhood for Responsible Land Use (WN4RLU) has been created to monitor and make recommendations for the Dudley Woods space. Jackie DuCharme reported that this committee submitted 3 articles for the May 13 Town Meeting. Andy Jagolinzer reviewed the articles: Article 1: Put the majority of the land into conservation, setting up trails, and walkways. The remaining piece would be used for community septic systems for both pond and non-pond abutters; some smaller houses don’t have enough room for leaching areas. In 1978, the selectman voted the land use for elderly housing so this would need to get repealed. Article 2: To change the composition of the trustees that oversee this project. Only selectman are involved. We want a larger diversity of stakeholders. Article 3: The town needs to develop a master plan indicating where affordable housing currently exists in Wayland, where it is being considered, and where it is not being considered. We want some accountability and transparency to the town’s decision making process. A motion was made and seconded to authorize Lafe to pass along info from WN4RLU to the DPA membership to help support these articles. The board approved unanimously. (This vote doesn’t necessarily mean that the DPA will endorse everything that WN4RLU proposes.) The board has agreed to use its resources to strengthen the conservation argument (identifying animals, wildflowers, other potential endangered species that migrate through the area). A kickoff meeting of WN4RLU will be held at the Chat on March 14. Fun Run Update The 14th annual fun run will return on Sept. 12, 2010 with the same committee heads returning. There’s a new, unrelated-to-DPA run, sponsored by the Jimmy Fund that is taking place in March, and they are using our exact route. We’re monitoring this situation to see if any problems arise. Karen is working on publicity and sponsorships and will write an article for the Spring newsletter. Nominating Committee Susan Poole is interested in being on the nominating committee. Bob Smith, Susan and other will contact some of our members to fill the three vacancies: President and 2 VP’s. Spring Meeting and Newsletter Spring membership meeting will be May 3. Lisa will reserve the senior center. We need articles for the newsletter -we would like to print it and mail it out by mid April. Lafe will send out an email requesting contributions. Newcomers Pot Luck Dinner The date is May 22. Brian Cichella and Marcia Filiurin will get the list of newcomers to Lisa J. We are looking for a host. The next meeting will be Mon. March 22 at 7:30 - Lisa Jacobs, 8 Lake Shore Dr. A motion was made and seconded to adjourn at 9:30pm. Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Jacobs
DPA Executive Board Meeting Attending: Lafe LaClaire, Jamie Pierce, Lisa Jacobs, Grace Olin, Bob Smith, Danielle Smith, Jack Peters, Jackie DuCharme. Lafe LaClaire called the meeting to order at 7:40 P.M. The meeting minutes from Dec. 7 were read and approved. The Fun Run date is set for Sept. 12, 2010. Doran Road Project The Doran Rd. project has been renamed Dudley Woods. Jackie DuCharme after having met with the Board of Health, SWQ, Conservation and Dept. of Planning, has agreed to submit an article for the next town meeting on May 10. Out of the several possible uses (passive, conservation or septic), the DPA board’s first choice is for conservation. Each choice has its own set of regulations and town departments to consider. Members of the DPA will help Jackie craft and present the article at the May 10 meeting. One important action will be to rescind the part of this article that stated that the original land use was for elderly housing. Mass Watershed Winter Meeting There’s a meeting on Feb. 11 which will address stormwater runoff around Dudley Pond. COLAP will have a rep and we’re hoping that Mike Lowery will be able to represent the DPA in his dual role with SWQ. Nominating Committee Our bylaws state that we need to have a nominating committee to put forth a slate of candidates for next year’s officers. Lafe LaClaire, Danielle Smith and Jack Peters will not be seeking another term. Lafe will ask Marcia Filiurin and also send out a general email to all DPA members asking for their suggestions or commitment. Ice Cream Social: Lisa Jacobs has agreed to run this event with the help of Grace Olin and Danielle Smith. Brian Cichella has provided documentation from past years’ events. The next meeting will be Mon. Feb. 22 at 7:30. A motion was made and seconded to adjourn at 8:40pm. Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Jacobs |
