Minutes

March 2018 Meeting Notes

March 15, 2018 Meeting Notes

Welcome.  Meeting called to order by President Dave Bechtel at 7:12.  Board introductions were made.

Announcements.  Dave drew attention to the various printouts and information on the table:

  • Updates on economic development from Hamden’s Department of Economic and Community Development (see http://www.hamden-ct.com/News/default.asp for the latest updates).
  • March 24th the Hamden Tree Commission is having a tree-pruning workshop at the Whitneyville Branch Library.
  • At the January WCA meeting, the Hamden Police Department shared resources on avoiding scams and preventing crime.

The WCA Annual Meeting is May 17; the vice-president and the secretary positions are up for a vote. Any members who are interested in joining the board can contact current WCA board members to learn more about these positions.

Committee Updates.  Deirdre Dolan gave the Music Committee Meeting report:

  • Denicola Park will again be the location.
  • Three concerts will be organized, each with a different musical genre: Jazz, Singalong, and Classical. Dates are not solid yet but may be 6/13, 7/11, and 8/8.
  • We need funds: Looking to put a “Donate” button on the website; will also be approaching some potential sponsors. Liz Hellwig said her store “Framed” would be a sponsor.
  • The next Music Committee meeting will be held on 3/25/18.

Dave gave the Library Report:

  • The 2nd Annual “Books and Booze” fundraiser event is scheduled for April 27th at the Playwright from 6-8 p.m. Cost is $30 per person. The event was highly successful last year. Those interested can RSVP at: https://goo.gl/forms/3QoLbNe02BrruABH3.

Mill River Watershed Plan.  Mark Foran introduced Save the Sound’s Nicole Davis who is the Project Coordinator for the Mill River Watershed Plan. Save the Sound received a grant from the state to look at non-point source pollution entering Long Island Sound from Connecticut. The last component is looking at the Mill River’s 25-acre watershed. There are known sources of pollution, for example English Station, but those known sources are not the focus of this study. Instead Save the Sound is looking at the quality of water entering the river from throughout the watershed, especially the elevated bacterial and the impairment of aquatic life and recreation.

Bacterial aggravators include stormwater, illegal discharges, and septic systems. The objective is to reduce these sources of impairment through many projects including identification of water quality issues, engaging watershed municipalities and the public, and consolidating existing plans and studies to increase efficiency and stimulate action. Consultants are currently finishing up much of this legwork, and the final plan should be unveiled in the early summer this year.

The project’s success hinges on community education and involvement. Save the Sound is expecting improved access to the river.

Nicole said the river is relatively clean, but she wouldn’t eat fish that were caught downstream of the dam due to some contaminated sites in that area.

Whitneyville residents asked a number of questions and made suggestions Nicole will take back to the Steering Committee. She will send WCA a copy of her presentation that we will put on our website (see http://whitneyville.org/mill-river-watershed-plan/). One of the concerns was increased access to the areas of the river that make up the reservoirs, with discussion of the pros and cons.

Mark Foran will be attending upcoming Steering Committee meetings that relate to the Mill River on behalf of the WCA.

Nicole encouraged participants to sign up to receive updates on the planning process.  You can contact Nicole directly at ndavis@savethesound.org.

Adjournment.  Dave thanked Nicole for her presentation and adjourned the meeting at 8:20.