Canton Selectmen Essentially Consolidate Open Space, Conservation Commissions

Wednesday night, the Board of Selectmen voted to repeal an ordinance that created the town's Open Space Preservation and Acquisition Commission, essentially combining it with the Conservation Commission. 

Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner had suggested the action at a previous meeting, stating that both commissions had trouble keeping enough members and that the duties of the Open Space group could be handled by the Conservation commission. 

"It appears that both the Conservation Commission and the Open Space Commission have overlapping responsibilities," he wrote in a memo to selectmen. "It also appears that over the last couple of years the Open Space Committee has had difficulty maintaining membership and quorums. Therefore, it would seem sensible to create one strong agency then having two agencies with at least one of those agencies being somewhat less energetic. I would recommend that the Opens Space Preservation and Acquisition Commission be repealed and it be understood that the Conservation Commission be the primary agency to oversee open space acquisition and preservation." 

Prior to selectmen's vote Wednesday night, a public hearing on the matter was held. 

jay Kaplan said he understood the logic behind combining the two but said the town should keep in mind the very detailed information in the open space ordinance. It did more than appoint members, he said. 

Resident Sarah Faulkner, a conservation commission member since 1986, said that while she wasn't necessarily opposed to the combination, she felt that they did serve different roles and members of each had different skills. 

She also said she felt selectmen in the last couple of years haven't shown a commitment to open space or the conservation commission and haven't tried hard enough to recruit members. She said a past survey of resident showed open space and conservation was a the top priority. She said when the open space commission was created (2003), land purchase was a higher priority. 

"We had more money back then and I want to be blunt with the board, we had more dedication from the Board of Selectmen for open space protection," Faulkner said.  

First selectman Richard Barlow said, "The board has acknowledged the difficulty getting members for these commissions and it hasn't been due to lack of effort." 

Jim Davis, who spent his last meeting as chairman of the Conservation Commission Wednesday said part of the lack of interest could be the lack of funds and property to purchase could be part of the problem in keeping members interested. He also urged selectmen to redouble efforts to get people to serve. 

David Markowitz, a resident and attorney, said he felt the conservation commission was capable of serving both roles. 

"Anything we can do to consolidate makes sense," he said. 

Later in the meeting, Barlow said he felt budgeting small amounts each year would not necessarily be the way to save another great piece of open space. Should a good opportunity come along, selectmen could ask the Board of Finance to use some of the town's fund balance or perhaps bond for it, Barlow said. 

He also reiterated his disappointment with the comments about the lack of effort in trying to recruit members for the commissions and said selectmen and the town have worked very hard to do so. 

"I had a little hard time swallowing that one," he said. 

He also said in addition to pure preservation, the conservation commission should also keep an eye out for potential land that could serve the town's needs for field space, Barlow added.