Town of Warwick
Vegetation Cutting Public Hearing for Hockanum Road
April 20, 2010
		
Members present: Rick Abbott, Nick Arguimbau, Patricia Lemon (arrived at
5:50 pm)
Others present: Town Secretary Rosa Fratangelo Calcari, Town Coordinator
David Young (arrived at 5:50 pm), Planning Board members Ted Cady and
Brad Compton (Arguimbau is also a member of the Planning Board, hence a
quorum of the Planning Board was present), Tree Warden Dana Songer,
Highway Superintendent Tim Kilhart, Janet Conover, David Shepardson,
Finance Committee members Les Goodman and Kevin Alden, Linda Perkins,
Board of Health and Finance Committee member Dick Whiting, Open Space
and Conservation Committee member Mary Williamson, Miryam Williamson,
Dawn Magi, Jon Calcari, Gary Lucas, Paula Robinson (Athol Daily News)

Call To Order
Selectboard Chair Arguimbau opened the hearing at 5:45 p.m. in the Town Hall.
Highway Superintendent Tim Kilhart said that he had visited the site
with Ted Cady and the Tree Warden, and that he obtained the information
on affected property owners from the Assessor's clerk. The site is
across from the Hockanum Conservation land and on the flat above the
vernal pools. Kilhart said much of the wood is dead white pine. He had
drafted a letter for the three property owners to sign. Each letter
would include the name, address, telephone number, lot number from the
Assessor's office, and the date the letter is signed. Kilhart said that
after the trees and brush are cut, there will be maintenance of the
agreed upon cutting. He said he will walk the site with any property
owner who wishes to do so.
Arguimbau asked if any homeowners on Hockanum Road were present; there
were none. He then asked for input from concerned citizens. Dick Whiting
said that Royalston has the same scenic by-laws as Warwick. According to
information Whiting received from a former tree warden, each shade tree
on public land that is due to be cut must be posted with a sign, and the
Tree warden has to hold a public hearing for each tree to be cut. He
also said that a permit is needed to cut brush, per a state law.
David Shepardson said that he could not tell just what was to be cut on
Hockanum when he looked at the site before coming to the hearing. He
said that he hoped we would learn things from the Hockanum land that
would help set policy for future cutting.
Abbott suggested putting more specifics in each letter for the property
owner to sign to minimize any possibility of misunderstanding. Janet
Conover supported that suggestion.
Ted Cady, Chair of the Scenic Roads Committee and the Planning Board,
said that so far the Selectboard has seen Kilhart's draft letter. Mary
Williamson of the Open Space and Conservation Committees, expressed
appreciation for Tim Kilhart's work. She also said that she had flagged
June pinks in the area to avoid the risk of its being cut. Kilhart said
that there will be no cutting in the area she described.
Planning Board member Brad Compton recommended to the Selectboard a
unified process for cutting on easements and private property to keep
everything straightforward and simple.
Kevin Alden questioned the size and scope of the Hockanum project, and
asked how long the cutting would likely take. Kilhart said that it is
about two days of work, as it is a relatively small project.
Conover submitted underlying legal documents identifying town easements;
she had previously given copies of this the Board of Selectmen, Planning
Board, and Highway Department. She provided some history of Hockanum
Road since its acceptance at the 1839 Annual town Meeting. She said
there is documentation identifying town easements, and that the
easements are known.
Lemon thanked Conover for all the work she has done.
Arguimbau closed the hearing at 6:17 pm
The Planning Board and Selectboard each need to make decisions based on
this hearing.

Minutes taken by Rosa Fratangelo Calcari