Agriculture Commission Agenda and Minutes December 3_2014Northampton Agricultural Commission
Minutes
7:00 PM Wednesday December 3, 2014
210 Main Street, Room 10 (2nd floor, City Hall)
Northampton, MA
Members present:
Chair John Omasta
Chip Parsons
Stan Zawalick
Vice Chair Rich Jaescke
Tim Smith
John Bobala
Robert Vollinger
Wayne Feiden (staff)
At 7:00 PM, Rich Jaescke opened the public meeting.
Public comment—No public comment
Approval of Agriculture Commission Minutes of October 29, 2014—Upon motion by Chip Parsons and second by Stan Zawalick, the Commission unanimously approved the minutes.
Prepare for Joint December 11 Conservation and Agriculture Commissions meeting—The Commission agreed that the top issues to discuss are A) Meadows access and problems with vandalism
in the Meadows, B) and farming on conservation areas, and C) Road maintenance in the Meadows.
Right to farm sign design update—Feiden informed the Commission that the Commission received $400 from MAAC for right to farm signs but no funding from CPA for the project. The Commission
agreed to build two signs with the grant and then look for donations of materials and labor to install them. The Commission focused on three possible areas for the signs, Old Ferry
Road (entrance to the Meadows), Smith Vocational School, and Meadow Street by the Bean/Allard/Grow Food Northampton farmland.
Prepare for January Hampshire and Franklin County agriculture commissions forum--Pete Westover, consultant for Massachusetts Association of Agriculture Commissions (MAAC), discussed
the planned January 10th agriculture forum with the Commission.
Update on on-going issues—Feiden briefed the Commission on the planned purchase of the Baye farm parcel and its hoped for use as trade land for access to Rainbow Beach or to leverage
permanent farmland protection. The Commission noted the parcel is wet and has less farm value than other parcels, but it has grown crops for many years.
Next meeting—The Commission set Wednesday January 14, 2015 for their next meeting, to include discussion of a future agriculture/public works meeting.
Upon motion of Chip Parsons and second by Rich Jaescke, the Commission voted unanimously to adjourn at 8:15 PM.