Open Space Plan

The email and flyer below are provided so the public is aware there was a meeting about the Open Space Plan and why.

October 16, 2013 email from The Marlborough Conservation Officer to the Open Space and Recreation Committee Members

…As you know in 2010, with your wonderful input and help, we completed the Draft Open Space and Recreation Plan and held a public meeting and received comments.   The plan then went to the State for review.   On July 7, 2011 it was given a “conditional approval” through July 2016, with a list of items that needed to be added to make it complete.  In addition they encouraged the city to amend the plan to cover a 7 year period instead of just a 5 year period.  So now the plan is a 2011-2018 plan and is in its final draft form ready for final approval.  However there are a few more steps that need to be taken to meet all our state requirements and get it approved by the Mayor/ City Council and final approval from the state.

As members of the Open Space and Recreation Committee I wanted to keep you all in the loop on the next three steps that need to be taken to gain final approval.

First, I wanted to invite you to another public meeting that we will be holding on Wednesday October 30th at 7:00 PM at City Hall to get public input.  Our previous outreach wasn’t targeted enough to reach our minority and low income populations, so we need to hold it again, see below and see attached flier.

Second, I wanted to outline some of the changes that were made to the plan and get any feedback from you on that.  They are minor in nature and didn’t change the substance or recommendations on the plan.  Since it is YOUR plan I wanted to be sure I passed these by you to get your input.     So if you have comments please let me know so I can make those changes.

And third, to alert you to the last step of the plan approval which will be a presentation before City Council.

Each of these is described in more detail below, just to get you all on board and to keep you posted on what is happening with YOUR plan.  I know it seems eons ago since we all met and discussed this, and we have been implementing many of the recommendations already, including updating Memorial Beach which is underway, and building a community garden on Stow Rd. so the plan is in play, but needs that final formal approval to be “FINAL”.  You are not obligated to attend any of these meetings but I wanted to let you know you are invited to attend if you wish.

1.       Community Outreach to Environmental Justice Community:

The one piece that was missing in our plan was outreach to the Environmental Justice community (low income and minority populations in Marlborough).    To meet this requirement we are holding another public meeting on Wednesday Oct. 30th  at 7:00 pm to provide a presentation of the plan and get input from the public and specifically invite this community to attend as well.  I have sent the attached flier to churches, groups and organizations that serve this community and posted it in various places.   The presentation will be similar to the last one we did in November 2010, of course including the updates we have added specifically extending it to a 7 year plan.   You are more than welcome to attend (but it’s not required).

2.       Plan changes:

I wanted to share with you the changes that were made to the plan.  The following link will get you to the revised draft plan and the revised maps: http://www.marlborough-ma.gov/Gen/MarlboroughMA_ConCommisn/OpenSpacePlans/Draft%20Open%20Space%20and%20Recreation%20Plan%202011-2018  . The items that were changed are highlighted in yellow in the plan and include the following. They were all minor in nature and didn’t change the substance of the plan nor did it require any changes to the recommendations or analysis we did except for changing some of the dates.

  1. Page 2- changes to Table of contents
  2. Page 3 – reference to map changes and additions
  3. Page 9-  Introduction: discussion of EJ community outreach (see item 2 below)
  4. Page 23-24- Geology, soils & topography –  geology and soils discussion
  5. Page 27 – Vegetation- discussion of public shade trees and heritage tree.
  6. Page 29-  Rare or Endangered Species-  discussion of rare, threatened and endangered species included.
  7. Page 30 Scenic Resources and Unique Features – this section includes information about unusual geologic features
  8. Page 33   Environmental Challenges –  We have included information about chronic flooding, forestry issues and environmental equity items.
  9. Page 35 &36 –Section 5 has been updated to explain the new columns in the table of parcels.  These charts have been updated and include the required columns.
  10. Page 40-41  Analysis of needs – the state SCORP was reviewed and its recommendations and analysis as it pertains to Marlborough have been incorporated into the plan.
  11. Page  52   – some additional information about Kelleher Field was added.
  12. Page 69 – Action Plan-  we have updated the action plan to be a 7 year plan and have included a column for potential funding source, and a column for comments so we can keep track of our successes going along.  The comment column was recommended so the document can be a working document.
  13. Page 99 – Letters of Review- The previous Mayor and Planning board did provide comments on the first draft in 2010 but no formal approval letters were provided.   I will be submitting the package again to the Mayor, Planning Board and MAPC for their review and approval and gather any additional comments they have, and  will include these letters in the final package that is submitted.

I am also submitting this revised plan to the Planning Board and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) our regional planning agency for review and comment and a letter of approval.  

Final Approval:

Once the above are complete the plan will be submitted to the Mayor and City Council for final approval, I suspect we will be doing a presentation to them as well.    Once that is done we will then submit the plan to the State for Final acceptance.  The plan is the ticket for the city to get state funds for Park and Conservation land acquisition and upgrades.  Our conditionally approved plan gave us a grant for Memorial Beach, and this will be the ticket for future grants as well.

Thanks again for all your help with the plan.  Please provide me with any comments you might have to include in this latest draft on or before Nov. 15, 2013.

Many thanks

Priscilla Ryder

flyer:

DRAFT Open Space and Recreation Plan

Public meeting

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

At City Hall, Memorial Hall

 7:00 – 8:30 PM

Please come learn what the Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee recommends in the Draft 2011-2018 Open Space and Recreation Plan and provide your input.

The meeting will include:

  • Summary of the draft plan
  • Results from the city wide survey
  • Illustrations and maps showing the city’s open space and recreation needs
  • A draft seven year action plan to meet Marlborough’s Recreation and Open Space Goals.
  • Gathering comments from the public on this draft plan.

Copies of the Draft plan can be found on line at:
http://www.marlborough-ma.gov/Gen/MarlboroughMA_ConCommisn/index
look at left column for 2011-2018 Open Space and Recreation Plan

Paper copies can be viewed at:
Marlborough Public Library, 35 West Main Street
Conservation Department at 140 Main St., City Hall, 3rd floor
Recreation Department Office at 239 Concord Rd.

Comments on the draft plan are due on or before November 15, 2013 please send comments to Priscilla Ryder,  Conservation Office,  140 Main Street, City Hall, Marlborough MA,  or e-mail to pryder@marlborough-ma.gov  Or call 508-460-3768.