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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-04-12 Minutes Draft minutes – Not yet approved by Committee NOTES OF MEETING OF SAMUEL WILMOT NATURE AREA MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE HELD ON TUESDAY APRIL 12, 2011 AT 7:00 P.M. Present: (Voting) Shirley Minifie Jim Cleland Pat Mulcahy Brian Reid Michael Goleski Clayton Morgan Geoff James Greg Wells – GRCA Staff Present: Peter Windolf Regrets: David Best Councillor Corrina Traill Absent: Warren May – MNR 1. Agenda Additions -Parking lot and trail grading -Thank you letter for Wilmot Woodworkers Club Revisions -Since some members were late arriving for the meeting the election of SWNA Committee Chair was moved to the end of the agenda. Acceptance of Agenda MOVED by Pat Mulcahy, seconded by Clayton Morgan THAT the agenda for April 12, 2011 be accepted. CARRIED 2. Minutes of October 12, 2010 Corrections The minutes will be corrected to reflect that there was a discussion regarding the appropriateness of spreading ashes at the Newcastle Memorial Forest. 2 Approval of Minutes MOVED by Clayton Morgan, seconded by Brian Reid THAT the minutes of April 12, 2011 as amended be approved. CARRIED 3. Issues arising from the Minutes There were no issues arising from the minutes other than the previously noted amendment. 4. Sub-Committee Reports Jim Cleland reported that the bird houses he took down for cleaning had now been re- installed. He also installed the new bird houses constructed by the Wilmot Woodworkers Club. The garbage cans are missing from both parking lots. Michael Goleski added his name to those who are interested in assisting the Maintenance sub-committee. 5. Updates 2011 Projects The Kiosk has been issued for quotations. Prices are to be returned to the Municipal Purchasing office on April 29. The Kiosk sign will be designed and constructed separately by Page Graphics. A draft of the sign graphics will be brought to the committee for review when it is available. The committee discussed the merits of creating a dedicated space on the sign for posting notices of special events. The Toronto Street Kiosk has a specific area for posting news and special events but since the discontinuation of a printed newsletter and the creation of the SWNA blog the space is left empty for most of the year. It was decided that any temporary notices would be laminated and attached to the kiosk posts instead of having a dedicated space on the sign panel. The various trails within the SWNA will be colour coded on the new sign panel, and the trail lengths for each will be indicated. A new type of sign panel called Chameleon was discussed. It has the same warranty but is considerably less expensive than a fibreglass sign panel. A sample of the panel is to be delivered to the Engineering Department for review. If it appears to be durable it will be used for the kiosk sign panel. The Viewing Platform will be issued for quotations this week. Greg Wells provided a copy of the GRCA permit application. Since the platform is to be located within the regulatory limit, GRCA approval is required to obtain a building permit. The application, 3 location plan, and the construction drawing will be submitted electronically to Greg Wells. Several small locust trees need to be removed from around the platform location. The trees will be marked with spray paint for the Maintenance sub-committee to remove. Pitch-In Day at the SWNA The 2011 Pitch-In event at the SWNA is scheduled for Saturday April 23 at 10:00AM at the Cobbledick parking lot. Pitch-In locations were not advertised in the newspaper this year. Notices will be posted at the SWNA on both the Cobbledick and Toronto Road sides advising potential volunteers of the date and meeting location. Operations will be asked to drop off gloves and bags at Brian Reid’s home. MNR Rangers 2011 The committee discussed the merits of using the MNR Rangers in 2011 to assist with projects. The past 2 years the Rangers team for the Durham area has been based in Aurora. Consequently they can’t get to the site until mid- morning and leave early in the afternoon to return to their yard. The committee felt they weren’t getting good value from this arrangement and would only consider using the Rangers again if they have a team based in the Durham Region. The MNR Rangers program leader will be advised of this decision. Access to the SWNA Blog A screen grab showing how to register for the SWNA Blog was distributed. All members were encouraged to register to automatically receive new blog postings via e-mail. A possible link with Facebook will also be investigated by municipal staff. 6. Other Business Earth Expo A poster for an event called Gifts from the Earth Expo was distributed to notify members of this May 15 event at the Beech Centre. The event is intended to educate the public about nature and nature’s impact on society. Birds of Prey Event A potential summer special event themed around birds of prey was discussed. The Mountsberg Conservation Area in Milton has an offsite educational outreach program. The program would give attendees an opportunity to observe live birds of prey and learn about their characteristics, biohistory, and their adaptation to the habitat they live in. Brian Reid mentioned that he had attended a similar event at a Durham Field Naturalist meeting. That presentation was given by a group called Wild Ontario. Brian will contact Wild Ontario to find out if they could deliver the same presentation outdoors at the SWNA. Parking lot and trail grading Some committee members commented that both parking lots have lots of potholes. The Operations Department usually grades the parking lots in the spring and will be asked to do so again this year. Some sections of trail are also in poor condition. Operations will be asked to inspect the entire SWMA limestone trail system and to repair any sections where 4 grading and additional screenings are required. The area immediately east of the Cobbledick parking lot was mentioned as one of the worst areas. Additional screenings and possibly a culvert are required at this location to prevent water from collecting on the trail surface. Thank-you letter for Wilmot Woodworkers Club The Wilmot Woodworkers Club constructed and donated several new bird boxes for the SWNA. Pat Mulcahy provided the contact information for the Woodworkers. A letter of thanks on SWNA letterhead will be prepared for signature by the Chair. 7. Election of SWNA Committee Chair Nominations for the election of Committee Chair were requested. Shirley Minifie nominated Brian Reid as Chair; the nomination was seconded by Jim Cleland. Michel Goleski nominated Clayton Morgan for Chair, Clayton declined the nomination. Brian Reid nominated Shirley Minifie for Chair, Shirley declined the nomination. Brian Reid accepted the nomination and agreed to stand for election. After a show of hands Brian Reid was unanimously elected as the Chair for this term of the SWNA Management Advisory Committee. Brian Reid requested that a Vice Chair be elected to fill in as Chair when he was not able to attend. Michael Goleski nominated Clayton Morgan as Vice Chair; the nomination was seconded by Pat Mulcahy. Clayton Morgan accepted the nomination and agreed to stand for election. After a show of hands Clayton Morgan was unanimously elected as the Vice Chair for this term of the SWNA management Advisory Committee. Motion to Adjourn MOVED by Clayton Morgan, seconded by Pat Mulcahy THAT the meeting be adjourned. CARRIED Adjournment: 8:45 P.M. Tuesday May 10, 6:30PM Next Meeting: On Site-Meet at the Toronto Street Parking Lot Notes prepared by P. Windolf