Ogunquit News
Conservation Commission to meet Thursday
By Jennifer L. Saunders
OGUNQUIT - The Conservation Commission will tackle a full agenda when it meets tomorrow evening, Thursday, Feb. 15.The meeting will be held at the Dunaway Center at 6:30 p.m. and is open to the public.
Among the items slated for discussion at the meeting are several discussions related to open space.
Under unfinished business, the commission will continue discussions of the town's Open Space Acquisition Program. The group is scheduled to hear from Tin Smith on open space parcel identification.
As of its meeting last month, the commission had been looking at undeveloped tracts of land with conservation potential in the hope that landowners might be willing to participate in a plan to protect parcels that currently provide wildlife habitat or could allow for future public access.
The commission is also expected to discuss plans for public meetings on open space for the year ahead.
A key item up for discussion at Thursday's meeting is a proposed open space ordinance.
The commission has been at work for some time on a proposed amendment to Ogunquit's zoning ordinance that would provide an impact fee for those subdivisions and developments in town that do not meet cluster housing or open space requirements.
The Conservation Commission has been working with the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission (SMRPC) on draft language for the ordinance, which would need to be presented to voters for approval.
Other agenda items include a look at new data on the use of pesticide and fertilizer by homeowners and a report on the Jan. 22 meeting between the Ogunquit Sewer District, Healthy Beaches Program and the Wells Reserve on testing the waters of the Ogunquit River for water quality.
For more on the work of the Conservation Commission and other town boards and committees, visit www.townofogunquit.org.
