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Conservation Commission Agenda (minutes)

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CONSERVATION COMMISSION ~ TOWN OF EPPING, NEW HAMPSHIRE
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026

Liz Wilson, Chair

Dan McCombs, Vice Chair

Alesha Burnham, Treasurer

Joe Trombley, Member

Jeff Leombruno, Member

Ben Soroko, Member

Brendan Mulhall, Alternate Member
Shannon Morin, Member (absent)

Mary Ahern, Alternate Member (absent)

Also in attendance:

Joe Coronati, Jones & Beach Engineers

Jason Baker, EYAA (Epping Youth Athletic Association)
Sadie Stevens, Prospective Volunteer

Cindy Mulcahy, Recording Secretary

CALL TO ORDER at 6:03 PM.
PERMITS/REQUESTS

327 Pleasant Street (multi-family condo project) - Jones & Beach Engineers L. Wilson
prefaced the discussion by saying that the Commission would consider approval of the
plan as presented at this meeting without taking Town ownership of the land into
account at this time. She noted that variances from the Zoning Board of Adjustment
(ZBA), approval of the easement by the Select Board and approval by the Technical
Review Committee (TRC) had all been granted. After tonight’s meeting the process
would entail Planning Board approval, Planning Board and Conservation Commission


joint recommendation for the easement, two public hearings by the Select Board and
Select Board approval of the easement.

J. Coronati said that removal of material from the West Epping location has been going
on for some time from the subject lot and an adjacent Town-owned one. He noted that
the Mary Blair Park will be supported by this project as the material had been impacting
their fields. The site will be redeveloped after it is leveled. A conditional use permit is
required because the property is within the aquifer protection zone. J. Coronati said that
there is no wetland permit needed and there are no wetland buffer impacts. J. Coronati
presented a diagram representing each of three watershed areas and the contribution of
each by area to the detention pond (26.7% from the Town-owned area, 38.7% from an
offsite area from abutting properties and 34.6% from the on-site/ project area). J.
Trombley had wanted to know the volumes contributed, info which is in the drainage
report and will be discussed at a later meeting.

J. Coronati also presented a revised grading plan with U-shaped contours showing how
stormwater enters the pond to be treated. He stated that stormwater that was not
previously treated now will be. L. Wilson asked if there were use restrictions in the
basin on herbicide and pesticide use because of the project's proximity to the Lamprey
River. J. Coronati said this would be discussed by the Planning Board and that the
project is subject to an ecological review per the State. He also said that LRAC (Lamprey
River Advisory Council) would be involved. J. Trombley noted that the 144 grade
showing water flowing into the pond is misleading as that area has no slope. L. Wilson
read aloud LRAC’s comments regarding species impact, qualified inspections, winter
maintenance, silt fencing and frequency of spillway activation, and all were being
addressed.

J. Baker of EYAA (Epping Youth Athletic Association) said that he was in favor of the
project and that the removal of material will assist in the drainage of the centerfield,
which is frequently wet. J. Baker said that the Town and EYAA would save money on
permits (J. Trombley clarified that the project would not save the Town money, but that
it would not cost the Town anything).

L. Wilson asked for any public comment and there was none.

MOTION by L. Wilson to recommend approval of the plan as presented with the
following recommendations: to restrict herbicide/ pesticide usage within the drainage
areas which contribute to the stormwater basin and discharge to the Lamprey River, as
well as installation of salt-restricting signage as the project is within the groundwater
protection area. SECOND by J. Leombruno. MOTION carries 6-0.


It was clarified that the motion applied to the limits of the project that is being
permitted (the Town lot, the to-be-developed lot and the lot where a house will remain)
and that future conversations about easements will take place. J. Trombley
recommended that the edge of pavement roughed in on the plan should be clarified.

GUESTS

S. Stevens is an Epping resident with a background in wildlife conservation. She is
interested in volunteering for the Commission and is familiar with easement
monitoring. L. Wilson will provide S. Stevens with a list of properties that need
monitoring from which she can choose as well as procedures and resources. S. Stevens
can also opt to become an alternate member if she would like more involvement.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

MOTION by L. Wilson to accept the minutes of the July 15, 2026 meeting as written.
SECOND by J. Leombruno. MOTION carries 6-0.

NOTICES / MAIL BAG
None.
PROPERTIES

Miriam Jackson Park Two new benches with memorial plaques for Paul McPhee were
donated by Dan Harvey and placed in the park facing the road. Because Barbara Willis
(who works at the park) preferred that the benches face the river, the benches will be
slightly angled to face the river as well as the garden but the plaques will still be able to
be seen from the road. D. Harvey will reposition the benches with his tractor soon.

Tilton Conservation Area Kiosk - L, Wilson said that LRAC will replace the boat
launch sign and that the old sign has been removed.

Beniah Lane Conservation Land Encroachments S. Morin emailed a statement to the
Commission on this item which D. McCombs summarized, stating that the property
dispute between neighbors had been referred to the Code Enforcement office, which is
proper procedure. Although the property is listed as under conservation due to its
wells, the management of it is not handled by the Commission, but by the Town. L.
Wilson confirmed that the item was now out of the Commission’s hands.

Groundwater Protection District Wording & Signage J. Leombruno is working on the
sign design and some more changes will be made. A QR code will not be included.
Members decided to have the sign refer readers to the Town Planner at 157 Main Street


(Town Hall) rather than display a link to regulations, J. Leombruno will send the edits
to both the Town Administrator and Town Planner for approval and then have it sent
to a sign company.

UPDATES

Recap of trail workday on 7/18 On 7/18 members met to construct a bridge and J.
Trombley thanked them and said that neighbors have been pleased. He recommended
that the cost of materials for an additional bridge at New Lane, which had been
approved in the amount of up to $300, be rescinded. He said that a bridge would not be
feasible with the washout in that area and J. Leombruno said a bridge should not be
placed on a Class VI road. There will be a few small reimbursements from the workday.

MOTION by J. Trombley to rescind the approval to spend up to $300 for construction
of a bridge on New Lane. SECOND by D. McCombs. MOTION carries 6-0.

NH Tree Farms L. Wilson contacted the current forester, Charlie Moreno to discuss
inspections for the Commission’s three tree farms. The John Hoar Forest lot was last
inspected in 2015, the Lowell property lot was last inspected in 2018 and the George H.
Fall Woods lot was last inspected in 2021. L. Wilson will find out the schedule, scope of
work and cost for doing either one or two inspections and C. Moreno will attend the
next meeting.

Possibility of Hosting Rockingham Conservation Commission Roundtable D.
McCombs said that the capacity for events at the Library is 60 people but there is no
availability on the date of the next meeting (9/24). Town Hall and the Rec Center are
alternate venue options, J. Leombruno emailed Sara Callaghan to express the
Commission’s willingness to host a meeting and to see if there is still a need for the
9/24 meeting.

ADMIN

Rules of Procedure (ROP) D. McCombs will make some suggested updates (adding
Treasurer to elected officers, assigning agenda to Vice Chair, allowing up to seven
alternates) to the ROP and send a revised draft out to approve at the next meeting.
Members felt that it would be beneficial to post the ROP on the Commission’s webpage.
Budget update A. Burnham presented the updated budget numbers through the end of
July:

Conservation LUCT: $620,993.95
Conservation Expendable Trust Fund: $7,408.44


Operating Budget: $3,900.00
Escrow: $16,430.87

A. Burnham has placed all information and budget tracking in SharePoint. A generic
Treasurer email is now being used (instead of D. McCombs’).

J. Trombley recommended buying a new kit for the Commission’s string trimmer as he
had to use his personal one for the recent trail work. J. Trombley will research the cost.

Outreach SELT’s Trailfest is Saturday, 10/17 from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. The
Commission debated whether to host a booth in person or to leave materials at a table.
L. Wilson said that in past years she has met Conservation Commission members from
other communities but that the presence at Trailfest has not kickstarted any noticeable
involvement. L. Wilson will work on a map of the Commission’s properties to leave at
Trailfest this year. The Commission will ask Roundtable members if there is an interest
in having a booth next year with members from multiple Commissions present.

2026 Photo Contest The Photo Contest is open. D. McCombs said that there was a bug
while cloning the contest owing to the fact that the Commission had downgraded
subscriptions after voting (PollUnit will address this issue for next year). A generic
Photo Contest email is now being used for submissions (instead of D. McCombs’). A.
Burnham has posted the contest to Facebook monthly and will increase exposure
starting in October. A. Burnham will see if the Photo Contest can be advertised on the
Town Hall sign and possibly on the School's.

LRAC & NHDES comment letter storage Folders have been set up in SharePoint for
comment letters and other correspondence. J. Trombley said there was no need to retain
paper copies as documents in SharePoint are backed up and recoverable as they are for
government agencies.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

Open Discussion A request to perform metal detecting at the Fox Run Forest by Lana
Savarese was received by the Commission. Her request stated that all holes dug would
be filled back in and that anything of value found would be donated to a historical
society. L. Wilson said that it would be worth confirming with Counsel that the action
would not be in violation of the property’s deed and cited a recent case where metal
detection was denied in New Hampshire because it was not considered “ passive
recreation”. A concern arose that granting permission to one person would incite many
others to take advantage who may not be as respectful of the land as L. Savarese. It was
noted that SELT allows metal detecting “under supervision of staff”. J. Trombley


recommended conditionally granting L. Savarese permission to metal detect at that
property only while double-checking with Counsel.

MOTION by D. McCombs to request the Town Administrator to contact Town Counsel
to review the deed for Fox Run Park to see if metal detector use is allowable, and if it is
allowable that the Commission will give permission to Lana Savarese to metal detect on
that specific property, as long as a leave no trace policy is adhered to and any valuable
relics are offered to a historic society. SECOND by L. Wilson.

J. Leombruno noted that the ecological and historical significance of the land should be
taken into consideration and wondered if permission would be given for only a specific
area of the property. L. Wilson and B. Soroko felt that checking with Counsel before
granting permission was advisable. L. Wilson did not feel that there was a critical
deadline for allowing a recreational use.

MOTION rescinded.

MOTION by D. McCombs to request the Town Administrator to contact Town Counsel
to review the deed for Fox Run Park to see if metal detector use is allowable. SECOND
by L. Wilson. MOTION carries 6-0.

FUTURE

Passports and brochures files on Canva L. Wilson will address these tasks.
Prescott Orchards long-term conservation plan None.

Return of the trail committee Activity on this project is underway.

Tech/Town website Members will review the Conservation webpage to see what
information should be transferred over to the Town webpage and discuss their ideas at
the next meeting.

MOTION by J. Leombruno to approve spending up to $150 for a head and attachments
(metal blade and metal blade safety kit) for the current string trimmer. SECOND by J.
Trombley. MOTION carries 6-0.

PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
ADJOURN

MOTION by L. Wilson to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by D. McCombs. MOTION
carries 6-0.


Meeting adjourned at 7:53 PM.
Submitted by: Cindy Mulcahy, Recording Secretary

Liz Wilson, Cha ir

‘Alesha Burhha m, . Treasurer

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Jeff Leombruno, Member Ben Sorgko, a