Open Space Commission - Minutes 06/19/02

1. Grant to CC Parks & Trails for acquisition funding - 50/50 match for easements to preserve Horseshoe Trail.
   
2. Northern CC Agricultural Easement Grant for the Burgoon Tract
   
3. An incomplete grant proposal to Chester County Parks for 38 acres - 21 and 16 in E. Pikeland, which will be completed in the next few weeks. This will require some coordination with the East Pikeland Supervisors.
   

1. Copies of the newsletter will be sent to Grants organizations, local land trusts, Chester County Planning and to neighboring townships.
   
2. Next newsletter will be published by the end of September.
   
3. Articles are due by July 17. Suggested topics include: Results of referenda in May elections in neighboring townships for Open Space funding: (Open Space in E. V. 62% yes, W. Vincent - 0.49% yes,N. Coventry - 85% yes).
   
4. Alix will write an article about Local Land Trusts for the purpose of clarifying how they can be helpful to landowners looking to preserve their land from development.
   
5. Andy requested that those who have not yet written an article should pick a topic and write an article for the next newsletter.
   

1. Kevin requested that Linda be asked to prepare letters for Supers and PC to sign.
   
2. Sue agreed to forward the information to Linda, to the Planning Commission and to members of the OS Commission. This has been done. WRITE THOSE LETTERS/EMAILS!
   

1. Marjory Crawford, Bob Roggio, Sally Winckelman, Rosemary Philips, Ed Theurkauf have had several meetings to establish priorities for easing open space. They decided to first focus on trails; and with the basic principle that trails must have destinations, have begun to map out the important trails and destinations in the township - and outside the township.
   
2. Bob estimated that the committee will require several more meetings to finish their work; and accepted a deadline of December 31, 2002.
   

1. Schedule knowledgeable speakers on grants, easements, law and conservation developments
   
2. Schedule 4 meetings per year for large landowners - subjects to include tax planning, estate planning, land preservation, role of land trusts, etc.
   
3. Develop criteria for selecting property as open space and identify and prioritize prime properties
   * This is in progress with a December 31, 2002 deadline.
   
4. Form sub-committees to aggressively pursue key related issues (e.g. grants and other funding means, marketing and communications)
   * Marketing & communication - Frank
   
5. * Grants - Andy and ???? (This is a big job and requires more than one member)
   * Newsletter/ (to be published quarterly) - Aliena
   
6. Advance communications and interactions with prime property landowners
   * In process
   
7. Develop community outreach and education plan for our targeted audiences
   * Newsletter is step #1
   
8. Lobby for money and support
   * Schedule a meeting with the Board of Supervisors and present a series of achievement milestones and 2002 objectives (Scheduled for September.)
   

1. Provide Charlestown residents with an annual progress report and future direction, excluding any disclosures that would compromise landowner confidentiality (publish in February).
   
2. Continue to aggressively advance discussions with interested landowners of identified prime properties through kitchen table conversations and collaboration with acknowledged experts
   
3. Update and re-prioritize list of prime properties based upon additional research and interaction with landowners
   
4. Identify all grants and other funding means and formally pursue funding for viable candidate properties
   
5. Serve as liaison with conservation and historic preservation organizations and promote the services they offer, such as the French and Pickering Trust, National Land Trust, Brandywine Conservancy, etc.
   
6. Work with the Parks and Recreation Department to better manage and improve existing open space areas and trails.
   
7. Post articles on website for open space.
   
8. Liaison with School District - Sue Staas with Administration and Kevin Kuhn with School Board
   
9. Work with Parks and Recreation Dep't to manage and improve existing open space areas and trails
   

1. Review Rough Draft of the Open Space Progress Report to the Supervisors
   
2. Talk about partnering with Great Valley and Green Valleys
   
3. Discuss possibility of dividing township into sectors assigned to Commission members to better keep track of what is going on in the township.