Agricultural Commission Minutes
Meeting date:
Monday, January 10, 2011
- Town of Bolton Agricultural Commission
- Meeting Minutes
- Date: 10 January 2011
- AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION
- www.boltonag.com
- 63 Main Street
- 978 779-2297 or 779-3308
- Sue Storbeck 779-6020 slstorbeck@comcast.net Term Exp 6/30/2011
- Barbara Parente 779-6303 bparente@comcast.net Term Exp 6/30/2012
- Betsy Taylor-Kennedy 779-5213 betsy@taylor-kennedy.com Term Exp 6/30/2012
- Richard Pelletier 779- email@nashobawinery.com Term Exp 6/30/2013
- Eric Schartner 779-0212 schartnerfarm@verizon.net Term Exp 6/30/2013
- A meeting of the Bolton Agricultural Commission was held on 10 January, 2011 at Town Hall. The meeting
- was called to order at 7:35 pm. Commission members in attendance: Barbara Parente, Richard Pelletier, and
- Betsy Taylor-Kennedy. Absent: Sue Storbeck, Eric Schartner
- The 16 November minutes were read by members, corrected and approved as corrected.
- Reports from liaisons to Town Boards/Commissions
- §
- Board of Health (Storbeck) no report
- § Planning Board (Open)
- § Board of Selectmen (Pelletier): The BOS have approved Eric Schartner as a member of the AgCom.
- § Conservation Commission (Parente): No response to our revision of the section of the Houghton
- Farms homeowner’s covenant pertaining to agricultural use.
- § Conservation Trust (Taylor-Kennedy): No update; next BCT meeting on 11 Jan. 2011.
- Complaints/Requests for Site Visits
- §
- None
- New Business
- §
- 2011 Budget: The committee roughed out an expense plan for the FY11 budget of $1800 as follows:
- Farmer’s Dinner
- Meal $300
- Spring Ag Sale $200
- Bruce stipend
- Josh music
- Ag Row at Bolton Fair (if spent before June 30)
- hay ?
- tent rental, $300 (20’ x 20’ from Callahan’s)
- booth fee $150 for 20’ x 10’ space (from 2010 Bolton Fair website)
- Right-to-Farm signs $680 (4) or $340 (2)
- TOTAL $1630
- § Post future meeting dates (Betsy)
- § Spring Ag Sale The group discussed timing for a spring event at Great Brook Farm. Easter is near
- the end of April this year, so an early April date may be appropriate. If there is room it would be
- nice to include 4-H group exhibits (encourage young farmers and also bring those families to the
- sale). Along with the exhibitors who have participated before, it would be an ideal time for Jo-Barb
- farms to promote their meat and compost, and maybe Steve Hastings would have some lamb for
- sale. Same format as 2009—displays and music in the café. Barbara to check with Bruce about
- possible dates.
- Old Business
- §
- A Taste of Bolton: Date proposed is August 7, 2011. Rich presented a scenario of a meal, prepared at
- J’s, featuring food all purchased from Bolton farmers. Farmers would be paid a fair price for their
- products. Tickets would be $125, including the meal and a $50 donation per ticket to an organization
- (Bolton Local, BCT, etc). AgCom and Bolton farms would have displays and info. The group had a
- discussion of a fund raising event vs. promotion of individual farm products. Since AgCom cannot
- fund-raise, we would need to partner with Bolton Local, BCT or the like. Bolton Local has already
- expressed an interest in partnering for an event. Betsy to check with BCT to see if they are interested. It
- will be important to have a specific fundraising goal for people to feel connected to.
- § Farmer’s Dinner: Rich to check March 15 for Farmer’s Dinner at Bolton Orchards. Approx. 20
- people.
- § Agricultural Holiday Sale: Barbara and Sue to gather feedback from participants of the November
- weekends at the Winery. Susan Miles sold more woolens at the Winery than at the 2009 sale; the
- Winery had more visitors.
- § Community Compost project (Coolidge Farm): Betsy looking for plans of the APR so that the
- property boundaries can be defined.
- § Farm Stand directional signs: No news from Jennifer (Town Planner) on the status of the way-finding
- grant.
- Future Meetings/Events
- Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 7:30 pm at Town Hall.
- Tuesday, March 15: Farmer’s Dinner
- The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 pm.