Planning Commission Minutes 6.25.25

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Guilford Planning Commission meeting minutes, June 25, 2025, 6:30 pm

Attendees: Charlie, Jeannette, Jethro, Mike, Nathanael

Absent: Christina, Julie, Marty

Meeting was formally called to order, rules of procedure reviewed, public recognized (none in attendance), changes to agenda order (none) discussed

Meeting minutes from April 23, 2025 were unanimously adopted

New business: After the ‘What about washouts’ event held in March the Planning Commission had expressed a desire to find a demonstration project to illustrate flood management principles. Jeannette reported out on one possible project.

Guilford Preservation Inc. owns property along Route 5 in Algiers. The ‘meadow’ portion has been farmed by a flower growing operation for 2 years. New this year is the addition of several farming plots. The site experiences excessive water inflow from a culvert and road runoff. GPI has been in contact with Hans Estrin, Ecological Planning Laboratory, UVM Extension, to discuss water runoff mitigation strategies. Preliminary plans include creating a swale and planting native plants to contain the runoff.

Cost estimates for the excavation are preliminary. GPI doesn’t have any funds to support the project. One possible action is for the PC to provide some funds for the excavation portion of the project.

Discussion ensued the fairness of such action, e.g., spending funds for a private project, keeping in mind that GPI is a non-profit. The general consensus was that the project has the potential to be a highly visible case study for landowners seeking ideas for their own flood management projects. GPI will be asked to provide the PC with a grant application.

Recurring business: The Planning Commission intends to regularly review the Goals, Strategies and Actions developed as part of its Strategic Planning Process undertaken in 2024. Due to the absence of several members of the commission the topic will be discussed at the next scheduled meeting.

The meeting was adjourned by unanimous vote.

Next scheduled meeting is July 23 at 6:30 pm