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CEA 12-20-13 Meeting Agenda Draft Conservation Easement Authority November 21, 2013 Page -189- MEETING MINUTES OF THE FREDERICK COUNTY CONSERVATION EASEMENT AUTHORITY Held in the Executive Session Room of the Frederick County Administration Building at 107 North Kent Street, in Winchester, Virginia on November 21, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. PRESENT: Diane Kearns, Chairman; Todd Lodge; Bryan Jeff Green; Ron Clevenger; Charlie Triplett Planning Commissioner Liaison; Gene Fisher; Board of Supervisors Liaison STAFF PRESENT: Eric R. Lawrence, CEA Secretary; and Pam Deeter, Secretary II ABSENT: Elaine Cain; John Marker; Robert Solenberger OTHER: Patrick Felling, Shenandoah County; and Jed Rau and Tracy Lynn Potomac Conservancy PUBLIC MEETING: 1. Welcome and Introductions 2. August 22,2013 Meeting Minutes A motion made by Mr. Clevenger and seconded by Mr. Lodge, the August 22, 2013 minutes were approved. 3. Update on Potomac Conservancy. Jed introduced Tracy Lynn who is a stewardship specialist working at Potomac Conservancy. Tracy will be monitoring all the easements in West Virginia, D.C., and Virginia. The Potomac Conservancy and Diane Kearns and Robert Solenberger closed on October 28, 2013, an easement which is called Half Moon Property. The property has 288 acres of which 188 acres are in forest. This property is in the Star Tannery area. The Sunny Acres easement just closed between The Potomac Conservancy and John Venskoske on October 31, 2013. The property has 183 acres and is located off of Chestnut Grove Road. The Potomac Conservancy now holds four easements on Chestnut Grove Road and totals over 600 acres. Draft Conservation Easement Authority November 21, 2013 Page -190- 4. Update on Shenandoah County Progress. Shenandoah County closed on a one acre easement located on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River which is owned by the Vance brothers. The County is working with the Virginia Outdoor Foundation on 300 acres which is owned by the Hawkin’s family. There is another state agency Virginia Land Conservation Fund (VLCF) which purchases easements and the individual localities do not have to match the funds. This money will be available for the localities in late 2014 or 2015. Chairman Kearns asks Mr. Felling if Shenandoah County co-holds or facilitates easements. Mr. Felling said that the Vance Property is the first one that the CEA will co-hold. 5. Update on Effort to Create Informational Conservation Easement Brochures and Videos Mr. Lawrence and Chairman Kearns met with Josh Kinkaid of Shenandoah University Environmental Studies and he supports the educational video and brochure. Chairman Kearns posed a question to the CEA Members, how could we use this educational video? Chairman Kearns presented some of her ideas for the video which would be to get the facts out to the landowners as to what is conserved in Frederick County. Mr. Rau spoke up and said the landowners that have gone through the process of an easement would be a great testimony on video. Mr. Rau thinks the video should not be on the official, it should be on the landowner since it is their land going into the easement. Ms. Lynn said she helped make an educational video. Ms. Lynn’s idea was a 15 minute testimony of an older person. Ms Lynn was asked what was on video. She said it was based on a story and not the process of an easement. Chairman Kearns asked how you utilized this video. Ms. Lynn said it was played at the library. Chairman Kearns asks who would watch the video. Ms. Lynn suggested that the video be put on social media. Mr. Fisher suggested playing it for the Lions Club, Kiwians and Civic groups. Mr. Fisher liked the idea of the landowner on the video because he would be more emotional because it is his land and he is trying to preserve it. Mr. Felling suggested that we could make 2 or 3 short videos with difference emphasis on each video. One could be a testimony from a landowner; another could be the process, and so on. Mr. Green wants to make sure that we extend the invitation to the surrounding Counties to see if there is any interest in making the video. Draft Conservation Easement Authority November 21, 2013 Page -191- Mr. Lawrence has contacted the surrounding localities. Shenandoah University Environmental Studies has been contacted but a meeting with Kelley Crowley, Mass Media Communication at Shenandoah has not materialized. Every year Mr. Lawrence’s, department is contacted by the Frederick County AP Government class to do a project within the County and this project is presented at a Board of Supervisor meeting. Mr. Lawrence would like to get the high school students involved in the CEA project. By the end of Spring, hopefully we would have two approaches to the CEA project. We also need to prepare a list of property owners that have participated in the easement program. CEA needs to contact the property owners before giving out their information to the students. This list could be shared with the college students or high school students for their research. At the meeting in December, we need to have contacted the organizations that want to partner with the project and a list of property owners that would be willing to share their experience with the process of the easement. Mr. Lawrence will be compiling the list so you can contact him with the information. Mr. Rau for Potomac Conservancy suggested we also have a list of questions to ask the landowners. 6. Open Discussion Mr. Lawrence gave an update on the Transfer Development Rights program. The Planning Department has several in the process. Mr. Lawrence believes that the County will see more TDR’s because this will allow higher density in certain designated areas without a traditional rezoning. 7. Other The next meeting will be Friday, December 20, at 8:00 a.m. in the 1st Floor Conference Room (Purple Room). Mr. Lawrence will invite Kelly Watkinson, chair of Shenandoah County CEA to attend the meeting. Chairman Kearns also wanted CEA members to think about changing the date and time that the CEA meets. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:00 a.m. Draft Conservation Easement Authority November 21, 2013 Page -192- Respectfully submitted, __________________________________ Diane Kearns, Chairman ___________________________________ Eric R. Lawrence, CEA Secretary