RPA Meeting minutes
Recent Minutes
Richmond Pond Association Meeting Minutes
April 29, 2025, by Zoom
Welcome – Louise opened the meeting at 7:05 pm by welcoming all in attendance. This is our first meeting of 2025.
Approval of RPA minutes for October 22, 2024– Doreen made a motion to approve the minutes of October 22, 2024. The minutes were approved as submitted.
Approval of RPA 2024 Annual Report- Doreen made a motion to approve the 2024 annual report. This has already been submitted to the Town for publication for the Town meeting. The report was approved.
RPA contact list review- Louise asked that the RPA contact list be reviewed and updated with the current contacts for the Town, camps and associations. She will email the individual associations and camps asking for the current contact information
Updates from Town Hall – Danielle was not in attendance. Neal Pilson was present and had prepared information on Pond related business to share at this meeting.
He reported that the dock and kayak launch will be installed after Beach Road is graded.
The BOS will meet this week to confirm new members to the Conservation Commission. The agent and three members resigned after the last Con Com meeting. The selectmen hope to confirm 3-5 new members. Danielle is working on securing a new conservation agent.
The ramp monitors are fully staffed. Some may be utilized as beach monitors. A few individuals have expressed interest in the life guard position but as of today, the position is still vacant. The monitors have a new zebra mussels form for boaters to sign. This form does ask if the boat has been in Onota and/or Pontoosuc Lakes. If a boater refuses to sign, the boat monitor does not have the authority to prohibit the boat from entering the Pond.
The Town has a call in to an engineering firm to evaluate the broken culvert on Beach Road. They are anticipating that this will be an expensive repair. New road plates have been ordered to cover the hole as they work on a permanent repair solution. The Town is looking for grants to help with culvert repairs throughout the Town
The Town will be evaluating 2 different wash stations this week. They prefer a power wash at 140 degrees over a hand wash option. The cost is from $4500 to $6800. Neal felt that the wash station should be up and running fairly quickly after approval from the Con Com. The station will be housed in a metal shed. The shed cost is from $400 to $600.
The Town has earmarked $10,000 for boat monitors and $5000 for weed management. Because the Pond has not been treated for 3 years, $20,000 has accumulated. With this additional $5000 there will be $25,000 for weed management from the Town.
Neal expressed his concerns about the road blocks that have stalled the permits for weed management. He is hopeful that the new members on the ConCom will work with the Town and the RPA on the permitting process allowing for some treatment to be done this year.
Ken Kelly informed Neal that he has emailed Danielle asking that she review the beach, tributary and cyanobacteria testing protocol that the Pond Association has been using for a number of years and to share it with the appropriate people and boards as he did not know if this had ever been reviewed by anybody at Town Hall. The Board of Health has major responsibilities if there is ever a problem. Ken asked that any feedback be sent to him so that he can update the protocol. Neal will follow up with her.
Financial report– Laura reported on the finances that have occurred since our last meeting in October. She renewed both CDs. The CD for the dam fund was renewed for one year and the RPA’s for 6 months. She discussed the income and the expenses. Donations have continued to be received. Because there has not been any weed treatment for the past 3 years, the RPA’s income is in a healthy range right now. Laura will work on the grant application that was sent from a resident of Richmond Shores. This grant would donate $20,000 to the RPA. There is not a time limit on the grant but she will get it submitted very soon. She will also work on the budget for the coming year.
RPA participation in the Scholarship Awarding Committee- Jan Hartford asked for a representative of the RPA to participate in the scholarship awarding committee. Doreen volunteered last year and volunteered again to represent the RPA this year.
Nominations for President-Louise asked if there were any nomination to fill the president’s position. There were no nominations.
Project updates & other developments around the Pond
Camp season plans for Camp Arrow Wood – Matt relayed that the camp is renovating another cabin. There attendance has increased by 30%-40%. They are adding a new program after the summer session is over called Arrow Wood elite, which will be a 5 day over night session. This session includes basketball, soccer, and baseball camps. There will be directors coming in from out of state including college coaches and players. There will be 40 campers for each sport. Camp orientation for the staff begins June 24thand the camp sessions begin June 28th. Matt commented that there is a reasonable amount of international campers that come over for the camp sessions. They have a specific protocol in place about how to deal with ICE if they were to come to the camp. They are thoroughly checking that all the needed documentation for the campers is in place. Matt also relayed that the scholarships for Berkshire County residents has increased. They also have 6-8 counselors who are local.
They are working on the Hockey Camp coming back in the winter. Matt wants there to be more oversight with this program. There is a possibility that Camp Arrow Wood could partner with an on online school called Aeon and bring their academies onsite to the camp.
Louise asked if there were any updates pertaining to the dam. Matt reported that the dam is inspected on a quarterly basis and there has not been any change in its functioning. They have applied for a grant to help fund the maintenance and repairs. As of the last inspection, the dam is stable.
Update on Camp Russell – Cam was not present.
Goose Management Program-There was no interest in continuing the program this year.
Weed management planning update– Bruce reported that he presented at Richmond’s April ConCom meeting. He addressed his concerns with the 50-60 stipulations that they wanted done before approving the NOI for the weed management. Some of their stipulations would be very expensive, more that the Town or RPA could fund making them unrealistic. Neal Pilson also spoke about these conditions at the meeting and how the Town does not have the finances to do what they are ordering. Bruce reminded the members that part of their job is to manage the Town’s natural resource which includes Richmond Pond. There was no resolution but all the 3 members and the agent resigned after the meeting.
Bruce felt optimistic that at Pittsfield ConCom’s May meeting, they will approve the combined weed management NOI after reviewing the most recent weed mapping. Bruce felt that because Pittsfield has provisional approval by Natural Heritage and the environmental endangered species program that the Town of Richmond ConCom will likely be able to work with the Pittsfield ConCom to help move approval of the NOI forward. Pittsfield’s conservation agent, Rob Van de Carr, has been very helpful with Pittsfield’s side of the permitting process. Herbicide treatments are usually done in the spring which makes it unlikely that this will be done this year. Weed harvesting would be a good option for this year. The permits will be for 5 years if approved. Members voiced their appreciation to Bruce for all work he has done on the permitting process.
Garbage removal and invasive plant update- Louise reported that Miles plan to continue to pick up garbage on Beach Road to the public beach. He will place a garbage can near the beach. His work has made a difference.
There is no information on the invasive plants.
Update the Lake Management Plan- Ken, as noted earlier has sent Danielle the protocol for beach and tributary testing. Once this is updated, Ken plans on sending this to the community organizations and camps. The emergency contact list should be reviewed and updated so he has the most current contact information.
LAPA West will arrange the cyanobacteria testing for the summer. A draft schedule will be done in May. The testing will be scheduled every 2 weeks from June to September. Ken has organized the schedule of the volunteers who offered their boats for the testing. He would like to transition this task to someone who is on the Pond full time.
Recent developments around the pond
Community association reports:
Richmond Shores - Doreen did not have any new updates.
Branch Farm - Louise reported that people are getting ready to move back as a May 1st. She has seen the adults feeding at least one eaglet.
Whitewood - Jonna reports that her association will be having another engineering evaluation of their roads. They are in need of repair but funding is an issue. She also questioned if the Town has disseminated any information on short term rentals.
South Pond Farm – Laura relayed that summer residents are arriving. South Pond will be appearing before the Pittsfield Con Com asking for a permit to re-grade their beach which has eroded over time. Louise asked if there is a plan for the birch tree that has fallen onto their property. Laura did not know.
Education Connection at RCS-Louise reports that Richmond’s 4th and 5th graders are planning to visit Richmond Pond on a field trip May 22nd. June 5th is the rain date. 34 students and 5 adults will be present. They plan to visit the eagle nest, clean some swales and learn about how runoff from properties affects the health of the Pond. Louise asked for a motion for the RPA to fund the field trip up to $500. Motion approved.
The 4th grade students have created a QR code with information on zebra mussels and boat cleaning. Their goal is to post these in various locations around the Pond where boats are launched. Bruce offered to post it on the RPA website. The Town is looking at getting new zebra mussel awareness signs from the State.
File Management Plan- Doreen asked Kyle Brogan to relaythe information he has researched on digitalizing the RPA files. He described 3 options. The first would be scanning by hand which would be very time consuming but there would be no cost. The next option is to use a local commercial business. Staples in Great Barrington charge $1 per page. Lastly a larger commercial company gave him a quote that would require a minimum order of $1000. These files would all be saved as PDF’s. He discussed the best options for storing them on an on-line service. Cricket volunteered to help with this project if needed.
Ken felt that all of the files did not need to be digitalized as some of the information can be found on Massachusetts State websites and on the RPA website. He felt that the historical files would be the most important. The next step will be for Ken and Doreen to each independently review what should be digitalized and then compare notes to come up with one list. They will then discuss with Kyle and Cricket to prioritize the files.
Book sales- Kerry reported that the book sales have been slow over the winter. There are only 32 books available to sell and is hoping they will sell over the summer. The 3rd editions copies will be sold first followed by the 2nd edition.
RPA Website- Bruce has continues to update the links. He has compiled the minutes and has updated the latest map from Mass.gov. He asked that we continue to send him updates.
We are still looking for volunteers to manage Facebook and to write for the Richmond Record.
Odds & ends:
Trout Stocking-Ken reported that Richmond Pond has been stocked with rainbow trout along with Onota and Pontussuc lakes in Pittsfield.
LAPA West symposium- Ken relayed that the symposium is usually held in the fall.
Meeting Adjourned at 8:56 pm
ATTENDEE LIST:
Directors present (voting): Louise Brogan (vice-president, Branch Farm), Doreen Donovan (secretary, Richmond Shores), Jonna Gaberman (assistant treasurer, Whitewood), Ken Kelly (independent cottages,), Laura Rosenthal (treasurer, South Pond Farm), Matt Linick (Camp Arrow Wood), Kerry Hamilton (At-Large)
Ex-officio present (non-voting):None present
Alternates present: Cricket Nardacci (Whitewood), Holly Stover (At-Large), Bruce Wintman (Website director, Whitewood), Linda Kay (Richmond Shores), Al Nardacci (independent cottages)
Guests present: Dick Stover, Kyle Brogan, Carl Foote, Neal Pilson (Town Selectman)
Directors absent: Cam Stockton (Camp Russell), Miles Garfinkel (At-Large)
Ex-officio absent: Danielle Fillio (Richmond Town Administrator), Jim McGrath (City of Pittsfield)
Alternates Absent: Kais Abderrahim (Camp Russell), Kitty Levitan (Whitewood), Joe McGovern (Camp Russell), Barry Kellogg (Richmond Shores), Tim Mason (independent cottages), Gordon Dinsmore (South Pond Farm)
Richmond Pond Association Meeting Minutes
October 22, 2024, by Zoom
Welcome – Doreen opened the meeting at 7:05 pm. Louise was not able to connect to the Zoom meeting until after the approval of the minutes, approval of the meeting dates and updates from Town Hall. At that point she assumed leading the meeting.
Approval of RPA minutes for September 24, 2024– Doreen made a motion to approve the minutes of September 24th. Alison Dixon thought she had an amendment but upon clarification the item she wanted to amend was not found in the minutes. The minutes were approved as submitted.
Proposed meeting dates for 2025- Doreen reviewed the meeting dates for 2025. She proposed changing the September date to the 30th as the 23rd of September is the second night of Rosh Hashanah. She also asked if the consensus was to continue in the Zoom format. The following dates were approved and the meetings will continue via Zoom. The dates include; 4/22, 5/27, 6/24, 7/22, 8/26/, 9/30, and10/28.
Updates from Town Hall – Danielle was not in attendance. Neal was present but had no updates. He requested that specific questions be submitted to Danielle prior to the meeting.
Holly suggested that Alison Dixon brief Neal on the grants she is working on. Alison relayed that she has met with Danielle and Pete regarding the MVP grant. This grant pulled out the private roads of Richmond Shores and Whitewood. She is hoping that a strong proposal can be submitted for the Clean Water Act section 319 funding. Having additional projects would help fortify the grant. Some projects could include, Lake Street in Whitewood, a conceptual design for the Town beach and possibly even the culvert on the Town Beach road due to the concern with sediment runoff into the Pond. Her goal would be to pull together all those projects as an entire Richmond Pond watershed project. Over the next few months, she will develop the concept that there is a strong enough proposal to submit. The grant proposal would be due in May. BRPC (Berkshire Regional Planning Commission) would support Richmond Pond and other partners in preparing and administering the grant proposal. Alison did ask Danielle and Pete if the Town would provide a letter of support which they are willing to do. There is a possibility of the Town being able to cover the Town Beach project but Alison would still like to include this. Funding will be needed to bring the beach up to code for accessibility. Neal requested that she get on the agenda for a BOS meeting. Alison will plan to do this.
Financial report – Laura reported that she rolled over both CDs. She found that the interest rate earned on the 13 month CD was about 2% lower than the rate on the 6 month CD. With this information she rolled over both CDs to the higher 6 month rate. They will mature again on April 1, 2025. They now earn 4.55% down from 5.135%. Laura has mailed the dues notices to the associations around the Pond. Laura also filed the 990N for the IRS and the Massachusetts charities filing. Both were accepted. The RPA has $8700 in checking and $75,000 assets.
Project updates & other developments around the Pond
Weed management planning update– Bruce reported that there has been progress with the 3 NOIs which includes herbicide treatment, weed harvesting and the annual 2 foot drawdown. A public notice will be placed in the Environmental Monitor. This is scheduled for tomorrow. They have alerted The ConComs in Richmond and Pittsfield that they would like to present at their next meetings in November. Bruce and Jonna have met with Danielle. She is pulling together the list of abutters in Richmond and will then mail the notices to them. Jim McGrath will do the same for Pittsfield. They have also spoken with Dominic from Solitude. He has the herbicides available that have been approved by Natural Heritage for weed management. He has a tentative plan for weed treatment based on the most recent weed mapping and there will be another mapping done prior to treatment in 2025. These plans will be incorporated in the NOIs for the DEP, ConCom and Natural Heritage. The goal is to have this all in place by November 1st.
Tom Potter discussed the guidelines for submitting the needed material to Richmond ConCom two weeks prior to the next meeting which would be today. Jonna explained that they had been told that the intention to present needed to be scheduled by October 22nd, which they have done. When she asked Danielle when the documents needed to be provided for review, she was told they needed to be provided in a timely fashion. Kim Wetherall, the conservation agent, has also been included in the email conversations. Jonna and Bruce were very concerned about delaying until December as the letter to the abutters would need to be redone and the notice in the bulletin delayed. Tom will meet with his fellow ConCom members, Danielle and Kim Wetherall tomorrow to discuss allowing the completed NOIs be submitted on November 1st.
Winter Projects- Louise has identified six winter projects listed below. She will follow up on these projects in February.
File Management Plan- Ken reported that as promised, about 115 file RPA folders have been created and stored for public access in Richmond Town Hall's Room 133 - the Board/Committee Room, in time for the recent Town Hall Grand Opening. RPA‘s file cabinet is closest to the window. He relayed that the list of files can be shared with anyone, and could perhaps be also listed on the website. More work is needed as some file contents are missing (minutes from 2010) and some files need culling to eliminate duplications. He felt there should be a "files management plan" developed, with designated responsibility for maintenance to ensure that selected files are kept updated (minutes, annual reports), remain readily accessible, and are not inadvertently lost. He has discussed this with Doreen and they both agreed that it made sense for the secretary to have this responsibility. He also discussed whether some files should be digitized for online access. Kyle Brogan volunteered to do this. Doreen will be the lead with the help of Ken and Kyle to form a file management plan.
319 Grant Funding and Mass DEP Water Quality Grant- Alison relayed that there are no updates. She would like to have a few people she could work with over the winter. She felt that outreach and engagement are needed. Documentation with photos of sedimentation runoff into the Pond and brooks would be very helpful. Alison will reach out to Louise for assistance with volunteers. Louise asked if there was anyone interested in helping with his project, to let her know. Alison’s email is adixon@berkshireplanning.org. Alison is reaching out to Richmond Shores to ask if they would like to be included in the grant. Her contact is John O’Leary.
Annual Report- Doreen volunteered to write the report.
Education Connection at RCS- Louise has permission from the principal that she can continue with the Richmond Pond education initiative. This year will include the 4th and 5th grades. Louise will lead this project.
Detention Basin Remediation Follow up- Holly will lead this project. Alison would to be included in the meeting with the Boy’s Club to discuss the remediation. Louise offered to draft a letter to the Boy’s Club board of directors as a first step to reaching out.
Update the Lake Management Plan- Ken commented that there are several segments listed under the Lake Management segment of the RPA website. Most have been updated recently. He thanked Bruce for all the work he has done with the updates. They include Weed Management Plan, Beach and Tributary Testing Protocol, Pond Management Goals, Comprehensive Lake Management Plan and Plan Recommendations (2016-2021). He felt that a short segment on docks permitting should likely be added, as well as explicit mention in the Plan Recommendations of targeted invasive plants surrounding the Pond. All components, especially this last segment, should be reviewed and updated as needed, also seeking the endorsement of both the Town of Richmond and City of Pittsfield, as they are the state-empowered pond managers. Ken felt that it was important to be clear in the lake management plan that this isn't just the RPA. This is the RPA working in close collaboration with and with the endorsement of both towns. He felt the Richmond BOS should be involved as they oversee other parts of the lake management. In the short term, Ken will send edits to Bruce and Bruce will update the weed management plan after it is in place. In the long term, Ken thought it was reasonable to revisit hydro raking of the canal. The core group for this project would include Bruce as the lead with the support of Tom, Alison and Ken.
Update on Camp Arrow Wood– Matt relayed that this was a good camp year. They are remodeling two more cabins to accommodate their growth. There enrollment grew by 50% from the previous year. He thinks there will be 160-170 campers in the coming summer.
Update on Camp Russell– Cam was not present.
Recent developments around the pond
Community association reports:
Richmond Shores - Doreen reported that the Town came and did some road maintenance.
Branch Farm - Louise reported that their residents have been moving out. The water is shut off the first weekend in November. The adult eagles have been observed around the Pond.
Whitewood - Jonna described the condition of Lake Road. There are deep ruts which will impact plowing if they are not fixed prior to winter. This is a concern.
South Pond Farm – Laura relayed that most residents have left for their winter residence. There is still concern with the odor coming from the pot farm on Barker Road. Her association was going to follow up with the manager.
.
Odds & ends:
Winter drawdown- The 2 foot drawdown is scheduled to begin November 1st. Matt will follow up with the camp’s property manager.
Trout Stocking- Richmond Pond was stocked with rainbow trout on September 30th.
Meeting Adjourned at 8:30 pm
ATTENDEE LIST:
Directors present (voting): Louise Brogan (vice-president, Branch Farm), Doreen Donovan (secretary, Richmond Shores), Jonna Gaberman (Assistant Treasurer, Whitewood), Ken Kelly (independent cottages,)), Laura Rosenthal (Treasurer, South Pond Farm), Matt Linick (Camp Arrow Wood),
Ex-officio present (non-voting):Tom Potter (Richmond Conservation Commission)
Alternates present: Cricket Nardacci (Whitewood), Holly Stover (At-Large), Bruce Wintman (Website director, Whitewood)
Guests present: Alison Dixon (BRPC), Dick Stover, Kyle Brogan, Chris Visher
Directors absent: Cam Stockton (Camp Russell), Miles Garfinkel (At-Large), Kerry Hamilton (At-Large)
Ex-officio absent: Danielle Fillio (Richmond Town Administrator), Jim McGrath (City of Pittsfield)
Alternates Absent: Kais Abderrahim (Camp Russell), Linda Kay (Richmond Shores), Kitty Levitan (Whitewood), Joe McGovern (Camp Russell), Barry Kellogg (Richmond Shores), Al Nardacci (independent cottages,) Tim Mason (independent cottages), Gordon Dinsmore (South Pond Farm).
