Hooksett neighbors raise privacy, liability concerns as Quimby Mountain stewardship plan moves forward

Residents who live next to Quimby Mountain urged the Hooksett Conservation Commission on Tuesday to protect private yards and reduce liability risks as the commission begins a stewardship plan for the town-owned conservation land.

Jesse Tringale, who said he lives at 30 Quimby Mountain Road and is the closest developed landowner to the mountain summit, told commissioners he and other abutters value the neighborhood's quiet character and cited subdivision covenants that limit activities such as commercial vehicles and structures. Tringale said he built a large garage and installed a sprinkler system to comply with prior covenants and that he worries trails routed close to property lines would allow users to trespass into private backyards and cause safety and insurance issues. "I just can't imagine people coming up through my backyard where I'm sitting out there watching TV in my hot tub," he said.

David Lacasse, an adjacent homeowner who identified his address as 24 Quimby Mountain Road, joined Tringale in asking the commission to avoid alignments that would bring trail access directly behind houses. Both speakers said some nearby lots carry deed restrictions, including no-build covenants and a 50-foot setback from the mountain in one deed, and that parts of the summit are steep enough to present hazards where people might stray from a path.

Commission staff told the speakers that the Quimby Mountain property is subject to a conservation easement that governs what the commission can and cannot do on the land. Staff said a consultant will prepare a forest-management and stewardship plan over the summer and that the commission expects to publish a draft in the fall for additional public review. The commission also said abutters will be invited to the public meeting on the draft.

Speakers and commissioners also noted that the actual summit of Quimby Mountain is not part of the town parcel and is owned by a local gun club; commissioners said they have not yet contacted the club formally and that any use or access across that sliver of privately held summit land would require separate negotiation. Commissioners said potential access points under consideration include an approach from the Goffstown/Hooksett Road side rather than from Quimby Mountain Road abutters.

Commissioners and staff repeatedly framed the discussion as early-stage input rather than a decision. The commission said it will post the conservation-easement document and stewardship-plan materials on its website and encouraged residents to subscribe to agenda and meeting updates or contact community development staff with questions.

The exchange clarified several points residents raised: the land is under an existing conservation easement that constrains work on the property; the summit parcel appears to be privately owned by a gun club; the stewardship plan will be prepared by an outside consultant and a draft is expected this fall; and any trail alignment proposed close to private lot lines would be subject to additional review and public comment.

Commissioners asked staff and the consultant to mark property boundaries in the field; staff said boundary medallions and survey markers already exist in several areas and that commission members had walked the boundary last fall and flagged the limits for the consultant.

The commission did not take a formal vote on trails or a preferred access point during the meeting. The stewardship plan process, including public hearings on a draft plan, will determine specific recommendations and any required easements or infrastructure changes.