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Commission approves Moosewood Ecological contract for Quimby Mountain stewardship plan, subject to town counsel review
Summary
Hooksett Conservation Commission approved an independent contractual agreement with Moosewood Ecological LLC to produce a stewardship plan for Quimby Mountain, with the approval conditioned on review by the town attorney if required.
The Hooksett Conservation Commission voted to accept a proposal from Moosewood Ecological LLC to prepare a stewardship plan for Quimby Mountain, approving the scope of work and adding a stipulation that the contract be reviewed by the town attorney if necessary.
Alan Stein, acting chair, opened discussion after a motion and second were placed on the floor. Commissioners reviewed the contract packet, which includes two standard contract pages and two pages describing a project‑specific scope of work. One commissioner raised concern that the contract appeared to be drafted by Moosewood and asked whether town counsel had reviewed it. Commission staff said they were not aware of a formal legal review; commissioners discussed asking the town attorney to determine whether a document review was required.
Commissioners emphasized the scope of work rather than contract boilerplate. According to the proposal, Moosewood's work will include data collection and desktop review (topographic maps, aerial imagery and datasets), site visits and field assessments by a forester and ecological specialists, an inventory of habitats and invasive species, and preparation of a written stewardship plan with management recommendations, boundary maps and a schedule of actions.
After discussion, the commission approved the proposal as amended to include a conditional legal review: the motion accepted the scope and authorized staff to forward the contract to the town attorney for review if the town attorney determined review was necessary. The motion passed; one member recorded opposition during the voice vote.
Commission staff said they would contact the town attorney about a legal review and coordinate any required follow‑up. Commissioners and staff noted they had worked with Bear Paw Regional Greenways and Moosewood representatives during negotiations on project specifics; project funding, timing and reporting requirements were not specified during the meeting.
