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Brookfield to proceed with municipal timber sale to fund Old Governor's Road repairs; gate debate continues
Summary
Town officials reviewed and signed timber-sale and wetlands paperwork for a municipal harvest intended to fund repairs to Old Governor's Road; conservation members backed the sale as a way to generate on-site fill, but a dispute over whether a gate can bar vehicle access under RSA 231:21-a remained unresolved.
Brookfield Town officials moved forward with paperwork for a municipal timber sale designed to generate revenue to repair a wet, low section of Old Governor's Road and restore access to a hayfield.
Unidentified Speaker 7, presenting the harvest plan, said the project uses two on-site log landings and hopes to use excavated material as fill on the road to reduce the town's need to buy processed aggregate. He told the board three copies of the timber-sale contract (Ellie Taylor and Sons) and two copies of a work agreement with his company were ready and that insurance certificates and a timber-tax bond calculation were included. He said timber-tax at 10% had been backed out of stumpage values in the contract pricing.
The conservation commission and heritage representatives said the harvest is intended as a "forest-stand improvement cut" that will remove low-quality trees, encourage oak and hemlock regeneration, and improve some wildlife habitat while leaving standing dead trees unless they present a safety hazard. Unidentified Speaker 8 said the commission will ask the logger to remove a few large trees from an old foundation to reveal historic features and said the commission will stake out sensitive areas.
The board reviewed and agreed to sign the wetlands-notification form and the state-required intent-to-cut form; Unidentified Speaker 7 said he would return immediately with the intent-to-cut signed by the landowner so the town could execute the forms at the meeting.
Conservation members proposed installing a gate at the Leifert Road entrance to protect the hayfield. Unidentified Speaker 8 cited RSA 231:21-a, saying gates on Class 6 highways must not interfere with public use and therefore must be removable and not locked. Unidentified Speaker 1 and others countered that while the RSA allows pedestrian access, it does not explicitly require vehicular access and asked staff to get a legal clarification. The board agreed to discuss recommendations from the conservation commission after its meeting and to obtain attorney guidance on the scope of permitted access.
Practically, presenters said the town expects logging to start in about two weeks and anticipates three weeks to a month of on-site work, depending on weather. Speaker 7 said the work will include replacing culverts where necessary and that the goal is to get the road crowned and draining rather than repeatedly washing out.
The board authorized execution of required paperwork at the meeting and directed staff to scan and circulate contract documents for review.
What's next: conservation will report back with a recommendation on gating after its meeting, the town will obtain legal clarification on RSA 231:21-a and vehicle access, and staff will circulate contracts and insurance documents to the board for records and further review.
