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Richmond Conservation Commission outlines how to access townConservation Reserve Fund
Summary
Judy Rowski of the Richmond Conservation Commission briefed the committee on how residents and groups can apply to the townConservation Reserve Fund (CRF), showed sample applications, and said the fund currently holds about $372,757.70 with a projected July contribution of roughly $80,500.
Judy Rowski, a member of the Richmond Conservation Commission, told the committee on May 27 that the townConservation Reserve Fund is intended to protect natural resources and support outdoor recreation and related projects, and she outlined the application process for residents and community groups.
Rowski said applicants should contact the conservation commission early, describe the project, identify which CRF criteria the project meets and provide a budget and schedule. "You write the proposal and submit it to the conservation commission. I send it to the members to review. We meet and discuss it and we ask the people submitting it to come to the meeting ... and then we vote on whether were going to recommend it to the Select Board or not," she said.
Rowski showed examples that ranged from one-page requests to multi-page submissions, explaining that small projects typically require less documentation while larger undertakings (she cited the Gillette Pond dam and Andrews Community Forest work) need more detailed materials. She said the commission has asked applicants to provide a short closeout note after a project is finished so the commission can document outcomes.
The committee was told the CRF had a balance of $372,757.70 at the time of the meeting and that a scheduled July 1 deposit would add roughly $80,500, which would push the fund past $400,000. Committee members discussed using CRF money for tree planting around Brown's Court and other recreational improvements; members estimated a tree application for Brown's Court could ask for about $3,500 (roughly 84 trees at about $100 each) but noted prices can change and match commitments strengthen applications.
Committee members agreed to form a small group to draft a CRF application for tree planting at Brown's Court and to circulate sample letters and prior successful applications. Rowski offered to email samples and said she or the commission chair can review ideas with applicants before the commission meets to consider recommending funding to the Select Board.
The committee also discussed practical limits of CRF use: for land acquisitions above a statutory threshold the matter may require voter approval, and the conservation commission provides recommendations but not final appropriations, which the Select Board must act on.
Next steps: committee volunteers will draft and circulate a CRF application for Brown's Court tree plantings and return to the committee for a vote to submit a recommendation to the Select Board.
