Agricultural Commission agenda and minutes 2 7 11
Northampton Agricultural Commission
Agenda (revised) and Minutes
Date: Monday, February 7, 2011
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: City Hall, 210 Main Street, Room 10, Northampton
For more information:
Wayne Feiden, FAICP, Director of Planning and Development
wfeiden@northamptonma.gov
(413)587-1265
Agenda
1. Approval of minutes--January 10, 2011
2. Follow-up to Farmers Forum and Keep Farming Northampton
3. Request from Grow Food Northampton for support for CPA application
4. Further discussion Solar Photo Voltaic zoning
5. Other necessary business not envisioned when agenda written
Minutes
Members Present: Richard Jaeske, Vice Chair, Ben James, Chip Parsons, and John Bobala
Richard Jaeske opened the meeting at 7:05 PM.
Approval of minutes--January 10, 2011
Upon motion by Chip Parsons and second by Ben James, the Commission voted unanimously to
approve the minutes of January 10, 2011 as written.
Follow-up to Farmers Forum and Keep Farming Northampton
Nola Reinhart, from the Keep Farming effort, had a discussion with the Commission on the
January 27, 2011 Farmers Forum and the best way to get farmers to complete and return the
surveys being distributed to them as part of the Keep Farming Program.
Request from Grow Food Northampton for support for CPA application
Adele Franks from Grow Food Northampton presented GFN’s plans for a community gardens
and requested a support letter from the Commission. The Commission expressed some concern
about limiting the use of farmland to organic uses and the impacts on farmers. They declined to
issue a support letter at the time, although they left open the possibility of future support.