Agricultural Commission minutes 1 10 11
Northampton Agricultural Commission
Minutes
Date: Monday, January 10, 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
Members Present: John Omasta, Chair, Ben James (left 9:00), Chip Parsons, John Kelly,
and Richard Jaescke, John Bobala
1. Approval of minutes:
Upon motion by Ben James and second by Richard Jaescke, the Commission voted
unanimously to approve the minutes of November 15, 2010 and December 13, 2010
2. Bean/Allard Farm and community gardens
The Commission had a brief discussion of the closing on the Bean/Allard APR,
greenway, and recreation area and the pending closing on the community gardens. The
Commission recommended that the community gardens lease not rule out herbicides,
pesticides, or any future farming method.
3. Keep Farming Northampton
The Commission, working with Keep Farming planning program volunteers, planned a
January 27, 2011 farmers’ forum, to be focused on those farming in Northampton.
4. Solar Photo Voltaic zoning
The Commission discussed whether free-standing photovoltaics should be allowed on
prime farmland. There was a reluctance to take any action that could take any farmland
out of production, but a sensitivity to the fact that such efforts could provide much
needed income for farmers. They agreed to include this as a question in the Keep
Farming outreach effort.
5. Local APR program
The Commission recommended that the challenges of how to craft a local APR could
also be informed by the Keeping Farming outreach effort