05/15/2025 CC Minutes

Bethlehem Conservation Commission

May 15, 2025

Bethlehem Public Library

5 p.m.

 

Attendees: Cheryl Jensen, Joanne Jones, Margaret Gale, Rachelle Lyons, Veronica Morris, Wendy Aldrich Jordan and Colin Lunetta.

Alternate: Chris Jensen

 

Minutes April 17^th 2025

Ms. Jones made a motion to approve the minutes. There was a second from Ms. Morris. The motion was approved unanimously, with Ms. Jensen recusing herself because she did not have time to review the minutes.

 

Treasurer’s Report

Ms. Gale said the checking account has $264.92 and the savings account has $15,328 and forty-two cents.

 

Plastics Resolution

There was a brief discussion on the revised plastics resolution originally proposed by Barry Zitser.  Ms. Jensen made a motion to adopt it. Ms. Jordan seconded the motion, which unanimously passed.

 

House Bill 639

Ms. Jensen provided an update on the crypto-mining bill. She said the senate committee did not pass the bill, but neither did the committee kill it. It was sent back to the committee and might go for a floor vote in January.

 

There was a discussion about the next steps, including tightening up town regulations.

 

Ms. Morris made a motion that she meet with the select board and planning board to discuss additional actions to protect the town against crypto-mining operations. It was seconded by Ms. Lyons and unanimously passed.

 

 

New Business

There was a discussion about how the town might enforce the recently adopted dark-sky efforts. One suggestion was that bulbs are marked and it would be possible to tell whether they are compliant as far as lumens and temperature color.

 

The commission agreed that the next step would be for Ms. Lyons to discuss possibilities in a meeting with town administrator Mary Moritz and Bob Francis, who handles code enforcement.

 

Adjourning

Ms. Jensen made a motion to adjourn. It was seconded by Ms. Jones and unanimously approved ats 6:10 p.m.