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Weir River Estuary Park Committee

Meeting Minutes

Committees: Weir River Estuary Park Committee

Meeting Schedule (All dates and times are tentative. Please check the Events calendar for official dates and times.)

The Weir River Estuary Park Committee would like to invite the public to attend our meetings, which focus on care of the Estuary, including protecting land, improving water quality, and encouraging stewardship through education and respectful recreation.

2011 meeting schedule

• 7 p.m., Wednesday, January 5, Hingham Town Hall, 210 Central St., Hingham
• 7 p.m., Tuesday, January 25, Estuary Center, 333 George Washington Blvd., Hull,
• 7 p.m., Tuesday, February 22, Estuary Center, 333 George Washington Blvd., Hull
• 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 22, Hingham Town Hall, 210 Central St., Hingham
• 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 27, Estuary Center, 333 George Washington Blvd., Hull,
• 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 24, Estuary Center, 333 George Washington Blvd., Hull
• 7 p.m., Tuesday,, June 28, Hingham Town Hall, 210 Central St., Hingham
• 7 p.m., Tuesday, July 26, Estuary Center, 333 George Washington Blvd., Hull,
• 7 p.m., Tuesday, August 23, Estuary Center, 333 George Washington Blvd., Hull
• 7 p.m., Tuesday,, September 27, Hingham Town Hall, 210 Central St., Hingham
• 7 p.m., Tuesday, October 25, Estuary Center, 333 George Washington Blvd., Hull,
• 7 p.m., Tuesday, November 29, Estuary Center, 333 George Washington Blvd., Hull
  

2009 Annual Report

The Tri-town Weir River Estuary Park (WREP) committee works to protect, link, and restore continuous coastal vistas and habitat for indigenous aquatic and terrestrial species within the State designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern [ACEC (100 foot flood plain)] and the 200 foot River’s Protection Act, as well as adjacent public and private properties. The Weir River outer estuary empties into Hingham Bay at World’s End (Hingham) and Sunset Point (Hull.) It ebbs and flows through the inner estuary under the George Washington Boulevard bridge, past the Estuary Center, splitting to head toward Strait’s Pond and/or to bend toward the Weir River channel where the estuary ends at Foundry Pond dam and fish ladder.

For a visual picture of the estuary, the Weir River Estuary Park brochure, Paddling Guide revised 2009, is available at Town Hall, Hingham Library, local sporting good stores, and on the Town of Hingham website. The brochure includes a map delineating the ACEC, points of interest, history, and little known facts about the estuary for viewing at 11 locations.

Weir River Estuary Improvements in 2009: Habitat Restoration, Land Acquisition, Education and Passive Recreation Access
• Restoration of Strait’s Pond as salt water habitat is already occurring with the completion in 2009 of a procedural conversion to assure a greater exchange of tidal salt water through the West Corner tide control gate. This has been a 30-year ongoing project. (Reference site #10 & 11 WREP Paddling Guide)
• WREP supported fund raising activities for Hull Land Conservation
Trust (HLCT) purchase of the Chatham Street mortgage to put the entrance to the Weir River Woods under Conservation; $110K of $270K has been raised to date.
• Chatham Street property, Hull, access and interpretation enhancements: An Eagle Scout Project for the HLCT provides a grassy parking lot, improved trails and a new trail head kiosk for interpretation of the estuarine and adjacent fresh water habitats at Weir River Woods. (Reference: site #4 in WREP Paddling Guide)
• The Estuary Education Center completion and grand opening provides multi-purpose space for classes, concerts, exhibition, and meetings. (Reference: site #6 in WREP Paddling guide)
• The Paddling Guide for the Weir River Estuary was revised and printed for distribution.

Goals for 2010
• Support the completion of Open Space Plans (OSP) for all three towns, a key prerequisite for acquiring grants and funding. The Weir River Estuary Land Protection Plan provides priority guidelines for estuarine protection, reference the Town of Hingham website.
• Support land acquisition along the estuary. Projects include Chatham St. on Weir River Woods, peninsula access at Straits Pond, Hingham’s Noonan property on Rockland Street, and two properties connecting Town of Hingham Conservation Commission properties in the estuary along George Washington Boulevard.
• Advance the Rockland Street bridge project and bike-pedestrian path with Mass Highway and the Town.
• Make George Washington Boulevard safe for pedestrians and cyclists to cross to follow the estuarine corridor.
• Achieve an alliance of groups that have an interest in the protection of the Weir River Estuary through a ‘forum’ on a management, communication, and education plan (5-10 years) for the estuary.
• Advance the use of the Estuary Center for education about the Weir River Estuary Park environs.

Three representatives per community are appointed by the Boards of Selectmen from Cohasset, Hingham, Hull. The Committee wishes to thank all the interested citizens, volunteers, Hingham voters, non-governmental groups, and representatives from local, State, and federal government for taking a role to achieve the Committee’s goals put forth in the Weir River Estuary Land Protection Plan.

Public meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month, except August, either at the Estuary Center, 333 George Washington Boulevard, Hull or at Hingham Town Hall. The year calendar of meetings is posted on the Hingham Town website.

Richard Avery, Co-Chairperson, Cohasset,
Faith L. Burbank, Co-chairperson, Hingham;
James Rodgers, Hingham
Judeth Van Hamm, Co-chairperson, Hull