Lenox Conservation Commission
Landuse Meeting Room
February 19, 2015
Minutes
Town Hall
Members present: Acting Chair Vince Ammendola, (VA); Tim Flanagan, (TF); Joe Strauch, (JS); Dick Ferren, (DF); RFC); David Lane, DL
Absent with notification: Chair Neal Carpenter, (NC); Rose Fitzgerald Casey,
Staff present: Peggy Ammendola, (PA)
City of Pittsfield, Department of Public Utilities New Lenox Road at Mill Brook, Map 29 and Parcels 30 and 33, NOI, replacement of an existing culvert. Making the presentation was Tom Touchet and Meredith Washington of AECOM.
The project, a part of the Farnum Dam Upgrade in support of the water supply for the City of Pittsfield, is a culvert replacement as the existing one restricts the flow. The proposed replacement will be a 24 foot wide open bottom arched culvert. The installation will require modification to the banks and streambeds. The presenters systematically went through the details of the NOI, discussing the needs of the project and the necessity of streambed and bank modification to incorporate the new required culvert and the justification for the approach that was depicted in the plans. As a description proceeded certain discrepancies in the NOI were noted. These discrepancies included the following:
- No exact culvert type was specified
- All drawings submitted were entitled “preliminary”
- Many field design features were left up to the discretion of the contractor with no definite specifications included.
- Several required dimensions were not verified by computation and source material in the NOI
- The area of disturbance had not been completely defined and the removal of the vegetation in the area was not described completely.
DEP issued File Number 198-0282 for the project, but noted the following:
- Bank full width should be determined as the average of at least three typical widths, measured at the proposed structure’s location, and then upstream and downstream of the proposed structure outside of the influence of the existing structure.
- Re-establishing the rip-rap swale is considered a new point source discharge subject to the Storm Water Standards. Any BMP included in a Notice of Intent must be designed per the BMP manual.
- The applicant should review the new ACOE GP for self-verification requirements.
As discussion progressed it was determined that much of what the Commission needed for consideration of this project had been researched and documented but had not been included in this submission. Sign-offs from property owner Goodman and the Town of Lenox are necessary but have not yet received. The deep snow cover prevented Commissioners from being able to see the area in order to make a determination. The project is not scheduled to commence until the summer of 2016. Based on these facts, the Commissioners and Ms. Washington and Mr. Touchet agreed to continue this hearing until May 7, 2015 when weather conditions would be conducive for a site visit as well as to allow time for AECOM to gather the necessary details needed for the Commission to review the project properly.
TF requested that the low flow be determined and that be made a condition of the project.
DF made a motion to continue the hearing to May 7, 2015 with a site visit to be conducted in advance of that meeting. JS seconded the motion and the Commission voted to agree 5-0.
Mr. Touchet and Ms. Washington will provide a revision or addendum to the NOI to touch on the points discussed and as well as final drawings depicting the project.
Approve Minutes: There were none to approve
Respectfully submitted,
Peggy Ammendola
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