MONSON CONSERVATION COMMISSION
MINUTES DECEMBER 9, 2009
MEMBERS PRESENT: Leslie Duthie, Glenn Colburn and Davis Johnson.
7:00 Leslie Duthie stated she had drafted a letter to Leo & Sandra Bailey, Wilbraham Road regarding the posting of no trespassing signs on Conservation land.
7:16 MAIL
- Request for Certificate of Compliance from Al Joyce for 43 Waid Road.
- Tighe & Bond submitted a letter stating National Grid would be performing routine maintenance on utility poles located on Beebe Road and Old Reed Road.
- Copy of a letter from Natural Heritage & Endangered Species program regarding its review of proposed earth removal on property owned by Irving Arnold on Maple Street.
- Copy of the report and sketched map of the route walked by Tim Silva, John Knox and Leslie Duthie to monitor the permanent conservation restriction held by the Trustees of Reservations at the Towns Temple Brook Conservation area.
Leslie Duthie stated they located a house site and barn foundation and Tim Silva had included the coordinates for both.
7:37 Bridge Street and Lower Hampden Road. John Morrell, Highway Surveyor met informally with the Commission and submitted a Notice of Intent for work he proposes on Bridge Street. The work involves repairing an existing drainage system that has failed and is allowing the water to undermine the roadway instead of flowing into the system. The work also involves cutting out the trees and cutting and removing the bittersweet.
Leslie Duthie stated cutting and removing would be better. The Commission does not want the bittersweet pulled out along the stream bank because of erosion.
John Morrell stated he proposed to run a brush saw through the vegetation and remove it with a backhoe. Mr. Morrell stated there is an existing concrete slab over the drop inlet and the opening is plugged with trees and vegetation. The proposal is to remove the trees to open up the drop inlet and put four inches of brick around it and replace the cement block over the top so that the sides are open and the water can go where it is supposed to go. At the moment the water is not running where it should and has undermined the edge of the road and to repair that the pavement will be cut and fill put in along with four to six inches of rock along the edge tapering down to the drop inlet.
Leslie Duthie questioned if soil would be placed under the road?
John Morrell stated he would fill the area that was undermined with gravel.
Glenn Colburn questioned if the structure would be higher?
John Morrell stated no it would be the same height.
7:50 John Morrell stated he has a problem at the intersection of Wood Hill Road and Lower Hampden Road with ice build up. The Commission made a site visit with Mr. Morrell on Sunday morning and observed the problem the run off from property on Wood Hill Road is causing. The run off is coming from a large parking area located some 700 feet from the intersection on Wood Hill Road. Mr. Morrell stated he spoke with the owner of property on the corner of Wood Hill and Lower Hampden Road and he is willing to work with the Town to allow discharge onto his property. It is proposed to collect the water as it comes from the parking area and direct it into a catch basin with a pipe under Wood Hill Road and outlet onto Mr. Davis’ property.
Davis Johnson questioned if this solution meant that the Order of Conditions for Lower Hampden Road would not have to be amended.
Mr. Morrell stated he believed this would take care of the major part of the problem. It is not a guarantee and he would like to try this and watch it over the winter to see how it works. Mass Highway has extended the project until June 10, 2010 and based on what happens over the winter reassess the situation in the spring. If this does not work Mass Highway will fund whatever construction work is necessary to solve the problem.
Leslie Duthie stated Mass Highway has extended the project but not the Order of Conditions only the Conservation Commission can do that. She cautioned Mr. Morrell to make sure that if necessary he request an extension of the Order of Conditions before it expires.
Mr. Morrell showed the Commission two plans showing different ways to address the problem.
Option 1. Two catch basins on Wood Hill Road with a manhole clean out and four foot deep sump. The man hole should be off of the shoulder of the road. The pipe would discharge on the east side of the driveway with stone to catch the sediment before it goes into temple brook.
Option 2. Open swale instead of a pipe from the manhole along the side of the road. The upside is it would be a long vegetated swale that would catch a lot of the sediment. The downside is that it would be deep and probably need guard rails and it would be a big impact on Mr. Davis’ property.
8:10 NOI Palmer Road, Monson Water & Sewer Department. The filing is for sewer access maintenance and improvements. DEP has issued a number 228-323.
Donald Frydryk stated the sewer line runs along property owned by Maledun LLC, along the side of the railroad tracks, into manholes and under the brook and on eventually into Palmer to the treatment facility. The line is a main interceptor from Monson to the Palmer sewage plant and it needs maintenance. The first part of the project is to construct an access way most of which is out of the wetlands except for two small areas 750 square feet and 800 square feet respectively. It is proposed to remove the small trees by cutting them low to the ground leaving the stumps to help with erosion. The access will be about 30 feet wide and it is planned to leave the undergrowth.
Craig Jalbert stated the tree removal is similar to work the Water & Sewer Department did on Chestnut Street.
Donald Frydryk stated DEP asked for an alternative analysis but there really is no realistic alternative. Initially we looked at going over the sewer line but that would have resulted in too much wetland fill and the other option was trying to work it out with the railroad to do something in their right of way. The railroad is fiercely protective of its right of way and it is almost impossible to get permission to encroach on it. If the Commission was to agree the Monson Sewer & Water Department would be agreeable to do vegetation maintenance for remediation at Chestnut Street.
Leslie Duthie stated there is a lot of Japanese knotweed along the line at Chestnut Street and the remediation is only 1500 square feet that would satisfy the Commission.
Craig Jalbert stated the Department has a product that it uses around the fire hydrants and it is marketed as usable near wetlands and would check to see if it is something he could use on the Japanese knotweed.
Leslie Duthie stated to clarify the area under discussion is behind the medical center, between the medical center and the O’Shea property and it is proposed to cut the vegetation and then spray.
Davis Johnson stated considering the quality of the wetlands at the work site he believed it would be acceptable to do something along the brook and closer to Town.
Leslie Duthie questioned if the work on the access for sewer maintenance at the Palmer Road site involves removing some loam and putting down gravel?
Donald Frydryk stated that was correct. He stated DEP issued a file number and had some comments about the project.
- The reviewer Mark Stinson questioned how the resource area boundaries and Mean Annual High Water Line were determined?
Donald Frydryk stated the Chicopee Brook has a definite high water line and the wetland boundaries were not marked because there was not a problem with delineation.
- DEP questioned the 19,909 square feet of vegetative maintenance?
Donald Frydryk stated he had discussed this with the Commission this is the access for the sewer maintenance and the Water Department would be taking down woody growth.
- DEP questioned the 1579 square feet of Bordering Vegetated Wetland that would be altered and cautioned the Commission to review the language of 310 CMR 10.53(3)(d) because work proposed as a limited project must comply with the regulation if it can?
Donald Frydryk stated the Commission does have the discretion to allow BVW restoration to occur offsite and they discussed that with the Commission and proposed work at Chestnut Street. He stated other comments from DEP advised monitoring of wetland replication, any work in Zone 1 should be approved by DEP Drinking Water program and finally the reviewer was not sure sufficient information was submitted to adequately describe the site, work and resource area impacts.
Glenn Colburn stated Mark Stinson is at a disadvantage because he is not familiar with the site or the area. The Commission has made a site visit and the work proposed is routine maintenance to maintain a major sewer line.
Donald Frydryk stated if the line is maintained properly it increases the chance that there will not be a problem with the line in which case the wetland would not be disturbed. If the Town does not do routine maintenance and have access to do it the potential is there for a serious problem.
Craig Jalbert stated they have performed inspections with a camera and the line looks good but they need to do routine maintenance to keep it in decent shape.
Donald Frydryk stated he wanted to discuss the DEP’s comments with the Commission before responding the only change to the project is the removal of invasive species at Chestnut Street.
Leslie Duthie moved to continue the hearing to the next meeting on December 30, 2009 to wait for any response DEP may have to after receiving the additional information from Mr. Frydryk.
Davis Johnson seconded the motion.
It was so voted unanimous.
8:45 NOI Margaret Street, Monson Water & Sewer Department continued.
Craig Jalbert submitted a proposal from Northern Construction Service, LLC to perform work associated with the protection of the sewer line crossing the brook bed adjacent to Margaret Street. The contractor proposes to install a silt curtain downstream from the sewer line crossing; install double washed 18” rip rap adjacent to and around sewer line; install 1 ½ “ double washed stone in voids of rip rap for “chinking”; restore disturbed areas with loam, seed and hay mulch and remove silt curtain.
Glenn Colburn questioned if they would be digging down into the streambed to put in the stone?
Craig Jalbert stated they may have to move some of the big stones.
Leslie Duthie moved to make a site visit and continue the discussion until the next meeting on December 30, 2009.
Glenn Colburn seconded.
It was so voted unanimous.
The Commission set a site visit for Sunday December 13, 2009 at 8:30 A.M.
9:00 RFD 19 Cushman Street submitted by Joe Metcalfe property owner.
Mr. Metcalfe proposes to clear small trees, bittersweet and grape vines that have encroached on the existing hayfield. There is a brook running along the property and Mr. Metcalfe is close to the stream bank. The disturbed area is to be re-seeded with field grass.
Glenn Colburn moved to give a negative determination for work in an area subject to protection under the act but will not alter, dredge or fill the area.
Leslie Duthie seconded the motion.
It was so voted unanimous.
9:00 Leslie Duthie stated she was finalizing the paperwork to get the funding from CPA. There were letters to be signed and a sign erected that acknowledges funding for the project through CPA monies and includes their logo.
Leslie Duthie stated there are a couple of issues with the project to be addressed. The first is the necessity for a survey of the property. The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs stated because the last survey is almost 40 years old and three pieces have been cut out and sold to abutters the land would have to be surveyed. It will take approximately 8 – 10 weeks to get the survey but we cannot close on the property until the survey is done. She questioned if the Commission would agree to use the land acquisition funds to complete the survey estimated to be around $15,000 to $16,000?
Glenn Colburn and Davis Johnson were in agreement that it was an appropriate use of land acquisition funds.
Leslie Duthie stated the survey would put the closing date back to late February early March but meantime Ms. Cortina is anxious to move the sale along and is requesting a deposit. Ms. Duthie stated not having a lot of experience with real estate she sought advice from a professional and with a purchase and sales agreement in place will give only the deposit required by the agreement. To meet the regulations for the CPA money everything must be completed by June 10, 2010.
Davis Johnson moved to accept the minutes of November 4, 2009.
Glenn Colburn seconded the motion.
It was so voted unanimous.
9:30 Glenn Colburn moved to adjourn.
Davis Johnson seconded the motion.
It was so voted unanimous.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda A. Hull
| 
