MONSON CONSERVATION COMMISSION
MINUTES AUGUST 12, 2015
MEMBERS PRESENT: Glenn Colburn, Leslie Duthie
MEMBERS ABSENT: Davis Johnson
7:00 Leslie Duthie stated Michael Woloshchuk requested a Certificate of Compliance for his property at 14 Zuell Road. The Commission made a site visit to inspect the work and based on the inspection she moved to issue a Certificate of Compliance with conditions 36 and 41 to be ongoing.
Glenn Colburn seconded the motion.
It was so voted, unanimous.
Leslie Duthie stated Kevin Hall 21 Woodbridge Road requested a Certificate of Compliance for work associated with an addition to his existing home. A site visit to the property determined that no work has occurred beyond the work limit line and Mr. Hall has done a pretty good job of getting the Japanese Knotweed under control.
Leslie Duthie moved to issue a Certificate of Compliance
Glenn Colburn seconded the motion.
It was so voted, unanimous.
7:10 Arthur Goneau 71 Silver Street questioned if the Commission had looked at the photographs he sent of the National Grid right-of-way on Silver Street?
Glenn Colburn stated the Commission received the photographs and did not see the problems that Mr. Goneau alluded to. The area seemed to be stable.
Arthur Goneau stated he had a problem with the blanket that was laid underneath the gravel because it is not biodegradable. The work that has been done has changed the way the water flows. At all the public hearing National Grid repeatedly stated they would not change anything, now there is a gravel road.
Leslie Duthie stated National Grid would have had some heavy equipment in use and she could understand they would need a stable road bed. She stated she has seen vegetation grow through those kinds of blankets.
Glenn Colburn stated he felt the impact would be greater to have all of the material pulled out.
Arthur Goneau reiterated his point was that National Grid lied, they said nothing would change but it has.
Glenn Colburn stated he did not see this as a big issue.
Arthur Goneau stated he thought it was a big issue and he would not stop. National Grid laid down blankets covered it with gravel and if anyone other than National Grid did this in turtle habitat it would be stopped.
Leslie Duthie stated turtles dig in sandy gravelly soil, it is the motorized vehicles that cause more harm, especially the ATV’s that trespass on the right of way. She stated she would like to monitor the situation over the course of a year.
Arthur Goneau questioned if the Commission was O.K. with the diversion of the water? The water used to run down the middle of the right of way and now it runs into swales along the side.
Leslie Duthie stated water is often routed in a manner to protect the slope when work is done near a wetland. She questioned if the water ran into wetlands before National Grid did the work on the transmission line?
Arthur Goneau stated he did not know.
Glenn Colburn stated he agreed with Leslie Duthie and did not see a problem at this time.
Arthur Goneau stated he wanted the Commission to know that he was going to send the pictures to Boston.
7:20 NOI Cote Road Monson Highway Dept. DEP # 228-358. The work involves repairs to culverts and repaving of the road.
Donald Frydryk stated following a site visit with the Commission and Mark Stinson, DEP he revised the plans to show a pipe arch culvert at Station 65+25 on Cote Road. It keeps the clearance over the culvert and matches the bank. A wider culvert should take care of the concerns at that spot. The plan shows a vegetated spreader on both sides of the road with bio-degradable netting. He stated he believes this meets all the concerns.
Leslie Duthie stated John Morrell brought up the culvert downstream a couple of times, is he leaving that alone?
Donald Frydryk stated he had a conversation with John Morrell about the culvert and it was decided to leave it alone. Changing the culvert could end up causing more problems.
Donald Frydryk stated the culvert at Station 70+75 on Cote Road is to be replaced with a new 18” corrugated metal pipe and will maintain the existing roadway elevation and flow capacity of the crossing. The pre and post peak flows on both culverts are essentially the same.
Glenn Colburn questioned if the flow overtops the road?
Donald Frydryk stated both culverts overtop the road now and that will continue to happen. The 18” culvert has a pretty large water shed of 18 acres. The Army Corp of Engineers have a new general permit for replacement/repair of existing culverts and the work has been designed to meet the general performance standards for the general permit.
Leslie Duthie questioned when the work would take place?
Donald Frydryk stated the narrative directs work to take place in low/no flow and this would not be a problem for the second culvert, but they may have to de-water for the first culvert.
Leslie Duthie moved to close the hearing and issue an Order of Conditions for the Cote Road project.
Glenn Colburn seconded the motion.
It was so voted, unanimous.
7:55 NOI 200 MAIN Street Monson Parks & Rec DEP 228-0369. The work proposed is the construction of a storage building that is within the riverfront area of Chicopee Brook.
Donald Frydryk, Sherman & Frydryk, Land Surveying & Engineering stated the construction is within a previously degraded riverfront. The plan proposes infiltrating storm water to meet the requirements of the Water Supply Protection District Bylaw because the construction creates more impervious surface. The proposed runoff from the roof of the structure will be infiltrated using stone aprons along the easterly and westerly sides of the building. As demonstrated by the drainage calculations, runoff from up to and including the 10 year storm event will be infiltrated on site.
Leslie Duthie questioned if the road come in and around the Fire Department.
Donald Frydryk stated that was correct.
Leslie Duthie stated she was familiar with the site and there is not a lot of area to work with. She would agree that it is a much degraded area, especially the parking area and stock pile area. She questioned if the stock piles would remain?
Donald Frydryk stated they would. The Highway Surveyor John Morrell requested that. The stock piles are located outside of the riverfront area.
Leslie Duthie stated she believed this was an improvement over what is happening now. She questioned if the size of the storage building was adequate for the Parks & Recreation needs?
Donald Frydryk stated the size of the building was dictated by the insurance money the Town received. He stated he felt the plan proposed met the performance standards. Mark Stinson, DEP in his comments stated the Town must make improvements to the degraded riverfront area. To address that an infiltration basin has been designed that will eliminate the current direct discharge into the river.
Glenn Colburn questioned if anything could be done to improve the edge of the bank?
Leslie Duthie stated it is all invasive species along the edge of the bank. Monson was one of many Towns that received a grant from brown fields when Gretchen Neggers was Town Administrator. The discussion then was to make a river walk, but a better use of the funds maybe to address the invasive plants along the river bank.
Leslie Duthie moved to close the hearing and issue an Order of Conditions.
Glenn Colburn seconded the motion.
It was so voted, unanimous.
8:15 RFD Veterans Field, 110 Main Street Monson Parks & Rec. The work proposed is refurbishing of the wood chips in the playground area and replenish the clay material on the ballfields.
Leslie Duthie stated the request is for a determination for the area and work. She stated overtime the material in both areas blows away or packs down and the Parks & Rec propose to remove any remaining material and replenish with new. There is no loss of storage because they are only replacing what has been lost. The wood chips in the playground area is a safety issue and she told the Parks & Rec Director that he could start that work, but he had to file and file for the work on the ballfields.
Leslie Duthie moved to issue a negative determination for work in a resource area that will not dredge, fill or alter an area subject to protection.
Glenn Colburn seconded the motion.
It was so voted, unanimous.
The Commission discussed the site visit to the Cushman Street property owned by Richard & Rosemary Johnson. Mr. Johnson cleared an area of his property at 20 Cushman Street that is within a resource area without a filing with the Commission.
The Commission decided that Mr. Johnson should establish a fifty (50) foot buffer zone by installing three (3) to five (5) 1 ½” caliper native trees along the fifty (50) foot line.
Glenn Colburn stated the discussion of property owned by Gail Howard on Silver Street should be put on the Agenda for next meeting for 7:00 P.M. Hopefully the property owner’s consultant would be available.
8:30 MAIL
- DEP has extended the Superseding Order of Conditions issued by that agency to Mr. Falkowski for property he owns on Brimfield Road.
- Haines Hydrological received the Determination for Monson Development Center, State Avenue.
- The certified letter addressed to Robert Sanderson Thayer Road was returned.
- Copy of a Beaver Permit issued by the Monson Board of Health to the Monson Highway Department for Niekse Road.
- Copy of a report from Tighe & Bond relating to the spill on the former M & M Chemical building on Cushman Street.
- Notice that Aquatic Control Inc. will be performing a survey and inspection of Paradise Lake with a follow up treatment depending on the results of the survey.
- Bretlin Engineering submitted a plan for the solar facility on Macomber Road that proposes a level spreader instead of direct discharge into the wetlands.
Glenn Colburn stated he thought this was a better plan but he would contact Dan Lacourse and let him know that the Commission wanted a full size copy of the plan.
Glenn Colburn moved to approve the revised plan showing a level spreader.
Leslie Duthie seconded the motion.
It was so voted, unanimous.
8 Letters from Peter Levesque Wetland Consultants Inc. regarding Lots 36 & 37 Heritage Lane. The work is substantially in conformance with the plan submitted for Lot 37 Heritage Lane. Peter Levesque recommended a partial Certificate of Compliance for Lot 36 Heritage Lane because there are two areas on the southerly side of the site where there are two gaps in the siltation fence and sediment extends beyond the fence. It is recommended that the sediment be removed by hand and the area raked, seeded, mulched and watered. The existing siltation fence should be carefully removed and two short sections of 6” diameter straw wattles installed down gradient of the two newly seeded areas, and removed when the areas are
stable.
Leslie Duthie stated she would take a look at the site.
The Commission set a site visit for Wednesday 19, 2015 at 5:30 P.M. for Lot 6 Upper Hampden Road.
8:45 Leslie Duthie moved to adjourn.
Glenn Colburn seconded the motion.
It was so voted, unanimous.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda A. Hull
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