MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairperson Betty Warren, Audrey Delnicki, Carol Heffler, Barbara Kelly, Richard Muller and Audrey Wasik
ALTERNATES PRESENT: Donald Gates sitting for Philip Forzley
STAFF PRESENT: Jeffrey H. Folger, Environmental
Planner/Conservation Officer
Debbie Reid, Recording Secretary
ITEM: Correspondence and Reports
The Chamber of Commerce will be holding a Holiday Social on December 19, 2002 at 5:00 p.m. at The Mill on the River. Anyone interested should contact Jeff Folger.
Chairperson Warren confirmed with Commission members that they had received a letter from Mrs. Titus on Dart Hill Road and also a copy of the response she had written (Attachment A & B).
ITEM: Bonds
Appl. #00-09P Rex Lumber, 489 Sullivan Avenue
Jeff told the Commission that the site is stable, stormwater structures are in and the vegetation is established.
Motion to: release the bond for appl. #00-09P – Rex Lumber, 489 Sullivan Avenue
Was made by Commissioner Heffler
Seconded by Commissioner Phillips
The motion: carried
The vote was as follows: unanimous
ITEM: Minutes
The November 20, 2002 minutes were approved by general consensus of the Commission.
ITEM: Conservation Commission
Jeff informed Commission members that he would be presenting to the Commission the Open Space of Resource Management Project.
Witch Hazel plantings will be ordered shortly and planted this spring. They will be planted at Nevers Road Park.
ITEM: Wetland Officers Report
Jeff told member that he is available for site walks.
There was a minimal impact application approved for 960 Pleasant Valley Road. The house was donated to the Fire Department to be used for burning exercises. There will be a new house proposed on this lot with a disturbance of 1200 square feet within the upland review area. The permit was granted.
ITEM: New Business
Appl. #02-75W – Stone Crest Construction
The applicant proposes to fill 2100 square feet of wetlands on lot #6. There is no proposal to build on lot #3, the land would be deeded to lot #2 or lot #4.
After a brief discussion, it was the general consensus of the Commission that a public hearing would not be necessary for this application. The application would be heard on December 18, 2002.
Appl. #02-70P – The Casle Corp.
Motion to: hold a public hearing on January 8, 2003 due to potential significant impact to the wetlands and public interest on appl. #02-70P – The Casle Corporation – Buckland Road – Inland Wetland/Conservation Commission application to construct a medical office building, parking lots, stormwater structures, and associated improvements on property located westerly of Buckland Road, and southerly of Deming Street, GD zone.
Was made by Commissioner Phillips
Seconded by Commissioner Wasik
The motion: carried
The vote was as follows: unanimous
ITEM: Public Hearing
Appl. #02-59P Expo Design Center
Commissioner Phillips suggested that the public hearing be limited to a 9:00 p.m. deadline in order to allow for the rest of the agenda items to be heard. Commission members agreed to this suggestion.
Chairperson Warren stated that anyone wishing to address the Commission should confine their comments to wetland issues. Warren also informed the Commission that a letter was received from Updike, Spellacy & Kelly asking for intervenor status, which will be addressed by Town Attorney Barry Guliano.
Attorney Guliano reviewed the procedure for intervenor status with the Commission. He stated that there are certain requirements under the statute that the petitioner needs to meet. One requirement with the intervenor status is that the petitioner has to allege specific facts, not conclusions, and specific facts that relate to causing environmental issues that are within the jurisdiction of Inland Wetlands. This petition must be verified. Attorney Guliano explained that in his opinion, this particular verification is simply stating that they have read the allegations and believe it to be true. The allegations are very general and lead to conclusions rather than specific facts. Attorney Guliano recommended that the Commission deny this petition, however keep the public hearing open in order to give the
petitioner an opportunity to amend the petition so that it does meet the statute. This Commission could then allow the petitioner to intervene and participate in the public hearing.
Motion to: reject the request of intervenor status by Pavillions at Buckland Hills, LLC based on the Town Attorney’s comments and recommendation.
Was made by Commissioner Wasik
Seconded by Commissioner Muller
The motion: carried
The vote was as follows: unanimous
Mr. Alan Lamson came before the Commission to represent this application. Mr. Lamson explained that the detention basin for this site is located towards the southwest corner of this property. There is a single building of 90,250 square feet and 414 parking spaces proposed for this site. There will be an access drive plus two driveways directly into the site. The grade on the existing property slopes from the east down towards the west.
Ms. Michele Carlson, a Professional Engineer with Fuss & O’Neil came before the Commission. Ms. Carlson explained that the storm drainage system was designed in accordance with the Town of South Windsor public improvement specifications and the Connecticut Department of Transportation. It has been designed for a 0 increase in rate of runoff as required by the regulations. Ms. Carlson explained what is being proposed for the drainage system. There will be stormwater structures, catch basins and pipes that will collect stormwater from the parking lot in addition to rain gardens. The first ½ inch roof runoff will be put into the rain gardens and anything above and beyond will discharge to a newly created grass swale, which will be approximately 700 feet long. The detention basin has been
designed to retain 2 inches of rainfall and above and beyond that, it will rise and start to flow out. The detention basin will be located in the farm field which will be planted and provide some habitat for wildlife. The detention basin area has an outfall structure at the end of the basin, so there will be additional water quality and renovation. The plants in the basin will help remove nutrients and sediments. It was found that the effect of the proposed development on the downstream peak at Rte. 30 is negligible because the site is so small (11 acres) compared to the entire watershed (7,000 acres). There will be a decrease in peak and the rate of the peak is lower than currently exists, but there is a volume increase of less than 1%. There are approximately .3 acres of wetlands on this site, and no wetlands will be disturbed.
The total disturbance in the upland area is 1.76 acres. Ms. Carlson reviewed the erosion and sedimentation control measures that are being proposed for this site. The following are measures being taken throughout the site:
Silt fencing.
Hay bails.
Erosion control matting on slopes.
Along the grass swale, stone berms will be placed during installation.
A temporary de-watering basin will be placed in the vacinity of the detention basin.
During construction, the controls will be inspected weekly and within 24 hours of a 1” storm event or greater will be inspected by a Certified Soil Scientist or a Register Professional Engineer. Monthly reports are required to be submitted to the Town.
Mr. Jack Klausen an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources Management Engineering at the University of Connecticut came before the Commission. Mr. Klausen explained that his role on this project is to assist the applicant in designing innovative stormwater practices. Mr. Klausen stated that he would explain the following:
Utilizing rain gardens on this site.
Distribute infiltration of stormwater back in various places around the site.
The rain gardens proposed for this site will receive and infiltrate water on site to recharge the local ground water table versus shed water. The rain gardens are designed to accept 6” of water that will pool in the rain garden and infiltrate over time. Any water in excess of 6” will spill into a catch basin and be carried out as in a normal stormwater management, which is the first benefit on this plan. The second benefit is the water quality. By holding 6” of water, they will also hold onto sediment that moves in the water.
The detention basin has a forebay for settling out of solids. Also on this site there will be 4’ sumps and trap hoods in all of the catch basins.
Mr. Richard Snarski, a Soil Scientist came before the Commission. Mr. Snarski reviewed the wetland and upland review areas found on the site.
Ms. Rosemary Alrich came before the Commission. Ms. Alrich reviewed the rain gardens and landscaping that is proposed for this site.
Mr. Alan Lamson came before the Commission to make closing remarks on this presentation. He stated that they feel the plan submitted to the Commission is in conformance to the regulations of the Town of South Windsor.
Commission members discussed at length the proposal including the entire site. Chairperson Warren felt because the Evergreen Walk site is so large, work on a proposal for the overall site would be more practical and beneficial. There may be the possibility of minimizing disturbances throughout the site and maximizing stormwater treatment by viewing the whole site at once.
Mr. Giles from Fuss and O’Neil responded by saying the application before the Commission is separate from the rest of the site because plans for the rest of the site are presently speculative.
Commissioner Phillips felt that if this site were looked at as a whole, there would no longer be a negligible impact on downstream flow.
Commissioner Heffler felt that since this site is broken into eight different parcels, the applicant has the right to develop each one of those with inland wetland impact applications.
Answering questions from the Commission, the applicant explained that the Expo site is in parcel seven and the detention basin is in parcel two.
Since the time was getting closer to the 9:00 p.m. deadline for this application, the Commission felt they should hear from the public.
Mr. John King, an Attorney with Updike, Spellacy & Kelly, LLC came before the Commission. He stated he was the individual who filed the verified petition to intervene. Attorney King explained they intend to not make a presentation tonight until the intervenor status is clarified to the satisfaction of Attorney Guliano. They respectfully disagree while respecting Attorney Guliano’s opinion.
Mr. Chris Lariviere of 260 Smith Street came before the Commission. He voiced that one of his concerns is that the swale that is being proposed is so long that a by-pass road, which was mentioned, could not be constructed and traffic is a huge concern in this area.
Jeff explained that the length in travel time is one of the keys to water quality. The more surface area the water flows over, the better deposition of suspended material you get. He also explained that the advantage of having a 2” stone berm along the swale would be to obstruct the flow of water and slow the velocity.
Mr. Jean Jacques came before the Commission to speak in opposition to this application. He explained that he owns 33 acres of land adjacent to this area. The detention basin is too small for what is being proposed and until some items are cleared up, Mr. Jacques said he is very much in opposition to this.
Jeff stated that the soil and grass surface will need to be looked at to ensure they can withstand velocities. There is a concern about the outlet to the basin where it goes directly to the stream because there is concern about erosive scouring. If this is approved and built at a later time, there is a need for a definitive illustration that a contractor can use. One other comment on this site is that the red material escavated from the eastern portion of the site should not be used to fill the slope on the western portion of the site because that area is directly adjacent to the watercourse.
At the next scheduled meeting, Commissioner Wasik would like someone to address the cutting of the tree line along Buckland Road and the replacement being very sparse.
Chairperson Warren also felt the grade change and clear cutting on the slope could be a potential for an erosion problem. She also asked that the applicant address if there are oil separators on the catch basins.
Jeff informed the Commission that there is a maintenance schedule proposed, but would like effective controls for mosquitoes incorporated into the plan.
This public hearing was continued until the next scheduled meeting.
ITEM: New Business:
Appl. 02-67P Church Wood Estate – Pleasant Valley Road
Mr. Bob Ward of Ward Surveying Services came before the Commission to represent Mr. Henry Ordway who is the owner of this parcel. The property is located on Pleasant Valley Road, next to Veterans Memorial Pool. Just recently, Mr. Ordway sold a piece of the property to the Town for the pump station and now the applicant would like to re-subdivide this parcel. The proposal is for two single-family lots with separate driveways. The site is 1.37 acres in size with a proposal of .17 acres disturbance to the upland review area.
Chairperson Warren would like the applicant to place a conservation easement to the rear of the house. Because there are very bad slopes, any kind of disturbance could cause a serious erosion problem.
Jeff commented that he feels the proposal as shown has a minimal potential of impacting the wetlands. There are two concerns on this proposal which are as follows:
A person buys the house and immediately clears the lot.
There are eroded soils, and adjacent to that there is a pretty high quality wetland and watercourse.
Jeff stated that he has not seen any fresh cuts in the soils due to erosion. There should not be an increase in runoff from this site because there will not be too much impervious surface added to the this site and the water should infiltrate into the soils.
Commission members discussed at length the amount of regulated area on each lot, and the type of conservation easement they would like to see on this site. It was also suggested that the applicant look at constructing one house on the property instead of two, but after further discussion, it was decided to keep both proposed house lots.
Commissioner Wasik did voice her concerns regarding this application and stated that she would not be voting in favor of this application.
Motion to: approve with conditions appl. #02-67P – Church Wood Estates – Pleasant Valley Road – Inland Wetland/Conservation Commission application to create a two-lot residential subdivision with house construction and associated improvements on property located southerly of Pleasant Valley Road, A-20 zone.
Was made by Commissioner Heffler
Seconded by Commissioner Phillips
The motion: carried
The vote was as follows: 7 to 1 with Commissioners Delnicki, Heffler, Kelly, Muller, Phillips, Warren and Gates voting in favor of approval and Commissioner Wasik in opposition of approval.
Motion to: extend the meeting past 10:30 p.m. in order to finish agenda items.
Was made by Commissioner Phillips
Seconded by Commissioner Heffler
The motion: carried
The vote was as follows: unanimous
ITEM: Old Business
Fine Ordinance
Town Attorney Barry Guliano reviewed suggested changes that he felt should occur on this document.
Motion to: submit draft Fine Ordinance as amended, to the Town Council for action.
Was made by Commissioner Phillips
Seconded by Commissioner Kelly
The motion: carried
The vote was as follows: unanimous
ITEM: Adjournment
Motion to: adjourn the meeting at 10:40 p.m.
Was made by Commissioner Muller
Seconded b Commissioner Phillips
The motion: carried
The vote was as follows: unanimous
Respectfully submitted
_________________________________ ____________________
Deborah W. Reid Date approved
Recording Secretary
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