MEMBERS PRESENT: Richard Muller, Jack Phillips, Barbara Kelly, Carol Heffler
ALTERNATES PRESENT: Mario Marrero sat for Betty Warren
Roy Szoka sat for Audrey Delnicki
STAFF PRESENT: Jeff Folger, Environmental Planner/Conservation Officer
Kathy Middleton, Recording Secretary
Commissioner Kelley called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.
ITEM: CORRESPONDENCE & REPORTS
Commissioner Kelly informed the Commission members about the Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner Meeting and Business Person of the Year Award Ceremony. Kelly stated that this year’s business person of the year is Peter DeMallie. Any commission member interested should contact Kathy Middleton before Thursday, September 13, 2007.
ITEM: MINUTES
The Minutes from July 25, 2007 were approved by consensus of the Commission.
ITEM: CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Folger stated that the Commission members should think about some dates when they could visit the wildlife sanctuary to give it some TLC. Folger stated that someone burned one of the benches. He was looking into replacing the bench. Folger stated that he attended a regional convention of the conservation districts. Folger stated that a vendor was demonstrating a root pruning method of growing seedlings. A White Oak seedling grew 1/2” to 5/8” diameter and was about 4 feet tall in one year. Folger stated that they are between $15 and $30 each depending upon the species. He would like to look into purchasing them for Wapping Park to provide a buffer of more mature trees. Kelly had a question regarding the access to Wapping Park. Folger stated that he and
Doolittle are working on trying to come up with a viable design for a bridge.
ITEM: WETLAND OFFICER’S REPORT
Folger stated that he received three applications after the agenda went out and stated that one of the applications had enough information to set a date for a public hearing. Folger stated that application 07-46W was removed from the agenda because the soils report or the wetland report had not been submitted. Kelly asked if the commission should step in when there are applications that are incomplete. Commissioner Heffler stated that an application should not be heard until all of the information has been received. It was accepted by consensus of the Commission that all applications will be complete before a hearing date is set.
Commissioner Heffler read the legal notice into the record as it was published in the Journal Inquirer on Sunday, August 25, 2007 and September 1, 2007.
ITEM: PUBLIC HEARING
Appl. #07-37P – Town of South Windsor – Felt Road - Inland Wetland/Conservation Commission application to replace an existing road culvert and associated improvements on property located northerly of Oakland Road and southerly Farm Brook Lane. Rural Residential (RR) Zone
Jeff Doolittle, Town Engineer for the Town of South Windsor came before the Commission and made the following comments.
- Seeking approval for the replacement of an existing road culvert on Felt road, which is located just north of the intersection with Oakland Road.
- Structure is classified as a single span bridge which was built in approximately 1955 and is referenced in the CONNDOT Bridge Inventory. The bridge was inspected by DOT inspectors back in 1990 as part of a state-wide bridge inventory and inspection program. At that time, the bridge was rated in fair condition.
- In 2004, Town Staff had identified 4 bridges in town as structures in need of repair and as potential candidates for state and federal funding eligibility. The four include Felt Road over Farm Brook, Main Street over Stoughton’s Brook, Main Street over the Podunk River, and Pleasant Valley Road over the Podunk River. WMC Consulting Engineers was hired to perform inspections and prepare reports on the 4 bridges which were completed in the winter of 2005.
- Prioritized the bridges according to need for repair and funding eligibility. The Felt Road Bridge was identified as one of the structures meeting the criteria for state funding and was put at the top of the list. In July of 2005, we received notification from the State of Connecticut that this bridge qualified for funding under the State’s Local Bridge Program.
Joe Perna, Project Engineer for the Town of South Windsor came before the Commission and made the following comments.
- Proposed bridge construction will involve complete replacement of the existing bridge. The new structure will be a pre-cast, three-sided box culvert with reinforced concrete wingwalls. The natural stream bed material will remain in place through the bottom of the culvert. The wingwalls will have a smooth concrete finish although we are providing alternate specifications to construct the facades with a concrete form liner to give it a natural stone effect. It will depend on the cost if we do that or not.
- The new structure will have a 5 foot wide sidewalk on the west side of the bridge which will connect to the existing sidewalk. A small section of sidewalk will be constructed on the east side of the bridge and will encase telephone conduits which are currently mounted under the existing bridge deck. The 8” water main will be relocated under the culvert encased in the footings and the 8” sanitary sewer will be relocated under the brook on the downstream side of the proposed bridge
- Other improvements include the installation of metal bridge rail along the span of the wingwalls, and standard metal beam rail will be installed at the approaches to the bridge and will be attached to the parapet walls
- The 2005 inspection of the bridge revealed that the structures condition had deteriorated to poor condition, therefore the bridge is considered to be “structurally deficient”. These deficiencies include large spalled areas in the underside of the bridge deck and the face of the abutment walls, deterioration of the steel girders, and inadequate bridge railing. There are also conflicts with existing utilities including a sanitary sewer main, a water main, and telephone conduit
- The inland wetlands in the project area were flagged in November of 2005 and are comprised of floodplain soils which are subject to periodic flooding. Standard sedimentation and erosion control measures will be utilized to ensure protection of the stream environment within the project area and includes installation of silt fence, hay bales, sandbag cofferdams, and placement of erosion matting on exposed slopes if needed. A report prepared by Soil Science and Environmental Services has been included in the application package and provides a more in-depth description of the soil types and vegetation in the area.
- The area of permanent impacts will be graded and filled with riprap for an approximate fill volume of 50 cubic yards. The area disturbed is approximately 630 sq. ft. The area of temporary impacts outside the channel limits will be graded to match the existing contours and topsoil will be placed for turf establishment. The area of temporary impacts within the stream channel will be graded and lined with natural streambed material. The proposed improvements will widen out the channel under the bridge with the installation of concrete footings and the box culvert, filling the wetlands with 6 cubic yards of concrete. The area disturbed is 1450 sq. ft. Finally, the area of new watercourse created is 430 sq. ft. for a total area impacted of 2,510 sq. ft.
- The installation of the new box culvert and re-configuration of the stream bed will improve the hydraulic conveyance through the bridge crossing. Placement of intermediate riprap on the streambanks in the immediate vicinity of the bridge (both upstream and downstream) will help counteract existing streambank erosion and therefore remove one source of the sediment buildup in the existing pond downstream of the crossing.
- WMC Engineers looked at two design alternatives for this project. One alternate design involved utilizing the existing concrete abutments and replacing the existing concrete deck slab with a new pre-stressed concrete deck. Although this design minimizes impacts to the wetlands, we felt that replacement of the entire structure provides a more permanent solution to the structural deficiencies of the structure and addresses the problem of streambank erosion.
- The sequence of construction to occur in three stages. The first stage would include temporary relocation of utility poles, installation of a temporary bypass pipe, connecting existing road drainage to the bypass pipe, and removal of the existing bridge structure. The second stage would involve relocation of other utilities including sanitary sewer and water main, and construction of the new box culvert and southerly wingwalls. The last stage would include removal of the temporary bypass pipe, installation of new storm drainage, construction of the northerly wingwalls, and installation of new utility poles.
- Anticipated that it will take 7 months to complete the project from start to completion. Felt Road would be closed to thru traffic for approximately 4 to 6 months to allow for demolition of the old culvert, installation of the new one and relocation of utilities. Once the contract for this project has been awarded, the contractor will have to submit a construction schedule for town staff review. Some of the factors that will influence the construction schedule include:
- 1.)Coordination with the utility companies for relocation work,
- 2.)CT. DEP and Army Corps requirements that limit in-stream activities to the time period from June to September
- 3.)The school year schedule and bus routes
The Commission had comments and questions. Commissioner Muller asked if there would be an attempt to clean out the sand and silt that was collected over the years. Perna stated that there was an existing sediment berm that has formed a channel and the water flows to one side of the channel and comes around and dumps into the pond. Perna stated that there is also an existing riprap spill. Perna stated that the sediment build up in the pond is out of the scope of the project.
There was discussion among Commission members about dredging the pond. It was determined that because the pond is owned by a private association, if the pond were to be dredged it could be a contentious issue because the Town would need permission. Folger stated that in the future there could be funding available to accomplish.
ITEM: NEW BUSINESS
Appl. #07-37P – Town of South Windsor – Felt Road - Inland Wetland/Conservation Commission application to replace an existing road culvert and associated improvements on property located northerly of Oakland Road and southerly Farm Brook Lane. Rural Residential (RR) Zone
Motion to: Approve Appl. #07-37P – Town of South Windsor – Felt Road - Inland Wetland/Conservation Commission application to replace an existing road culvert and associated improvements on property located northerly of Oakland Road and southerly Farm Brook Lane. Rural Residential (RR) Zone
Conditions
1. One blueprint copy of the entire set of plans and this letter reproduced thereon must be submitted to this Commission. This must be completed within 65 days of approval prior to any construction activity on the site. Plans submitted to Planning & Zoning Commission shall be considered having met this requirement.
2. The application shall indemnify and hold harmless the Town of South Windsor against any liability, which might result from the proposed operation or use.
3. The permit is valid for five years and shall expire on September 5, 2012. It is the landowner(s)/applicant(s) responsibility to track expiration dates and notify the Commission of a renewal request at least 65 days prior to expiration.
4. All approvals required must be obtained and submitted prior to any activity on the site.
5. A contact person shall be identified on the plans.
Was made by Commissioner Phillips
Seconded by Commissioner Heffler
The motion carried
The vote was as follows: unanimous
ITEM: OLD BUSINESS
ITEM: OTHER BUSINESS
Appl. # 07-53P Dzen Tree Farm Subdivision- Mannarino Builders- 12 Barber Hill Road, Abbe Road, Maskel Road – Inland Wetland/Conservation Commission application for a sixty-four lot residential subdivision and associated improvements on property located northerly of westerly of Barber Hill Road and easterly of Maskel Road. Rural Residential (RR) Zone.
Motion to: Hold a public hearing on Appl. # 07-53P Dzen Tree Farm Subdivision- Mannarino Builders- 12 Barber Hill Road, Abbe Road, Maskel Road – Inland Wetland/Conservation Commission application for a sixty-four lot residential subdivision and associated improvements on property located northerly of westerly of Barber Hill Road and easterly of Maskel Road. Rural Residential (RR) Zone for the potential for impact to the wetlands and potential public interest.
Was made by Commissioner Phillips
Seconded by Commissioner Szoka
The motion carried
The vote was as follows: unanimous
ITEM: ADJOURNMENT
Motion to: adjourn the meeting at 8:55 p.m.
Was made by Commissioner Heffler
Seconded by Commissioner Appleton
The motion carried
The vote was as follows: unanimous
Katherine J. Middleton
Recording Secretary
Date Approved
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