Stow Conservation Commission
Minutes
March 20, 2012
A meeting of the Stow Conservation Commission was held at the Stow Town Building, 380 Great Road, Stow, Massachusetts, on March 20, 2012 at 7:30 in the evening.
There were present: Helen Castles, Vice Chair
David Coppes
Ingeborg Hegemann Clark
Doug Moffat
Absent: Rebecca Mattison, Chair
comprising a quorum of the Commission; also
Patricia R. Perry, SCC Coordinator
Maureen Trunfio, SCC Secretary
The Conservation Commission meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM.
Approve Minutes
Doug Moffat made a motion to approve the minutes of March 6, 2012 as drafted and amended. David Coppes seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Notice of Intent (#299-0542)
Pine Bluff Recreation Area/303 Sudbury Road (U-3 #12)
At 7:45 PM Helen Castles opened the public hearing for a Notice of Intent (NOI) filed by the Stow Recreation Commission for proposed activities relating to beach maintenance, restoration of Second Beach shoreline, invasive plant control measures, and other minor maintenance issues at Pine Bluff Recreation Area. Ingeborg Hegemann Clark reviewed the Notice of Intent and conducted the site inspection on behalf of the Commission.
John Sangermano presently sits on the Recreation Commission (Rec) and presented plans to the Conservation Commission. Sangermano handed out a detailed written description of the proposed projects and displayed a board with various photos that illustrated the areas to be discussed.
Sangermano divided the project into four items for review. The first item Sangermano addressed was restoring the beach front area. This would include the widening of the main sand beach to its size in 2003. Junipers were planted to stabilize the slope and as they continue to grow they are encroaching upon this area of the beach. Rec would like permission to trim back the Juniper bushes in certain areas. Near the stairs the beach is 55-feet wide and would require no trimming. At the end of the sandy beach (near Second Beach) the beach is only 19-feet wide and Rec would like to trim back approximately 12 feet of Juniper. Sangermano displayed a 2003 photograph that showed the size of the beach at that time using the lifeguard chair as a benchmark. He then displayed a current photograph of the beach, with the lifeguard chair in the same
exact spot, and explained how much beach space had been lost. Summer 2012 will be the second year that Stow Recreation Department runs a popular summer camp that services 40 students per week. Sangermano stated that every available inch of beach space is imperative.
In this same area Rec would like permission to remove an area of vegetation from approximately 25-linear feet of beach shoreline has supported the growth of vegetation. Sand and organic material has accumulated from sweeps of materials that float into the shoreline. Rec would like permission to remove vegetation and material and use the sand to fill pot holes in the access driveway to Second Beach.
Rec would like permission to relocate the Alder shrubs from the beach shoreline to a location further down the beach where a berm is to be built to prevent soil erosion. The Conservation Commission asked if Rec would be bringing in equipment to complete this phase of the project and Sangermano said that they would prefer to have permission to bring in equipment to dig up shrubs, etc.
The second item Sangermano addressed was the restoration of soil at the edge of Second Beach (Dog Beach). At the end of this beach there is a large pine tree with a 13-foot circumference that Rec would like permission to attempt to save. In order to stop erosion from carrying away more of the tree’s soil, Rec would like to build a pegged, four-foot wide berm constructed from 6-foot by 8-foot irregular timbers (reclaimed from the stairway). This is the location where Rec would like to move the existing Alder shrubs. The inland side of the berm would be planted with vegetation and then filled in as an attempt to stabilize this area.
The Conservation Commission asked Sangermano if he thought a six-inch berm would be strong enough to keep the wave action from taking away the soil. He said that once the berm was planted with greenery, he thought it would be strong enough. The Commission’s concern was that during that establishment period, the berm, itself, might be washed into the lake. The Commission asked if the timbers to be used were chemically treated. Sangermano said that they probably were treated since they are the same timbers that were used on the stairs and dated from the 1980’s.
The third item Rec Commission wanted to address was the ability to attain standing orders with regard to ongoing maintenance of trees and shrubs at Town Beach. This would include effective treatment of invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed and Oriental Bittersweet. Sangermano said that Knotweed threatens to grow so dense that it might block the visual connection from the beach lifeguards and the beach checker. Additionally, he said that Bittersweet threatens to grow in such density that it might block the sunlight from the Junipers that are holding the slope stable.
The fourth and final item that Rec Commission wants the Conservation Commission to assess is a variety of planned maintenance projects. These include permission to re-construct and space the stairs leading down to the beach, permission to make improvements to the pump house, permission to slightly re-direct water drainage at the top of the stairway, permission to bring in true beach sand instead of masonry sand and finally permission to maintain grading and fence repair at the top of the slope.
Abutters present at the public hearing included Janet Stiles, 58 Pine Point Road,
Sally Vingerhoet, 349 Sudbury Road, Marie Dodd, 341 Sudbury Road, Brandon Parker, Kingland Road, Lee Parker, Parker Road. Brandon Parker raised the point that he believes that much of the erosion at Second Beach is due to people and dogs swimming off this site--not wave action. Sangermano explained that Rec and the Stow Police Department have been diligent about trying to prevent swimming in this area, and the situation has improved greatly. The Conservation Commission added that the Alders should help prevent swimmers from using this area. The Conservation Commission suggested posting signs to inform people that Rec is attempting to restore the beach area and control erosion.
Many questions raised by abutters were not within the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission such as placement of portable toilets, people leaving trash at the beach, whether the children’s camp was run by the Town of Stow or Camp Quest, etc. The Conservation Commission suggested that citizens request a public meeting with the Recreation Commission at a future date to discuss such items.
David Coppes made a motion to close the public hearing for a Notice of Intent File No. 299-0542 filed by the Stow Recreation Department for proposed activities of repair, stabilization and maintenance projects at the Stow Town Beach (Pine Bluff Recreation Area), 303 Sudbury Road. Doug Moffat seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
David Coppes made a motion to approve and issue the Order of Conditions for Notice of Intent File No. 299-0542 filed by the Stow Recreation Department for proposed activities of repair, stabilization and maintenance projects at the Stow Town Beach (Pine Bluff Recreation Area), 303 Sudbury Road. Doug Moffat seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Warrant Article
Transferring Money to Wetland Account
The Commission needed to vote to approve the warrant articles seeking permission to transfer money collected from filing fees and other Commission fees, such as the Community Gardens, to the Conservation Commission’s Wetland Account and Conservation Fund. The Commission agreed they were satisfied with the warrant articles as presented and voted to accept it.
Dave Coppes made a motion to approve the warrant articles that allows the Conservation Commission to transfer money collected to the Conservation Commission’s Wetland Account and Conservation Fund. Doug Moffat seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Track Road Site Inspection
Members of the Conservation Commission met members of the Track Road Multiuse Committee on Sunday March 11, 2012 to walk the road from Sudbury Road to White Pond Road.
Along the way, the Commission pointed out areas where they found obvious wetland on both sides of the trail and some areas that were dug ditches on both sides. They discussed areas where the path would need to be widened. They viewed the shared-driveway at one end of the trail which will be problematic due to Federal restrictions regarding sharing of the trail with vehicular traffic.
The Commission found that certain areas could be identified as swales upstream of all wetlands. In this case they may be able to be filled to some degree. The Commission felt they could flag the wetland areas in order to save money for the Town of Stow. There will be tricky issues with “pinch points” where culverts are narrow and would, therefore, mean the trail would be too narrow in those areas according to the Federal requirements.
The Track Road Multiuse Committee will look into variance options. If Federal Standards are not met or waived, the Town will not receive Federal Funds and the path will not be completed.
The Commission suggested that the Track Road Multiuse Committee go forward with the fly over to collect aerial photos required by Federal guidelines. If this is not completed before foliage emerges, the Committee will have lost the window of opportunity and possibly the chance to proceed with Federal funding. The cost of the flight and photos amounts to $4,000.
The Commission is hoping that the Federal government will be lenient with variances and the project will move forward.
Adjournment
David Coppes made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:40 PM. Doug Moffat seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
The Commission adjourned at 9:40 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Maureen Trunfio
SCC Secretary
| 
