Stow Conservation Commission
Minutes
February 18, 2014
A meeting of the Stow Conservation Commission was held at the Stow Town Building, 380 Great Road, Stow, Massachusetts, on February 18, 2014 at 7:30 in the evening.
There were present: Ingeborg Hegemann Clark, Chair
Cortni Frecha
Serena Furman
Doug Morse
Andy Snow
Absent: David Coppes, Vice-Chair
Jeff Saunders
Sandra Grund, Associate Member
comprising a quorum of the Commission
Also present: Kathy Sferra, Conservation Coordinator
Maureen Trunfio, SCC Secretary
The Conservation Commission meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM.
Approve Minutes
Cortni Frecha made a motion to approve the minutes of February 4, 2014 as drafted and amended. Serena Furman seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Conservation Coordinator’s Report
Kathy Sferra reported that she received a response from Bob Collings regarding tree clearing around a proposed fire pond. He said he will be out of town until the end of February, but will contact the Commission upon his return. Sferra gave Collings a deadline of April 1 to submit a re-vegetation plan. Sferra added that she received a visit from a consultant hired by Collings regarding work on a new building that will be proposed in the near future.
Sferra told the Commission that she sent a letter to the Quirk Estate and informed them that it is the intention of the Commission to schedule a site visit to the property located at Athens Lane. She mentioned that if anyone from the Quirk Estate would like to join the Commission on this visit, they should contact her by March 1, 2014.
Sferra informed the Commission that she had received a request for a Certificate of Compliance for 55 Lantern Lane. Sferra spoke with the homeowner and explained that the Commission needs to be able to see the ground, without snow present, in order to determine whether the land had been re-vegetated. The owner submitted photos of the back yard that demonstrate re-vegetation. Sferra told her that the Commission will look at those photos but may not make a determination until the ground is visible. This will be on the agenda for the Commission’s next meeting on March 4, 2014.
Mark White of Bentley Builders visited the office and asked for permission to begin tree cutting on the site of Hemenway Farm at 33 &45 Walcott Street He mentioned that he cannot put down erosion controls yet because of the snow. Sferra told him that the tree cutting would be allowed as long as he clearly posted a limited work line for the workers who would be performing the work. He also asked if he could to put coir rolls instead of hay bales along the field. The Commission agreed that coir rolls would be permissible in this case.
Sferra mentioned that there will be a Town Hall Recruitment Night to seek new members/volunteers from 7-8 PM on February 26, 2014. Sferra invited anyone interested to join her at the Conservation Commission’s table.
Request for Determination of Applicability (RDA)
18 Center Place (U-9 #5)
At 7:45 PM Ingeborg Hegemann Clark opened the public hearing for a Request for Determination of Applicability filed by Steve and Jessica Quirk for removal of trees, vegetation improvement and construction of fencing at the property located at 18 Center Place. Ingeborg Hegemann Clark and Andy Snow conducted the site inspection on behalf of the Commission.
Steve and Jessica Quirk were present and explained the proposed work to the Commission. They told the Commission that they recently purchased the house and found piles of debris (including old construction debris) next to the barn that they would like to remove. They explained that there are 9-10 trees that they would like to remove for several reasons. One is that they are quite close to the home and present a potential danger. Additionally they noted that many of the trees are being killed by invasive species such as Bittersweet and Multi-Flora Rose. Andy Snow confirmed this fact. The Quirks hope to install solar panels on their barn and removing the trees would be beneficial. One large willow on the property would be costly and they mentioned that this might be one tree that would need to wait to be removed. They would like
permission to remove invasive species and replant the area with native shrubs, bushes and potentially fruit trees. The Commission made suggestions for hardy, native shrub selection including Viburnum, Shrub Dogwood and Summersweet.
The Quirks requested permission to install a 4-foot chain link fence to contain their dog. A small portion of the fence would intrude into the 35-foot No Disturb Zone. The Commission thought this should be permitted and saw to the removal of debris and invasives as a public benefit. The neighbors, Adam and Mariana Quinn of 10 Center Place, were present and voiced support for cleanup of the property.
The Commission stipulated three conditions that must be adhered to. One, all tree clearing must be done from the road and/or west side of the home with no heavy equipment on the pond/wetland side of the house. Two, the pool fence can be repaired/replaced to meet code. Three, if at any point during the project a landscaping contractor were to be hired by the home owners, he or she would need to meet with the Commission or their designee prior to conducting work.
Cortni Frecha made a motion to close the public hearing for a Request for Determination filed by Steve and Jessica Quirk for removal of trees, vegetation improvement and construction of fencing at property located at 18 Center Place with the conditions above. Serena Furman seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Cortni Frecha made a motion to issue a Negative 3 Determination to Steve and Jessica Quirk for removal of trees, vegetation improvement and construction of fencing at property located at 18 Center Place. Andy Snow seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Conservation Coordinator’s Report (continued)
Kathy Sferra asked the Commission to consider dates to continue boundary marking work at Marble Hill Conservation Land. Sunday, March 9 and Sunday, March 16 are possible dates and this work will be dependent on weather conditions. Tentatively Cortni Frecha and Ingeborg Hegemann Clark are available on either one of the two dates. Sferra invited Jeff Smith to join the Commission on this endeavor. Jeff Saunders (not present at this meeting) told Sferra that he is available for one session.
Allison Field-Juma of OARS is in the process of applying for a grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust to create a guide for water chestnut removal. If they win the grant, they will assemble a steering committee of five people who will oversee the project. Sferra was asked to serve on the steering committee and she accepted. Field-Juma would like a letter of support from the Commission for the grant application and the Commission agreed to provide that for her.
Kathy Sferra has requested an estimate from Mike Sulllivan for the installation of another well at the Captain Sargent Conservation Land.
Captain Sargent Farm Land Update
Farming Proposals from Ben and Sofia Schlosser and Jesse Steadman
The Commission had met with the two farmers at its last meeting to discuss the concept of sharing the parcel of land. The two farmers believed it would be possible if the Commission agreed to the concept. The Commission said they need to work with both farmers to formulate an escrow agreement. The Commission would like the final agreement to be structured so that either farmer could “walk away” from the arrangement without being beholden to the other farmer. The agreement would have to clarify who would mow the paths on the property. Management of animal waste would need to be addressed. The Commission discussed the possibility of animals escaping and said that they would like to put forth a 60-day notice for corrective action in the final agreement. Overgrazing and land degradation was another concern. It was suggested
that photos be taken of the property before farming begins.
Serena Furman made a motion to award a lease agreement for five acres of farm land at Tuttle Lane to Jesse Steadman and Ben Schlosser contingent upon all parties agreeing to mutually acceptable license agreements. Cortni Frecha seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Marble Hill Boundaries
Kathy Sferra informed the Commission that after the second day of boundary posting, the group noticed six encroachments onto the conservation land. She has assembled a spreadsheet explaining the encroachments onto the Marble Hill property such as signage, debris, yard waste, etc. and will add other issues as they are found. The Commission discussed the best strategy for resolution of these issues. Cortni Frecha suggested that the Commission publish an educational article in the Stow Independent or an education pamphlet that the Commission could develop to hand out to homeowners.
Zoning Amendments
Wetland Overlay District
The Planning Board (PB) has a public hearing on March 5, 2014 regarding a proposal to amend the Floodplain/Wetland Overlay District to incorporate the revised FEMA maps and eliminate the Wetlands portion of the Overlay. The amendment language was given to the Commission prior to tonight’s meeting. Kathy Sferra displayed maps at the meeting and told the Commission that she expects that the Commission will be asked to comment both at the hearing and at Town Meeting.
Amendments to Wetlands Bylaw Regulations
Kathy Sferra mentioned that Ingeborg Hegemann Clark, Andy Snow and herself had completed two working sessions to update the Commission’s regulations and have developed proposed revisions to several provisions for consideration by the full Commission. Completed sections to date include filing and consulting fees, exemptions/limited projects, wetland replication standards and vernal pools. These were given to all Commissioners to review. She stated that there are a few remaining topics to address such as buffer standards and other provisions. This will be scheduled for the next meeting.
Adjournment
Cortni Frecha made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 PM. Andy Snow seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
The Commission adjourned at 9:15 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Maureen Trunfio
Stow Conservation Commission Secretary
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