Stow Conservation Commission
Minutes
April 1, 2014
A meeting of the Stow Conservation Commission was held at the Stow Town Building, 380 Great Road, Stow, Massachusetts, on April 1, 2014 at 7:30 in the evening.
There were present: David Coppes, Vice-Chair (arrived at 8:30 PM)
Cortni Frecha
Serena Furman
Doug Morse
Jeff Saunders
Andy Snow
Sandra Grund, Associate Member
Absent: Ingeborg Hegemann Clark, Chair
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
Andy Snow made a motion to approve the minutes of March 18, 2014 as drafted and amended. Jeff Saunders seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Conservation Coordinator’s Report
Kathy Sferra told the Commission that the owners of 35 Hale Road, Glenn and Catherine Hammill, applied through the Building Department to relocate their current chicken coop. There have been issues regarding the coop dating back to 2006 that include complaints from neighbors who had concerns regarding the proximity of the coop to the lake, distance from their property lines, and the proximity to wells. Building Inspector, Craig Martin has been working closely with the owners and would like them to relocate the coop. The owners and neighbors seem to think this would be a good resolution to the problems associated with the coop. The new location of the coop would be 75 feet from lake on the back side of the house. The Commission looked at plans and concurred that this would be an acceptable location for the coop.
Sferra told the Commission that she has been speaking with Scott Morse, Assistant Highway Superintendent, to discuss a series of four culverts under Delaney Street that require replacement. Sferra has provided Morse with new stream crossing standards from DEP. Morse has requested a site visit with Commission members to discuss the issue. Sferra suggested that they set a time during their series of site inspections on Saturday, April 12, 2014, to visit Delaney Street. The Commission agreed.
Steve Poole of Lakeview Engineering contacted Sferra to discuss a possible filing for a project located at 164 Barton Road. Sferra displayed plans and explained the project. The project would include relocating/rebuilding a new wall at the lake edge of the property. This project included filling Land Under Water to extend the wall further into the lake. The Commission was not inclined to support such a filing as it was presented.
Notice of Intent (#299-0569)
70 Edson Street (R-11 #25-5A)
At 7:50 PM Cortni Frecha opened the public hearing for a Notice of Intent (NOI) filed by Mark and Lara Militello for the proposed activity of construction of a swimming pool, pergola, fireplace, and an increase in surface area to the concrete paver patio. Andy Snow reviewed the Notice of Intent and conducted the site inspection on behalf of the Commission.
In addition to the pool and associated construction, the Militellos have requested to remove four trees at the rear of their property. These trees are within 100 feet of the wetlands. Snow stated that at the time of the site inspection, the trees were not marked and she could not identify which trees the owners had chosen for possible removal. The procedure for tree removal was discussed.
During the inspection Snow noted a shed that was located within 100 feet of the buffer zone and that was not noted on the approved plan. The owners told the Commission that the shed will be relocated away from the wetland during the construction process. The Commission requested a pre-construction meeting on the site at which time the trees to be removed would be identified.
It was noted that the original order included provisions for building a children’s play structure and a pool (#299-0406) has not yet received a Certificate of Compliance. The Commission suggested that once the current pool project has been completed, the homeowners apply for both COC’s.
Abutter, Greg Ames 137 Randall Road looked at the plans and had no objections.
Serena Furman made a motion to close the public hearing for a Notice of Intent File No. 299-0569 filed by Mark and Lara Militello for the proposed activity of construction of a swimming pool, pergola, fireplace, and an increase in the surface area to the concrete paver patio. Andy Snow seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Serena Furman made a motion to approve and issue the Order of Conditions File No. 299-0569 for the proposed activity of construction of a swimming pool, pergola, fireplace, and an increase in the surface area to the concrete paver patio. Andy Snow seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Notice of Intent (#299-0568)
302 Boxboro Road/Minute Man Air Field(R-7 #35)
At 8:10 PM Cortni Frecha opened the public hearing for a Notice of Intent filed by Don McPherson of Minute Man Air Field for the proposed activity of repair of 1,900 feet of runway pavement. Ingeborg Hegemann Clark and Kathy Sferra reviewed the Notice of Intent and conducted the site inspection on behalf of the Commission. Randy Christensen of Stantec prepared the NOI and presented the project. Katie Seruis of the Mass DOT Aeronautics Division was present. McPherson was also present.
Work is proposed within the wetland buffer, riverfront area to Heath Hen Meadow Brook, and bordering land subject to flooding (BLSF). The boundaries of these resource areas were fixed by an ORAD in 2012 and are still valid. The total impact of the work in the resource areas is 13,840 square feet of BLSF (10,540 sf existing pavement resurfacing, 3,300 sf of managed turf). Also proposed is loss of 5.63 cubic yards of flood storage volume, to be replaced in a subsequent phase if necessary.
Christensen explained that this project would be Phase 1 of three possible phases of re-paving and repair to the runway. The runway was originally paved in 1968 and has lost its crown (peaked middle for drainage). Seruis of Mass DOT confirmed that the runway in Stow is on their list of high-priority repairs. The first phase is estimated to take ten days to complete. Christensen explained that they would prefer to complete all three phases of runway repair and then complete the comp storage. The Commission was not in favor of that approach as Phase 2 is not yet in design. Christensen will submit a compensatory flood storage plan and the Commission will work on mutually agreeable condition language.
There were a large number of residents who were present in the audience in support of this project. Letters of support for the project were submitted from Christopher Hawley and Jim Baum.
McPherson agreed to continue the hearing to April 15, 2014 on or after 7:30 PM.
Andy Snow made a motion to continue the public hearing for Notice of Intent File No.299-0568 filed by Don McPherson of Minute Man Air Field to April 15, 2014 on or after 7:30 PM. Doug Morse seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Lake Boon Commission Report
Annual Drawdown (#299-490) and Herbicide Treatment (#299-0317)
The Commission received a report from Lycott Environmental on aquatic weed management during the 2013 season as well as updated lake level measurements. The drawdown reached 14.4 inches this fall vs. the goal that was set last year of 15-18 inches. The drawdown can not go further due to the fact that at the lowest level, the boards have been cemented into the dam. Although refill has not yet occurred, the Lake Boon Association(LBA)/Lake Boon Commission(LBC) are interested in having an early discussion to plan for the coming season.
Theresa O’Riorden and Conray Wharff of the Lake Boon Commission (LBC) along with Jack Wallace, Health Agent for the Town of Stow, attended the meeting to review and discuss the annual Lake Boon Drawdown and weed management.
The Commission asked if there had been any shallow well problems reported. Wallace said that one resident on O’Connell Way had called and Wallace called in a shallow-well expert from Chelmsford who determined that the problem was not caused by the drawdown. The Commission asked if many residents have point wells. Wallace answered that there were approximately 60-70 homes with point wells. They also asked if there are many residents along the lake transitioning to drilled wells. Wallace said that there are approximately 2-3 permit requests per year. Wallace reported that the approximate cost to drill a well is $10K.
O’Riorden and Wharff asked what the procedure would be in order to eliminate the drawdown Order (#299-0490) and combine it with the Order for annual maintenance. The Commission suggested that a public meeting be held so residents could be involved in the process.
Wharff said that he will notify residents on the lake that the boards will be replaced next week, April 7, 2014. Seawall and dock maintenance should be completed before the lake rises.
Wharff said that are no longer objections to the herbicide treatments on the lake. The Commission advised Wharff that the Order of Conditions for the herbicide treatments expires on July 5, 2017 and stressed the importance of the LBC coming before the Commission before that date to extend the Order. The LBC will consult with Sferra to set a date to attend a meeting and present their recommendations on weed management.
Captain Sargent Conservation Land
Farm License Agreements
The Commission had executed the final license agreements for Jesse Steadman, Ben Schlosser and Lenny Rodriguez for the fields at Captain Sargent.
Authorize Warrant Articles
Sferra explained that there are three articles that will appear on the warrant at Annual Town Meeting in May and that they need to be approved. They all will appear on the consent calendar.
The first allows for the transfer of small amounts of money into the Conservation Fund
that is received by the office for community garden plots. The second article allows for the transfer of money received from filings fees into the Wetland Protection Fund. The third article is to allow for the requested $10,000 to be deposited into the Conservation Fund. This item was voted on by the Commission as part of budget discussions.
Andy Snow made a motion to approve the three warrant articles for inclusion in the warrant for Annual Town Meeting in May. Serena Furman seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Adjournment
Dave Coppes made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:45 PM. Serena Furman seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Regulations
The Commission did not have ample time to discuss regulations.
The Commission adjourned at 9:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Maureen Trunfio
Stow Conservation Commission Secretary
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