Approved
Date: November 7,, 2012
Time: 4:00 pm
Location: Town Hall
In attendance: Co-Chair Trudy Vermehren, Ginie Page, Lauren McKean, Cary Rea, and John Portnoy. Staff: Hillary Greenberg-Lemos, Christine Bates, Committee Secretary, and Marcus Costonis.
Regrets: Co-Chair Terry Gips and Ed Simpson
4:00 - Business Meeting & Conservation Agent's Report
John Portnoy moved to hire Jim O’Connell to review the revised plans for 0 Pleasant Point; seconded by Trudy Vermehren; passed 5-0. Agent Greenberg-Lemos will send him the revised plan. Lauren McKean would like to have Mark Borelli review the plans as well.
Ginie Page questioned if the shell fishermen have a date certain to remove their gear before winter and Agent Greenberg-Lemos stated there is no date and they have removed the gear at low tide in the past without issues..
Jurisdictional Opinion: 135 High Meadow: Would like to remove 3 turpentine beetle infested pine trees. A site visit was made by the Assistant Conservation Agent and he recommended the removal of the trees. Lauren McKean moved to approve the Jurisdictional Opinion; seconded by John Portnoy; passed 5-0.
Jurisdictional Opinion: AIM Thrift Shop: The last 10 feet of the building is within a wetland and they would like to fill in some cracks in the foundation. There will be no ground disturbance. John Portnoy moved to approve the Jurisdictional Opinion; seconded by Lauren McKean; passed 5-0.
Jurisdictional Opinion: 200 Aaron Rich Road: The property is owned by the Conservation Trust and Ginie Page recused herself. An abutter requested the commission review the property for 12 pine trees which have been dead for a long time and were infested with turpentine beetles. They are a hazard to the roadway and the trees are very large. Agent Greenberg-Lemos recommended having the abutter work with the Conservation Trust and come back to the Commission.
Agent Greenberg-Lemos passed around some literature on kayak rack construction.
Agent Greenberg-Lemos shared literature on the Herring River Restoration Project.
Fining non-criminal citations: John Portnoy felt the fines should fall on the property owner/applicant. Agent Greenberg-Lemos stated each case is looked at individually and it is sometimes best to fine the contractor because they performed the work. She said the Commission may fine any or all of those involved in project.
Grass Seed Recommendations and Organic Land Management – to be discussed on December 19, 2012.
Patterson Emergency Request: Mark Burgess and Mr. Patterson came to the table. Burgess stated Patterson wants to nourish the beach with 100 cubic yards of sand. He stated there is debris and erosion behind the bulkhead which is a hazard. Burgess stated the sand will be distributed between Patterson and Comley. There will be one tree to be removed which is landward of the Patterson house. There will be a wooden chute placed by hand and used to get the sand over the bank. A rubber-tracked bobcat would move the sand around on the beach. Environmental matting will be used. Agent Greenberg-Lemos recommended having one of the commissioners at the site when the work is to be done. Agent Greenberg-Lemos recommended Burgess contact the Selectmen to advise them of the activity at the town
landing, which will be used for the bobcat access. Burgess stated he will also post a sign in the area before work begins in order to notify abutters. Lauren McKean questioned the debris where the bulkhead was and the jagged materials. Burgess stated the return area is gone now and the debris is where the original bulkhead was located. Patterson stated the contractor who built the bulkhead in the 1970’s did not follow specifications. Patterson stated that there are sinkholes behind the bulkhead and he would like to add filter fabric because they are dangerous and then place sand on the top. Ginie Page moved to approve an Emergency Certification to perform the work described and to add filter fabric attached to the frame with sand on top in the sinkholes; seconded by Cary Rea; passed 5-0 with conditions. The emergency certificate is valid for 30 days.
Agent Greenberg-Lemos stated Joelle, the Americorps working with the Conservation Agent, is working on removing invasives naturally and is looking for grant money to build bird houses, etc.
Meeting Minutes;
Trudy Vermehren moved to approve the amended 09/19/12 meeting minutes; seconded by John Portnoy; passed5-0.
Lauren McKean moved to approve the amended 10/03/12 meeting minutes; seconded by Cary Rea; passed 4-o0.
Trudy Vermehren moved to approve the amended 10/17/12 meeting minutes; seconded by Cary Rea; passed 5o-0.
Public Hearings 5:00 pm:
Meister, 295 King Phillip Rd., Map 35, Parcel 198, NOI, clear trees and replant with native species and construct kayak rack (Cont’d from 10/17/12). Jason Ellis, Theresa Sprague and Mr. Meister came to the table. Jason Ellis stated the septic and well are outside of the buffer zone and MESA approval has not been received as yet. He stated they are looking to do some clearing of pitch pines and oaks and create a habitat area for diamondback terrapins. Theresa Sprague stated there has been a history of terrapins nesting on the property and they currently nest in a pathway. She stated the turtles require sun in their nesting sites and to create a new habitat, they will need to remove a significant number of pitch pines and oak trees. Photographs were provided identifying the area as well as a photograph
of native plants on the property. She stated there are approximately 92 trees from 2” to 15” in diameter they would like to remove. She recommends removing the trees and grinding the stumps because there are turpentine beetles in the area. The work would be done during the winter time. Mr. Meister stated his family has taken care of the terrapins for over 25 years and the trees have taken over and would like to return it to its original state. Natural Heritage requires additional time to review the new plan. There will be a three year management plan with monitoring done by a turtle expert(s). Agent Greenberg-Lemos requested a formal document regarding the management and the monitoring. The Commission requires a detailed plan of tree removal, equipment types, deconstruction protocol, etc. There was some concern regarding other species on the property and Mr. Meister stated there will still be plenty of trees on the property, but
stated there are birds, chipmunks, fox, etc. The kayak rack is a basic design and will be discussed at the next meeting. Trudy Vermehren moved to continue to 12/5/12; seconded by Lauren McKean; passed 5-0.
Bruinooge, RDA, Aquaculture grant (Cont’d from 10/17/12). Natural Heritage has not replied. Trudy Vermehren moved to continue to 12/5/12; seconded by Ginie Page; passed 5-0.
Beckert, 175 Indian Neck Rd., Map 28, Parcel 132, RDA, construct 2nd story. Manny Heyliger represented the applicant and stated there will be no new disturbance outside of the footprint, other than a drywell around the perimeter of the house Everything will be done by hand and the dumpster will be located in the driveway. John Portnoy identified this as a Negative 3; seconded by Cary Rea; passed 5-0.
LeGallais, 10 Ryder Court, Map 14, Parcel 10, RDA, install new well. Matt Farrell represented the applicant and gave a description of the current cesspool location and the well in the cellar. Trudy Vermehren moved to identify this as a Negative 3; seconded by Lauren McKean; passed 5-0.
Rogers, 325 Pilgrim Spring Rd., Map 29, Parcel 241, RDA, sheds. Steve Curley represented the applicant and stated they wanted to have roofing over propane tanks and firewood, as well as a garden shed. The roofline will be 26’ long with the use of four sono-tubes. Cary Rea moved to identify this as a Negative 3; seconded by Lauren McKean; passed 5-0.
Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main Street, Map 14, Parcel 173, RDA, re-grade and reseed lawn. Ann Suggs and Marla Rice stated they hoped to rehabilitate the lawn area behind the hall because the lawn area gets heavy use. There is one area of the lawn that dips down approximately 6 to 8 inches and they would like to level that off for safety reasons. The commission questioned the irrigation system and if it was necessary. Suggs and Rice said they want to ensure the grass will grow and thrive. Agent Greenberg-Lemos recommended having the contractor come to the office and explain the grading. The commission would like to know the water level. The contractor will come to the office, meet with the agent and a few members of the commission and provide the additional information required.
Trudy Vermehren moved to identify this as a Negative 3 contingent on the meeting with the contractor; seconded by John Portnoy; passed 5-0.
VonKaesburg, 137 Nauhaught Bluff Rd., Map 21, Parcel 10, NOI, Landscaping. Trudy Vermehren moved to continue to 12/05/12; seconded by Cary Rea; passed 5-0.
Hoffman / Krakoff, 995 Chequessett Neck Rd., Map 19, Parcel 95, RDA, tree pruning and native planting. A representative from Ponderosa Landscaping, represented the applicant and stated the existing site is barren of plants and the applicant would like to revegetate the area from the road to the front of the house. There will be no change to the grade, they will use native plants and a drip system for irrigation. He gave a description of the various projects such as replacing the blue stone patio with square cut blue stone, adding shells on the pathways, build a fence in the front of the house and identified some of the native plants they were planning on using. Rosa rugosa will change to Rosa caroliniana or virginiana. Assistant Conservation Agent Marcus Costonis will meet with contractor to identify limbs for vista
pruning. The tree pruning will be eliminated from this RDA and a Jurisdictional Opinion will be filed. John Portnoy identified this as a Negative 3; seconded by Lauren McKean; passed 5-0.
Cary Rea moved to adjourn at 6:25 pm; seconded by Ginie Page; passed 5-0.
Respectfully submitted,
Christine A. Bates
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