Inland Wetland and Watercourse Commission
40 Old Farms Road, Willington, CT ~06279
March 11, 2013
Meeting Minutes
Members Present:
Dave Schreiber – Co-Chairman
Tess Gutowski
Mark Drobney
Evan Brand
Heather Dionne - Alternate
Members Absent:
Ken Metzler – Co-Chairman
Greg Blessing – Alternate
Also Present:
Martha Fraenkel – Interim Zoning Agent
Regular Meeting
D. Schreiber called the meeting to order at 7:30.
New Business
W2013-5 Modification of wetland permit W2012-42 to change location of septic leaching area and detention basin at 333 River Road (Map 30 Lot 17 portion) Owner: B & M Realty, LLC Applicant: Dekk Group, LLC (Received March 11, 2013 Public Hearing by May 13, 2013 decision within 35 days after close of P.H.)
David Held of Provost and Rovero, Inc. was present for the applicant. He presented revised plans, a drainage report and a review letter from Joseph Dillon of Jacobson & Associates. He said the modifications were because of a potential development on the adjoining lot. Mr. Held said the sanitarian requested additional test pits for the original leaching area and found the area unsuitable due to the quality of the soil (fill), which is too much to remove. He said they then did additional test pits in the new leaching area proposed and found it to be very suitable, with good soil and no evidence of fill.
Mr. Held showed the new area of the detention basin and said the drainage and pitch works much better in the new location. He said the basin is designed for detention and storm water quality, and could accommodate storm-water for both lots. The system will flow out in an under-drain system and has an emergency spillway for a 100 year storm. Mr. Held said they are still proposing no direct impact to the wetlands; the proposed septic leaching area’s closest point to the wetlands is 86 feet, which is 20 feet further away than the original leaching area.
Mr. Held said they are still proposing to use the geomatrix air system and the town engineer has reviewed the revisions and has no concerns with them.
Mr. Held said the number of seats in the restaurant has been reduced from 42 to 34 seats. A discussion was held on the design flow. He said the current design flow is 1500 gallons per day (water usage) and is probably over- designed. Mr. Held said the test pits showed sand and gravel soils in the septic area.
A discussion was held on alternatives for the leaching field. T. Gutowski questioned why the applicant did not present any alternatives at the previous meeting and further discussion was held.
Mr. Held said the building on the adjacent lot will be demolished and the new building will be 12 feet higher and moved toward the road. He said both lots will stand on their own with separate parking but will share the curb cut and drainage so they can both utilize the basin. M. Fraenkel noted that the sanitarian, Jody Schmidt, has not yet given approval; it is still under review.
T. Gutowski asked about snow removal and Mr. Held showed the areas where snow would be piled. Mr. Held said the site is 2.04 acres. Fill will be needed to raise the site up, and the retaining wall will be 12 feet at the highest point.
Mr. Held said B & M Realty Trust is the owner of both properties, but they are not associated at this point with the development of this project. The Commission tabled the application until the next meeting and is waiting on the approval from the sanitarian.
W2013-6 Application for new drainage facilities to improve storm water runoff including installation and construction of new drainage piping, storm water treatment chambers, regrading of paved areas, installation of catch basins and related site restoration work at 49 Hancock Road Owner/Applicant: Town of Willington (Received March 11, 2013 Public Hearing by May 13, 2013 decision within 35 days after close of P.H.)
Karl Acimovic, Public Works Engineer, was present for the applicant. He said he had been before the Commission last year to discuss the application, and they are now ready to move ahead with construction of Phase 1. K. Acimovic said Phase 1 will be the public works area and Phase 2 will be the transfer station area. He said they are keeping within the guidelines of the state and are installing storm water chambers at each discharge point. He said the land fill is closed, and there are no drainage issues.
K. Acimovic explained they will have an interceptor swale which directs flow to the level spreader, which then spreads out through the woods. A discussion was held on the storm -water treatment chambers which K. Acimovic showed on the plans and presented pictures. He said the same concept will be used for the transfer station area, using storm water treatment chambers.
The maintenance plan is included in the application and the applicant (Town) is seeking approval for Phase 1 and Phase 2. The Town would like approval for Phase 1 as soon as possible. K. Acimovic explained the workings of the storm water treatment chambers; the sediment drops to the bottom, volatiles stay on top and flow goes out underneath the volatiles. If a storm were to occur beyond the capacity of the system, there is a bypass within the chambers but it would not flush out everything captured up to that point.
K. Acimovic said it is a small drainage area but will have many discharge points due to the current grading. This is cheaper than re-grading the site. He said the transfer station will be set up on the existing pipe and showed the re-grading to be done at the fringe areas. K. Acimovic said this is to comply with a general permit for storm –water, and one of DEEP’s requirements is to maintain a Storm - water Pollution Prevention Plan. M. Fraenkel asked if the permit is DEEP’s Industrial General Permit, K. Acimovic said it was.
T. Gutowski asked if the applicant will move the sand and salt storage area and K. Acimovic said they will do so in a later phase. A discussion was held on the sight line. K. Acimovic said they now have a 300’ plus sight line from both directions. He said the site is very small and they will have less than a ½ acre for each chamber.
M. Fraenkel asked if the Town is currently compliant with DEEP regarding industrial storm-water and, K. Acimovic said it is; no violations are pending against the town.
No site walk was scheduled and the application was tabled to the April 8, 2013 meeting.
W2013-7 Application to construct grass storm water biofilter and portion of processed aggregate driveway and parking area in regulated review area at 40 Cisar Road (Map 8 Lot 3A Zone R80) Owner: Lao Lane Xang Temple of Connecticut Applicant: David Lebel (Received March 11, 2013 Public Hearing by May 13, 2013 decision within 35 days after close of P.H)
David Lebel was present for the application. He said they are applying for a special permit for an addition and new parking to be installed in the back. Peter Henry, a Professional Engineer, was present to discuss the technical aspects of the application. The applicant received a special permit approval in 1996 with a proposed parking lot shown on the plans of 1996 which was never built. Mr. Henry said the basic difference between the application previously approved by P & Z and this application is a slightly larger area for the parking area. The applicant was before the Wetlands Commission in 1996 for drainage work but the wetlands were not identified at that time.
Mr. Henry said the wetlands have been flagged by John Ianni, and when they dug the test holes on the site they found sand and gravel. The applicant is asking for a processed aggregate parking area. At the base of the parking area will be a grass biofilter with tall grasses planted. T. Gutowski asked if there are alternatives and Mr. Henry said not really due to the septic area and showed this on the plans. He said they did a B100a for the Zoning Board of Appeals and Jody Schmidt reviewed the proposal and is fine with it. Mr. Henry will provide a copy of the approval. He said there are a total of 33 spaces, 26 new spaces in the rear and 9 in the front. The original application had 20 in rear and now they are looking for 26 spaces. A discussion was held on the number of parking spaces and the processed aggregate
material proposed.
Mr. Henry said they hold service once per month for approximately 100 people. Mr. Lebel said the occupancy will remain the same for now with the potential to grow. T. Gutowski asked if they would have special events and Mr. Henry said the services are the special events and would run from 10 am to 2 pm once a month.
Mr. Henry said the driveway will be two-way. T. Gutowski asked if they could add more parking in the front, and Mr. Henry said they cannot due to the location of the well. T. Gutowski expressed her concern about going from 20 to 26 parking spots in the rear and felt it could be significant impact to the wetlands. Mr. Henry said John Ianni can attend the next meeting and answer any questions the Commission has. He said the site was originally approved by P & Z with a 75’ setback but at that time the wetlands were not located.
T. Gutowski asked for alternatives for the parking areas, and a discussion was held on the topography of the site. Mr. Henry said they are trying to do the least amount of grading possible. D. Schreiber said they can only receive the application tonight. T. Gutowski said she would like the applicant to come in with alternative designs. Further discussion was held on the number of parking stalls, and Mr. Henry said the zoning regulations require 1 stall spot for every 3 seats.
A discussion was held on infiltration. Mr. Henry said most of the water will infiltrate the sand and gravel. M. Fraenkel questioned how they would control the amount of use. She also noted the application has not yet been reviewed by the Town engineer, Jacobson & Associates. M. Fraenkel questioned drainage calculations, and Mr. Henry said he does not believe the calculations are necessary.
T. Gutowski asked if they could move the well, and Mr. Lebel said they cannot move the well or the septic. M. Fraenkel asked the depth to the water table, and Mr. Henry said the soils are sand and gravel with no mottling or ledge found.
Mr. Henry said they do have to apply to Planning and Zoning (after Inland Wetlands) and will request an alternative parking lot surface from P & Z, i.e., an unpaved surface. The application was tabled to the next meeting.
Old Business
W2003-49 Notice of violation: TravelCenters of America (the Lessee) and George Giguere of Royce Properties (the Owner) of property located at 327 Ruby Road.
This application was tabled.
Minutes
T. Gutowski motioned to approve the minutes of December 2012. M. Drobney seconded the motion. E. Brand abstained. All others were in favor. Motion carried.
Staff Report and Discussion
- Set date for site walk on Hockla Farms Road
The Commission briefly discussed the site walk and agreed spring would be the best time; they will set the date at the April meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 9:05.
Respectfully Submitted,
Michele Manas
Recording Clerk
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