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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-12-15 Conservation Commission MinutesConservation Commission, December 15, 2010 MINUTES Reading Conservation Commission Meeting Selectmen's Meeting Room, 7:00 PM Wednesday, December 15, 2010 SAN ~ Present: Bill Hecht, Chairman; Annika Scanlon; Barbara Stewart; Tina _ lsori; Ja 1eA 1: 4b; Maugham; Brian Sullivan; Fran Fink, Administrator; Maureen Knight, Recording Secretary. Absent: Brian Tucker Call to Order, Old/New Business Lobs Mill Conservation Area, DEP 270-565, RGB 2009-31 The Commission reviewed site visit reports, and the work area looked fine. They reviewed the as- built plan. Motion made by Ms. Stewart to issue a Certificate of Compliance. Ms. Scanlon seconded. Vote was 6-0-0. Lot 50 Azalea Circle, DEP 270-442, RGB 2005-13 The Commission determined that the Extension Permit expired in July'of 2009. Motion made by Ms. Ohlson to extend the Order for two years past the 2009 expiration date, as required by the MA Permit Extension Act. Ms. Stewart seconded. Vote was 6-0-0. `e Johnson Woods, DEP 270-416, RGB 2004-10 The Commission reviewed the CPDC approval with conditions for recent site plan modifications. The owner, Ted Moore, has been asked to submit the plan to the Commission for approval, as well. Mr. Maughan and Ms. Fink reported on the site walk with Mr. Moore to review the proposed trail route. Mr. Moore will be put in contact with the Reading Open Land Trust concerning continuation of the trail into their abutting land to the north. An abutter to the south has encroached on the trail route near Longwood Road. Mr. Moore will contact the abutter and request removal of a boat, a brush pile, and other obstacles from the Johnson Woods land. The site walk also included inspection of the large stockpiles in the southwest part of the site. Erosion continues and controls have not been installed. Mr. Moore was asked to address these problems, and also to respond to other items listed in recent letters. Mr. Moore did submit a report of recent catch basin cleaning, but.no report of inspection and cleaning of other drainage components. 20 Chequessett Road, Enforcement Order A planting plan has not been submitted yet. There was a voicemail left for Ms. Fink that the owner would like to meet with her in January to discuss the plan. The Commission extended the deadline for the plan to January 12, 2011. Conservation Commission, December 15, 2010 107 Main Street, DEP 270-561, RGB 2009-23 The Commission did a site visit. and there is enough room for five or six trees in back and three or four along the side of the property. The decision for the concrete pad was the correct decision. The woodchips need to be removed and more stable erosion control needs to be installed along the south lot line. The grease barrels were inside the dumpster enclosure as required. ` - 205 Charles Street, Enforcement Order Ms. Fink gave a site visit report. The owners have removed and ground out the stumps in the front yard, as agreed. Mulch has not yet been installed. The owners will be reminded to do this. 306 Main Street Ms. Fink reviewed the lab reports for the October 21E report at the DEP BWSC website. The lab results for PCB's were reported in parts per billion, rather than parts per million; so the samples do not exceed EPA reporting thresholds. The next report is due in January. 87 Walkers Brook Drive Ms. Fink reviewed the October 21E report. The building air quality has returned to acceptable levels. The well monitoring reports show downward levels of contamination. Memorial Park, DEP 270-546, RGB 2008-45 The Commission reviewed a site visit report. Erosion controls are needed for the sloping shoulder on the east side of Harrison Street, and some catch basins need cleaning. The Commission will send a letter to DPW. 2 C Street, DEP 270-558, RGB 2009-20 The Order of Conditions has not been recorded yet. Ms. Fink has been in contact with the owner to complete this task. 10 Torre Street, DEP 270-538, RGB 2008-35 The Commission reviewed and accepted the as-built plans. The only item left to submit before the Certificate of Compliance is the fall maintenance report for the drainage systems. 88-98 Walkers Brook Drive, DEP 270-489, RGB 2006-39 and DEP 270-.502, RGB 2007-7 A letter was sent after the previous Commission meeting with a short list of items needed for the Certificate of Compliance. The on-site manager replied and is working on containing the water in the wash bays. A reminder will be sent after January 1St if nothing further has been received by then. Parker Middle School, DEP 270-517, RGB 2007-31 The items on the punch list have not been completed. The Order will expire in February, 2011, but can be extended. In a separate matter, the Commission received a notice from the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program about a proposed sidewalk improvement project near the school. Ms. Fink reviewed the plans and reported that the work would be outside of wetlands and buffer zones. Mill Street Bridge Will Finch, former Commissioner, Ipswich River Stream Team member, and resident of Mill Street, was present. He reported that the beaver dam under the south arch of the Mill Street bridge over the Ipswich River had been breached around December 9th. The entire dam was removed, and the river Conservation Commission, December 15, 2010 bottom was scoured by the strong flow or the machinery. He also thought that some of the stone blocks at the base of the abutments were shifting out of place after this and other recent breaches. Mr. Finch had attended a meeting of the North Reading Conservation Commission on December 14th, and reported that they had denied an Emergency Certification for breaching this dam and another dam in North Reading. They were looking for a Notice of Intent and a long-term solution. Ms. Fink reported that the North Reading Health Division issued an emergency work permit, based on a concern about flooding raised by the owner of the house at 6 Mill Street in North Reading. However, the North Reading Conservation Administrator had not issued an Emergency Certification at the time. The Reading Health Division had then been contacted and had issued an emergency permit, and the Reading DPW had breached the dam on the Reading side of the town boundary. Ms. Fink was not in the office on the day this happened, and had not received any reports from the other officials involved until she requested information. She had inspected the bridge and taken photos several days after the breach. The water level upstream remained high enough to fill the floodplains adjacent to the river. All of the flow was going through the south arch of the bridge because the dam was still present in the north arch. Flow was swift. Mr. Maughan expressed concern that repeated breaching causes sudden changes in water levels, stressing and even killing the plants on the banks and in the wetlands and floodplains. This could destabilize the river system and impair wildlife habitat. He was also concerned about downstream impacts due to sudden changes in the force and volume of the water: The Chairman said a letter should be sent to the DPW reminding them that a beaver dam should not be breached without permission from the Conservation Commission, and that the breach should be partial to minimize scouring and downstream flooding. Ms. Fink suggested that a long-term solution is needed to control water elevations so that the beavers, the wetlands, and the property owners are protected. This would require surveying the relative elevations of low-lying houses and septic systems, the river bed, the top of the dam, and other relevant features to determine what the 'actual conflicts might be. Then a beaver control professional, an engineer, and a septic system professional could be consulted to determine appropriate controls for water elevation and appropriate modifications of nearby septic systems. Ms. Fink will send a letter to the North Reading Health Department and ask them to have their DPW perform these tests. Hunt Street/Maillett Conservation Area The Commission reviewed a site visit report. There is a long scoured gully where runoff leaves the lower end of Hunt Street and enters the wetlands in the conservation area. The end of the street was recently graded and paved to funnel the runoff into this gully, and rip-rap was placed in the upper end of the gully. The Commission did not think that the rip-rap was sufficient to stop the erosion and would like to work with DPW on a more effective design to stabilize the area. They will also send a letter to neighbors asking them not to dump leaves and brush in the area. Jacob Way The Commission made a site inspection in anticipation of a Notice of Intent to be filed in the near future. They wanted to see the site before it was covered with snow. They reported that there is a lot of scouring at the piped discharge outlet into the wetland in the southwestern end of the site. The recent soils test pits have been filled in and mulched with hay. There are filters in nearby catch basins so that sediments will not enter the drainage systems. Conservation Commission, December 15, 2010 Minutes of December 1, 2010 Motion made by Ms. Stewart to approve the minutes of December 1, 2010 as drafted. Ms. Scanlon seconded. Vote was 6-0-0. 320 Haverhill Street The Commission reviewed a site visit report. Some sediments have been deposited on the pervious pavers in the parking lot next to the work area. The contractor has been asked to install an erosion barrier and to clean the pavers. The tank will be installed this week and the generator next week. 50 Chequessett Road The Commission reviewed a site visit report. The new fence and sheds have been installed and the trees have been removed as permitted. The work resulted in extensive tire ruts on the lawns. A landscaper had spread topsoil over the damaged areas, but had not seeded because it is winter. The owner has been asked to mulch the bare areas to prevent erosion this winter. Causeway Road, RMLD Substation The Commission reviewed a site visit report. The area on the northeast side of the road used for temporary parking by contractors during the recent work has been blocked off with a new guardrail made out of an utility telephone pole. RMLD will be asked to mulch the disturbed soils for the winter and seed the area next spring. 3 Old Mill Lane, Minor Project The Commission reviewed a site visit report. Motion made by Ms. Stewart to close the Minor Project Permit for deck construction. Ms. Scanlon seconded. Vote was 6-0-0. " 8 Verde Circle, Minor Project The Commission reviewed a site visit report. Motion made by Ms. Stewart to close the Minor Project Permit for tree removal. Mr. Hecht seconded. Vote was 6-0-0. 17 Partridge Lane, Determination of Applicability The Commission reviewed a site visit report. Construction, grading, and retaining walls have been completed. Disturbed soils will be planted next spring. The silt fence remains in place. 311 Haverhill Street, DEP 270-429, RGB 2004-24 Ms. Fink reported that she noticed several freshly cut tree stumps on this site while inspecting 320 Haverhill Street. She reviewed the file for the Order of Conditions issued for improvements at the Little Treasures School House in 2004. The Order has expired, and a Certificate of Compliance has not been issued. Ms. Fink sent a letter to the owner and asked for a site visit. 637 Haverhill Street Ms. Fink received a complaint from a neighbor about work in the wetlands at this location. She reviewed the records on file, contacted the owner, and inspected the site with him. There was a record about tree cutting in 1999, when the present owner's parents occupied the house. The present owner said he had hired a landscaping company to rake the leaves, and they had left them in Conservation Commission, December 15, 2010 a pile in the wetlands. Knowing that this was not allowed, he had required the landscaper to come back and remove the leaves from the wetlands. Ms. Fink reported that there were no. leaf piles when she inspected and that there was sufficient leaf litter on the forest floor to maintain the soils. Some small shrub or tree seedlings had been cut near ground level. They would likely be replaced by natural seeding and stump sprouts in the spring. The owner does need to resurface the existing driveway. A steep drop exists at the driveway entrance, and the owner has been driving over the lawn to avoid damage to his truck. The grass has been damaged and the slope is eroding towards the wetlands. The Commission will send a letter to the owner, and a site visit will be done in the spring. Workshop Ms. Fink attended a workshop by the Army Corps of Engineers. Their new Programmatic General Permit for Massachusetts includes permit requirements for work in and within 750 feet of vernal pools. Conservation Commissions are asked to send applicants to the ACOE when they propose work near vernal pools. 55 Walkers Brook Drive The Commission received a maintenance report for the drainage systems. 335 Main Street Ms. Fink received a complaint from an abutter saying there was trash and dog feces in the wetlands. She contacted the owner and Planning staff, and made an inspection. They did find materials in the wetlands as reported. They also found the dumpster lid open and the enclosure gate broken. The owner agreed to repair the enclosure, instruct tenants to keep the lid closed and not to toss trash or feces into the wetlands. He will also post signs about dumping and about the proper way to handle dog feces. Proposed Library Addition Mr. Hecht reported that the plans for a new addition to the library include a roof garden for drainage management and maybe a solar panel. He was favorably impressed with the design. Adjournment Motion made by Ms. Stewart to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Ohlson seconded. Vote was 6-0-0.