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Town of Reading
Meeting Minutes
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1 OWN CLERK
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Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Conservation Commission
Date: 2014 -11 -24
Building: Reading Town Hall
Address: 16 Lowell Street
Purpose: Public Meeting
Attendees: Members - Present:
15 JUN 2 2 A 10* 0 9
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Board of Selectmen Room
Annika Scanlon, Chairman; Terry Selle, Alison Stager, Brian Sullivan,
Rebecca Longley, Jamie Maughan, Charles Tirone, Administrator
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Will Finch
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Julia Rodger
Topics of Discussion:
APPROVED DECEMBER 17, 2014
Ms. Scanlon called meeting to order at 7:03 pm
Old/New Business
Minor Project: 155 Village Street
Proposed project is 8 '/2 `x 13' porch and 8 '/2 `x 7' deck. Sonotubes qualified based on what Mr. Tirone
saw. Owner started work before permit from Conservation or Building Department was issued. Fines
were doubled to $150.00. There was discussion on hours and role of Code Enforcement Officer, Bob
Armstrong. Responsibilities include sign bylaw enforcement; checking sites, follow up on old building
permits.
Continued NOI 270 -0634 Sturges Park — Pine Ridge Road, Map 4, Lot 88, Town of Reading,
Engineering Dept. /DPW
To be continued until meeting on December 17, 2014
Ms. Scanlon updated Ms. Longley on this project since she was not on Conservation Commission at time
of approval. This project is a stream bank repair. Something is sweeping the bank away. Mr. Zambouras
from Engineering Dept. dug out the area. Discussion whether he has any field observations to submit for
the record. Discussed ground water at surface and if there is a valve to flood for ice skating.
Mr. Maughan reminded Mr. Zambouras about mitigation/finishing the bus stop at Walkers Brook Drive.
Mr. Tirone says two applications will cost under $2,000.00. He will draft letter to Mr. Zamboras.
Engineering owes Conservation off site mitigation for Imagination Station area. Board has asked for
vegetation and boulders.
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Castine Field
Retaining wall of 100', filled in, sodded. Fence put up. Cover catch basin. Work to be done now outside
of season
Pinevale Dumping, corner of Riverside and Sunnyside
Ms. Longley did site visit on Sunday 11/23. Found dumping behind 86 Sunnyside. Pile is at least 4' /z'
high and as long as Berger Room. Some of the trees are being choked out. Dumping was discovered at
Maple and Center and in wetland area of Melbourne and Sunnyside. Mr. Sullivan commented that the
general public may not feel they are doing anything wrong "after all its just leaves ". Ms. Scanlon
commented a pitch needs to be made to residents that habitat is being smothered, trees could die and fall
on their property, flooding could occur. It would be a good idea to send letter to 9 Riverside and invite
them to next meeting. Maybe the abutters need to be responsible for removing the dumped material.
Mr. Tirone discussed having surveyors put in stakes, send letter and see what happens. Reading has a
tree policy, but no dumping policy with hard and fast rules or penalties for violations. Board decided to
see what other local communities have in place for dumping regulations. A public hearing is required to
change our regulations. The abutters should be invited to a meeting and provided with information and
invited to see fill area
Mr. Maughan volunteered Ms. Stager to check with other Town of Reading departments such as Police
Dept. on existing dumping regulations.
Fee Comparison
Mr. Tirone obtained the latest fee information from surrounding towns and put together a wetland bylaw
fee comparison. The Commission was asked to look at fees and consider appropriate increases as
compared with other communities. This was requested by Jean Delios, Town Planner /Assistant Town
Manager.
Minor permit is a vehicle for reduced fee rather than applying for RDA. Maintained list of what minor
projects there are. An RDA involves more work. Price for minor permit seems ok. Reading does not
have a fee for an Affidavit and should have one. Reading should have a site visit fee. Reading does not
have Certificate of Compliance fee or Partial Certificate of Compliance fee. Most towns charge $250.00
for this fee, some charge $100, and some do not have any fee. Readings has a complicated fee structure;
the fees fall under town bylaw. Fees collected go into Reading's general fund for the town. Ms. Scanlon
asked when site visit fees would apply. Realtor requests would apply to visit a property without filing.
Site visits help the homeowner; all parties should know up front what the fees are going to be.
Planned changes:
Minor Project $50.00
Amended Order of Conditions $25 for single family, $100 for all other
Amendments are out of the ordinary, requires public hearing and legal ad.
Reading has Plan Change Procedure. Plan Changes do not require public hearing or advertising.
There is a problem with owners not obtaining Certificate of Compliance at the end of the project. Ms.
Scanlon questioned how to go after this. Should the fee be collected at time of application? Mr. Tirone
has seen this fee charged at the end of project. 4 of the 9 towns researched charge for Certificate of
Compliance. Mr. Maughan would support it if fee was collected up front. Mr. Tirone suggested RDA
fees be increased from $75 to $100, which is an average of towns that were compared. Mr. Maughan
asked how much last year's fees were and how many RDA there were. Mr. Tirone estimated cost of
between $15,000 and $17,000. There are approximately 20 RDAs per year.
Board discussed how much to increase /and or which fees to add. Commercial RDA's from $100 to $125,
Residential from $75 to $100, Certificate of Compliance $50, Affidavit $50
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Town of Reading - Meeting Minutes
This will be on the agenda for next meeting. First the commission will vote, those results will be passed
along to Town Counsel. Second, there will be a public hearing. Third, commission will discuss publicly
and vote.
Ms. Scanlon made motion to present fee changes at public hearing as follows:
NEW - Certificate of Compliance $50
NEW - Affidavit $50
REVISED - RDA single family home $100
REVISED — RDA commercial $125
Seconded by Mr. Sullivan. Vote was 6 -0 -0
High School Baseball field plans for new dugout
Mr. Tirone was contacted by Babe Ruth League. Mr. Tirone helped them with the RDA application for
dugout that will be built.
2015 Meeting Schedule
The Commission usually meets the 2 °d and 4th Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room at Town Hall. Changes to this schedule were made as follows:
October's meetings will be on the 14"` and 18`h. November's meeting on the 18`'' and December's
meeting on the 9`h.
Ms. Scanlon made motion to accept the 2015 schedule as amended. Mr. Sullivan seconded. Vote
was 6 -0 -0
149 Van Norden Road
Will Finch (as private citizen) came before the Board with issues regarding 149 Van Norden Road. The
owner wants to change current single family zoning to PRDG overlay district. One parcel of land is to be
subdivided into two parcels. This would promote clustered housing. The owner /surveyor did not realize
they had to work with Conservation regarding the vernal pool. Mr. Tirone says process is clear as far as
standard setbacks where there are jurisdictional wetlands. It is a 2 step process of flagging out the
wetland and then Commission approves it. They did not obtain approved wetland line from
Conservation. The Board would not allow the owner to encroach on vernal pool buffer zone. Mr. Finch
will be contacting Patricia Lloyd to help draft letter to Attorney General from entire Commission.
Attorney General's office is to be notified that Conservation was disenfranchised and left out of the
process. Planning Dept. and CPDC should not be making Conservation Commission decisions. The
letter will be copied to Town Counsel, and to Jessie Wilson, Town Planner. Mr. Tirone, and Alan Foulds,
Moderator.
Request for plan change RDA 2014 -14, Pleasant Street, Coneco Engineering
Mr. Tirone reported gas main so large it can't fit between culvert and street. To maintain capacity
directional drill to be used on one pipe and two mains, one gas main in each pipe. Two excavation pits, 5
x 5, not in wetlands, over 40' from the stream. This project will be starting next year. Mr. Maughan
asked if there is erosion control and if they will be dewatering the pit. Mr. Tirone will ask Coneco for
their management plan.
Mr. Maughan made motion to approve Request for plan change to RDA 2014 -14. Mr. Selle
seconded. Vote was 6 -0 -0
Administrator's Report
Mr. Tirone has no report
Bills Approved
Ms. Scanlon reported there are no bills at this time.
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Minutes for Approval
Mr. Selle made Motion to approve minutes of October 22, 2014. Seconded by Mr. Sullivan. Vote
was 6 -0 -0
Election of Chair, Vice Chair
Ms. Scanlon reported that according to General Bylaws 3.3.1.2 a Chairperson and Vice Chair must be
elected between June 1 and July 31 s` of each year. Board of Selectmen suggests Conservation use the
same process as they do and elect a new chair each year. At the last meeting Conservation decided a two
year term seemed appropriate. Mr. Maughan did not agree with this. The Board will hold off until next
June to vote. The Conservation Commission is facing many changes. It was suggested that all members
be prepared to be chair or vice chair at some time. Mr. Tirone would like to see term last more than one
year because it takes a long time to get comfortable in the position.
Town Forest Kiosk
Mr. Selle informed the Board that the Informational Kiosk for Town Forest needs to be measured out.
This was a project by the Town Forest Committee. Mr. Sullivan does not anticipate any adverse impact.
Installation scheduled for weekend after next -December 6th. Ms. Scanlon suggested site visit for 10:00
am Saturday at Strout Avenue entrance.
Determination of Negligible Impact
Mr. Tirone reports this regulation should be added to Conservation regulations. Consists of a letter and
approval at a meeting; less paperwork than RDA.
Motion made by Ms. Scanlon to adjourn at 10:20 pm. Seconded by Mr. Sullivan. Vote 6 -0 -0
Next meeting December 17, 2014 at 7:00 pm
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