Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-08-27 Conservation Commission Minutes*$' Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Board - committee - Commission - Council: Conservation Commission Date: 2025-08-27 Building: Reading Town Hall Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: Hybrid Meeting - Conservation Commission Meeting Attendees: Members - Present: RECEIVED READINGLERIC �4. (y 2925 0CT - 7 PM I: 4 S Time: 07:04 PM Location: Conference Room Session: Open Session Version: Final Brian Bowe, chair, Martha Moore, vice chair, Tim Michel, Rick Keogh, Joseph Fleury, Chirag Sthalekar (remote) Members - Not Present: None Others Present: Chuck Tirane (Conservation Administrator), Jenna wood (Community Services Director), Steve Crisafulli, Greg Hochmuth, Meg Buczynski (remote), Garrett Alpha Cobb (remote) Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: , Emily Mackenzie Kulenkamp Topics of Discussion: This meeting was held in person and remotely via Zoom. Chair Brian Bowe called the meeting to order at 7:04 pm. Public Hearings 1. 0 East of Haverhill St Continuation of NOL Presenters: Steve Crisafulli, Activitas, and Greg Hochmuth, Epsilon, Meg Buczynski, Activitas, remote. Steve Crisafulli stated that since the last meeting, they have pulled walkways almost entirely out of the 35' zone with the exception of one around the building which is primarily for fire department access. He also said some additional changes were made since their last hearing based on planning comments, relating to the road, setback, and right-of-way. He said that did not shift anything closer to the wetland. Steve Cristofoli said they have reduced some of the plant material and plantings from the previous presentation because they have tightened the limit of work. He said there are now a few areas where they will be doing some grading to make the path accessible but they would replant and restore those areas. They are trying to avoid building any walls and just grade. Page 1 1 Steve Crisafulli said the updated O and M plan and updated lists of trees to be planted have been provided. He also said snow storage planning has been updated; that will be briefly stockpiled in center of parking lot then removed offsite and treated as the town treats snow from other municipal properties. Greg Hochmuth said they confirmed that all trees are true natives and the red pine has been removed from the plan. Martha Moore asked If the replacement of the red pine is in writing already. The presenter said it was. The presenter stated that it was just removed rather than being replaced with something. The presenter said it was in the revised plan and planting schedule. Martha Moore said there would be conditions but those would come later after closing. Walter Talbot said that, now he has done more research, he is more concerned about the Cultec ability to absorb storms. Wager Talbot said that the NOAA has recently released new information that raises the stormwater that the system might need to handle. He thinks the system might be undersized. Meg Buczynski said that they have sized the system based on the town's by-laws. She stated it's the NOAA Atlas 14. Walter Talbot said he is still concerned about the future. Meg Buczynski said they needed to design to something, which was the by-law. Brian Bowe said there are some discrepancies between submitted materials. He also sees a discrepancy between the materials' number of trees and those counted by the commission. Steve Crisafulli said they would want to submit a final set of drawings. Brian Bowe stated he wants the spur of the proposed trail marked appropriately on the plan. Greg Hochmuth said their hope is that they can close tonight but ask the commission to wait on a final order. Brian Bowe asked where they are anticipating slopes steeper than 3 to 1, which the plan states would receive a straw blanket prior to seeding. Steve Crisafulli said they don't anticipate that and that it may have been a carryover from a previous plan. Brian Bowe said there are still some questions on the lighting and asked the presenter to confirm they are dark sky compliant. Brian Bowe asked if they had considered screening vegetation. Steve Crisafulli said they hoped to add some more screening evergreens during construction and that the current photometric plan does not account for any vegetation. Brian Bowe suggested a condition could be to include some sort of screening vegetation to be approved by the commission. Chuck Tirone said the commission would have to think of a condition that does that. Rick Keogh asked for clarification on the impact of light spillover. Chuck Tirone described the impact of excessive lighting affecting wildlife through getting incorrect signals from light. Brian Bowe added there are a lot of nocturnal pollinators that are very sensitive to light. Page 1 2 The commission discussed that 274 trees over 6" in diameter are planned to be taken down for this project. Brian Bowe asked what lights are on the back of the building. The presenter responded he thinks it is just egress lights off on door at the back. Greg Hochmuth said that area is very thick with pine trees and stated that it might be necessary to see where the light leakage is, if anywhere, after the building is already built. Brian Bowe pointed out that the path is still shown as paved. Steve Crisafulli asked if the commission would accept stabilized stone dust in lieu of pavement, for accessibility reasons. Chuck Tirone and Brian Bowe clarified that non -asphalt pavement would be acceptable. The presenter stated they do need some paved area behind the building for fire access. Chuck Tirone said he noticed that the subdivision line doesn't meet the proposed trail spur so the conservation commission is going to want to build something on town land and get multiple permissions. He requested moving the subdivision line up to the end of the trail spurs in both locations so that they are only building on donated lands. Chuck Tirone asked how many days after the storm snow would be removed. The presenter said 24 to 48 hours. Chuck Tirone said the commission is thinking of snow removal within 4 days as a condition. Chuck Tirone said the commission wants true natives in the buffer zone and that replanted trees either be true natives or specific requests for non-native trees made through the forestry commission. Brian Bowe asked for clarification on shaded areas on the plan that are not well -labelled. The presenter said that the proposal needs to be updated. Chuck Tirone stated that discharge areas could be moved closer to the wetland, although not right next to it. Brian Bowe asked whether the grass near the pickleball court could be not maintained/mowed infrequently. Steve Crisafulli said they had talked about a more native mix or clover but they are concerned about ticks with people going into that area to retrieve pickleballs and for maintenance. Walter Talbot discussed the Reading town by-laws for stormwater planning, stating that the by- laws call for the Atlas 14 or the newest regulations from NOAA. Meg Buczynski said those newer regulations had not come out at the time they submitted their proposal but that she could look it over. She said their system should still work for the new stormwater recommendations because of the existing margin. She emphasized that they have designed to the bylaw. Brian Bowe asked what their error range is. Meg Buczynski asked if other projects are being held to this standard by the commission. Chuck Tirone said he doesn't believe that the commission is issuing a stormwater permit and asked when the regulations were changed. He said he thinks the commission would be committed to the regulations as of the date of the original NOI, June 4th. Page 13 Brian Bowe agreed that for this project, they should refer to the previous regulations that were in place at the time of submission. The presenter said that new regulations came out in August. Brian Bowe said that he is ready to consider closing with the condition that they would need to update final plans. Chuck Tirone said that the commission can close and not issue but then would not be able to get more testimony from the applicants. Brian Bowe said he is only worried about the trail spurs at this point. Chuck Tirone said he thinks that the commission could close. Walter Talbot asked about the implications of closing or not. Brian Bowe said that if the commission closes, it's done, but if it is closed without issuing, they can review more material; he said if they don't close the applicants would have to come back for another meeting. Chuck Tirone said if they close without issuing the commission can review more material at the next meeting and has 21 days after closing to issue. Martha Moore moved to close, Walter Talbot seconded, Chirag Sthalekar in favor, Walter Talbot in favor, Tim Michel in favor, Rick Keogh in favor, Martha Moore in favor, Brian Bowe in favor. (6-0) 2. Millbury Forest School Brian Bowe stated that this is not on the agenda and is not a hearing. He said that the commission last voted to approve the school assuming an agreeable lease agreement and asked Chuck Tirone to give a status update. Chuck Tirone said the cabin has been shut down for the school, for residents of the town and the Ipswich River Association, the Recreation Department, etc.. He said building inspectors reviewed the plan and had some comments that they mentioned weeks ago and went out to the cabin. He said they wanted to understand the class cation that the cabin would be under, probably educational assembly, so that they could then back into the code needed. Chuck Tirone said a few weeks ago they said they couldn't be using the cabin and the fire department agreed. Chuck Tirone said the building inspectors are now classifying it as a single-family house, and there is a missing occupancy permit dating from the renovations in 2009. Chuck Tirone said he has not been given many updates although Jayne Wellman has kept him updated somewhat; he has not been involved with the building inspector. JF asked if it was shut down because of the deck project or the review triggered by the Montessori school. Chuck Tirone said he is unsure but they were issued a commercial permit for the deck process and asked about the height of the railings; he said he had checked with the building inspector that 36" would be sufficient. Chuck Tirone said the building inspector said it was because he thought the building was classified a single-family home while Chuck Tirone was told to use a commercial permit by other officials. Chuck Tirone clarified this has nothing to do with the deck; when it turns from a single-family house, certain things have to be upgraded, including the rise and run of the steps. The entrance and railings need to be made more accessible. Page 14 Brian Bowe said it was the Montessori school inspection that prompted the discovery that the permit was incorrect but did not cause it. Chuck Tirane clarified that the building department doesn't tell you what is wrong so you need a code assessment. Chuck Tirane said that the use since 2009 was not legitimate since then in the eyes of the building department there was no occupancy permit. Joseph Fleury clarified that the grounds are still open and asked if the trails committee can still use the garage for storage. Chuck Tirane said that is a gray area but to the letter of the law the garage is not authorized. Brian Bowe said that he spoke to Matt Fallis who sees this as a surmountable problem that has to go through the correct process. Chuck Tirane said the fire chief is possibly asking for a fire alarm system. Chuck Tirane stated that they will have to pay for a code assessment and a contractor to bring the building up to code. Chuck Tirane said Jayne Wellman has been looking for someone. Joseph Fleury asked what the public can do, asking if the cabin can be rented out. Chuck Tirane said it usually is rented out 2 or 3 times a month in addition to recreation use. Joseph Fleury asked if the public should contact the Town Hall for alternate locations. Chuck Tirane said the conservation commission and Recreation Department will tell people who are in contact. Joseph Fleury asked if Chuck Tirane has notified the trails committee. Chuck Tirane said he has told the chair meetings can't happen there. Brian Bowe stated that the school is on hold while this is being resolved. Chuck Tirane said the school is still interested in options at Bare Meadow but would need a temporary bathroom. 3. 57 Longwood Road Continuation of NOI. Commission confirmed they already voted to continue this until 9/10. 4. 1503 Main St Continued public hearing on determination of applicability filed by Garrett Alpha -Cobb. The applicant proposes removing an existing deck and construction a replacement deck and screen porch. Assessor's Map 60 Lot 11 Reading File Number 2025-13. Garrett Alpha -Cobb presented changes since the last meeting with the commission regarding rainfall management. He described three options: 1. gutter on the shed with infiltration bed discharge; 2. gutter on the shed with dripline trench discharge; 3. dripline trench with no gutter. He stated that he thinks option 1 would be the best as it would preserve existing water infiltration patterns. Page 1 5 Garrett Alpha -Cobb requested that if all three of these options are acceptable to the commission, they would like the flexibility to decide down the road. He stated that they have also considered the possibility of adding a rainfall barrel to be used to water on -site. Martha Moore asked how they would determine which of these three options they would use Garrett Alpha -Cobb said that it would be in consultation with their contractor and that the options are in rough order of preference and likelihood. Brian Bowe stated that the commission's goal is to avoid surface flow in order to get water back into the groundwater table. He asked how deeply the stones would be in the infiltration bed described in option 1. , Garrett Alpha -Cobb said he is not sure; the stone bed is already there and he is not sure how deep it is. He described his understanding that the commission's goal is to not change water patterns. Walter Talbot said he would not recommend number 3. Chuck Tirone said that, if they go with option 1, he would like to see them set the stones into the ground. He said he otherwise liked the options. Brian Bowe stated that he thinks that the commission doesn't need to ask Garrett Alpha -Cobb to commit to one option right now although he agrees with Walter Talbot that the third option is least desirable. Martha Moore moved to close, Walter Talbot seconded, Chirag Sthalekar (remote), in favor, Walter Talbot in favor, Tim Michel in favor, Rick Keogh in favor, Martha Moore in favor, Brian Bowe in favor. (6-0) Brian Bowe proposed a condition to choose from one of these three options. Martha Moore added erosion control as needed. Chuck Tirone added to let the commission know which option they choose and that a site inspection would be needed after trench excavation before filling. Martha Moore moved to issue a negative determination, Walter Talbot seconded, Chirag Sthalekar in favor, Walter Talbot in favor, Tim Michel in favor, Rick Keogh in favor, Martha Moore in favor, Brian Bowe in favor. Garrett Alpha -Cobb asked what he should expect for next steps. Chuck Tirone said he will send the determination next week and that Garrett Alpha -Cobb is free to start his project. 5. Release of Bond Brian Bowe described Garrett Alpha-Cobb's request for the release of developer bond held by the town. Chuck Tirone stated that the contractor in this case did not finish and 1503 and 1501 became responsible. He stated that Town Council has evaluated this bond and it has to be given back to the developer; in this case, the town was not able to use it to help finish the project so the bond language will need to be rewritten in the future. Martha Moore asked if this bond also applies to 1501. Chuck Tirone said it does not and said that Garrett Alpha -Cobb was able to make an agreement with the contractor. Page 1 6 Rick Keogh moved to release, Walter Talbot seconded, Chirag Sthalekar in favor, Walter Talbot in favor, Tim Michel in favor, Martha Moore in favor, Brian Bowe in favor. Old/New Business: No new violation notices. Discussion Items: 1. Conservation/DPW meeting is 9/2, will be handled by Chuck Tirone as per the new procedure 2. Administrator's Report: Chuck Tirone said that Matters Cabin was his main discussion item. He also said they are getting more and more pressure to pay for tree removal on commission property. Chuck Tirone said he is assuming that the forestry department has $7,000.00 a year in order to take care of conservation property, as an accommodation made in the past by Bob Lashure. Brian Bowe said there are two ways to go forward: a warrant through Town Meeting or a budget line item in the town's budget. Brian Bowe stated that a warrant is a one-time amount where the budget line item can be more regular, although it needs to be justified. Brian Bowe said that he is inclined to go for the budget option. Brian Bowe and Chuck Tirone discussed the possibility of a $20,000.00 budget item that the trails committee and conservation commission would use, in contrast to $5,000.00 each both have currently been asking for to manage almost 1,000 acres of land and almost 17 miles of Vail. Brian Bowe said the regular requested number has been $5,000.00 but that could go up if costs go up. Brian Bowe stated that the Conservation Commission requested and received $8,500.00 this year. The Conservation Commission discussed the funding structure for permits and fees going to the town or the commission. Joseph Fleury asked for clarification on the process; Chuck Tirone said he was not sure but described what had happened in the past. Rick Keogh stated he is for the idea. 3. Minutes: No minutes to be voted on. 4. Election of Chair and Vice -Chair: Walter Talbot asked Brian Bowe if he still wants to be chairman. Brian Bowe said, yes, he is willing to. Martha Moore asked if there is anyone else competing for the position of chairman. No one else put themself forward. Martha Moore nominated Brian Bowe for chair, all in favor. (5-0-1) Brian Bowe asked if anyone else is interested in being vice chair; he nominated Martha Moore. Chuck Tirone described that the chair and vice chair are on call for emergent issues and have a prep meeting for every meeting. They also speak to the Town Manager and Assistant Town Manager and go to events. Chuck Tirone said Brian Bowe and Martha Moore often help with the budget. Martha Moore clarified that all members can go to events and Walter Talbot has recently. The commission discussed. The commission elected Martha Moore as vice chair. (5-0-1) Page 1 7 Martha Moore moved to adjourn at 8:52. Walter Talbot seconded. All in favor. (6-0) Page 1 8