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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-01-22 Conservation Commission MinutesoPq a Town of Reading RECEIVED ., Meeting Minutes TOWN CLERK "�. READING, KIA. CONOOP� C /_ Board - Committee - Commission - Council: 2025 OCT -7 PM 1: 45 Conservation Commission Date: 2025-01-22 Time: 07:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Conference Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Session: Open Session Purpose: Hybrid Meeting - Conservation Version: Final Commission Meeting Attendees: Members - Present: Brian Bowe, chair, Martha Moore, vice chair, Tony Rodolakis, Walter Talbot Members - Not Present: Chirag Sthelekar - on leave Others Present: Brian Bowe, Walter Talbot (remote), Tony Rodolakis, Martha Moore, Chuck Tirone, Jayne Wellman, Jenne Wood (remote), Joel Bargmann (remote), Brian Hermutka (remote), Michael Poltman (remote), Dan Chen (remote), Steve Crisafulli, Lucas Prato, Jim Riley, Bill Sullivan 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 7:00 pm. Brian took attendance via roll call Walter Talbot (remote), Tony Rodolakis, Brian Bowe, Martha Moore, present. Public Hearings 1. Reading Center for Active Living and Pickleball Projects Working Session Jenne Wood, Community Services Director, confirmed that all members of her team are present. Jayne Wellman, Assistant Town Manager, introduced herself. Jayne Wellman described that BH+A engineering suggested pickle ball as part of RECAL but the pickle ball project was split upon community request. The Activitas team is working on both projects. Steve Crsafulli presented a plan for Reading Center for Active Living + Pickleball Courts. Joel Bergmann described the project as a 28,000 square foot building on two stories. Joel Bargmann said there are a gym and a walking track as well as senior amenities and a carefully designed parking lot. Joel Bergmann said they have discussed with the Burbank Arena about shared parking for large events. Joel Bergmann said that there is an end of the site that only opens onto the Burbank Arena and therefore pickleball will not cause any noise issues. Steve Crisafulli described existing conditions at the site, showing an aerial view; the town purchases this land in 2022 and the wetland cuts through the back and left side of that site. Page 1 1 Steve Crisafulli showed images of the area that would be cleared for pickleball; stated it looked like a dumping area and that they are getting flags updated that should be done by the middle of February. Steve Crisafulli said the intent is that the town will utilize their easement in some way to widen a road to an official road. Steve Crisafulli spoke about the evolution of the plan for sizing of pickleball courts and parking plans in cooperation with the pickleball community group and Burbank Arena. He said they have added a fire lane and dumpster locations in the lower part of the parking lot to the plan. Steve Crisafulli also said they have worked with Mike Hannaford to plan access and not disturbing the 35' foot from a wetland zone; in order to accomplish this and get further from the wetland zone, they have eliminated one of the planned pickleball courts and reduced island space in the parking lot. Steve Crisafulli said they also added a path between the pickleball courts. Steve Crisafulli stated that they understand that the dumpster location is not ideal but they have tried to balance wetland needs and operational needs; he suggested planting arborvitae or something tall to prevent any rogue trashbags. Steve Crisafulli stated that Pickleball, then FECAL, then trail would be constructed. Steve Crisafulli said that everything on the wetland side would be protected during construction. He said concrete washout and materials would be out of the buffer. Steve Crisafulli showed locations for snow storage where snow would not be pushed beyond the buffer zone. Steve Crisafulli showed locations for generators and electrical equipment; he stated they plan to maintain grass behind electrical locations but otherwise replant wild plants behind the pickleball courts. Steve Crisafulli showed illustration of a plan for fire access and stated they do not yet have a full topographic survey of the subsurface conditions; they intend to do subsurface filtration and are looking for feedback and concerns. Steve stated that courts and parking lot need to be lit for safety reasons and they are proposing a Musco lighting system. He said there is a small amount of light leakage off of the parking lot into the buffer zone. Joel Bergmann stated that there is no gas service to this location and it needs 24 hour power in order to be a storm shelter. Brian Bowe stated that this is a working session rather than a regular hearing. Chuck Tirone stated that the Conservation Commission is not going to be held to anything said tonight; the actual hearing will be a separate process. Walter Talbot said we are putting hard surfaces on permeable surfaces and asks what the demand for pickleball is; will this satisfy demand? Jenna Wood said currently we have 4 courts at memorial park and a couple of courts that are not regulation at the high school; pickleball folks would love 8 courts but most communities in Massachusetts have 6 or fewer courts so we believe 7 outdoor courts will be fine and RECAL will be able to offer indoor pickle ball. Jayne Wellman asked if there is demand. Jenne Wood said yes, all of the courts at Memorial Park and at the high school are being heavily used. Steve Crisafulli said there was a wetland consultation previously performed showing that the courts are not on pristine wetland but rather a dumping ground. Page 1 2 Chuck Tirone stated that trees of 6" diameter should be surveyed within the 100' line Walter Talbot said we are covering quite a bit of area and asked if they have considered permeable pavers and asked if the pickleball courts could be elevated with drainage below. Chris Crisafulli stated that the subsurface drainage should be as good for the parking lot and is less work for DPW; they are planning on a Cultec system with a pretreatment area. Walter Talbot asked if there will be an outdoor bathroom. Steve Crisafulli said no. Walter Talbot asked how the conclusion was reached that groundwater testing was not required. Steve Crisafulli and Joel Bergmann said they don't have that information. Walter Talbot asked if there will be a basement and asked if the patio and outdoor work area would be elevated. Joel Bergmann said the patios are flush for handicapped access but would typically be permeable pavers. Walter Talbot said he is mostly concerned about the area being covered and it being suitably permeable. Joel Bergmann said that this was an access road to a Nike missile site so the town retained Wilcox to do subsequent soil testing and it was determined soils were clean. Martha Moore stated that she is concerned about the dumpster being close to the wetland and asks if the dumpster could be on the building side near Range Rd. Steve Crisafulli said they have considered it but don't want it to be the first thing people see and they are concerned about access in that proposed site. Martha Moore said with all this paving and Cultec chambers, how would the parking lot be sloped? Steve Crisafulli said they can't determine the grading until they get the topographic survey although they are planning on traditional catch basins. Martha Moore asked where the openings are for the water to get below the parking lot; Steve showed a network of drainage pipes. Martha Moore asked about diesel or propane electricity. Martha Moore asked if there could be solar on the roof or over carports, Joel Bergmann said the roof is designed to be solar ready and solar power is being considered but said that emergency shelter regulations can't rely solely on solar. Martha Moore said she is glad to hear it is solar ready and asked for a plan calculating payback times for solar panels. She asked if the boardwalk/path going into the wetland is included. Jenne Wood said it was always part of the original plan and that they are hoping to complete that in a later phase. Page 1 3 Martha Moore asked if they had a plan for the rest of the parcel and asked if it could be conservation land. Jayne Wellman said it could become conservation land and Brian Bowe asked her to follow up on the specifics of how that would happen. Brian Bowe asked if that could be a condition. Jayne said she would have to check but that should be fine. She stated that there is no expectation of ever developing the rest of the parcel. Chuck Tirone suggested that land gift and trail could potentially be the mitigation for all of the trees coming down and stated that he could see not having to survey all the trees if there was a swap. Brian Bowe asked why the trail is a separate project and what might prevent it. Jayne Wellman said that the pickleball group has done a lot of their own fundraising and does not require a debt exclusion, unlike the RECAL and path parts of the project. Brian Bowe stated it is likely that the path will be a good mitigation. Brian Bowe asked if there will be a fence around the courts; Steve Crisafulli said yes, around the perimeter and the courts. Steve Crisafulli said the fence is contained within the court square footage on the plan. Brian Bowe asked why they needed 90 spaces rather than utilizing the Burbank parking. Joel Bergmann stated that the predicted parking spaces are based on the expected utilization by seniors and the path of travel isn't necessarily accessible and that the Burbank agreement is only for surge parking. Joel Bargmann stated they would encourage pickle ball visitors to park near the courts rather than nearer RECAL. Joel Bergmann confirmed that there are no plans for future pickleball courts despite a note on the plan. Brian Bowe asked if other areas could be pervious. Steve Crisafulli said the area labelled 8 and the red area would have permeable pavers. Brian Bowe asked which side of the building the kitchen is on. Joel Bargmann said that the kitchen is far from the dumpster. Brian Bowe stated that they have a lot of concern about the dumpster location and stated that the further away from the wetland the better. Steve Crisafulli stated that their concern is that a trash truck would be in the road if the dumpster is in that alternate location. Brian Bowe asked if they could do something to keep trash from escaping. Chuck Tirone said that Conservation Commission has the right so say it can't be there. Brian Bowe said they would like to see it somewhere else. Martha Moore would like to see the dumpster near the generator with designated trash truck parking. Brian Bowe asked about the green space around the generators showing a few landscaped trees; he asked why not leave natural trees. Page 1 4 Steve Crisafulli said that's worth considering but that area has been a dumping ground without existing local vegetation. Brian Bowe raised the concern about piling the snow in a place that it can melt into the wetlands and it being further into the 1 00'zone and suggests a curb to drain water into the main drainage system. Steve Crisafulli said snow would be removed as this is town property. Jayne Wellman explained the process for snow removal on town property. Brian Bowe stated they will have usual conditions like construction protecting. He said it looks like there is a new road. Steve Crisafulli stated that Range Rd would be expanded. Brian Bowe said it looks like some of that is within the 35'. Chuck Tirone stated they are allowed to do maintenance but not substantially enlarge the existing road or you fall under a different section of the WPA. Martha Moore stated that the path behind the building is right up against or over the 35' line and stated there is often a lot of construction vehicle traffic behind the construction; she asked where would you put the erosion control? Steve Crisafulli stated that the erosion control would be beyond the 35' line and they are asking for permission. Martha Moore said it would be much easier to protect that zone than rebuild it and asked if the construction work could fit in the 10' between the 35' line and the 25' line rather than them going into the 25' zone. Chuck Tirone asked for the Notice of Intent to have a limit of work which Steve Crisafulli said they would have one. Tony Rodolakis asked them to describe the requirements for Dark Sky compliance. Steve Crisafulli said we would need to follow up on that with the electrical engineers. Tony Rodolakis Asked about the direction of water for putting out a fire. Steve Crisafulli said he'd have to send that question to the fire department. Tony Rodolakis asked if the tennis courts would only be used for tennis after this project is done. Jenne Wood said the intention is that pickleball play will move from Memorial Park to these courts. Eileen Manning, Reading Pickleball Players (RPPA), said she hadn't heard that Memorial Park would not continue to be dual -use. Mike Coltman, president of RPPA, said this location would become the primary location for pickleball in the town but there might still be demand for the Memorial Park location; usage is in the 90% utilization for Memorial Park. Jenne Wood said that the reason for moving pickleball is the neighborhood impact and moving it to these courts would probably be the best. Jenne Wood suggested Jim Sullivan, recreation administrator, should weigh in. Page 1 5 Chuck Tirone said he hadn't seen the season high groundwater in B6 and asked for that information as infiltration only works if you have two feet of separation between groundwater. Steve Crisafulli said there will be a full stormwater report but that there has already been a more recent geotechnical report indicating groundwater levels. Chuck Trone asked what maintenance is required behind the pickleball courts and suggested that leaving it unmowed would stop escaping pickleballs. Chuck Tirone stated that mitigation/compensation is mandatory and would be part of the order of conditions and that Town Meeting would need to fund that also. Chuck Tirone asked if they checked this area for vernal pools on MassMapper as lighting during certain seasons would affect that. Joel Bargmann said that GIS did not show vernal pools on this side of the road. Chuck Trone said they should assume vernal pools are in this area and that the commission is looking for 6" and up tree count, wetland report on the soils, lot inventory, groundwater testing, tree mitigation, moving the dumpster, snow storage, and dark sky compliance as close to the edges as possible. Jayne Wellman asked if the commission wanted the trail delineated as mitigation versus the land grant if one process passes and the other one doesn't; if just the pickleball project passes, doing the trail might be difficult. Brian Bowe answered that the scope of the project might affect the desired mitigation. Walter Talbot asked if a trail is a mitigation as it has impact. Chuck Tirone said it does have impact but it has public benefit and that it is up to the Conservation Commission to decide if it's appropriate mitigation. Martha Moore stated the commission does have a precedent of accepting trails as mitigation. Chuck Tirone stated that the WPA does not consider the trail an alteration. Martha Moore said it looks like you have some trees along the edge of the parking lot that are preexisting trees you want to keep; if there are trees that need to be protected from being damaged in construction, it would be good to indicate that on the plan if they are near the limit of work line, a tree protection plan. Brian Bowe stated that tree protection fencing needs to be far enough out to protect roots as well. Tony Rodolakis stated that the commission has a preference for true natives rather than varieties in a planting plan. Lucas Prato, 85 Hancock St, suggested that a giant gravel lot behind the ice arena might be a good place for storing snow. 2. 0 Vine Street— MBTA Turnback —Continued to next meeting Feb 12, 2025 Page 1 6 Brian Bowe stated that the applicant asked for a continuation to February 120. Martha Moore moves to continue to February 12' , Tony Rodolakis seconds, Walter Talbot in favor, Tony Rodolakis in favor, Brian Bowe in favor. (5-0) 3. Public Forum Brian Bowe announced a brief public forum being added to the agenda Jim Riley, 87 Hancock St, said he has lived in or near that location for 60+ years. Jim Riley said he is concerned about the MBTA turnback track proposed because the Town of Reading has not gotten a formal document explaining how this will be done. Jim Riley said he has provided Chuck Tirone with a document based on what we know that is a first pass list of concessions. Jim Riley said this is what we (referring to himself and his neighbor, Lucas Prato) would want if the Conservation Commission accepts this idea; they would see trains and are concerned about diesel fumes. Chuck Tirone asked if Jim Riley and his neighbor are aware of an upcoming select board meeting that will address this topic. Jim Riley said they are and will be meeting with the Town Manager next week to discuss attemative solutions to the turnback track. Lucas Prato said that he had forwarded a document to Chuck Tirone from the MBTA representative. Lucas Prato said that they are planning to host residents at the library on next Saturday (February 1 st) and stated that any commissioner who would like to go to that is invited. Waiter Talbot asked Brian Bowe if he could speak to this gentleman as a fellow citizen and not a commissioner, Brian Bowe said okay, take 30 seconds. Walter Talbot (not as commissioner) suggested Lucas Prato and Jim Riley contact the Climate Advisory Committee of Reading. Old/New Business 1. Town Forest Red Pine Tree Thinning Discussion Bill Sullivan said he would talk about Phase 4 tree cutting Martha Moore said she has not yet seen the results of the cutting. Chuck Tirone said he had been to see the trees cut and Tony Rodolakis said he had been out before the cutting. Bill Sullivan began sharing a presentation on the dead tree cutting program; prior work from 2020 and 2022 was shown as well as the 2025 work. Bill Sullivan said much of the recent cutting was difficult because they were sloped areas and that the DCR and certified forester recommended laying the logs in lengths of about 10 feet on the ground in order to promote decomposition (largely Area 5). Bill Sullivan said they were able to use equipment in Area 12 to cut down and haul away dead trees. Bill Sullivan said that in Area 13 they were not able to use that equipment so trees were also laid perpendicular to the slope in contact with the ground. Bill Sullivan said they had a site walk on Monday the 13'h with Chris Prior, Bill Benjamin, Dan Mayor, Chuck Tirone, Mike Hannaford, and Mike Hessman from DPW. Brian Sullivan reported that Chris Prior, certified forester, said he was satisfied with the work done. Brian Bowe described his site walk Friday or Saturday and went to all of the areas; he agreed they did a pretty good job of putting them perpendicular to the slope and mostly flat on the Page 1 7 ground. Brian Bowe said he did say on Parker Ridge trail there was a line on a tree snagged probably indicating an owl rescue or an intent to go back. Brian Bowe described his concerns (shared with someone from AVIS he met in the forest) about what will grow in the cut locations and concerns that there are some invasive species. Bill Sullivan said they do intend to do some planting and mentioned a town -wide event for Arbor Day planting 500 trees and seeking invasive control funding from DCR's remaining $25,000.00. Bill Sullivan said they spent $44,000.00 in November removing invasives from trails. Martha Moore asked if leaving ten -foot snags for habitat was effective; Bill Sullivan said yes it was. Chuck Tirone said he has encouraged the Town Forest Committee to replant. Chuck Tirone, Brian Bowe, and Bill Sullivan discussed the possibility of some kind of water tank for watering plantings. Martha Moore said DPW has such a tank although they do not have the time to do the actual watering. Martha Moore asked if Phase 4 was required to do replanting or just cutting; Brian Bowe answered just cutting. Martha Moore moves that we accept that the cutting has been done properly, Tony Rodolakis seconds, Walter Talbot in favor, Tony Rodolakis in favor, Martha Moore in favor, Brian Bowe in favor. 2. Enforcement Order for the Reading DPW Strout Ave Water Fountain Chuck Tirone said that Mike Chessum is not here to talk about it tonight but that he has sent Chuck Tirone a Notice of Intent today. Chuck Tirone reported that Mike Chessum said that he will be at the next meeting to present the Notice of Intent, which will be published tomorrow, so he is in compliance. 3. 445 Pearl St Brian Bowe said that he and Martha Moore had met with the Rivers at their property and that they were planning to prepare a proposal to keep a retaining wall. Chuck Tirone stated he had not received anything from Michael Rivers or anyone at that address. Martha Moore said she thinks they had hoped to have the plan for changing the alteration in by next weekend. Chuck Tirone asked why these homeowners were allowed to come up with a plan to try. Brian Bowe said that they asked if they could come up with a different plan and Martha Moore and he said the homeowners would have to submit a plan alteration to the whole Conservation Commission. Brian Bowe said it is likely we will end up saying they have to stick to the original plan but it seemed worthwhile to consider it. Brian Bowe said this is already under enforcement order. Chuck Tirone suggested the commission send this on to the Town Council Page 1 8 Martha Moore suggested that the deadline for the homeowners' altered plan should be February 121°. Tony Rodolakis and Walter Talbot said they did not have suggestions on this site. Martha Moore moves to tell Chuck Tirone to send the homeowners a letter updating the enforcement order saying they need to attend the February 12' meeting with a date for construction on the original plan or a new plan or it will be sent to Town Council. Walter Talbots seconds, Walter Talbots in favor, Tony Rodolakis in favor, Martha Moore in favor, Brian Bowe in favor. Discussion item: Conservation -DPW Meeting on February al °: Chuck Tirone said that agenda items are due the week before, on the 281h of January. Brian Bowe says he can attend but needs to leave at 1:45. Brian Bowe asks for minutes for approval; none are ready for approval. Brian Bowe said that Tony Rodolakis will do the minutes for this meeting. Martha Moore moves to adjourn at 9:25, Tony Rodolakis seconds, all in favor. Page j 9