HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-09-17 Conservation Commission Minutes Conservation Commission Minutes
DPW Conference Room
September 17, 1997
Members Present: Joseph W Lynch, Jr, Chairman, Scott Masse, Deborah Feltovic and
Joseph Mottola Albert Manzi, Jr, Vice Chairman, arrived at 8 15 pm,Robert Mansour,
John Mabon and Beth Wescott were absent
Staff Present: Michael D Howard, Conservation Administrator, Richelle Lee Martin,
Assistant Administrator and Karen A Fitzgibbons, Secretary
Minutes:
August 20, 1997 no action taken
September 3, 1997 no action taken
General Business:
Discussion of Forest View Estates Subdivision(Salem Turnpike/Rt 114)
Mark Gross, MHF Design, was present for this informal discussion Mr Gross stated the
proposal is for a 95 lot conventional subdivision on 70+ acres of land There will be one
roadway crossing of 1200 to 2000 sq ft and to minimize the impact the applicant is
proposing to use an arched concrete structure The width of the road will be minimized
to 22' and a waiver for the shoulder width will be asked for from the Planning Board
There will be an open space area for possible recreational use For the narrow wetland
crossing a 4' wide pedestrian foot bridge is proposed using pressure treated wood Mr
Gross stated they will be asking for waivers from the Commission The buffer zone
impacts appear to be minimal and the project will be on sewer Mr Howard stated this
proposal is a significant improvement from the previous filing that was rejected by the
Planning Board
242-593 PCOC Lot 5 Old Cart Way (New England Engineering)
Ben Osgood, Jr and Len Getty were present
An OOC was issued on 6/20/94 authorizing construction of a 12 lot subdivision within
the buffer zone Two extension permits have been granted and have expired The 25'/50'
setbacks have been met and the home has been constructed accordingly A retaining wall
has been constructed on the property which was not indicated on the Plan of Record
This wall was constructed 26' from flag B6, and at its highest point, is approximately 8'
high The site is stable and the Town is holding a bond in the amount of$3,000 The
Conservation Office is in receipt of a letter and a stamped as-built certifying compliance
although the retaining wall was not accurately detailed on the plan Ms Martin inspected
the site on 8/28, 9/16 and 9/17 and since has asked Mr Osgood to submit as-builts
tonight with the retaining wall properly detailed Mr Osgood stated he has brought as-
built plans with him and he distributed them to the Commission The as-built plan does
depict the stone wall, however, Mr Howard stated the plan of record does not show a
retaining wall Mr Howard asked Mr Getty when the wall was built and Mr Getty
replied about a year and a half ago Mr Howard then asked Mr. Getty "you did not feel
the need to check with my office" and Mr Getty replied"no" Mr Lynch stated that Mr
Getty is darn lucky that something proposing a greater impact did not happen here, Ms
Feltovic agrees it does not comply Mr Masse asked Mr Howard what he needs for the
file and Mr Howard replied a cross section of the wall certified by a P E Mr Mottola
feels the Commission should issue the PCOC Mr Howard stated he is not passionate
about it, it is up to the Commission Mr Masse pointed out that lately there seems to be a
lot of disregard shown when it comes to plans Mr Masse made a motion to deny the
PCOC pending receipt of a cross section of the stone wall The motion was seconded by
Ms Feltovic and discussion followed Mr Lynch is inclined to accept the plan as is The
vote was taken on the above motion and it was 2 (Ms Feltovic & Mr Masse) to 2 (Mr
Lynch& Mr Mottola) As the vote was a tie,the motion failed Mr Osgood then asked
the Commission if he presented three cross sections of the wall, gave the plan to Mr
Howard, would that be acceptable'? Mr Lynch stated we have to decide on what's before
us tonite Ms Feltovic made a motion that pending Mr Howard's approval of the three
cross sections we would give him the authority to issue a PCOC The motion was not
seconded Mr Lynch stated we are not granting conditional PCOC'sl Denied,
242-824 COC 300 Granville Lane (Steve Mason) Scott Giles
An OOC was issued on 9/19/96 authorizing construction of a deck, grading, landscaping
and the widening and paving of an existing gravel driveway all within the buffer zone of
a BVW The original bond was for $1,000 and was reduced to $500 in December 1996
Ms Martin performed a site inspection on 9/11/97, the lot is stable, the Conservation
Office is in receipt of stamped as-built plans and there are no outstanding issues Ms
Martin recommends issuing a COC On a motion by Mr Masse, seconded by Ms
Feltovic, the Commission voted unanimously to issue a Certificate of Compliance for
242-824
242-063 PCOC Lot 3, 29 Wildwood Circle (Linda Tremblay)
An OOC was issued in 1979 (Ms Martin found it necessary to inform the Commission
and audience she was a mere 6 years old thenf) and does not state what was authorized
The applicant came into the office regarding a PCOC because she is likely to be selling
her property Ms Martin inspected the site on 9/11/97 and found there to be wetlands in
the backyard There are no setbacks mandated in the OOC There is no reason for an as-
built to be submitted since we do not have an approved plan in the file Ms Martin
recommends issuing a PCOC On a motion by Mr Masse, seconded by Ms Feltovic, the
Commission voted unanimously to issue a Partial Certificate of Compliance
PRESENTATION—BORDERING LAND SUBJECT TO FLOODING-- R. Martin
t
Ms Martin gave a very informative, brief presentation to the Commission regarding the
above subject She also handed out some literature to the Commission and they thanked
her for her efforts in these presentations
ADMINISTRACTIVE ACTIONS:
Mr Howard gave an updaie to the Commission regarding Lot F Flagship Drive An
Enforcement Order was issued on 9/15/97 to Mr Masseh A complaint came into the
Planning Office regarding the heavy ram and silt into the wetlands The project was in
violation of the Planning Board permit, in fact, it seems the permit was totally ignored by
the applicant Mr Howard stated he and Ms Colwell have an appointment with the
applicant tomorrow(9/18/97) and they may have to file a Notice of Intent Mr Howard
will keep the Commission posted
Public Hearings (8:00 PM)
Request(s) for Determination of Applicability
RDA Turnpike St/Rte 114 between Harold Pkr Rd& Hillside Rd(MHF Design Cnstls)
Mark Gross was present and proof of mailing was given to the Commission There was a
question regarding Harold Parker Road and whether it is a street or just the entry way to
the forest Mr Gross stated it is a street that is the entry way to the forest almost across
from Berry Street Mr Howard stated the work is limited to the roadway itself,the
applicant is present to be sure the delineation is approved Mr Howard stated that Boston
Brook does appear within the three miles Ms Feltovic made a motion, seconded by Mr
Masse, to issue a POSITIVE determination of applicability referencing the Riverfront
area,the BVW and the brook The vote of the Commission was unanimous
Tom Laudam was present and Mr Howard informed him that several residents have
called the Conservation Office asking if they could tie into the sewer line Mr Laudani
stated that a force main trunk will be run down Route 114 and that a lateral cannot be tied
into a force main Mr Lynch stated the issue of the sewer being a force main or gravity
sewer is a valid issue and will be discussed in more detail when the sewer project NOI is
filed
Notice of Intents)
242-871 Lot I Dale Street MPG Realty Corp (Wetlands Preservation, Inc) cont fr 913197
Mr Howard stated that he received a letter today requesting a continuance until 10/1/97
in order for the applicant to clear up a few items Mr Masse was unable to attend the site
walk, but Mr Lynch explained to him what was seen during it It is now 8.15 pm and
Mr Albert Manzi has arrived Kerry McCollister, an abutter to the property,was present
and stated he thought the site walk was beneficial to all Mr McCollister also stated he
has a USGS map and it shows the elevation being different than the applicants How will
that be resolved? Mr Howard stated that will be addressed in Mr Chessla's review On
a motion by Ms Feltovic, seconded by Mr Masse,the Commission voted 4-0-1 (Mr
Manzi abstained)to continue the public hearing until 10/1/97
242-877 Lot 2A Flagship Drive (MHF Design Consultants) cont fr 913197
Frank Monteiro and Greg Weich were present The site is being redesigned to avoid any
disturbance to the 100' buffer zone The applicant is redesigning the grading and the
drainage They won't be discharging into the buffer zone Mr Howard stated he agrees
with Mr Monteiro to a point There is some gray area regarding the point discharge Mr
Howard recommended to the applicant they file a Notice of Non-Significance and
continue the public hearing until 10/1/97 On a motion by Mr Masse, seconded by Ms
Feltovic, the Commission voted unanimously to continue the public hearing until
10/1/97
242-879 Lot 7A Old Cart Way (Neve Assoc)Paul&Maryann Maus cont fr 913197
Mr Lynch asked if the proceedings were being taped and Mr Maus replied"yes " Mr
Howard read from the minutes of 11/21/90 stating that a COC was issued. There is a
history of modifications in the file,but the minutes are sketchy The question of property
ownership of Lot 7 remains outstanding No waiver requests are asked for Mr Manzi
stated that if there is a question of ownership and the title if defective,that's not our
problem) John Morin handed out revised plans to the Commission members and stated at
the last meeting there was a question of the existing utilities not being on the plan The
telephone, electric and cable utilities are now on the plan The water stub is outside of
the 25' no cut zone The drainage is shown on the plan, with the manhole across the
street and the outlet structure to control runoff is shown on the plan Mr Morin stated the
as-built elevations are at 202 4—six tenths lower than shown on the design The 100 year
flood elevation is 203,therefore, Mr Morin stated he didn't go any further Mr Morin
stated the driveway next door could have been built too low Mr Lynch asked Mr Morin
if the 6" orifice was fouled with debris and Mr Morin replied no, it was clear as was the
12" one Mr Howard pointed out the orifice down the street needs cleaning out Mr
Morin stated that he used a drip trench to control the roof and driveway runoff The
subdivision had a large cul-de-sac which no longer exists Mr Manzi asked if the
property is a proposed Form A and Mr Morin stated"yes " It has not been before the
Planning Board yet It was pointed out that an ANR(Approval Not Required) is not a
permit The applicant has applied to the Board of Health but does not have approval yet
Mr Howard stated the Commission has exhausted those areas that are in their
jurisdiction The Commission wants to be sure the letter to Mr Halpin is in the record
Mr Lynch asked if there were any abutters present who wished to speak,keeping in mind
we don't want to rehash what has already been discussed Joyce Perocchi, corner of
Boston Street& Old Cart Way asked how many feet from Old Cart Way is the proposed
dwelling and was told about 50' Mr Lynch stated if there are restricted covenants the
applicant must come before us again George Lepke asked for a clarification of a drip
trench, is it adequate9 Mr Morin stated a drip trench is above ground and easier to
maintain Mr Lynch stated he doesn't agree, the water will find its way down to a point
charge discharge Mr Morin stated if the Commission wants a dry well, I'll do it Mr
Lynch stated that is what he wants Bruce Patterson, an abutter, stated that in spring, fall
and winter there is water present and the control box obstructs the water Mr Lynch
stated it is an existing condition that the Commission can't control, it is not this
applicant's problem Mr Howard recommends closing the public hearing and issuing a
decision in 21 days On a motion by Mr Manzi, seconded by Ms Feltovic,the
Commission voted unanimously to close the public hearing and issuing a decision within
21 days
242-881 Lot 2 Route 114 Gunya Corp (Wetlands Preservation) cont fr 913197
and
242-880 Lot 3 Route 114 Gunya Corp (Wetlands Preservation) cont fr 913197
At the request of Mr Lynch these two items were discussed together Geoff Andrews,
Wetlands Preservation, was present Mr Andrews stated at the last meeting several items
were requested to be shown on the plan and they now are wetland flags, the stone wall
along the 25' no disturbance zone,the foundation drain for lot 2, notes pertaining to no
decks being built without NACC approval and all fill to be inspected by the NACC Mr
Andrews stated that his client(lot 2) would like a small deck on the right hand side of the
house Mr Howard stated that would hold up the public hearing Mr Andrews stated he
will come back to the Commission with a modification Mr Howard recommends
closing the public hearings and he has draft decisions prepared for the Commission's
review this evening On a motion by Ms Feltovic, seconded by Mr Mottola,the
Commission voted unanimously to close the public hearings and review the draft
decisions prepared for this evening
Decisions:
242-881 Lot 2 Route 114 McLay's(Stop& Shop)Merrimack Engineering
and
242-880 Lot 3 Route 114 McLay's(Stop& Shop)Merrimack Engineering
Mr Howard had two draft Order of Conditions prepared for the Commission's review
this evening On a motion by Mr Manzi, seconded by Ms Feltovic, the Commission
approved the draft Order of Conditions as amended for DEP#'s 242-881 and 242-880
242-875 Route 114 McLav's (Stop& Shop)Merrimack Engineering
Mr Howard had a draft Order of Conditions prepared for the Commission's review On
a motion by Mr Manzi, seconded by Mr Mottola,the Commission voted 4-1-0 (Mr
Masse opposed) to approve, as amended this evening,the Order of Conditions for DEP
file#242-875
Adjournment
On a motion by Ms Feltovic, seconded by Mr Manzi,the Commission voted
unanimously to adjo the meeting
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seph W Lync Jr. airman