Conservation Commission Minutes, January 15, 2014FINAL

MINUTES OF THE

CONSERVATION COMMISSION

January 15, 2014

Present:Steve DeGabriele, Chairman

Tom Tanner, Vice Chairman

Anthony Merlino, Commissioner

George Loring, Commissioner

Absent:Scott Dowd, Commissioner

Also Present:Mary Ellen Schloss, Administrator

Lee Hultin, Recording Secretary

Commissioner DeGabriele called the January 15, 2014 meeting to order at 7:00 pm at the Town Hall, Council Chambers, 75 Middle Street, Weymouth, Ma.

37 Todd Lane – Notice of Intent

Sue and Jim Julian

Map 39, Block 474, Lot 040

DEP File # not available

Addition to single family dwelling

Cmmr. Tanner made a motion to open the public hearing on 37 Todd Lane and was seconded by Cmmr. Loring.

VOTED UNANIMOUSLY

Ms. Schloss noted that the Conservation Office has not yet received the DEP file number or DEP comments.

Appearing before the Commission was Jim and Sue Julian. This addition will be in the place of an existing deck which will be removed. It has a full foundation and erosion controls will be in place.

In 2005 they added a garage and Mary Ellen was on site then and again in 2006 for final inspection. Mr. Julian planted ferns and phlox along the edge of the brook. It is very mossy and green and it was stated that the brook dries up in the warm weather.

Mary Ellen said when she was onsite it looks like landscape fabric was placed around the swing area. Mr. Julian said it was to keep the weeds down. Mary Ellen believes some additional clearing adjacent to the stream had taken place since 2005.

Cmmr. Merlino asked if there would be a foundation and it was stated yes, a full basement. Mr. Julian stated that all the soil from the hole will be taken offsite and then brought back on site to back fill around the foundation.

Mr. Julian asked if hay bales are required or could they use a silt fence. Cmmr. Tanner stated he doesn’t have a problem with just silt fences. Mary Ellen said she has no problem with that as long as it is trenched. They could also use a straw wattle which is also staked in without a trench. Mary Ellen will visit the site to make sure all erosion controls are in place properly.

The commission stated the haybales on the plan do not need to be in the locations that are on the plan, they just need to be in a u-shape.

Mr. Julian stated that the area that is cleaned up was full of briers and old dead trees. There are a lot of deer and turkey in the back yard. Mary Ellen Schloss is concerned about a footbridge that goes over the stream onto conservation land and that it could be a pathway to dump debris in the conservation area.

Cmmr. Merlino is concerned that it will attract people to go into the conservation land. Mr. Julian stated that it has been there a long time and nobody has ever been across it except wild animals as it is in his back yard. Cmmr. Tanner does not have a problem with the bridge as it is basically cosmetic.

Cmmr. Loring stated that he has no problem with the addition. He doesn’t believe the applicant should hire a consultant to restore the conservation land but that they should let nature take care of itself.

Cmmr. DeGabriele agrees with the proposed plan for the addition and realignment of the hay bales in a horseshoe shape. He appreciates the cleanup work that has been done. He does share Mary Ellen’s concern about the town’s conservation land. He would like to see the wetland area grown back naturally. Perhaps appropriate plantings would enhance the natural habitat of the area. He would like to see something to mark where the town property begins with either boulders or a post and rail fence. Lastly, the bridge is on town land and it should be removed. The conservation land should be in its natural state.

Cmmr. Tanner would like to ask the Police and Fire Department to see if they need it to get into the conservation land before it is removed. It is already there, not doing any harm but could do some good. Mary Ellen Schloss will follow up on this.

Mr. Julian stated he would prefer to install plants along the conservation land instead of boulders as he has grandchildren that could climb on them. Cmmr. Tanner stated that a line of rocks 10-15 feet apart would be ok or small posts with conservation land signs on them. Mary Ellen Schloss has a spec on this for him if he chooses this option. There should be no mowing or cutting beyond this point.

Cmmr. Loring made a motion to continue the public hearing on 37 Todd Lane to February 12, 2014 and was seconded by Cmmr. Tanner.

VOTED UNANIMOUSLY

CPC Update

Cmmr. Loring said there has not been a meeting scheduled.

Other Business

Letter of support for Pond Meadow Park’s grant application to the DCR for repaving of the bike pathways. CPC has voted to provide $75,000 to repave the bike pathways in the park and Braintree CPC is also approving $75,000. These funds are contingent on getting the DCR grant which would match this with $150,000.

Cmmr. Tanner made a motion to write a letter of support for the Pond Meadow Project and was seconded by Cmmr. Loring.

VOTED UNANIMOUSLY

Letter of support for the Puritan Road, Great Esker project under the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Grant Program. The DPW has some money to help support writing of this grant application. This grant will provide money to design a solution for a failed culvert/tidal restriction, and bacterial and stormwater pollution.

Cmmr. Tanner made a motion to write a letter of support for the Great Esker/Puritan Road Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Grant Program application and was seconded by Cmmr. Loring.

VOTED UNANIMOUSLY

Ethics summary – Mary Ellen handed this out to all Commission members for their signature.
Dumping on Conservation land from 52 Oak Street. This is dumping of concrete and woody debris on conservation land. Mary Ellen is working with them to have it cleaned up.
Legion Field and Lovell Field site walk was yesterday.
Well permit 199 Ralph Talbot Street. The owner is planning to move the well outside the conservation jurisdiction.
Town Council Meeting to vote on CPC funding for Whitman’s Pond is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, 2014.
Weymouth landing test borings to be scheduled for Feb 12thand 13that Delegas property.
Weymouth Housing Authority reclamation and repaving of roadways off Lake Street. It is within 100 feet of wetlands and will ask for erosion controls. Does the commission want them to file an RDA? Cmmr. DeGabriele would just like a letter from them stating what they are going to do.
Immediate Response Action Completion and Response Action Outcome Statement (RAO) for the Tallow Release at the Fore River Shipyard (RTN 3-31766). Shoreline clean up conducted by hand in Weymouth along Mill Cove shoreline.

Conservation Report:

See Conservation Administrator’s Report of January 15, 2014.

ADJOURNMENT

Cmmr. Loring made a motion to adjourn at 8:10 pm and was seconded by Cmmr. Merlino.

VOTED UNANIMOUSLY

Respectfully submitted by,

Lee Hultin

Recording Secretary

Approved by:

Scott Dowd, Conservation ClerkDate