P.O. BOX 308
Tuesday, March 7,
2006
7:00 p.m. Town
Hall
Chairman Joan
Formeister called the regular meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. Members Joan Formeister, Dan Fraro
(arriving at 8:40 p.m.), Lise Wood, Karl Walton and Todd Whitford were present
and constituted a quorum. Wetlands
Agent David Askew and Eric Bedan were also present.
A motion was
made by Karl Walton, seconded by Lise Wood and unanimously voted to take Item g.
of New Business out of order.
II. NEW BUSINESS
g.
Wetlands Application #537, Sewer Expansion within Upland Review Area, 33
Quality Avenue, Town of Somers
Steve Jacobs and
Mike Mocko presented the sedimentation and erosion control plan proposing work
on the Somers sewer treatment facility.
A soil scientist has recently flagged the wetlands. The septic tanks will be reconstructed
and some regrading work is necessary within the upland review area. A silt fence is to be installed,
protecting the area during construction.
The closest grading point is approximately 50 feet from the
wetlands.
Dave Askew has
no issues with the project. He has
checked the wetland delineation and it looks fine. No wetland disturbance is
expected.
a.
Wetlands Application #531, 2-Lot Subdivision in Upland Review Area, 93
Field Road, Percoski
The Commission
reviewed the plan. The property is
situated on Field Road adjacent to Lloyd’s Power Equipment and includes an
existing house with a detached garage.
The wetland is approximately 200 feet from any proposed activity and
there will be no need for silt fencing.
It is a very flat area which has already been cleared. There are no issues with the
application.
b.
Wetlands Application #532, Dredging Intermittent Watercourse & Dam
Repair, 92 Scully Road, Chatis
Bruce Wood spoke
for the applicant regarding an existing pond with an intermittent stream on
upper Scully Road. The pond
suffered damage resulting from the October flooding and the pond was dredged
without a permit. The stream is
filled with sediment and flow is being diverted into an adjacent pasture. Mr. Wood is applying to clear and
excavate a new channel and spread pond and stream spoils in the
upland.
David Askew has
checked the site and has marked the wetlands. He recommended the use of an erosion
control blanket after excavation to stabilize the stream. The netting should hold seed along the
sides. He briefly discussed the
dewatering process and had no other issues or concerns with the
application.
c.
Wetlands Application #533, Bridge Crossing Stream, 328 Stafford Road,
Czerwinski
A bridge on
Richard Czwerinski’s property, together with approximately 500 feet of town
road, were damaged in October’s flooding.
The bridge was washed out and he is seeking to repair it as shown on the
plan he presented.
Mr. Askew
explained that a section of the repair work is to be done by the federal
government. The new bridge is
designed to withstand a 25-year storm and the engineering is sound. He has no issues of
concern.
The property is
situated 700 feet west of Eaglebrook Drive on the north side of Mountain Road
and contains approximately 4.5 acres that slope downward from Mountain Road to
Gillette Brook. T.J. Barresi from
Ed Lally and Associates presented plans for a single-family home served by
private well and septic system.
Steve Jacobs has provided a letter granting approval of the septic
system.
The wetlands
have been flagged and the proposed driveway would include a wetland crossing
with a 12-inch culvert. Fill will
be used to build the driveway up to grade and plantings will be used to
reinforce the area. A list of
plantings is included with the plan.
Alternate
locations for the driveway were considered, but the necessary easements are not
available under terms that the applicant is agreeable to. An easement is already in place for the
point of crossing proposed. In
planning the driveway path, which follows the direction of an existing farm
road, they have worked to keep the proposed activity outside the regulated
area. A silt fence will be
installed for added protection and the area is relatively
flat.
Mr. Askew
requested that the culvert and methods of addressing seepage issues be shown on
the plans and noted that he would prefer a different driveway location if
possible.
e.
Wetlands Application #535, Inground Pool in Upland Review Area, 56
Brittany Lane, Witwer
The Commission
reviewed the plans. Dave Askew
noted that the wetland associated with the application basically appears on
paper only. Because of the existing
underground drains for the road, within 10 years there may no longer be a
wetland associated with the property.
The applicant
proposes installing an underground pool approximately 25 feet from the wetlands
and will not be doing any clearing.
They will be using the excavated materials on site. Mr. Askew has no issues with the
application.
f.
Wetlands Application #536, New House with Intermittent Stream &
Wetlands Crossing, 167 Root Road, Gallant
Brian Gallant
and Mike Mocko presented the plans which include installing a 1,700-foot
driveway crossing the wetland. A
single-family home is to be constructed in the upland area. The parcel consists of almost 20 acres,
with a vernal pool, and the plan is to construct a driveway that follows a
logging trail last used about 6 years ago.
Mr. Mocko noted that a wetland crossing of an intermittent stream at the
point where the driveway traverses the site is unavoidable. Several 6-inch culvert crossings will be
situated at various low points along the driveway.
Mr. Mocko said
that alternate locations for the home were considered but a large ledge area and
septic system test results indicate an inability to support construction at
other sites on the parcel.
Mr. Askew stated
that this is a large, isolated parcel with a very nice, centrally-located
wetland and a significant wildlife habitat. Due to the large buildable acreage not
associated with wetlands, he believes the applicant should demonstrate all of
the alternatives for house location.
The proposed crossing, due to the intrinsic value of the wetlands, is
going to have an unavoidable impact.
The road will
need to be adequately and permanently crowned and plantings should be made along
the driveway to filter any runoff.
Mr. Mocko added that good, stone-rich gravel will be used for the
surface. All re-vegetation and silt
fence notes will be included on the plans.
Mr. Askew
presented photos of the area referred to in his February 9, 2006 letter to Mr.
Van Wingerden. The letter described
a violation regarding a stream that flows from the property through the forest
depositing sediment throughout the area and into the pond on Mr. Beley’s Hampden
Road property. Mr. Mocko and
Leonard VanWingerden explained the plans to reduce the significant sediment
discharge on the south side of the property, downstream from the pond. Mr. Mocko explained that when it rains,
there is a runoff of dirty water associated with the road.
To resolve the
situation they have constructed a stone berm along the pond area covered by a
non-woven fabric to sandwich and stop the flow. A silt fence has also been installed and
environmentally safe polymer crystals will be seeded on the bank which will
attach to any escaping soil. At the
outlet of the pond is a 12-foot channel in which they are placing a floc log to
reduce any turbidity. The channel
will be lined with 3 layers of jute mesh as well which is designed to improve
the water leaving the site. These
materials will have no biological impact to the water and are a safety
net.
Mr. Mocko
submitted his monthly report showing the work completed, which is in addition to
the original erosion control. The
road has been scraped of any debris.
Mr. Askew noted
the additional violation of fill placed in approximately 60 additional feet of
the wetland. This exceeds the
amount of wetland filling approved by the Commission on December 7, 2005. Mr. VanWingerden stated that the area
will be cleaned out and he would like to install a retention basin to treat
stormwater. Mr. Askew would like to
see the wetland boundary returned to its original location and water quality
basins installed. Also no other
wetland filling should be approved in the area. A timetable for the fill removal and
area restoration should be submitted at the next meeting.
Mr. VanWingerden
would also like to submit a new application to remove debris from Thrasher Brook
and the associated floodplain. He
would like to do the work at the same time that Mr. Roulier’s culvert across
Stafford Road is completed.
The next meeting
is scheduled for March 27, 2006 at 7:00 p.m.
David Askew
presented the Wetland Agent’s Report and introduced Eric Bedan who is currently
working full time at the Conservation District. He has a Master’s Degree in Natural
Resources with a concentration in Storm Water Management.
After brief
discussion, a motion was made by Karl Walton, seconded by Lise Wood and
unanimously voted to approve Mr. Askew’s report as
presented.
Recent issues of
The Habitat, Water Watch and CFL News were distributed. Also Mr. Askew has the 2006 Municipal
Inland Wetland Commission Training Program from the DEP on DVD and the
Commission has received notice of the actual program with one free voucher. Anyone interested in attending should
contact David Askew.
Three bills were
presented from the Journal Inquirer for the following amounts: $62.96, $39.95 and $55.09. A $61.00 bill has come in from Ellington
Printery for stationery. There is a
bill from $5,125.00 from the Conservation District.
A motion was
made by Lise Wood, seconded by Karl Walton and unanimously voted to pay the
bills as presented.
A motion was
made by Lise Wood, seconded by Karl Walton and unanimously voted to adjourn the
March 7, 2006 Conservation meeting at 9:05 p.m.
Respectfully
submitted,
Lise Wood,
Secretary
Robin Timmons, Recording Secretary
MINUTES ARE NOT OFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVAL
AT A SUBSEQUENT MEETING.