SOMERS,
CT 06071
Wednesday,
August 2, 2006
Town
Hall 7:30
p.m.
Vice
Chairman Karl Walton called the Special Meeting to order at 7:03pm. Chairman Joan Formeister arrived at
7:07pm and presided over the meeting.
Members Henry Broer, Dan Fraro, Karl Walton, Lise Woods and Alternate
Member Daniel Fraro (seated for Candace Aleks) were present and constituted a
quorum. Wetlands Agent David Askew
was also present.
A
motion was made by Lise Wood, seconded by Dan Fraro and unanimously voted to
consider New Business prior to Old Business to accommodate the applicant for a
Determination of a Permitted Use of Right for 85 Denison Road, Somers
Sportsmen’s Association.
III. NEW
BUSINESS
a.
Determination
of Permitted Use As Of Right For Logging Activity, 85 Denison Road, Somers
Sportsmen’s Association
Karl
Walton recused himself from the discussion. David Askew previously inspected the
property with Red Oak Logging and presented a site map of the property and
showed the location of the proposed landing area and two harvest areas. Fred Meyer from the Sportsmen’s
Association joined the discussion and further explained the project. One small area of forested wetland at
the base of a slope will be traversed with a skid trail. There are no significant wetlands within
the proposed harvest areas. A
motion was made by Dan Fraro, seconded by Lise Woods and unanimously voted that
the proposed activity meets the requirements of and is determined to be a
Permitted Use of Right.
Karl
Walton rejoined the meeting.
II.
OLD BUSINESS
a.
Discussion/Possible Decision Wetlands Application #552, Rip Rap in Stream
for Stream Stabilization, 163 George Wood Road,
Fogarty
Mr.
Askew presented plans for the applicant noting that there is a section of the
stream bank that has eroded and needs minor repair which can be done with rip
rap. The applicant has not been
required to consult with an engineer as required under the 2002 Connecticut
Guidelines for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control. The Agent and Commission have been
working with a number of homeowners with in-stream erosion, resulting from last
October’s flooding. The contractor
has been furnished with details from the Guidelines to show proper
construction.
A
motion was made by Karl Walton, seconded by Henry Broer and unanimously voted to
approve Fogarty’s Wetland Application #552 for rip rap in a stream for stream
stabilization at 163 George Wood Road.
b.
Wetlands Application #553, New House Within Upland Review Area, 70 Scully
Road, White
Real
Estate agents Mike Kasper and JoAnn Batchelor presented the plan for
construction of a single-family home on the site. The site has been reconfigured from an
earlier subdivision. The wetlands
have been flagged by a soil scientist.
Mr. Askew noted that the site is consistently wet and much of the
frontage along Scully Road appears to be wetland. However, soils along the road are not
wetland soils based on evaluation by the soil scientist and confirmed by Mr.
Askew. Drainage will be a concern
for the future homeowners. Curtain
drains may be necessary behind the home and permanent delineation of the wetland
area is recommended.
A
motion was made by Karl Walton, seconded by Dan Fraro and unanimously voted to
approve White’s Wetland Application #553 for a new house within an upland review
area at 70 Scully Road with the conditions that the contractor have a
preconstruction meeting with the Wetland Agent prior to construction, and that
the wetland behind the proposed house be permanently delineated with pressure
treated posts and markers (provided by the town) indicating the boundary of the
wetland.
c.
Wetlands Application #554, 3-Lot Subdivision in Upland Review Area, Wells
& Mountain View Road, Town of Somers
Mr.
Askew presented plans for the 3-lot subdivision. The former Whitaker property is being
subdivided as part of an effort to protect as open space the remainder 265+
acres of the property. Three lots
are proposed: two on Mountain View
Road and one on Wells Road. There
are no direct alterations to wetlands.
A drainage outlet is located at the approximate boundary between the two
lots on Mountain View Road. Water
from the outlet and groundwater support a sloped wetland, most of which is
located on the lot to the west. No
adverse impacts to wetlands are expected to result from development of the three
lots. The Commission discussed
permanent delineation of the wetland boundary. The wetland should be marked on both
sides in locations that are close to the proposed residence, down to the point
where the wetland begins to widen out.
A
motion was made by Karl Walton, seconded by Lise Wood, and unanimously voted to
approve the Town’s Wetland Application #554 for a 3-lot subdivision in an upland
review area with the condition that the wetland on Mountain View Road be
permanently delineated in the field with pressure treated posts and
markers.
Mr.
Askew explained that the applicant is seeking to improve drainage on the site by
installing a culvert as part of a USDS Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) environmental enhancement project.
Mr. Barrett was in attendance.
An existing culvert crosses beneath the town road and discharges
stormwater onto an active pasture.
The proposed plan will carry the stormwater through a culvert beneath the
fields to drain into a swale and then watercourse. Mr. Askew explained that there may be
some recession of the wetland, which is currently located in an active pasture
area. However, impacts to the
wetland are limited because the water is being moved further down-slope. Mr. Askew reminded the Commission that
they reduced the fee for a previous application involving an NRCS environmental
enhancement project at the Barrett Farm.
The Commission unanimously approved a reduction of the fee by ½ or
$90.00.
A
motion was made by Dan Fraro, seconded by Karl Walton and unanimously voted to
approve Barrett’s Wetland Application #555 for agricultural drainage
improvements in a wetland at 327 Ninth District Road.
Mr. Askew noted that a
wetlands permit was granted in 1997 or 1998 for this site, but it has now
expired. The applicant is now
reapplying and seeking to construct a driveway and culvert. 1,700 square feet of wetlands will be
disturbed in order to construct the driveway. Mr. Askew explained that the wetland is
a relatively low value meadow/shrub that was previously farmed. The larger wetland system, including
Abbey Brook to the west will not be affected by the crossing, provided that the
culvert is properly installed to maintain a hydrological connection. Mr. Askew recommends that the wetland
line be marked in the field prior to construction since there are no longer any
flags or other features to define the edge of the wetland. The wetland should also be permanently
delineated in areas close to residential activity
A
motion was made by Dan Fraro, seconded by Daniel Fraro and unanimously voted to
approve Clarke’s Wetland Application #556 for a new house within an upland
review area and driveway crossing of a wetland at 276 Billings Road with the
conditions that the wetland boundary is marked in the field prior to
construction and that the wetland be permanently delineated with pressure
treated posts and markers.
f.
Wetlands Application # 557, Wetland Filling, 95 Franklin Woods,
Socha
Robert
Socha presented plans for work he would like to do on his 2-acre home site
containing a single-family home. He
has had a soil scientist flag the wetland on his property, which has developed
since the home has been built. He
would like to remove a portion of vegetation on the slope, add fill within a
section of wetlands and increase his lawn, while maintaining wetlands up to an
existing alder grove. Mr. Socha
explained that he has undertaken a significant amount of drainage work on the
property, including installation of drainage around the house perimeter, a
drainage swale along the driveway, and a catch basin at the base of the
driveway.
Mr.
Askew explained that there are two concerns with the proposal. The first is that there is active
erosion within the alders. There
are numerous eroded rills within the soil underneath the alders. There is no sign of sedimentation either
on Socha’s property or on the adjacent property. The other concern is that the existing
wetland area has consistently had standing water in it and that loss of the
storage area may have impacts to downslope properties if not properly
addressed. As an alternative to the
proposal, Mr. Askew has suggested construction of a swale at the base of the
slope, with a catch basin at the end of the swale that will take water to the
road drainage system. Mr. Askew
noted that the grade may have to be brought up to facilitate drainage and that
there is not enough available information to determine if the alternative is
feasible.
Mr.
Askew explained that he does not have a concern with wetland habitat, given that
this is a small man-made wetland of recent origin. However, the wetland functions to store
stormwater and there is a drainage issue which must be considered. Mr. Socha stated that he did not agree
with Mr. Askew’s assessment and that he expects impacts to be minimal, given the
significant drainage already done on the property. Mr. Askew suggested that an engineer
could provide additional information, but that Mr. Socha wished to minimize
expenses for the project at this time.
Chairman Formeister said that the main function of the Commission is to
reduce impacts to wetlands and that the applicant has not demonstrated the need
for the filling. Discussion
followed by the Commission regarding observations made during a recent site
inspection (Formeister, Aleks, Broer present) and the desire by other
Commissioners to inspect the site.
It was the consensus of the Commission that discussion would continue
next month after additional site inspections by Commission
members.
b.
Discussion: Compliance With Wetlands Application
#524 Conditions of Approval, 164 Hampden Road, Grower Direct Farms
Mr.
Askew discussed the results of a site inspection on August 1, 2006. Monuments have been installed along the
wetland boundary as required as a condition approval for the modification
approved in June. In addition, most
of the fill has been removed beyond the limit of the monuments as required. Mr. Askew noted that as part of the
approval of the permit issued in December 2005, the applicant was to submit a
mitigation plan by July 30, 2006.
The plan has not been submitted to date, but Mr. Askew has talked to Mr.
Mocko, the applicant’s consultant.
Mr. Mocko is currently working on the plan. The Commission discussed possible
enforcement action and it was the consensus that no additional measures would be
taken at this time, and that it was beneficial to have the applicant complete
the stormwater pond currently being constructed.
A
motion was made by Dan Fraro, seconded by Henry Broer and unanimously voted to
adjourn the August 2, 2006 Conservation Commission meeting at
9:14pm.
Respectfully
submitted,
Lise Wood, Secretary
David
Askew, Wetland Agent
MINUTES
ARE NOT OFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVAL AT A SUBSEQUENT
MEETING.