Conservation Commission – January 14, 2025

Jan 14 2025

6:00 pm Wendell Town Offices and Video Conference

9 Morse Village Rd, Wendell 01379

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Via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81307558816

Agenda:

Bowen’s Pond dam removal: Hearing for a Notice of Intent submitted by GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. for Bowen’s Pond, LLC. A hard copy of the NOI is available for viewing at the Wendell Free Library. A digital copy is accessible in two parts at the Agenda Packet tab above.

Items from the December 17 meeting to be covered again due to a technical glitch in the town’s website that resulted in the December meeting not being posted. Items covered at the December meeting that must be revisited are:

Town Woodlot Request for Determination of Applicability: for tree clearing adjacent to WRATS. This must be voted on again.
Bowen’s Pond NOI update. A discussion of how the Commission can interface with the Highway Dept about the dam removal. Phil Delorey, Highway Chair, emailed:

The Town has a 38 foot right of Way on Wendell Depot Road, with a 20-22 foot road. That leaves the excess Right of way approximately 8 to 10 feet on each side of the pavement. I also am not an engineer, but it seems that we should have a plan that any future water flow or flooding will not be the sole problem of the Town. If the dam is removed, I will look into what would be needed to replace or re-establish the Right of way 8 to 9 feet on either side of the road, and that a culvert be installed to control the waterfall, one that extends beyond the right of way. Something like that will help clarify who will be responsible for clearing any debris that comes from the property side and blocks the water flow; the town would only be responsible for the right of way, not managing the water flow. I suggest asking who will be responsible if the water is plugged by a debris dam that breaks, similar to the Beaver Dam this past summer that caused $80,000 of paving replacement plus several more for gravel and stone replacement?

(As of December 17, we had not received the NOI), so this discussion (was only) about which department would be most suited to address which aspects of this complicated project. No action was taken on December 17.

68 Wendell Depot Rd Forest Cutting Plan: FCP was received without the Service Forester’s signature on December 2 and opened on December 10. The SF, Andrew Rawcliffe, said he will send a signed copy. No action was taken on December 17.