During its meeting Tuesday night, the Conservation Commission unanimously approved a notice of intent to manage excess water as part of the addition plans for Hopkins Lower Middle School.

Conservation Administrator Kim Ciaramicoli detailed a long process of “several rounds [of communication] between the Conservation Commission and the general land use consultant related to the stormwater management of the site.” She mentioned two special conditions that the commission felt must be met if the board was to approve the notice of intent. The first condition was that no cultivars must be allowed in the restoration area, as opposed to native plants. The other condition imposed by the commission was that the contractor must be sure to filter and discharge excess water from storms safely.

Claire Hoogeboom, a wetland scientist from LEC Environmental Consultants, joined the meeting to explain what she called the “contingency plan” for treating and filtering runoff water. This plan included employing the use of filter bags to clean the water discharged into catch basins.

Ultimately, the commission was satisfied with this plan and approved the notice of intent.

Laborers Training moves forward

Scott Goddard of Goddard Consulting joined the meeting to explain how the parking lot and drainage aspect of the project represented a very small part of a larger project within the site at 37 East Street. It includes a reduction of impervious surfaces to reconfigure patios and the parking lot. Goddard added, “As part of that plan, we were proposing to add stormwater management,” which included a discharge point and plans to revegetate the area.

Goddard suggested to the commission that it could close the public hearing on the small project, at which point his team could collaborate with the commission to “create a comprehensive table” of the riverfront area. The commission accepted the terms and approved the notice of intent.

Subdivision extension request partially approved

Ciaramicoli recommended the Conservation Commission extend permits for four of the lots in the Chamberlain/Whalen subdivision, not issuing extensions for an additional five lots. “The reason is that some of these lots have had occupancy, some of them for a year,” she said. She instead suggested that the applicant strive for certificates of compliance for the lots.

The developer had wanted extensions in order to have active permits when applying for certificates of compliance, but the commission did not believe this to be necessary for all the lots in question. Ultimately, the commission unanimously approved permit extensions for the four lots highlighted by Ciaramicoli.

Misc.: Further review for Pine Island compliance

In the latest development of an ongoing process for a property at 60 Pine Island Road, the commission looked to review an updated plan for mitigation plantings along the lake at the edge of the property. The plan from the homeowner included numerous herbaceous plantings and shrubs. However, member Ted Barker-Hook expressed concerns about the plantings not being close enough to the edge of the lake, thus limiting their effectiveness at filtering water runoff.

The commission recommended the owner place plantings closer to the lake. The homeowner expressed frustration as he felt he had followed the commission’s instructions from the last meeting on the subject in the winter. The commission decided to check back on the instructions given to the homeowner and reconvene on the topic June 25. …

The commission unanimously approved a certificate of compliance for a 20th Century Homes property, located on 1 Whisper Way. Lucas Environmental had been to the site in February and proposed an increase in plantings on the property, before recommending a followup to see if the plantings had survived. Ciaramicoli was satisfied with the overall progress of the plantings and the certificate of compliance was approved. …

A motion of intent to replace a failed septic system at 198 Ash Street will be continued at the commission’s June 25 meeting. “Additional changes to the site plan” were needed before the commission could approve, said chair Jeff Barnes. These included boundary markers along the nearby wetland.