The Conservation Commission on Tuesday received updated information on the dewatering effort at the Charleswood School project site.

In April, conservation administrator Judy Day noted that staff had observed “high volumes of runoff that has sometimes been turbid” coming from the Charleswood site over a few weeks. It ran into a property off Briarcliff Drive owned by the Conservation Commission.

The runoff was caused by geothermal well drilling at the site of the new school. In April, between 7,000-10,000 gallons of water were generated daily over a period of 28 days, according to Nicholas Brait, a site superintendent at Brait Builders, the company performing the drilling.

Day reported that, after discussion with town counsel and the Elementary School Building Committee, the contractor diverted a portion of the water to “a different parcel not owned by ConCom.”

More than half of the previous water flow had been diverted to the other parcel, she said.

Added Day: “We’ve confirmed that the volume has gone down since they started doing that.”

There is a new erosion control barrier at the property line, she confirmed. The temporary dewatering equipment and erosion control measures on the Briarcliff Drive land will remain in place until a restoration plan is completed by Lucas Environmental.

New plans were submitted recently to the Planning Board that show the water flow diversion away from the commission’s property, Day said.

The geothermal well drilling has “gone on several weeks longer than originally was estimated,” added Day. The groundwater levels at the tree roots on the commission’s land “has been consistently high.”

She recommended that the restoration plan focus on “the long-term health of this area for any potential die-off of the trees here.”

Maintenance plan notification OK’d

In a 4-0 vote, the commission approved a town-wide maintenance plan previously presented by the Department of Public Works that included notifications to the commission when work occurs near its property.

Chair Melissa Recos recused herself from this hearing. She is employed by Tighe & Bond, the firm working with the DPW on the project.

There were some minor language changes to the previous document after feedback from town wetlands consultant Jospeh Orzel.

The main issue Orzel raised was communication about “work within or near isolated land that is subject to flooding.”

Bordering land subject to flooding can be seen on Federal Emergency Management Area maps, explained project manager Maria Johnsenberg. But finding isolated land that is subject to flooding “is not as easy to determine from a desktop point of view.”

Johnsenberg said she consulted with Day and Anna Rogers, the town’s environmental and inspectional services coordinator. Day and Rogers agreed to review queries about isolated land that is subject to flooding by Johnsenberg within four days.

Orzel and Johnsenberg agreed that, rather than paying for legal notices and mailings, the DPW would put notices up at Town Hall about the project. This would save the town money. No member objected.

Units release for The Trails approved

The commission approved the release of eight units for the fourth phase of The Trails development in a 5-0 vote.

A cease and desist order was issued in 2024 due to ongoing stormwater management violations. Project engineer Peter Bemis appeared before the commission to request the release of eight lots on Waterville Lane.

Bemis, who last appeared before the commission in February, told members that the units on the previously released lots had been built. He added that buyer interest has slowed due to the stagnant economy.

Day noted that the Ashland Conservation Commission also will need to approve the release of these lots before building permits can be issued. This vote is expected June 15, according to Bemis.

There have been no recent violations at The Trails, Day added.

Eighteen lots remain to be released. Bemis said future release requests will occur at some point next year.

North Mill Street hearing continued

The commission voted 5-0 to continue the hearing for the development of a single-family home at 12 North Mill Street. The applicant, Lou Petrozzi, had requested a continuation before the meeting.

This project has been before the commission for more than a year due to the submission of an alternate project proposal and failure by Petrozzi to provide all the necessary supporting documentation. Petrozzi also previously failed to pay money owed to Lucas Environmental. The commission called out Petrozzi on several occasions regarding these issues.

On May 19, the commission approved the project per the Wetlands Protection Act standards in a 4-2 vote. But the project was deadlocked 3-3 when a vote was taken under the town’s wetlands protection regulations, essentially preventing the project from moving forward.

Petrozzi requested a reconsideration hearing. It now will be scheduled for June 30.