ARLINGTON CONSERVATION COMMISSION
MINUTES
JANUARY 22, 2004
Mr. Stevens called the meeting to order at 7:30pm in the second floor conference room of the Town Hall Annex. Present were Nathaniel Stevens, David White, Judith Hodges, Ellen Reed, and Catherine Garnett of the Commission. Timothy Sullivan was absent. Clarice Gordon of the League of Women Voters was also in attendance.
7:30pm - COMMISSION BUSINESS
White/Reed motioned to approve the 12/18/03 minutes with minor edits; motion passed unanimously.
White/Garnett motioned to approve the 1/8/04 minutes with minor edits; motion passed unanimously.
Pending Enforcements Actions:
339 Mystic St –Ms. Reed volunteered to draft a letter requesting the owners/representatives to appear at our next meeting.
335 Mystic St. – Ms. Reed volunteered to draft a letter requesting the owners/representatives to appear at our next meeting.
Snow letter – snow dumping into Noname Brook from the small mall on Park St. The name/address of the owners is in the files from the last time we wrote them a letter on this topic.
22 Nourse St – Ms. Beckwith, Mr. White and Mr. Corda, the contractor, met at the site on 1/9/04 in order to measure the distance from the bank of Noname Brook to the wall of the proposed large addition. The initial design had the foundation for the addition approximately 23 feet from the Brook.
Brad Holmes, the consultant for the owners, mailed a letter to the Commission stating that the waterway was a only a drainage ditch (only fed by stormwater) and not an area of jurisdiction. After consulting Mr. Holmes’ letter, the Commission voted unanimously to issue a revised Enforcement letter under the Arlington Bylaw for the Protection of Wetlands. The Bylaw allows the Commission to protect any waterway, perennial or not. Noname Brook is perennial, fed from seepage from the steep freely draining side slopes, although it might not mee the definition of River under the Wetlands Protection Act. Mr. White has observed water in this brook for the past 20 plus years. The Enforcement letter will include the requirement to stop all work until a permit is issued by the Commission, cover
the soil stockpiles, and submit a landscape plan (with the NOI). Garnett/White motioned to issue the revised enforcement order under the Arlington Bylaw; motion passed unanimously.
The Commission and the Redevelpoment Board will file a Warrant Article to update the Zoning map of wetlands and waterways to include specific smaller areas. Kevin O’Brien is to handle the filing of the warrant article. White/Reed motioned to approve the language in the Warrant Article; motion passed unanimously.
Reed/Hodges motioned to approve the art project proposal of Suzanne McLeod on the Mt. Gilboa conservation land; motion passed unanimously.
The Commission will draft a new Land Stewards Newsletter. Ms. Reed graciously volunteered to work on this.
Mr. White reported that the Friends of Arlington’s Great Meadows is holding a Winter Tracking talk at the Waldorf School on Tues 1/27 at 7:30pm. There will be a walk coordinated with this on February 7.
The Commission convened at approximately 9:30pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Cori Beckwith, Administrator
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