ARLINGTON CONSERVATION COMMISSION
MINUTES
JANUARY 19, 2006
Mr. Stevens called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. in the second floor conference room of the Town Hall Annex. Present were Timothy Sullivan, David White, Ellen Reed, William O’Rourke, Catherine Garnett, and Judith Hodges of the Commission. Keith Lombardi, Erin MacGregor and Eugene O’Neill were also in attendance.
7:30 p.m. - COMMISSION BUSINESS
Ms. Beckwith presented the Determination of Applicability form for the Commission to sign for the 1395 Massachusetts Ave hazardous waste removal project.
Sullivan/White motioned to approve the 12/15 minutes with minor edits by Mr. Stevens; motion passed unanimously.
White/Sullivan motioned to support be involved in the appeal of the Somerville NPDES water quality designation for Alewife Brook as interveners; this appeal is similar to that for the , as per the appeal of the NPDES permits granted to Cambridge appeal; motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Beckwith rescheduled the two March 2006 hearing dates from the first and third Thursdays, to March 9 and March 23, due to schedule conflicts.
Mr. White submitted the annual report from the Friends of Arlington’s Great Meadows.
O’Rourke/Garnett motioned to submit, with the Arlington Redevelopment Board, the Stormwater Bylaw warrant article to this year’s Town Meeting; motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Beckwith spoke with the landscape manager for 17 Mill St. She directed him to install siltfence along the existing chainlink fence to prevent road sand from entering Mill Brook. He indicated that that action would be done immediately. Mr. Stevens asked that they be invited in to attend a meeting to discuss a more permanent solution to this problem.
Ms. Beckwith will try to book the Robbins Library Community Room for March 21, for the annual meeting of the Arlington Land Stewards. The board is still looking for a presenter/speaker.
7:45 pm – NOTICE OF INTENT for 0 Spy Pond Parkway, hearing continued from November 17, 2005.
Mr. Stevens reopened the hearing. Ms. MacGregor indicated that she had revised the landscaping plan to remove lawn from the 50 foot buffer from the pond, and added more native plants including the stoloniferous Comptonia, as requested by the board.
Ms. Beckwith asked what the grade of the footpath would be through the area immediately adjacent to the pond. Ms. MacGregor referedreferred to the existing grade on the plans and noted that the path would have a slight rise before reaching the bank. This grade should be stable and not erode towards the pond.
Mr. Lombardi, met with the Town Engineering dDepartment and was informed by them that the catchbasin inlet and drain pipe were not a part of the Town’s street drainage system. They might have been installed by the cChurch when the area was paved in the 1960s. The Engineering dDepartment said that Mr. Lombardi could just remove the structure.
Ms. Beckwith asked if the area could accept drywells. Ms. MacGregor indicated that the installation of drywells could be investigated and would be acceptable to Mr. Lombardi. Mr. Stevens noted that the drainage system would be beyond the 100 foot Buffer Zone and therefore beyond the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission.
Mr. O’Neill presented an approximately 10-minute video of the flooding of the yard at 18 Spy Pond Parkway, immediately adjacent to this lot. The first storm shown was the October 1998 storm and showed surface flooding to approximately 50 feet away from the present bank of Spy Pond. The second storm was in October of 2005, just a few days prior to the site walk by the board. By the time of the sitewalk the swale had drainged completely, probably due to the excessive permeability (sandy nature)of the fill soils in this location.
There was no evidence of wetland plants or soils within the swale.
The hydrolic hydraulic evidence in the tape would not change the limit of jurisdication of the Commission, even if it calls to question the limit of the 100- year floodplain. The proposed area of filling is also beyond the 50- foot zone and would also be beyond the limit of this flooding in 1998.
The Commission discussed the presence of shallow groundwater in this area and its affect on the installation of drywells. The board indicated again that this drainage work is beyond the jurisdiction of the Commission.
The Commission discussed the need for conditions on this permit to include monitoring and replacement for the landscaping plan for three years, and the placement of a bound marker at the 50 50-foot zone.
A motion to close the public hearing was made and passed unanimously.
White/Sullivan motioned to approve the proposed work with the above-stated conditions; unanimously approved.
The Commission directed suggested to Mr. O’Neill that he to bring his concerns about street drainage and the impacts to his property at 18 Spy Pond Parkway to the Engineering department.
The Commission voted to convene at approximately 10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Corinna Beckwith
Administrator
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