The Town of Lincoln, MA - Minutes

Public Hearing (Continued from March 15, 2006): Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation. DeNormandie, Alice. 0 Mine Brook Road Unbuilt Lot "B". (Map 52-Block 4-Lot 2) For wetland resource delineation.

Prior to the hearing Tom Gumbart met with Dave Burke to review the requirements for determining whether the stream on this property is intermittent or perennial. Together, they determined the stream is intermittent as it is not delineated as perennial on the current USGS map and the watershed is too small. Dave Burke will prepare a written statement detailing the status of the stream.

Public Hearing (Continued from March 15, 2006): Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation. DeNormandie, Alice. 0 Lexington Road Unbuilt Lot "E". (Map 52-Block 4-Lot 3) For wetland resource delineation.

Gary Jacobs presented Part 2 of American Eagle's housing plan for Hanscom Air Force Base including Phase 2-6 as shown in Figure 2 of the Notice. Because the stormwater management plan for the entire 190-acre site was addressed during Part 1, this presentation was fairly straight forward. Mr. Jacobs outlined American Eagle's plan to restore several collapsed culverts in the eastern drainage and presented layout plans locating proposed dwellings within the buffer zone of several small wetlands. Virtually all the proposed buildings fall within the footprint of the existing buildings or are located farther away from the wetlands. Silt fencing will be installed around the perimeter of all resource areas and the same operations and maintenance procedures will be followed as were outlined in the Notice of Intent for Phase 1 Construction.

The Commission wanted to conduct a site visit to review the proposed culvert and buffer zone work prior to closing the Part 2 hearing. They wanted to fully understand the clearing and maintenance procedures around the culverts and the proposed boardwalks.

Mr. Jacobs also presented additional details pertaining to the nature park adjacent to the stream restoration area discussed in the Notice of Intent for Phase 1 Construction. The Commission was pleased with the additional details to the stream restoration area and wanted to confirm that no chemical fertilizers or pesticides would be used in the area. They asked if American Eagle was able to reduce the road widths through the project area and Maggie Wetzel informed the Commission that they were able to reduce the width of several roads from 32' to 28'. The Commission also had questions about their intended lawn care and maintenance program and if there was any way to regulate what fertilizers and/or chemicals were being placed on the lawns within the buffer zone areas. Ms. Wetzel suggested that they could encourage the tenants to get lawn care products from them and therefore could supply only slow release and organic products.

Chris Davis presented a Stream Restoration Plan prepared by Milone and MacBroom proposing to daylight a small stream that crosses Sunnyside Lane and empties into Tanner's Brook. Currently, both ground and surface water flow through a large pipe for approximately 300 feet. The design team proposed to remove the pipe and restore the stream channel to a more naturally meandering bed; replace a standard culvert under Sunnyside Road with a larger box culvert for wildlife passage; and decrease direct stormwater run-off into the stream through the use of a stormwater-infiltration basin slightly down-gradient of Sunnyside Lane.

Several abutters were at the hearing and were generally in favor of the project. They were concerned however, about the timing of construction and logistics of closing Sunnyside Lane during construction. Mr. Davis said he would look into the feasibility of installing the box culvert segments in such a way that one lane could stay open during construction. He will also find out how long the anticipated work on Sunnyside Lane would take once commenced. The neighbors mentioned that the water main runs under the culvert and it may be in the best interest of the Water Department to do any necessary work at the same time if need be.

Contractors were installing the fuel tanks and broke through a pipe that drains water from a neighboring property. Tom Gumbart conducted a site visit and required photo documentation and engineered plans of the replaced culvert.

Alan Eschenroder is recommending to the Todd Pond Association that they postpone further treatment of the pond until 2007 pending reevaluation~of their management objectives.~ During a recent hearing for herbicide treatment of the pond the Conservation Commission requested that some areas of existing, native vegetation remain untreated to provide ample habitat for aquatic species.~

Mr. Eschenroder recommends that a subcommittee be formed to inspect the distribution of vegetation over the pond and suggests the best way to do this is to skip treatment in 2006 and watch the emergence of vegetation. The subcommittee, along with the Commission and consultants should address the following questions before proceeding with further treatment.

Two organizations, one a Korean Church and the other a private school, are trying to purchase properties in residential neighborhoods under the auspices of the Dover Amendment which grants special rights to the location and use of churches and schools. The Korean Church is proposing to build on Acorn Lane where the cul-de-sac and entrance onto Bedford Road pose traffic and public safety concerns. The Corwin Russell school is proposing to build a 21,000 square foot building on a lot off Baker Bridge Road. Along with poor sight lines and traffic and safety concerns there are wetland issues that need to be addressed as the project proceeds. The school is scheduled for site plan review with the Planning Board on April 19^th at 8:45pm. Hopefully a Commissioner will be able to attend the hearing.

The new homeowners of the house (built and deed restricted by Ken Eisner) are looking to do landscape work between the CR and Deed Restricted Area. The Commission will look closely at the proposed work as the Deed Restriction was explicitly designed to limit future work on this property.

Someone has been persistently breaking branches off several trees throughout various conservation parcels including Adams Woods, Walden Pond, Fairhaven Bay and Farrar Pond. Several neighbors and the Conservation Staff have been looking out for the person who is conducting these acts, but have not been able to identify anyone. Incidents that happened approximately two years ago lead some to think that the person committing these acts may be driving a black jetta.

Angela Seaborg attended at workshop on the new habitat guidelines with Scott Jackson. While Wildlife Habitat Assessments are only required for disturbances of greater that 5,000 square feet in a resource area, it is a good idea for the Commission to recommend that applicants for minor projects complete the simplified habitat study for informational purposes.

Ari Kurtz and Peter Sprayregen have recently submitted their applications to be on the Conservation Commission. Several other residents have expressed interest in joining the Commission. The Board of Selectmen will be discussing the candidates with the Conservation Commission and appointing 2-3 new members in the near future.

Beaver are actively damming the culvert under Route 126 south of Old Concord Road. This could result in flooding of the roadside path and possibly Route 126 if not dealt with in the near future. Conservation Staff will contact the Highway Department and Beaver Solutions to arrange a site visit and program for alleviating the problem.

Tom Gumbart has reviewed the language of the CR with Mr. Kumler with respect to running utilities down to the vineyard from Bedford Road. The language specifies that utilities may not be placed on or above ground, but may be allowed underground. The Commission is in support of the work as long as the neighbors who own the land approve of the work. They would also ask that plans be submitted locating the utility line and specifying that the area be left in a natural condition (with no dirt piles left) after construction.

A small piece of land north of route 2 is for sale. The property is primarily wetland and provides critical habitat and water quality for Cambridge's Water Supply. The Conservation Commission would like to contribute 30,000 to RLF is support of the acquisition.