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Conservation Commission 02/05/2025
(Episode Description is AI generated and may be errors in accuracy)
Are you curious about the intricate balance between development and environmental preservation? Explore the world of wetland expansions in Raynham, Massachusetts, with insights from project engineer of SFG Engineering. He shares the meticulous steps needed for any construction near wetlands, and why a certified wetland scientist's validation is crucial. Discover the procedural intricacies, the critical role of Massachusetts General Law, and the necessity for updated Department of Environmental Protection forms, all pivotal before the Conservation Commission can even begin to contemplate the project at hand.
In our latest episode, we also dive into the details of a recent Conservation Commission meeting. You'll learn about the decision to postpone the determination with the team voting to revisit the issue mid February. Alongside these proceedings, we cover essential topics such as the importance of ethics training and conflict of interest awareness, along with a snapshot of fiscal considerations for 2026. With a focus on maintaining level funding, the meeting wrapped up with a smooth adjournment, encapsulating a session rich with thoughtful environmental stewardship and active community participation.
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Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to call tonight's February 5th meeting of the Conservation Commission to order. Please be advised. All these meetings are recorded.
Speaker 2:All public hearings and meetings heard by the Random Conservation Commission on Wednesday, february 5, 2025, at 5.30 pm in the Rainham Veterans Memorial Town Hall, donnelly-l McKinnon Reading Room 558 South Main Street, rainham, mass. And relative to filings and joint hearings and or meetings under Massachusetts General Law 131, section 40 as amended. Amended and the town of rain and wetland protection by law I think that's what the left-hand side of it, halfway down the page 129.
Speaker 3:Yeah, okay.
Speaker 4:The 29th was Thursday.
Speaker 2:Wednesday yeah.
Speaker 3:Are you here for this? I am Okay, come on up. We just have to read it in and we'll get started.
Speaker 1:We just have to read it in and we'll get started. In accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 131, section 40, in the Town of Raynham Local Bylaw, the Raynham Conservation will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, february 5, 2025, at 5.30 pm in the Donald L McKinnon Meeting Room in the Raynham Veterans Memorial Town Hall located at 558 South Main Street, massachusetts, on a request for determination of applicability filed by Paul Fisher and Margaret Reed. The applicant proposes a garage addition with a driveway and grading at the location of 412 King Phillips Street and assessors map seven, lot 91. A property is owned by Paul Fisher and Margaret Reed. Copies of the application plans may be viewed at the random conservation Commission office during normal business hours. At the time you you may also contact the Art and Meridian Conservation Commission by calling 508-824-2706. All interested persons are encouraged to attend the public meeting.
Speaker 5:Welcome, sir my name is Brad Fitzgerald, from SFG Engineering, 28 Main Street in Lakeville. I'm one of the project engineers. The client wants to do an addition onto the north side of the existing house. It would be a garage with a living area up above it. As part of that, because it's a garage, we needed to expand the existing driveway in order to give them ability to back out of the garage and head back down the driveway. So at its closest point the addition itself would be about 104 feet. From the edge of the wetland, the driveway itself would probably be around 74 feet. Finish grading will be about 62 feet and we'll set the erosion control right at 60 feet.
Speaker 5:The wetland line itself. We flagged the wetland lines late fall as my partner was out there. He noticed multiple flags from other partners who had flagged this in the past. We don't know who, other than he did find actually some old Walter Hewittson flags. Walter was always known to be pretty conservative and our flags were either at or above the flags that were out there. So we feel that it's a pretty strong line. So other than that, there's really not much else to the project.
Speaker 3:And the area that's outlined in purple that's the extension of the driveway.
Speaker 5:Yes, okay, and then the green would be the proposed finished grading moment seating.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 4:I think you have read and reached out to the office and we noted that the Well, if there were some flags there before, they have since expired. They're way, much way back and the DEP has updated the forms that they use for delineation and I had asked that the wetlands delineation be provided. You just said that the SFG flagged the consul flags there. Flag the consul flags there. You still got to provide the delineation report with those DEP forms. I mean, it's okay to do a request for determination but we need to see the criteria for delineating the weapons.
Speaker 5:Unfortunately we didn't do a delineation report. We did use topography and vegetation and the existing flags. That's what we used to flag these wetlands. We feel it's a pretty conservative lie.
Speaker 4:Well, it may maybe, but it's not a valid one until they have somebody come out.
Speaker 1:Pardon me, it's not valid until they have somebody come out, right.
Speaker 4:And they survey him right. I mean, you know you reached out, you responded to him, right.
Speaker 2:I reported.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so I mean that's. Yeah, so I mean that's.
Speaker 1:Was anyone able to get out to look at the line themselves?
Speaker 5:No, I have not been out there, we don't certify it either.
Speaker 1:Oh no, I didn't mean to certify but to. It doesn't matter what we think, it matters what the scientists think, it doesn't matter what we think it matters what the scientists think.
Speaker 4:So bottom line is you have to have your wetlands guide, flag it and certify that what you have on your map is indeed what it is Well, flag it in initial forms, Right, Because once the commission accepts the plan, then it is accepted that you verify the witness and it's delineated. They were supposed to. I mean, it may well be correct, but it means like somebody, for example some botanist, could have brought in this plan without a stamp and said, oh yeah, it's like somebody, for example some butler, could have brought in this plant without a stamp and said, oh yeah, it's been stamped. So just as we need your stamp, which we have as engineer on the plant, and you have your surveillance stamp on it, that front leg of the three-legged stool is the weapons elimination report. But I guarantee you, if you submitted this to the DEP, they're going to say no and they need the forms.
Speaker 5:I mean an RDA doesn't need to be submitted.
Speaker 4:Actually, the only thing it doesn't do with an RDA with the state is a border notification. You only need it to notify a bonus on that local bylaw, which you did. But the RDA is saying will be basically asking the commission will you assert your jurisdiction or will you not? Well, they've got to have the evidence to say, yeah, it's good enough.
Speaker 5:Well, what we're asking with the RDA is whether the work would have an impact on the wetlands.
Speaker 4:But the wetlands boundary hasn't been established.
Speaker 3:Well, the horse before the cat.
Speaker 5:You know we're talking about a piece of paper. To you know that would? We've been flagging wetlands for 40 years. I mean, we know what a wetland is?
Speaker 4:Well, they're flagged the forms Okay, well, that's a lot of the phones.
Speaker 3:Okay, you know, dep is always to kick it back, and then we'll be right back here.
Speaker 5:So we need to do it right. Well, like I said, dep, they don't look at RDAs.
Speaker 3:for the most part, I mean I don't see them kicking it back. They've been going through everything lately.
Speaker 4:Yeah, the days of Gary McCutche, and those guys are gone. The new crew there, they're fighting also in this and it's not saying that the course of had a question to me to work.
Speaker 3:They just that, just gonna have all the correct paperwork and so we can't open it well, we have all the different yeah we can't move.
Speaker 4:No, it's good well, you can't move on, we can't, but he doesn't want us so you can run, because if he has all the information and then they were informed, supported, I mean it's definitely gonna work as a negative determination, but you have to have some basis for that.
Speaker 5:I guess I would request a continuation to your next meeting so that we can get that form in.
Speaker 3:That's great. Does anyone in the audience have any questions? Yes, okay, go ahead. Sir, just step up to the mic and name and address, please, my name is Jarwin Levesque.
Speaker 6:I live right at 455 Broadway, rainham. My property abuts the property we're talking about and I've been living there for 30 years and my concern is the wetland because there's two ponds in the back of my yard. One of them that's closest to the property we're talking about leaks into a frog pond. That's on my property and it's adjacent to that property and it's on the bottom of the hill. The property rises and where they're talking to build is on top of the hill. So my concern is how much feet from that building and that road, how much wash runoff is going to come into that wetland because that leaks into my property where I have turtles, snails, deer, raccoons, you name it, live back there and they use that.
Speaker 3:That's their drinking hole.
Speaker 6:So my concern is footage. How far away you know, a guy must build a two-car garage and living space above it and put a driveway. As long as it's not going to impair that water, that's back there. I don't have a problem, but I am concerned. That's why I'm here. Back there I don't have a problem, but I am concerned.
Speaker 3:That's why I'm here. That's one thing this board always takes into consideration is grading and topography, to make sure everything's sloped and running the right ways.
Speaker 6:I understand. I went out there again to look and see what was flagged and there are some flags back there from the property a few houses down from mine that was recently purchased and they surveyed the area. But I did find flags next to the water that's near my house, two orange flags and I don't know whose they are. I thought they were connected to this property here but I know nothing about colors and flags and why there would be 25 feet from my property line next to the water yeah, usually if it's a wetland flag, it'll say W, I didn't say anything, just plain orange tag.
Speaker 6:You know, like 25, 30 feet pot from each other yeah, all right.
Speaker 3:So at this point he's asked for a continuance because he's missing a few things on his paperwork here and will I be notified the next well, we'll set the meeting date right now, before you know, so you'll have that information it's a possible for me to get a copy of the minutes of this meeting.
Speaker 3:Yep, they're online once we approve them. The problem is they don't get approved until our next meeting. Okay, once I get something, you can go online I'm sorry on the cable and you can listen to the rebroadcast and get any information you need out of there, but our minutes aren't certified by the board right until we vote on them.
Speaker 6:Next meeting and that'd be a week from this meeting if that's okay with him.
Speaker 3:Our next meeting date is february 19th, um, but we'll have that set in a few minutes here. Okay, okay, thank you. Thank you All right, sir, come on back up. You asked for continuance. Yes, would you be ready for the February 19th meeting? I believe so, okay. Okay, I have a motion. A motion to continue and request for determination. 19th meeting. I believe so. Okay, I have a motion.
Speaker 2:Motion to continue the request for determination of the compulsion 412 King Phillip Street to our February 19th meeting.
Speaker 5:I second that motion.
Speaker 3:Motion made and seconded All in favor Aye Opposed Unanimous. February 19th 530. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Ah, informal, we have nothing General business. Everyone get a chance to read the minutes from last time. Motion to accept.
Speaker 2:Second the motion.
Speaker 3:Motion to be made and seconded. All in favor. Aye, abstain. Three to one Bills. We've got a couple of bills. Well, let's be inside. I've done a couple site visits this past week Hay Bills, up on Pleasant Street. What else did I do? I'm asking the person in chat oh yeah, the mass electric for the poles going through town Power lines, I think that's it.
Speaker 6:I have nothing coming up.
Speaker 2:I will just mention that we have gone out about conflict of interest, ethics, ethics. I know I got an email directly. I don't know if you guys got it. I did, I received one, okay.
Speaker 4:So it will tell you. If you have a login, it will tell you what to do and what not to do.
Speaker 6:Something that needs to be done yearly and something that needs to be done for two years, so it will tell you what they have on file for you to do
Speaker 1:If you haven't done any yet. I mean, technically, it's supposed to all come back to that and we're working on a fiscal 26 budget. What is the plan?
Speaker 3:What's the plan 26? Already it's just down to 25. And it's being level funded as far as our budget goes.
Speaker 2:So it's just standard fiscal work. So I don't get it raised then.
Speaker 5:Yeah, you do.
Speaker 3:Anything times, zero is zero. That's right. Just add another zero to it, bill.
Speaker 2:And I was hoping to spend that money.
Speaker 3:Alright, anybody have anything else? Motion to adjourn Second Motion to be made. Second All in favor. Aye, opposed, unanimous. Thank you very much.