The lone news from the Rochester Conservation Commission’s August 2 meeting was this: The commission has now lost two associate members this summer and needs them replaced.
Commission Chairman Christopher Gerrior, remotely participating as a regular member via Zoom, announced that Lena Bourque recently told him she is not renewing her associate membership on the commission. In late June, associate member Maggie Payne also resigned.
That means the commission now needs two new associate members, acting chair Ben Bailey said. Gerrior said the commission needs to spread the word that it needs interested applicants to contact them.
Bailey elaborated on what anyone applying for a Conservation Commission seat should know. An associate member sits in meetings and may participate in all hearings and discussions, but he or she does not vote, Bailey noted.
He quickly added, however, that associate membership is a productive way to familiarize oneself with the workings of the commission, and it increases the possibility he or she will be considered for full membership.
Bailey said anyone interested in applying should contact Conservation Agent Merilee Kelly or board administrator Dawn DeMaggio at 508-763-5421 extension 206 or 207.
The Conservation Commission further discussed the enforcement order against 89 Box Turtle Drive but with not much news to add. Bailey said that town counsel has received no further contact from the Box Turtle Drive owner, but the commission did receive a file with two new photos of the property: a drone picture and another from Google Earth.
“It’s in the hands of the attorneys now,” Bailey said.
In the meantime, the commission will continue issuing “tickets,” fining the property owner for wetland-code violations, which involve working closer than 25 feet from wetlands without a permit. The enforcement order had asked the property owner to file a restoration plan with erosion and sedimentation controls by August 2.
The Conservation Commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 16, at 7:00 pm at Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School.
Rochester Conservation Commission
By Michael J. DeCicco