On November 7, Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon for the Rochester Conservation Commission once again discussed the status of the Notice of Intent filing by REpurpose Properties whose plans to construct 22 duplexes adjacent to the Plumb Corner Mall has been bogged down with water runoff issues.
“We’ve been working behind the scene dealing with the Planning Board regarding discharge issues,” Farinon began. “The Planning Board wants to do a joint meeting,” she said, adding that the issues involving the movement of water from the developed site to the undeveloped site at this point were non-jurisdictional for the Conservation Commission. She said the Planning Board looked at several revised plans, but nothing had been resolved to date. Farinon asked the commissioners if she could invite the Planning Board to a meeting during which the entire matter could be aired.
Acting Chairman Daniel Gagne said that would be fine if the plans being reviewed by the Planning Board were made available to the commission in a timely manner giving ample time to study the documents prior to a meeting. Farinon said she would make sure the plans were available as requested. No date was set for the meeting.
Coming before the commission with a Notice of Intent filing on behalf of the Town of Rochester was Bill Madden of G.A.F. Engineering for repairs to the Leonard’s Pond Bridge on Mary’s Pond Road. The bridge had sustained damage from an accident and requires some fairly extensive surface repairs.
Madden had previously met informally with the commission to discuss the scope of the project and construction methodologies to ensure debris does not contaminate the fresh water flowing under the bridge. Madden said, after further discussion with Farinon, the plan before the commission would provide those guarantees. The contractor is Bartlett Consolidated of Plymouth.
Madden said they hoped to begin construction immediately and that he had been working out a road closing schedule with the Town, one they hope minimizes the number of days the road would be closed to traffic. He said the Police and Fire Departments had also been advised so that alternate emergency routes could be pre-planned.
Gagne asked that conditions be put in place that mandated the use of bio-safe hydraulics on all equipment coming in contact with the fresh water flowing in the Sippican River. Madden added that there would be contamination kits on the site.
Farinon said the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection permit number was in hand. With everything ready, the filing received a Positive Order of Conditions that includes a pre-construction meeting on-site, no stockpiling of materials on-site, no concrete washout on-site, and bio-safe hydraulics.
The next meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission is scheduled for November 20 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.
Rochester Conservation Commission
By Marilou Newell