Meeting transcript
IWWC Regular Meeting
June 5, 2023 · Watch on YouTube · All meetings
Clock just signaled 07:00, so it is time to call to order this regular meeting of the Andover, Hidden, Wildlands, and Water Corridors' Commission, 06/05/2023, seven p. M. I see that we have on the call Commissioner Larson, Commissioner Monroe, Commissioner Fife, Commissioner Mashke indicated she might be late joining the meeting, so we'll see if she can show up. Are there any suggestions for a change to the order or additions to the agenda? Okay, seeing none, we'll move to item number four of the agenda, approval of the minutes from March 6. It's been a while, obviously, since that meeting. I'm looking at a document labeled, let me see what the title is, 3.6.2023 IWWC Meeting, Motions, Minutes, Andover Regular, and I hope that we're all on the same page with that. I'll give you a minute to peruse, and then I'll entertain a motion to approve the minutes and or any amendments thereto. So, any questions or comments regarding the minutes? Okay, then motion to approve those minutes and a second. I'll make a motion to approve.
Yes, I move. And a second, Commissioner Munroe. Without amendments, we can proceed to a vote by roll call in order of alphabet by Commissioner Larson. Aye.
Commissioner Munro. Aye. Commissioner Fife. Are you on? Mr. Fife, you have one. There you go. And I also vote aye, so the motion carries 400. I don't see any public to comment, and we don't have any old business to consider, neither do we have any new applications or business of which to take receipt. There are several agent action enforcement actions, which I will turn over to Agent Wagner to describe and discuss.
That's been been a while since our last meeting, so I kinda been slow, but I have had a few things. The most recent was the '23 dash o five, which was the construction of the community garden. So they cleared some trees, put a bunch of fill in, leveled it off, and they're in the process of building some boxes over there. And then they also there was some a pile of topsoil that had been there from a previous construction, maybe when they built the firehouse or town hall or something. I don't know. It's been there for a while, so they they ended up taking that. I don't know if they use it at this project or they use it somewhere else, but they graded and seeded everything. So it's pretty much done now. Our impact some of it was in the Upland review area. Some of it wasn't. It was kinda on the edge. Mhmm. And then we had 23 o four. That was the one I talked to you about a while back when the Connecticut Meditation Center built a shelter
over their their statue, a wooden structure, the roof over their statue. So they applied for the permit. It's pretty detailed application, actually. And they they said it was temporary. So eventually, I mean, they don't have anything in now. Eventually, they're planning on putting an actual building over there. So there's definitely a lot of wetlands on that property. So that would would come before the commission when it happens if it does. The other one was, 23 Dash 03 in April 12. That was 196 Lake Road. The property owner wants to demolish his 20 by 21 car garage and build a two car garage, 24 by 30 foot in the same location. Say the plans, wasn't too much bigger, and he's working with Jim to put a drywall in to capture the water that's coming off of the shed off of the garage, I mean. Then we got March 13 was the removal and reconstruction of a 80 foot by three foot masonry wall and a 52 by four foot masonry wall. They weren't on the lake. They're kinda, like, halfway up the yard. I forget exactly how far, but it was, I don't know, probably 30 feet if I had to guess away from the lake 30 or 40 feet. So there was one and then there was another one, were kind of terrorist and they were starting to collapse.
So they they're getting those rebuilt or got them rebuilt. I'm not sure if they're finished yet. Couple other things that I didn't put on the agenda was I met with Ryan Fitch from Fitch Family Farm. Met with him on the thirtieth, and he was he's still planning on cleaning up those trees in the pond. He's trying to hire a crew, for his landscaping company, and he's gonna work with me when they get done. So that'll be probably midsummer, which I think would be better as far as a vernal pool. We've well out of the vernal pool season. Hopefully, it'd be a little drier there. So it's still fun to get that done. And then 88, that one came in today. That's a new new house, and the house is outside of the Upland Review area. But the footing there's a footing drain that goes, like, 40 feet in. So I had to put a permit in for that. It's just a simple project, but I just got that today. I'll post the materials on there on probably tomorrow. Then I got 409 Lake Road. I've been talking to them. They're post done, they put the electrical utilities in next to the driveway. They've seeded it. They fixed some of the ruts that they put in the wetland area when they cleared it, and they're kinda haphazardly about that. So they fixed that. The driveway is pretty much done. They're gonna put another layer of gravel on it once they're further along in the process of construction. I think that's, like, the final one of the final steps. But as far as excavating over there, I think they're they're pretty much done.
And then I'm gonna work with Judy about the wetlands plantings and stuff. She's gonna pull off on that till next year, I think. And then you guys I said I emailed you guys a Algonquin pipeline maintenance notice that I got last week that they're gonna do some work off of what was that? I think They found a couple one one thing they had to investigate, I guess. And it's in wetlands, but they we don't have a jurisdiction over that. So and that's all I got.
Okay. Any questions from the commission about any of these permits or enforcements?
I'd just like to thank Joe for coordinating with Jim on the nutrient allocation stuff. These dry wells, well, guess 409 had a little, you know, they had the detention pond kind of thing, but those seem to be going now as opposed to it got tough to get started initially, but you and Jim must have the trick because they seem to be working okay now. I appreciate
efforts on that. We're kinda figuring it out. It's it's the way it works with wetlands and everything. We kinda have to work on it together anyway. So but, yeah, it's getting there.
Yeah. Much better than it was a year or so ago. Yeah.
Good. Yeah. Glad to hear that. And again, appreciate your ability to stay on top of, these projects and, keep us informed of what's going on on the ground. You know, again, as Commissioner Larson pointed out many times, issuing as a permit is one thing, seeing it through and actually realizing the conditions being met can be quite another. The Commission can look forward to more of that. Okay, so that concludes the agent report. We can move on to our item other business, which is of course the perennial issue of membership and recruitment, this specifically for the term beginning 07/01/2023, and ending 06/30/2025. I did poll the membership per request from Town Clerk Carol Lee and informed her of the results, which is as follows: Continuing members will include Commissioner Larson, Commissioner Monroe, and Commissioner Fife as regular members. Circumstances led tooh, I see that Commissioner Mackay is just joining the call now, and so I wanted to report that she will continue but on an alternate basis. Finally, Commissioner Smith, who's not present for tonight's meeting and been willing to continue to serve as a nominal alternate in case we need to make up a quorum, has indicated that he will continue in that in hopes that and anticipates that in January 2024 his circumstances will allow him to step up to a regular membership
on the commission. He was a regular member at one point, and the other activities led him to, as it were, drop back to alternate. But as I say, he expressed in anticipation of being able to step up as a regular member. I, on the other hand, am not going to continue. I felt that one thing and another, will be in the best interest of all of us if I don't continue on the commission. And I enjoyed doing it, I feel that I'm still competent. But at my age, you don't want to cut on and make things for too long. So, as I say, I'm resigning the Commission effective at the end of this month. Now, that gives me twenty five days to finish up a little bit of work. The new chair will have to be elected in July per commission bylaws, and I hope that you all will have a more amicable time in succession than the recent HBO series. I don't know if anybody watched that one, but it was a royal battle. Anyhow, I will continue, as I say, serving on some matters that should be finished up. We have, at the end of the conclusion of tonight's meeting, we'll have all the data
for our annual report, which will cover the fiscal year ending on June 30. So, I'll compile that information. I'll forward a Word document to Agent Wagner so that it will be available for the Commission to review and ultimately vote on so that that can be submitted to the administrative assistant. I will also work with the town administrative assistant to update the volunteers needed item that perpetually appears on the town's website. I will also assist the new chair in accessing the email account that has been set up on the town's email account with Microsoft Outlook. So, there is an IWWC chair account. You may have seen that address included in the send to lists or copy to lists on some of the communications that I've sent you. That email account simply exists as a repository for messages from the chair and sometimes to the chair,
so that the stuff that's on my personal sbcglobal.net account doesn't get subpoenaed by some court. Not that I expected that would happen, but we all use our private email accounts for all this business, but it's good to have a public record of, or a publicly accessible, I should say, if not to the public, at least to the Commission and to the town administration when it comes to that. So, you all will have some things to look forward to in July, and I wish you all the best in finding additional members to help carry the load and to, you know, aid in the deliberations, make sure we get a balanced viewpoint on the decisions that the Commission has made. Any questions or comments?
Well, I don't think you should go, George. I think we're going to wrap up this meeting here with the new world's record being done in less than twenty minutes, so we've obviously got a handle on it now.
Well, I appreciate that comment, artificial Larsen. I think that, yeah, I mightit's often stated that my only real qualification for the business of being chairman was that I chair a lot of meetings and like to move things along, but there's also got to be room for discussion, deliberation, and due consideration of all the aspects of the work that we're required to do and the regulations that we're required to carry out. This has been a very light year, obviously. I've had a good fortune of not having an awful lot on our plate, during these meetings. That always expedites things, you know.
Well, thanks for all your work on that, George. And I know you kinda got moved into the chairman spot unexpectedly, and they've you've done a great job over the the time that you've been there. So thank you. Well, thank you, and I appreciate your
representing the Planning and Zoning Commission. You might lean on some of your members to co participate, you know, and feel that obligation of PNZ to represent itself on IWW. I
did ask who, if there was any interest, and I got no takers, so, Okay,
okay. Yeah, asking for interest is not often successful. We've had some, and I appreciate those who have stepped up to that invitation. But again, it's a continual problem. In a town this size, we just have a human resource problem. We have all the commissions to fill and all the offices to fill, all the boards to fill, as any other town and a much smaller population to draw from in doing so. So, you know, anybody who wants to be involved in town affairs can always find room, always find a welcoming spot. Okay, so that concludes the business that I had. Well, your next regular meeting will be scheduled for July 11, seven usual time and place. And without objection One objection.
Yes. Okay. Well, George, I just wanted to say it's been an honor and a pleasure having you as our chairman. Learned a lot about wetlands and between you and Jed, that's and Joe, that's where I learned it. Good. Good. I knew that. That I I did wanna mention too. I can't really mention it to you because you're not gonna be the chairman, but I I was checking my calendar, and I'm not gonna be around next meeting. I'm
gonna be in a in a vehicle or or I'm not gonna be here. So I'm gonna miss the July 11 meeting.
Well, the members present at that time can decide whether they want to defer action on conditionon things that need to be done. And obviously, it'll largely depend on, what needs to be done, whether there are any new business to attend to at that time.
You You might just find yourself being chairman when you drive that vehicle by. You
watch out for those, what can happen in your absence.
Well, if I have to be if that were the case, I would have to, have it at the little community room, because I am not capable of doing things on a computer, so.
Well, fortunately, we don't. I mean, we have able assistance with our board clerk to actually take care of the tech details. But yeah, that's one thing that the Commission can certainly reconsider and might be actually more appealing. I know that former Commissioner Megan Lolly, one of the reasons she dropped off the Commission was that she was just getting computer overload. Oh, yeah. She's got a day job that requires a lot of work, and, you know, being at home with children is not always conducive to having a rational discussion on a Zoom call. So, the Commission did very well determine that it wanted to go back to having in person meetings, as was the
Well, one of the things that I found by going back to in person planning and zoning meetings is that if you want to record the meeting or you want to display anything, you have to do all the tricks that George has been doing anyhow. So I don't think anybody's meetings are going back to hanging paper charts on the wall. But it's a steep learning curve, but you could get there. And there is some good assistance from the board clerk to help make that go smoothly.
Somebody's out of the anteroom. Okay. Well, any other questions or comments before we ring off? Okay, then again, without further objection, declare the meeting adjourned. And again, thank you for your participation, and I will be lurking around for the next twenty five days to assist and will be available to assist with transitions and questions about moving forward. Okay, it's been my pleasure, and I say thanks and good night to all. Thanks, George. Good luck to you. Thank you, George. Thanks, George. Thank you, George. Good night, everybody. Well and prosper. Good night. Good night.