[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6475369,"mediaKeyId","5734448-f64bd0c7f47476fb945112c7f928e82c","parentId",5734448,"title","Conservation commission asks planning board to require developer clarify beaver‑dam mitigation after updated wetland buffer figures","audioSeconds",1590,"startMs",1131000,"endMs",2721000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5734448-f64bd0c7f47476fb945112c7f928e82c&start=1131&end=2721","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5734448-f64bd0c7f47476fb945112c7f928e82c/thumbnail_1131000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6475369/Hooksett/Merrimack-County/New-Hampshire/Conservation-commission-asks-planning-board-to-require-developer-clarify-beaverdam-mitigation-after-updated-wetland-buffer-figures","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6475369-271994f02e03fa24a503ffc75a23e931/orig.mp4?Expires=1771100179&Signature=nMg62IgFTKUsfKLdyB6zB2qlMh9PmemUUc6bn4V9t4X9zMsB~RbSqwZaPSgQcSmX6DXwuhStMT3Oqi91znmTz~vfYFhgLRQ3FJLwtBM3Vn8KvZh~JPJOdjQBdfeq-Qin89PbvNoVaMBdlYfsd1SWzdQ3mtxEgYgagnnTWqtjLRFIdhFD8bl~weWVeaII7-CW9kGAZXcHJAnTYDnWCvxesUFuNBdGBoFCmS-cSbLKc80qTAEEYChJyGeYzHfHPvsqMuFMTf-8SQ7Tfo9p8ohcfJW61a3TwFFDY764yGz24XpFSLcjfrpldCiIhn8JKOivKCmyUEP6di6ZjIy~tVzypA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Hooksett","date","2025-09-08T00:00:00Z","article","The Hooksett Conservation Commission voted to draft and send a letter to the Planning Board advising that the recently reported wetland‑buffer impacts for the University Heights/Heads Pond project fall within state parameters, and to ask the Planning Board to require the developer to clarify how it will mitigate future beaver‑dam impacts and associated water‑level changes.

Commission members considered supplemental information submitted by RJB Engineering showing “wetland buffer impacts” of roughly 5,000 square feet on two lots (the packet described 5,000 square feet for each of two lots, totaling roughly 10,500 square feet of buffer-zone impact as presented). Commissioners said the updated figures reflected current conditions after beaver activity altered the pond and adjacent wetlands since the original 2003–2005 assessments.

“I personally don’t think that we should be letting them utilize a study that is so old,” Sheena Gilbert, a planning-board representative on the conservation commission, said at the meeting. She pressed for a clearer explanation of what the applicant proposes to do about ongoing beaver activity and whether the developer plans to alter the dam, control beaver activity, or change the project footprint.

Commissioners debated procedural versus substantive responses. Several members said the buffer‑impact totals were small in absolute square footage compared with typical lot sizes and below thresholds that draw state involvement, but that the commission’s role as a land‑use advisory body includes asking about the long‑term consequences of beaver activity on wetlands and project design.

The commission approved a motion to: 1) table any recommendation to the Planning Board until October; 2) send a one‑paragraph letter to the engineering firm requesting the developer’s contingencies and plans to mitigate or manage the beaver dam and future water‑level impacts; and 3) include in its advice that the wetland buffer impacts reported appear to be within State Department of Environmental Services parameters but merit questions on mitigation. The motion passed by voice vote; the meeting record shows the motion carried and no members registered a recorded opposed vote.

Commission members said they expect the town to draft the formal letter and that the commission will review the developer’s response at a subsequent meeting before offering a recommendation to the Planning Board.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Hooksett - Conservation Commission","oneSentenceSummary","The Conservation Commission voted to request that the Planning Board and the project’s engineering firm clarify developer plans to mitigate ongoing beaver‑dam impacts after receiving updated wetland‑buffer figures for the University Heights/Heads Pond project.","taxTitle","Hooksett, Merrimack County , New Hampshire","taxId",68560,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6475372,"Residents urge town to block sale of land behind University Heights after deed shows town ownership",548,216000,764000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5734448-f64bd0c7f47476fb945112c7f928e82c&start=216&end=764","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5734448-f64bd0c7f47476fb945112c7f928e82c/thumbnail_216000.jpg","/articles/6475372/Hooksett/Merrimack-County/New-Hampshire/Residents-urge-town-to-block-sale-of-land-behind-University-Heights-after-deed-shows-town-ownership","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6475372-d98f02d76a7259e67775edc886dbed94/orig.mp4?Expires=1771100179&Signature=c5RDWWa2YWCtUwM-D~eG7wJjNQ1a~wgJqsD8ZmfX9GOFwUnluPUTuNQUdE3MGfh~wlfSAcvNw51d7SoNkUpucFVJ500-lQVmhXTOVEB8o77g2yUmBlPDABxAOGhMGd-Lh0bfObq-ozo4ntqViODfAyRA9T8Xl~W8kdZWpO6NrERksr~Gi1PPT7LBirq9Qz90j8aJlmu-aolbqqTemZs4B55HNg2eM6a8ixs2DvNvshW2F8FlyykM2JSo595ow8zj6fohOiIg3icUhylgPGo5YEQ3wucGHEmtBCXPyzVZ7z5hOoINQFZdGO~D-oL68adjJAkARh1E-UA8SZdiv4mNMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Philip Fotanidis, a Hooksett resident and member of the Conservation Commission, told the commission he discovered a county deed showing the town now holds title to a parcel of land behind University Heights and urged officials to halt proposed development and consider a warrant article to keep the land in public hands.

“About an hour ago I looked at the agenda for the Town of Hooksett Town Council and I see a public hearing to obtain comments regarding the retention or sale of two additional town-owned properties,” Philip Fotanidis said. He said a recording at the Merrimack County Registry of Deeds dated June 9, 2025, lists the town tax collector and indicates the town now owns the property, and he cited a tax-collector figure of $14,542.35 as the recorded lien amount.

The matter matters to residents because, Fotanidis said, the roughly 200-acre parcel behind University Heights includes about 100 acres of wetlands and another roughly 100 acres he described as potentially developable. “I would put the brakes on a thousand homes that are supposedly gonna be erected back there,” he said, citing traffic and infrastructure concerns.

Mary Jo Paterra, who gave her address as 1611 Hooksett Road and said she purchased a house in the area this spring, echoed those concerns. Paterra said she had not received town notice and learned about the council agenda while reviewing plans for her property. “I second what Phil stated — I do believe conservation land is important to communities,” she told the commission, and asked that the commission consider drafting a warrant article to keep the parcel out of developers’ hands.

Commission members advised the speakers that the Town Council agenda—including an item scheduled for Sept. 10, 2025—was the appropriate forum for formal comment about retention or sale, and they encouraged residents to speak at that council meeting as well. The commission’s town-council representative, Alex Walczak, said he expected to attend the council meeting and report back to the commission.

The commission did not take formal action at the meeting on the Fotanidis/Paterra comments. Several members said the conservation commission’s role includes advising other land‑use boards and that any decision about retaining or selling town-owned land would proceed through Town Council or, if necessary, a voter warrant article. The commission noted it could request more documentation or insist on being formally notified when town-owned parcels are proposed for sale or transfer.","Two Hooksett residents told the Conservation Commission the town now holds deeded title to roughly 200 acres behind University Heights and urged the town to keep developable acreage under conservation and put a warrant article before voters.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6475363,"Conservation commission approves Riverwalk survey funding and routine invoices; flags trail maintenance and dog‑waste concerns",276,2930000,3206000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5734448-f64bd0c7f47476fb945112c7f928e82c&start=2930&end=3206","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5734448-f64bd0c7f47476fb945112c7f928e82c/thumbnail_2930000.jpg","/articles/6475363/Hooksett/Merrimack-County/New-Hampshire/Conservation-commission-approves-Riverwalk-survey-funding-and-routine-invoices-flags-trail-maintenance-and-dogwaste-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6475363-05f9e6f7293be9ff2cdb5a8e895f1f5e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771100179&Signature=mBWEOI96M3iNatP7YH6VkatdaOX5sUhYkmR281kJ2cknWIHMnRMtIZRebYtCLcapUWGutZNHh1KdOsTtiy9W~x8HavxDBOS4DarceQtCTberJ0hezJdwwacndatXti7A9owwJBYy9Fe0SrdhGDsYCFCQx5XAq2Sl2Jy8JJtuOIzu5E8AXLbgGYTJ~si8nhzNq9EFe-8pS8QFyKx6Lw84hql-P55ZpJr6umEjM6lX2LWXXD2oZPtwqGcEgS58yEA45uVQkiV8DvM4RezrG4ws0g5NPKkOzuYOH~m1zn9SQPNmC3YorXuJ2M~BmV7HTsazRIS8LBPUZzjLLRpbB0uZ2g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Hooksett Conservation Commission voted to approve payment of up to $4,400 to Stantec for a Riverwalk property encroachment survey and the installation of up to five monuments to mark property corners.

“The motion is to approve payment for the Riverwalk property encroachment survey to Stantec for the amount up to $4,400,” a commission member moved; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. Commission discussion clarified the $4,400 covers a $3,700 survey and up to $700 for monuments (up to five at $140 each).

The commission also approved routine business items: the minutes of the Aug. 11 meeting and an invoice of $2,400 from Keep It Native for previously approved work. Both motions carried by voice vote with no members recorded as opposed or abstaining in the meeting transcript.

Members reported work and maintenance needs on the Riverwalk Trail. Joe Carroll and a volunteer replaced rotted boards on a boardwalk crossing and noted additional side‑rail areas that need repair. The commission agreed to ask Stantec to notify abutters in advance of survey work so a commission member can photograph and document conditions while survey stakes are placed.

The Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission has placed a trail counter on the Riverwalk kiosk; commission members said past counts showed roughly 80 people per day in 2019 and that recent estimates increased to an average of 162 people per day. Commissioners also discussed litter and dog‑waste management on conservation trails. They noted the town generally uses a carry‑in/carry‑out policy for conservation areas, that signs require dogs to be leashed and owners to pick up after pets, and that providing trash cans would require town maintenance resources.

No additional funding decisions were made for trail repairs at this meeting; commissioners said they would seek volunteers to document survey work and coordinate with town staff for larger maintenance needs.","The commission approved up to $4,400 to Stantec for a Riverwalk property encroachment survey and monuments, approved an invoice for $2,400 for Keep It Native, approved meeting minutes, and discussed trail repairs, future trail counts and dog‑waste/trash management.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Conservation commission asks planning board to require developer clarify beaver‑dam mitigation after updated wetland buffer figures

Residents urge town to block sale of land behind University Heights after deed shows town ownership

Conservation commission approves Riverwalk survey funding and routine invoices; flags trail maintenance and dog‑waste concerns