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Planning board grants special-use permit for two small viewing platforms in Brewster Heath buffer
Summary
The wolfeboro Planning Board granted a special-use permit to the Wentworth Watershed Association to install two small observation platforms near Brewster Heath, after NH DES required the platforms be moved out of the designated prime wetland to the buffer area.
The Wolfeboro Planning Board on May 6 approved a special-use permit for the Wentworth Watershed Association to place two small observation platforms at the edge of Brewster Heath’s prime wetland buffer for outreach and education.
The platforms will sit on helical piers and be accessed by 4-foot-wide walkways from upland; each platform will be elevated about 3 feet above the ground to avoid direct wetland disturbance. The association and its agent said the structures were designed to allow visitors to observe wetland conditions without trampling vegetation.
Dan (agent for the Wentworth Watershed Association) explained that New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) required the platforms be relocated out of the designated prime wetland; the board considered the revised location in the 100-foot prime-wetland buffer. Dan said the platforms are “8 by 12” and “10 by 12” in footprint in the plans presented, connected to upland by 4-foot-wide walkways, and that stairs to the platforms would be small (three steps, 4 feet wide). He described helical piers — “like giant screws” — as the chosen foundation to minimize disturbance.
Dan estimated the total walkway aerial coverage at about 80 square feet and the small stair landings at roughly 12 square feet; elsewhere in the discussion a board member summarized that total ground contact was minimal (about five square feet reported for pier contacts). The Conservation Commission submitted a memo of no objection, and the board held a site visit that evening.
After accepting the application as complete and opening the public hearing (no public comment), the Planning Board voted to grant the special-use permit. Members characterized helical-pile foundations as “the least amount of intrusion” for this type of structure and noted the project’s educational purpose to protect Lake Wentworth’s watershed values.
The board’s approval included the project details — platform dimensions, use of helical piers, elevated structure, and the limited upland contact points — and noted the applicant’s obligation to construct per the submitted plans.
