Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the North County Land Trust Wendell Ave topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves standard conditions for North County Land Trust restoration project at Wendell Avenue site
Summary
The Gardner City Conservation Commission closed the public hearing and approved standard order conditions for a North County Land Trust project at the Wendell Avenue/Apogee Road site to establish sand plain grassland habitat and stabilize slopes; the permit includes responses to DEP comments and monitoring plans.
The Gardner City Conservation Commission closed the public hearing and approved standard order conditions for a restoration and grassland-establishment project proposed by North County Land Trust for property near Wendell Avenue and Apogee Road.
Paul Martin of BSC and Anna Wilkins of North County Land Trust presented the project's responses to Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) comments. Martin said existing underground utility infrastructure on the site would remain in place and that on-site grading would not increase net peak stormwater discharge because water would continue to infiltrate or be retained in on-site detention basins.
Martin and Wilkins described the project as primarily exterior work in the outer buffer area of a certified vernal pool and noted they do not expect changed contributions to the pool’s watershed. They detailed invasive-species observations, citing spotted knapweed and a small patch of Japanese knotweed; the team said they will manage invasives through a combination of mechanical controls and, when appropriate, burying excavated rootstock below the biological growth zone to prevent regrowth.
Project design includes staged earthwork, natural revegetation for up to two years followed by supplemental seeding if barren areas persist, and woody plantings on steeper slopes for stabilization. Wilkins said the organization will use monitoring tools including an iNaturalist project and bird-recording projects to document restoration progress.
Contractor Lafferty (Mark Lafferty) was identified as the firm expected to perform earthwork and tree work. Commissioners asked questions about dewatering, swales and temporary erosion controls; the project team said dewatering basins are not expected and that straw waddles and site-appropriate erosion controls would be used as necessary.
Following discussion, a motion to close the hearing was made and approved. The commission then moved to approve issuance of standard order conditions for the North County Land Trust project; the motion passed on a roll-call vote. The commission directed staff to send finalized documents and the standard conditions to the applicant.
