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Town’s public works rebuilt stone wall at 15 Chandler Road as part of drainage work; commission says proceed with ditch work
Summary
Town public works reconstructed a stone wall and cleared vegetation at 15 Chandler Road to widen a drainage ditch; the Historic District Commission reviewed the appearance and offered conditional support, requesting more advance notice for similar future work.
The Bedford Historic District Commission reviewed a Department of Public Works project at 15 Chandler Road on Feb. 4 after town crews cleared trees and rebuilt a stone wall to accommodate a widened roadside drainage ditch.
Kathleen Ports, the town conservation planner, described the project as a public-safety measure to reduce roadway undercutting and manage stormwater volume. “The solution is to widen this ditch to provide additional storage capacity, to slow the water down with some check dams so that the volume reaching the culvert is moderated at a level where it can be handled by the existing culvert,” Ports said.
Ports told the commission the town owns the right of way in front of the property and holds a drainage easement across the frontage of 15 Chandler Road; DPW staff had removed a small number of trees in the right of way and used on-site stone to reconstruct the wall. Brian DeFosse, the DPW project lead, was not present; Ports presented on his behalf. Property owner Jerry Violet told the commission the town communicated directly with him during work and that he supports the project. “They’re clearing it back to make to lower the velocity of the water so we don’t have the washouts,” Violet said.
Commission members questioned the extent of tree removal. “My only concern… was that, the town, cleared those trees. And, I don’t really know at what point, center line to your property line. And it just struck me that an awful lot of trees came down, and I’m just wondering if they all needed to come down,” Commissioner David Clark said.
Ports and the property owner explained crews worked within the right of way and drainage easement and that the town tried to minimize impacts and reuse on-site materials. Ports told the commission the reconstructed wall could be adjusted now, before final excavation of the ditch, and the town had offered to make changes if the commission was not satisfied.
After discussion, Ports said she would report the commission’s positive feedback and the homeowner’s support back to DPW, and she asked commissioners to note that more advance notice would be appreciated for similar projects in the future. “If the general consensus is that you’re happy with the wall, then I will just let TPW know that they can proceed with the ditch when the conditions are appropriate,” Ports said.
The commission did not take a formal vote; members recorded general assent with several saying the rebuilt wall fit nearby properties and that they appreciated that on-site stone was reused. Commissioners asked staff to request earlier notification from DPW for future work that affects stone walls and tree removal within town rights of way.
