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Zoning board pauses Hemlock Drive appeal after DPW data shows low water pressure; sends matter to planning board
Summary
The Wolfeboro Zoning Board of Adjustment voted unanimously on Feb. 3 to decline jurisdiction of an appeal about water service on Hemlock Drive after new public works data showed the distribution main’s pressures fall below local minimums; the board referred the matter to the Planning Board for further review.
The Wolfeboro Zoning Board of Adjustment on Feb. 3 voted unanimously not to take jurisdiction over an applicant’s appeal regarding water service on Hemlock Drive and instead sent the matter to the Planning Board for further review.
Why it matters: Town public works data presented at the rehearing showed average working pressures near 30 pounds per square inch in the Hemlock Drive zone — below the town’s stated working-pressure target — a technical finding the board said was not available at the original Dec. 2 hearing and that affects whether water service can be extended to the lots at issue.
At the meeting, Suzanne Ryan, chair of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, opened the rehearing and explained that the board may grant a rehearing when new information emerges. The town’s director of public works, Steve Bridal, testified and provided monitoring data from a “smart” hydrant installed on the 6-inch ductile-iron main serving Hemlock Drive. Bridal said average daily pressures in the zone hover around 30 psi and can drop to the mid-20s during system activity; he also noted that normal working pressure in the town’s distribution system is generally expected to be between 60 and 80 psi and “shall not be less than 35” under the guidance he provided to the board.
“Average working pressures are 31.5 PSI,” Bridal said in presenting the seven- and 30-day logs; he added that exercising hydrants or flushing in that area causes alarms and further pressure drops.
Board members said the new DPW information changed the factual basis for the board’s earlier decision because the town’s zoning regulations tie some residential district boundaries to availability of public water service. After a short discussion, Chair Ryan moved that the board not take jurisdiction based on the new information and refer the matter to the Planning Board for review. The board then took a roll-call vote; Audrey Klein (vice chair), Jody Persons (voting member), Kate McMahon (voting member), Suzanne Ryan (chair/voting member) and Sabette Stroman (alternate acting as a voting member) all voted yes.
The board’s action is procedural: it does not adopt or deny the underlying development request but transfers review of water-service availability and related zoning implications to the Planning Board, where staff and planners will consider how the DPW data intersects with the town’s water-service–based district boundary language.
Next steps: The record of the board’s vote will be included in the file forwarded to the Planning Board. The ZBA’s motion and the DPW memorandum were entered into the meeting record. Any subsequent Planning Board action or permit applications will appear on future agendas.
