Conservation commission signs emergency certification to clear river‑blocking cedar from Scantic River

The Hampden Conservation Commission on March 18 signed an emergency certification so a contractor can remove a large cedar that split and partially blocked the Scantic River near the 700 block of Main Street.

Commission staff said Dana visited the site and spoke with the homeowner, identified in the meeting as George (last name given in the transcript as Hudamash), after the tree began to fail during recent storms. Dana told commissioners the tree had been rotted and split in two, and that a cable from years earlier prevented straightforward removal, so the property owner was obtaining contractor help. "Dana went over to look at it today and he was going to help George out," a commissioner said, noting the owner was being given names of contractors that might offer a reduced price.

Because the previously filed emergency form listed a start date of March 11 that had passed, staff asked commissioners to sign and print their names on the certification's back page while staff updates and re‑submits the front page with the correct start date and address. A member explained the action was intended to ensure removal before the season when large ice flows and spring runoff could push ice and debris into the newly split tree and create a larger blockage.

Commissioners asked about the tree species and nearby site conditions; staff said the tree is a cedar and that a portion of the root system remains. There were no photographs included in the meeting packet, and commissioners requested the contractor provide details and to be notified when work would begin.

The commission signed the document during the meeting so staff could redo the front page online and file the emergency authorization promptly. The item concluded with staff offering to circulate the signed form and to notify members before the removal work begins.