Conservation commission grants negative determination for Valley View Farm tent with erosion-control condition

The Templeton Conservation Commission on May 18 approved a negative determination with a single erosion-control condition for a proposal to place a seasonal 40-by-80 event tent and construct a 5-foot bituminous walkway at Valley View Farm, 179 Berry Road.

Justin LeClaire, project engineer with McCarty Engineering Inc., told the commission the temporary tent will be assembled in summer and removed in fall and described the proposed 5-foot walkway. He said the plan places approximately 330 square feet of pavement inside the 100-foot buffer, offset by about 1,000 square feet of crushed stone on each side to promote infiltration. “With a 5-foot walk, approximately 7 and a half feet of stone on each side … that gets you to a 20 foot path,” LeClaire said.

Commissioners questioned grading, drainage and access; the engineer said the tent pad sits above the wetland and runoff from the walkway would be directed into the crushed stone and infiltrate before discharge. The commission recommended adding boulders or riprap at a low spot identified on the site to reduce erosion and stabilize the area.

A commissioner moved for a negative determination with the erosion-control condition and the motion carried. The commission’s filing will be prepared and provided to the applicant; staff said the signed determination would be assembled and distributed this week.

Why it matters: The decision clears a pathway for a small agritourism-style venue while tying approval to a concrete erosion-control step intended to protect adjacent wetland resources. The commission emphasized that the temporary nature of the tent and the offset stone were factors in the determination.

The commission’s vote and paperwork complete the RDA process for this item; staff will follow up with the applicant on the required condition and file the written determination.