Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environmental Concerns topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning and conservation boards press for soil testing and forester review after clearing at Barry Orchards
Summary
Select Board members and conservation and planning representatives said rapid clearing at Barry Orchards removed most trees; they requested soil testing and a town forester site visit after Simon Dennis noted historical use of arsenical pest controls and Boo Martin offered quarterly water testing to monitor changes.
The Select Board on June 9 discussed rapid clearing at Barry Orchards and heard requests from the Planning Board and Conservation Commission for additional oversight and testing.
Mike Madden said the Conservation Commission shares the Planning Board's position that soil testing should occur before further work begins. Attendees said work at the orchard is proceeding quickly and that few trees remain. Simon Dennis, identified in the minutes as a Jeta Grove representative, said arsenical pest‑control products had been used at the orchard historically and estimated that roughly 69 percent of the orchard had been cut, leaving about 40 percent still standing; he asked the town forester to conduct a site walk and measure remaining trees.
Boo Martin offered to run the town's quarterly water tests to check for any changes from previous results. Caisse said the Select Board had sought legal advice before signing an intent to cut and was told they must sign and could not stop the cutting; the board planned to schedule a legal meeting including the Planning Board and Conservation Commission and to contact the town forester for a site visit and measurement.
The board's recorded actions were limited to arranging a legal meeting and requesting a forester visit and measurements; no stop‑work order or formal enforcement action was recorded in the minutes.
