Neighbors press for proof drainage works as board reviews stormwater upgrade at Ashworth Avenue

Greg Driscoll presented a privately funded plan on July 14 to upgrade the detention basin at the end of Ashworth Avenue, replacing pipe and an open basin with a StormTech chamber system and an isolator row intended to simplify maintenance and capture total suspended solids. The filing requests a grading permit for about 16,000 square feet of disturbance and about 1,800–2,000 cubic yards of net import, with construction to occur in the dry season if possible.

Several abutters, including Mike DeStasio and Deborah Wedge, said the basin has a long history of failing to drain and described past basement flooding. “The water drainage system that was installed in 2004, 2005 has never worked,” Deborah Wedge told the board, saying she sustained three feet of basement flooding in 2005. Another abutter described continuing standing water and mosquito habitat.

Applicant representatives said their analysis shows a reduction in peak flows and volumes compared with existing conditions, and that the isolator row design concentrates sediment for easier jet‑vac removal. Staff and the conservation commission asked for test pits, maintenance history for the existing basin and a stormwater peer review before the board acts.

Outcome: the applicant agreed to a continuance to Aug. 18, 2026, to allow conservation and planning staff to arrange a peer review and gather historical maintenance records. The board also recommended a site visit so members could inspect the basin in person.

Next steps: applicant to provide revised plans addressing conservation comments and to supply the requested maintenance log and test‑pit data; staff to coordinate peer review and provide a cost estimate before the Aug. 18 meeting.