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Applicant proposes riprap-and-planting fix for eroding slope at Ripley Road; hearing continued for landowner signature and engineer plans
Summary
Property owner Stephen King presented a plan using layered stone, riprap and native plantings to stabilize an eroding slope behind 12 Ripley Road. The Conservation Commission continued the hearing to Aug. 19 after finding the notice of intent lacked the landowner's signature and a required engineering plan.
Stephen King, who identified himself as the resident at 12 Ripley Road, told the Wareham Conservation Commission he prepared photos, maps and a DEP file number to show a roughly 56‑foot curved slope that is eroding about 8 feet toward the marsh. "My name is Stephen King, and I live at the address of 12 Ripley Road," he said when introducing his presentation.
King said the existing juniper cover has suppressed understory plants and exposed soil, and described a two‑layer approach of small stone, followed by riprap, with native salt‑marsh plantings installed through pockets in the stone to restore vegetation. "You probably won't even see the stones once the plants start growing," he said, arguing the stone would serve as an immediate stabilizer while plants establish.
Commissioners questioned both the method and the paperwork. The commission noted the notice of intent did not include an engineer‑prepared design and that the application was not signed by the property owner. Commissioner Scott Sobey clarified who must authorize the work: "He is the trustee in trust for all the properties that the church owns," Sobey said, explaining that Ron Harmon, as trustee, would need to sign the NOI for the church property.
Members expressed concern about wholesale removal of vegetation and repeatedly suggested temporary erosion controls, staged removal, and using erosion‑control fabric while plantings take hold rather than placing large expanses of stone. King said he plans to remove junipers in small sections, carry materials by hand or with chutes and avoid heavy equipment.
Because the commission lacked a documented landowner signature, the required abutter notice documentation and an engineering plan, the board voted to continue the hearing to Aug. 19 and asked the applicant to submit a signed NOI, certified abutter notifications and a civil‑engineer plan before the continued hearing. The commission also advised the applicant to include a clear list of proposed plant species and detail how the slope will be stabilized until vegetation is established.
