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Resident raises safety and process concerns about Ashford Woods detention pond
Summary
A resident told the council that planning and zoning removed a fence requirement for the Ashford Woods subdivision's detention pond without notice or a public hearing and warned that the unprotected deep detention feature could pose a child-safety risk and legal exposure for the town.
Resident Catherine Cameron told the council she was glad her SEEC complaint was dismissed without prejudice but urged the council to investigate two issues: why the senior bus carried only two seniors for absentee voting and whether planning and zoning followed protocol in modifying a subdivision agreement term.
Cameron said an application for Ashford Woods filed in 2014 required a black, ionized fence around the detention pond; she said that in 2026 planning and zoning voted to remove that requirement without notifying the neighborhood, without publishing the change and without holding a public hearing. She said the municipality and DEEP (the state environmental agency) may face liability because the detention feature is deep and close to a house: “Children can drown in an inch of water,” she said, urging the council to review the matter and the permitting file.
Cameron also said DEEP is attempting to have the feature registered as a dam, which could alter responsibility and permitting. The council did not record a formal decision in the transcript; the comment was made during public participation and was presented as a request for further inquiry.
