Engineer presents Mohican Lake subdivision updates; board flags road, flood and wildlife issues

Scott Gould of Fusco Engineering presented updated plans for the Mohican Lake subdivision, describing septic-system designs, well locations, revised home placements, erosion-control measures, and slope analysis. "We have 1.91 acres of disturbance so we have shown an erosion control and sediment plan," Gould said, and noted they had submitted a slope-analysis sheet and adjusted side-yard setbacks from 30 to 35 feet to match zoning requirements.

The board and Gould discussed access and emergency response concerns related to private roads that serve existing homes. Gould said private-road geometry and ownership required further review and that he would consult the town code and speak with the road owner; the board emphasized the need to ensure fire apparatus access or, alternatively, sprinkler systems or other mitigations if the road could not be upgraded. Gould also told the board they had hired a consultant to address a wildlife concern: "We have hired Pete Ferguson, to help us, mitigate, the, rattlesnake issue on the site that, the EAF picked up as an issue." He said he would highlight the flood-zone boundary in the next submission and work with staff and property owners to resolve access and code issues.

Board members asked for clarification about how many homes the private road serves and whether pull-offs or other mitigations would be acceptable; Gould said they had previously mitigated similar issues by providing pull-offs every 400 feet and would review code requirements for private drives serving multiple single-family residences. No formal vote was taken on the subdivision presentation; the matter will return with revised materials addressing the questions raised.