Conservation Commission — 2017-05-18
Minutes
CITY OF MELROSE CONSERVATION COMMISSION City Hall, 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 Telephone - (781) 979-4312 Fax - (781) 979-4290 Melrose Conservation Commission Minutes for May 18, 2017 Present: Susan Murphy, Kevin Anderson, Aaron Weieneth, Richard Doucette, Kate Hickey and Zachary Drench Absent: Michael Paiewonsky Ms. Murphy called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM. Minutes: Motion by Mr. Anderson to approve the minutes from April 06, 2017. Mr. Doucette seconded the motion and it was voted 4-0 in favor. Invoice for public notice- Staff received the bill for the Melrose ponds RDA treatment public notice, $86.84 total. Motion by Mr. Anderson to pay the $86.84 public advertising fee, Seconded by Mr. Weieneth and voted 4-0 in favor. Discussion Items: 69 Cranmore lane – Harold Delaney was present to provide some background information on the property. Mr. Delaney explained that he had the in-ground pool filled in, replaced a wood fence with a vinyl fence in the same location as the former wood fence and added a new deck area over a concrete slab that previously existed. An after the fact filing will be at the next meeting, no further work expected. Mr. Drench arrived. 423 Pleasant Street – Jim Mitchell and Eric Rothenberg were present, Ms. Murphy provided details on the previous discussion and intent of the Commission with the issuance of the license. Ms. Hickey arrived. Jim Mitchell, attorney for unit #3- the other 2 units are currently unoccupied and the proposed dumpster location could potentially prevent trucks from being able to make the turn into the rear of the property (provided photos for file). I would like to have a license granted to Berwin Realty Trust (unit #3)to have a dumpster placed on the conservation parcel. My concern is safety and access for unit 3. Eric Rothenberg, attorney for units #1 and #2- The conservation parcel is a common area that doesn’t touch any of the units. The license should be granted to the trustees. Mr. Mitchell- I don’t feel it is appropriate to issue a license to the condo trust for the common area. Ms. Murphy- Mr. Mitchell indicated in a previous phone discussion that issuance of a license to the trustees would be acceptable. Is the condo vote process an issue? Mr. Mitchell- Yes, other owner owns more than 50%. Ms. Murphy- The commission has several options: Issue a license to the condo unit realty trusts, revoke the previous license and re-issue to the condo trust or revoke the license entirely. The exclusion of unit 3 from the parcel was not the intent of the previous license. Motion by Mr. Drench, Seconded by Mr. Anderson to revoke the previous license and re-issue to 423 Pleasant Street Condo Trust with permission that a dumpster could be allowed on the parcel. Voted 6-0 in favor. Swains pond RFP- Staff discussed comments from the consultants that were contacted. Budget is a limiting factor. The Commission will hold off on the project and wait for a larger budget to dedicate to the project. Staff will send a thankyou message to the consultants that responded indicating the intentions of the Commission. Open Space projects- no new updates at this time. Lake Rd- Staff showed plans from engineering department to the Commission. Staff and Ms. Murphy attended a meeting with developer earlier in month to voice concerns for trail access to abutting conservation land and to have wetland boundaries flagged to confirm that the roadway is outside of the buffer zone. Outdoor classroom- Staff received a message from Hoover school principal that there will be a volunteer clean-up on May 29. The school would like to mark a ring of trees around the outdoor classroom as “legacy trees” that will be measured and monitored by the students over the years. Staff suggested paint, possibly with a cardboard stencil to keep design consistent. Commission suggested white paint, which could also be used to refresh the markings on the nearby rocky view trail. Alternatively, a metal cable with a tag could be used if branches are low enough. National Grid- Staff shared a notification packet with the Commission about a gas line replacement project on Albion Street. Nordic Way- Staff will draft a letter for all of the houses in the subdivision to notify them that they have an open order of conditions on their property and it will need to be closed out in the event that they intend to sell their property. Staff will circulate letter to Commission for review. Trail Clean-up- The Commission will hold a spring/summer trail cleanup on Sunday June 11, 2017 from 9am to 11am. Staff will notify the volunteer list and place a notice on city blog about it. Next Meeting: The next scheduled meeting will be Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 7:30 PM. Adjourn At 9:00 PM Mr. Anderson moved to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Weieneth and it was voted 6-0 in favor. ____________________________ _________________ Approved Date. Pursuant to the ‘Open Meeting Law, ‘ G.L. 39, 23B, the approval of these minutes by the Commission constitutes a certification of the date, time and place of the meeting, the members present and absent, and the actions taken at the meeting. Any other description of statements made by any person, or the summary of the discussion of any matter, is included for the purpose of context only, and no certification, express or implied, is made by the Commission as to the completeness or accuracy of such statements.