IWWC

Inland Wetland and Watercourse Commission

40 Old Farms Road, Willington, CT  06279

October 22, 2018

 Meeting Minutes

Members Present:

Dave Schreiber – Chairman

Tess Gutowski – Co-Chairman

Patrick Lord

Members Absent:

Mark Drobney

Also Present:

Emily Perko

D. Schreiber called meeting to order at 7:31.

W2018-24 Application for Agricultural Exemption at 121 Tinkerville Road (Map 40 Lot 35 Zone R80) Owner/Applicant: Vincent Sinosky (Received October 22, 2018 Public Hearing or decision within 65 days)

P. Lord said he and E. Perko conducted a site walk on October 1st in regards to the complaints received.  Neighboring homeowners believed the tree cutting was causing flooding onto their property. 

P. Lord said, in his opinion, the tree cutting did not cause the flooding.  He believes the dam at Kidder Brook is full of debris and when it lets go, a large body of water comes downstream and causes the flooding.  T. Gutowski questioned who owns the dam and asked E. Perko to look into it.  P. Lord said some debris in the watercourse could be pulled out.  He added that they walked the proposed pasture area and a discussion was held on the cutting. 

Vincent Sinosky was present and showed the areas on the plans. He said Hipsky Construction will put in a 3 sided shed and the rest will be fenced in.  Mr. Sinosky showed the proposed area for the house and the shed and eventually a horse barn, maple sugar house and pasture

T. Gutowski asked if the National Resource Conservation Service came out to the property and Mr. Sinoskly said no.  She said it could be a high quality stream and a discussion was held on NRCS.  Mr. Sinoskly said he is concerned about the dam and a discussion was held on water flow and debris. 

P. Lord and E. Perko said, after the site walk, their recommendation was an agricultural exemption.  A discussion was held on the downed trees and Mr. Sinoskly said he would like to take the trees out with a backhoe. P. Lord agreed it would cause minimal disturbance.

E. Perko said the agricultural exemption would be for the entire parcel as Mr. Sinosky wants this parcel to be farming.

P. Lord motioned to approve the Agrigultural Exemption with the recommendation that the applicant contact NRCS.  T. Gutowski seconded the motion.  All in favor.

A discussion was held on NRCS; it is a free service that will look at the water and recommend how to mitigate and manage the area.  T. Gutowski asked that Mr. Sinosky remove the logs from the water.   

W2018-25 Applicant for Timber Harvest at Clint Eldredge Road (Map 17 Lot 47-03 Zone R80) Owner: Daniel Eldredge Applicant Karl Riendeau (Received October 22, 2018 Public Hearing or decision within 65 days)

T. Gutowski said this is the first time they have been through this process and explained the steps.  She said first they would need a Wetland Application and secondly, a Forestry Application.  Scott Person was unaware a Wetland Application was also required and a Forestry Application was only submitted at this time. 

Mr. Person was present for the applicant and will submit a Wetlands Application for the next meeting.  The Commission went through the application and Mr. Person showed the areas of the dam, pond and wetlands on the plans.  He pointed out the landings and said they are over 10 feet away from the abutting property lines. Mr. Person said there is an intermittent stream but no indication of vernal pools.

A discussion was held on an operational plan.  T. Gutowski said they need a narrative on what is going to be done, how it’s going to be done, how long it is going to take and the equipment to be used.  She asked if what Mr. Person considers the information submitted with the application an operational plan and he said yes, with attachments. 

The Commission looked through the plans and Mr. Person said the trees have been marked with white paint and they have a 50 foot buffer from Eldredge Brook.  The applicant will be harvesting 52,000 feet of wood and hopes to do it sometime this winter, once approved. 

The Commission reviewed the list of abutters included in the application and E. Perko said they have been notified.  T. Gutowski asked that the amount of cords to be harvested included in the plan and asked who is going to be cutting.  Mr. Person said a Riendeau family member will be cutting and he will notify the Commission within 3 days of cutting who will be doing it. He said they are not cutting any of the Hemlock and explained how he marked the site buffers.  T. Gutowski asked about erosion controls and Mr. Person showed one area that will require hay bales. 

E. Perko will get back to the applicant on the Wetland’s Application fee.  A site walk was scheduled for Monday, October 29, 2018 at 2:30. A discussion was held on the corduroy and whether or not it should be removed. A discussion was held on the parking areas, entrances and the staging for the wood.  T. Gutowski asked when they would pick up the logs and Mr. Person said when the pile gets big; it’s going to be a few truck loads.  The Commission and the applicant discussed getting approval for parking and entrances from the Public Works Director.  E. Perko will get back to the applicant regarding this.

Minutes

P. Lord motioned to approve the minutes of 9/24/18 and T. Gutowski seconded the motion.  All in favor. 

Staff Report and Discussion

A discussion was held on application fees.  E. Perko will look at the older permit fees and contact S. Yorgensen, if need be.

Meeting adjourned.

Respectfully Submitted,

Michele Manas

Michele Manas

Recording Clerk