Conservation Commission Approves Horse Barn at Prospect Street Wetland Buffer

PEPPERELL — July 9, 2019 — Pepperell Conservation Commission unanimously approved a horse barn and fence within the wetland buffer zone at 34 Prospect Street. The commission issued a Negative Determination — findings 3 and 6 — for applicants Peter and Judith Powers, concluding the proposed 36-by-36-foot barn, to be sited approximately 23 feet from the wetland boundary, would not alter any resource area protected under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and therefore does not require a Notice of Intent filing. Commissioners directed the applicants to keep excavated loam outside the 100-foot buffer, reposition silt fencing closer to the construction footprint, and comply with Water Resource Protection Overlay District manure management rules enforced by the Board of Health. In other business, the commission approved $1,155 in bills to Craig Birch for a course management plan, paid annual dues to the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, and issued a long-delayed certificate of compliance for 102A Lowell Road. A commissioner reported that the first year of a water chestnut herbicide treatment program — costing $80,000, with subsequent years projected at $75,000 — is showing early results, with treated plants browning rapidly and coverage near the dam visibly reduced.