Conservation Commission Continues Prescott Street Wetland Hearing, Orders Site Walk

PEPPERELL -- April 16, 2024, Pepperell Conservation Commission carries wetland buffer hearing to May after abutters raise drainage and snow storage concerns. The commission continued a public hearing on a notice of intent filed by Linda Canzinelli to build a single-family home, driveway, and utilities within the 100-foot wetland buffer at 11 Prescott Street, with the next session set for May 14 at 7:05 p.m. Engineers Limo Tev and Bruce Ringwall of Goldsmith Pess and Ringwall reported that MassDEP confirmed on April 16 that no certificate of compliance is needed to close a prior permit, clearing one procedural hurdle. Key unresolved issues include where plowed snow will be stored along the 14-foot-wide driveway, which sits between six to eight feet from a wetland edge on one side and two feet from a property line on the other, and how dewatering during garage footing excavation will be managed within the buffer zone. Abutters Kelly and Geraldine Kinney told the commission the drainage swale between the properties is wet far beyond spring, and objected that salt and snowmelt from the new driveway would flood their land. Commissioners scheduled a site walk for April 18 at 3 p.m. to assess site conditions firsthand before any vote on an order of conditions.