Pepperell Conservation Commission issues compliance certificate, advances master plan review

PEPPERELL — December 15, 2020 — Pepperell's Conservation Commission closed out 2020 with a certificate of compliance vote, routine bill approval, and a sweeping review of master plan conservation recommendations at its December 15 meeting. The commission unanimously issued a certificate of compliance for 3 Halfway Lane (Mass DEP file 259-0784) after Conservation Administrator Paula Terrasi confirmed that a misplaced no-disturb marker had been corrected in the field and the as-built plan updated. The board also unanimously approved a $2,200 bill for mowing the 20-acre Heald Orchard meadow under the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program grant. Eagle Scout candidate Christopher Marsh presented plans to refurbish the kiosk at Kai's Pocket Conservation Area — replacing posts, framing, and signage while retaining the roof — and was asked to return with physical dimensions before proceeding. Master Plan Implementation Committee member Deb Bount introduced the committee's quarterly tracking role, after which the commission debated a floodplain bylaw it called a short-term necessity under the EPA's MS4 stormwater permit, firmly opposed any by-right Open Space Residential Development bylaw revision, and recommended forming a separate invasive species subcommittee rather than absorbing that work itself, noting aquatic invasive treatment on local rivers already runs $50,000 to $75,000 per year.