Conservation Commission

CITY OF CHICOPEE CONSERVATION COMMISSION Minutes of Meeting December 15, 2021 Pursuant to Mass. General Law Ch. 131, Section 40 and the Chicopee Wetland Ordinance Ch. 272, the Chicopee Conservation Commission held a public hearing on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at 6:15 PM in the Chambers Conference Room, City Hall Annex, 4th Floor, 274 Front St., Chicopee, MA 01013 Charles Payne opened the meeting at 6:15 PM and announced that the meeting was being recorded. Conservation Commission attendance: Member Present Absent Excused Celeste Donovan X Charles Payne X Meghan Balakier X Richard Valcourt X Brian Nunes X Bianca Thomas X Planning/Conservation Staff attendance: Member Present Absent Excused Lee Pouliot, Director X James Dawson, Development Manager X Nathan Moreau, Associate Planner X Item 1: RDA for the installation of a 16’ x 24’ above ground swimming pool and associated site improvements. Work will occur within Riverfront Area and Buffer Zone to Terrace Escarpment (TE) Soils. Location: 401 Irene St., Chicopee, MA. Applicant: Jeanne Breton, same address. Notes: A representative of GZA GeoEnvironmental (Adrienne Dunk) along with the Applicant presented the RDA to the Commission. They explained the proposal was to construct a 16’ x 24’ above-ground swimming pool with associated deck and access stairs on the property. The location of the pool as well as most of the property is within Riverfront Area or Terrace Escarpment (TE) Soils Buffer Zone. The installation of the pool within an established residential yard is exempt from the Riverfront regulations. The TE soils are jurisdictional under the Municipal Wetlands Ordinance. Ms. Dunk explained the erosion control would consist of straw wattles. The Commission agreed to the straw wattles for this type of project. The Commission imposed their typical erosion control conditions i.e Straw wattles are to be installed by the applicant and inspected by the Conservation Commission or its Staff prior to the commencement of any site work, erosion control must remain in place and in good condition for the duration of the project, and erosion control must not be removed until the property is stabilized and the Applicant is given permission by the Conservation Commission or its Staff to remove it. Motion to issue Positive 5 and Negative 5 Determinations with conditions was made by Richard Valcourt and seconded by Brian Nunes. Vote was 5-0 to issue Positive 5 and Negative 5 Determinations with conditions. Member Approve Deny Continue Abstain Charles Payne X Meghan Balakier X Richard Valcourt X Brian Nunes X Bianca Thomas X Item 2: Minutes from December 1, 2021 Motion to approve the minutes was made by Richard Valcourt and seconded by Brian Nunes. Vote was 4 in favor, 0 opposed and one abstention. (Bianca Thomas abstained as she was not in attendance at the December 1, 2021 meeting.) Member Approve Deny Continue Abstain Charles Payne X Meghan Balakier X Richard Valcourt X Brian Nunes X Bianca Thomas X Item 3: Sign Bills – Staff reported there was one bill to sign. Item 4: Upcoming Projects/Discussion  GZA provided an annual update on flood control works maintenance projects. This was a request of the Commission during the meeting on March 17 this year. The next annual update is due on December 21, 2022. Item 5: Adjournment – Next scheduled meeting is January 5, 2022. (Staff noted there were no applications submitted prior to the submittal deadline for the January 5, 2022 meeting therefore the next regularly scheduled meeting is January 19, 2022.) Motion to adjourn was made by Richard Valcourt and seconded by Meghan Balakier. Vote was 5-0 to adjourn. Member Approve Deny Continue Abstain Charles Payne X Meghan Balakier X Richard Valcourt X Brian Nunes X Bianca Thomas X Meeting adjourned at 6:59 PM.