Conservation Commission

City of Rochester Conservation Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday May 27, 2026 Cocheco Meeting Room 33 Wakefield Street, Rochester, NH (These minutes were approved on July 22, 2026.) Attendance Presence Commission Member Notes Members of the Public Absent Dylan Dowe, Chair Excused Henry Aquino Nobis Engineering Present Kevin Sullivan, Vice Chair Jon Ralphs Nobis Engineering Present Mike Dionne Present Mark Jennings Absent Merry Lineweber Excused Absent Dan Nickerson Excused Absent Tom Willis Excused Present Dennis Raymond Present Sue Walthour1 Present Renée McIsaac, Planner I Note 1 – Arrived during discussion of item 3.b. 1) Call to Order: Kevin Sullivan called the meeting to order at 5:30pm. 2) Approval of Minutes: Review Meeting Minutes of April 22, 2026. Mike Dionne made a motion to approve of the minutes as drafted; the motion was seconded by Mark Jennings; the motion passed unanimously. 3) Conservation Overlay District: a. Multi-Family Residential, 168 Brock Street - Matthew & Michelle Wirth; Tax Map 0131-0060-0001. Residential site plan application to create two duplex buildings, associated parking and infrastructure, with wetland buffer impacts. This item will be discussed at the June meeting. b. AutoZone, LLC, 0 Farmington Road – EVR Realty, LLC; Tax Map 0208-0016- 0000. Site plan to construct ±7,300sqft commercial building with wetland buffer impacts. Henry Aquino, a senior project engineer with Nobis Engineering, introduced himself and project manager Jon Ralphs. He explained that the proposed project is located at 0 Farmington Road and will include the construction of an approximate 7,500sqft building, landscaping and associated stormwater controls. The project is within the Granite Ridge District and is bounded by a Meineke Car Care Center on one side and there is an existing easement for access to a residence. Henry Aquino noted that there are wetlands present that are hydrologically connected with the Cocheco River. The property is currently a vacant grassed area. The project would incorporate stormwater features to manage site stormwater. The access easement for the residential home would be maintained. The proposed wetland buffer impacts are within the 25 – 50’ wetland buffer area. A subsurface stormwater structure will be constructed which will maintain water quality and current hydrology. Henry clarified that the “light duty pavement” noted 2026-05-27 Conservation Commission Minutes Page 1 of 4  on the plans are for parking regular vehicles, this is not porous pavement, the parking lot is curbed so that all stormwater is directed to a treatment feature. Mike Dionne asked if there was an overflow spill way. Henry Aquino responded yes. Modeling for the site demonstrates reducing peak flows and volumes for the site. The proposed building has a roof drain that will direct stormwater to the subsurface treatment system. This eventually outflows to the manmade swale along the road and will maintain existing drainage patterns. Dennis Raymond had some questions about the proposed wetland buffer impacts. Henry Aquino confirmed that all proposed impacts are outside of the 0 – 25-foot wetland buffer area; all stormwater is being captured and treated; the proposed number of parking spots has already been reduced and represent the minimum. Jon Ralphs affirmed that they have minimized site impacts as much as possible. Mike Dionne noted that the existing driveway that crosses the property currently provides no stormwater treatment. The proposed development would result in stormwater treatment for the site. Jon Ralphs confirmed that there will be no untreated discharge on the site. Mike Dionne noted that the proposed landscaping will also help with cooling any stormwater runoff as well. Dennis Raymond made a motion to recommend approval of the Conditional Use Permit for the wetland buffer impacts presented. The motion was seconded by Mike Dionne; the motion passed unanimously. 4) NH DES Applications: a. Alteration of Terrain – Country Brook Apartments, 68 Hemingway Drive; Tax Map 0258-0063-0000, -0001, -0056; NHDES File Number 260504-095 b. Wetlands Standard Dredge and Fill - Country Brook Apartments, 68 Hemingway Drive; Tax Map 0258-0063-0000; NHDES File Number 2026-00707 c. Wetlands Standard Dredge and Fill – 391, 373 and 385 Transmission Line Structure Replacement Project; multiple Tax Maps; NHDES File Number 2025- 02046 Conservation Commission members reviewed the above notices and had no comment. 5) Notice of Alleged Violation: 56 Gear Road; Tax Map 0258-0051-0000; File Number 2025-03340 Conservation Commission members reviewed the above notice and had no comment. 6) New Business: none 7) Reports: a. Technical Review b. Planning Board Review 2026-05-27 Conservation Commission Minutes Page 2 of 4  Renée McIsaac provided a brief description of the projects moving through the Technical Review Group and Planning Board review processes. 8) Old Business: a. River Day Preparations The volunteer schedule and preparations for the River Day event were briefly reviewed. b. Lilac Family Fun Festival Planning i. Volunteer Shifts Members signed up for the following shifts. 02:30 - 04:30 Mark 04:00 - 06:30 Dennis 06:30 - end Kevin (Mike Dionne and Sue Walthour will be out of town during this event.) ii. Procurement Renée McIsaac noted that in the past couple of events the Commission included an item that was given away at the end of the night and was used to facilitate discussion about a particular topic. Last year’s event had a rain barrel and the year prior a composter was used for this purpose. Mike Dionne voiced support for an owl box kit to discuss the impacts of rodenticides and alternative pest control strategies. He suggested getting two kits so that one could be built for display and another could still be in the box. Renée McIsaac asked what other items should be procured for the event. All Conservation Commission members supported purchasing more field guidebooks, especially the bird identification books. Kevin Sullivan also noted that the dog waste bags with holder is another good item to include at the event. It tends to be a popular item, and it helps to convey the importance of picking up pet waste to prevent water pollution. Sue Walthour suggested that some magnifying lenses might of interest for kids as well. Mike Dionne stated he would check to see if Fish and Game had some animal track cards available to hand out. iii. Festival Ideas – Test Your Knowledge Board Renée McIsaac noted that the Test Your Knowledge Board from last year’s Lilac Family Fun Festival will be used at the River Day event and the Commission might want to update questions before going back to the Lilac Family Fun Festival. Commission members will think about potential new questions for the board. iv. Festival Ideas – Poster Board Question Renée McIsaac stated that during one of the previous events there was a poster board prompt question that asked attendees to write a response. 2026-05-27 Conservation Commission Minutes Page 3 of 4  Mike Dionne suggested asking people to comment on why placing rodent bait might be bad. This would further the discussion about the potential harms of rodenticides. Commission members supported this suggestion. v. Festival Ideas – Engagement Piece Renée McIsaac asked Commission members what they would like to include for kids to engage. Members discussed some of the previous things used, such as the wetland buffer model and the stormwater marble run, as well as some suggested ideas. Kevin Sullivan suggested a pollinator model but was not sure if one could be easily purchased. Commission members agreed that if a pollinator model could be purchased, that would be a good engagement piece, otherwise the stormwater marble run could be used. Mike Dionne made a motion to support the procurement of items as described above and expend up to $1,000 of the outreach budget. Dennis Raymond seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously. 9) Adjournment. A motion was made by Mike Dionne and seconded by Kevin Sullivan to adjourn at 7:17pm; the motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Renée McIsaac Planner I 2026-05-27 Conservation Commission Minutes Page 4 of 4