Inland Wetlands Commission

City of Torrington Inland Wetlands Commission Special Meeting Minutes May 21, 2024 Present: Christine Altman, Vice-Chair Joe Paganini, Member Randall Stelma, Member Steven Thompson, Alternate Staff/Presenters: Nate Nardi-Cyrus – Inland Wetlands Enforcement Officer Not Present: Jay Bate, Chair Adrienne Barbe, Member 1. Call to Order: Christine Altman called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. in-person at City Hall Auditorium Room 218, 140 Main Street, Torrington, CT. The meeting was also conducted via Teams online. 2. Roll Call and Announcements: Ms. Altman stated present and serving in person this evening are Commission members Joe Paganini, Randall Stelma, and Steven Thompson. 3. Minutes for Approval a. 4/9/2024 MOTION by Mr. Paganini to approve the 4/9/2024 minutes, seconded by Mr. Stelma, unanimously carried. b. 4/30/2024 Mr. Nardi-Cyrus explained Mr. Bate and Ms. Altman attended the site visit, which is not enough to establish quorum. Without quorum there is no need to adopt the minutes. 4. Old Business: a. Property Owner: Paul Church, Sr. Location: 494 Newfield Road and 446 Newfield Road (Assessor Maps 233/003/004 and 233/003/005) Violation: Cease and Correct Order - Show Cause Hearing Mr. Nardi-Cyrus provided a summary of the last meeting. A show cause hearing was opening during the April meeting, but continued to give Commissioners a chance for a site visit. The site visit was  held with Mr. Church, Mr. Nardi-Cyrus, Mr. Bate and Ms. Altman. The Commission must now uphold, modify, or revoke the Cease and Correct order originally issued by Mr. Nardi-Cyrus. Discussion ensued regarding the nature of the bedding/manure pile. Ms. Altman and Mr. Nardi- Cyrus shared her experiences during the site visit, including photos and maps for reference. Mr. Church explained he has started removing the material only to 3’ in depth. The amount of material to be removed, invasive plant species, and methods of removal and restoration were all discussed by the commission, Mr. Church, and Audrey Curtiss (owner of pig sanctuary). The Commission required the application be submitted by June 4th to get on the June 11th meeting agenda. The fee will be $225. MOTION by Mr. Thompson to uphold the Cease and Correct order issued by Mr. Nardi-Cyrus with conditions outlined by the Commission, seconded by Mr. Stelma, unanimously carried. 5. New Business: a. Applicant: City of Torrington Location: 277 Winthrop Street (Assessor Map 124 Block 005 Lot 001) Activity: New skate park at Elise Besse Park within URA Mr. Nardi-Cyrus represented this application in the absence of the Public Works and Parks and Recreation Directors. The application was explained to be of minor impact but because it is from the City of Torrington, Mr. Nardi-Cyrus believes it deserves full review by the Commission. Mr. Nardi-Cyrus reviewed the changes, where all drainage will be directed toward catch basins on Winthrop Street and Major Besse Drive, all access will be from Winthrop Street, and S+E contain the entire site. MOTION by Mr. Stelma to accept the application and determine that the project is not a significant activity, seconded by Mr. Paganini, unanimously carried. b. Applicant: Elinor Raymond Location: 242 Clearview Ave (Assessor Map 126 Block 022 Lot 001) Activity: Redirection and armoring of intermittent watercourse Ms. Raymond presented her proposal to modify an existing intermittent stream channel to preserve the integrity of her house, which had been undermined in prior flood events. Pictures of those events were shown and maps of the proposed work were reviewed. Ms. Raymond will have her husband rock line a stream channel that will retain the grade but tighten up the width of the ravine and move it about 15’ further from the house. Mr. Nardi-Cyrus conducted a site visit with City Engineer, Paul Kundzins, to assess the site. He will work to fix the drainage issues on the Clearview Ave ROW but agrees that something must be done here, even if there are no engineered plans. Mr. Nardi-Cyrus explained some of the issues with the road and how that exacerbates the downstream flooding. The Commission continued discussion over impacts to neighbors, notification, and work on Clearview Ave. MOTION by Mr. Paganini to accept the application and determine that the project is not a significant activity, seconded by Mr. Stelma, unanimously carried.  c. Applicant: Elinor Raymond Location: 1884 Torringford West Street (Assessor Map 245 Block 002 Lot 016) Activity: Dredging of existing pond/watercourse and maintenance of culverts under driveway Ms. Raymond presented her proposal to dredge a small pond, created by the impoundment of an intermittent streams, and replace the outlet pipes as a maintenance activity. She gave a historical overview of the pond. The pond has almost completely sedimented in and is actively reverting to a marsh. To dewater the pond sediment, he will run a bypass pipe into the existing outlet and will move all material off site. The plan is only to remove live vegetation and accumulated organic matter within the footprint of the pond. The Commission discussed the inlet and outlet of the pond and the driveway crossing. The size of the pond is approximately .1 acres. The Commission discussed prior dredging permits, including Besse pond. Questions emerged about Army Corps. jurisdiction, which Mr. Nardi-Cyrus offered to explore further. MOTION by Mr. Stelma to accept the application, seconded by Mr. Paganini, unanimously carried. d. Applicant: Ian Cole Location: 919 Guerdat Road (Assessor Map 232 Block 005 Lot 019) Activity: Preapplication discussion - restoration of wetlands Mr. Cole presented a hypothetical restoration plan to address prior violations. The violation was clearcutting the URA of a medium sized pond without permits. The Commission tentatively accepted his plan, with an added condition of conservation seed establishment within wetlands in the restoration area. No motion is required of a pre-application meeting. e. Applicant: Steven Thompson Location: 815 Guerdat Road (Assessor Map 232 Block 005 Lot 021) Activity: Jurisdictional Determination – Farm expansion Mr. Thompson stepped down from the dais and presented his application for jurisdictional determination. Mr. Thompson is expanding his farm operations in and adjacent to an area mapped by NRCS as potential inland wetlands. Mr. Thompson shared his farm plan and answered questions posed by the Commissioners. MOTION by Mr. Stelma to determine the proposed farm use is an as-of-right activity, not subject to inland wetlands permit requirements, seconded by Mr. Paganini, unanimously carried. 6. Enforcement Report: Mr. Nardi-Cyrus explained that he had given the full enforcement report and Agent determinations at the prior meeting. File and permits are available for review in the City Land Use Office. Mr. Nardi-Cyrus also explained that the new Commission make-up will be 5 regular members and 3 alternates to replace 7 regular members with no alternates. Ordinance is effective as of May 20th, 2024. Mr. Nardi-Cyrus explained new citation ordinance for up to $100/day per violation. Still needs to be adopted as a regulation amendment, which requires a public hearing.  MOTION by Mr. Stelma to set a public hearing for the June 11th Regular meeting to adopt changes to the regulations regarding enforcement, seconded by Mr. Thompson, unanimously carried. 7. Adjournment: MOTION by Mr. Thompson to adjourn at 9:07 p.m., seconded by Mr. Paganini, unanimously carried. Nate Nardi-Cyrus ___________________________ Zoning Enforcement Officer City of Torrington, Land Use Office