2011 Town Report - Town of Ludlow

Conservation Commission Bylaws (Chapter XV). The Commission is dedicated to the preservation of Ludlow’swetland resources for the benefit of our present and future residents.Regular meetings of the Conservation Commission were held on the first and third Wednesday evenings of eachmonth at 6:30 P.M. in 2011 and no meeting schedule changes are planned for 2012. Site inspections were scheduledon Saturday mornings prior to each meeting in the winter, and on Wednesday evenings prior to each meeting in thesummer, and attended by any/all members.The Commission began 2011 with five (5) members and no vacancies on the Commission. The year ended with five(5) members and no vacancies. Regretfully, Conservation Commissioner Nelson Tereso resigned from theCommission in August. In October 2010, the Commission was fortunate enough to fill the vacancy with theappointment of Keith Ouellette.During 2011, the Conservation Commission worked on five (5) Notices of Intent, one of which the Public Hearing isscheduled for 2012. One (1) Notice of Intent was amended to allow for minor changes to the WMECO GreaterSpringfield Reliability Project. Five (5) Requests for Determination of Applicability were filed with theCommission, four (4) of which resulted in a negative determination, and one (1) being withdrawn. The Commissionissued twelve (12) Certificates of Compliance, with two (2) being partial approvals for completion of work onsubdivisions, and one (1) Enforcement Order. Emergency Certifications are requested when a project must takeplace immediately to prevent danger to individuals and/or damage to property. The Commission issued one (1)Emergency Certification in 2011. Wetland Regulations do not require a Public Hearing prior to the issuance ofemergency permits. Otherwise, all permits issued by the Commission require a Public Hearing process. Onlyspecific permit requests, however, mandate under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act that abutters areindividually notified.Projects under the Conservation Commission’s purview in 2011 continued to range from those as simple as shedinstallations to single family homes, subdivisions, several condominium projects, utility projects large and smallsuch as sewer extensions and upgrades, and the WMECO Greater Springfield Reliability Project. The total moniescollected by the Conservation Commission in 2011 were $36,092.00, which were collected from application filingfees and as partial compensatory mitigation for temporary and permanent impacts on the wetland resource areas forthe WMECO Greater Springfield Reliability Project Upgrade. The Commission is looking into using this donationfor purchasing land to provide the public access and parking to the Town Forest.Commissioners continue to enjoy attending MACC Conferences twice each year as well as other training classesthat may be offered. These educational conferences assist Commissioners with staying informed about changes inregulations and/or policies and provide us with the necessary training so that we can remain current in ourknowledge of conservation/wetland regulations, allowing us to make informed decisions on projects that require ourinvolvement. Commission members attended the MACC 2011 Annual Environmental Conference in WorcesterMA, in February, as well as the MACC (Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions) fall 2011Fundamentals Workshop. Additionally, we continue to work with our local office of the Department ofEnvironmental Protection when we need assistance with answering a complicated question or resolving difficultissues. The D.E.P. Circuit Rider Program allows us to have a personal contact at the Department and has provided uswith guidance on many such occasions.Members of the Conservation Commission continue to participate on committees such as the CommunityPreservation Act Committee, the Master Plan Committee, the Energy Committee, and the Disaster PreparednessCommittee. Additionally, we work in conjunction with other town departments to maintain consistency withpermitting procedures. We also review all permit applications submitted to the Planning Board, BuildingDepartment and Board of Health, some of which require a sign-off from the Commission Office. G.I.S. continues tobe a valuable asset to us in this review process.Respectfully submitted,Jason MartowskiChairman91