By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE
The Middlebury Conservation Commission (CC) at its Sept. 29 meeting thanked retired member Thomas E. Proulx for his service and welcomed new member Curtis S. Bosco. It also accepted an application for an illegally constructed concrete dam at 120 Tranquility Road, agreed to sign off on a certificate of occupancy for an 891 Straits Turnpike building, took an application for after-the-fact work for an oversize patio constructed without prior approval, and accepted an application for a building on Southford Road.
Chairman Vincent B. LoRusso opened the meeting by thanking Proulx, who was not there, for his service. Proulx, a 10-year veteran of the commission, served as its chairman from October 2013 to August 2014. LoRusso called Proulx “a solid member of the commission you could always count on.”
LoRusso then welcomed new member Curtis S. Bosco, Middlebury’s zoning enforcement officer and a former member of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Attorney Anne Peters, representing dam owner Robert Bosco, said at the Aug. 25 meeting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) granted approval for a planting plan for the dam, which was built without a permit. LoRusso on Feb. 24 instructed Peters to come back with an application for a new wetlands permit within 60 days after the ACOE made its determination.
Also in August, Peters said the dam is constructed so water flow is more predictable and the dam is less susceptible to wash out. Soil scientist Cynthia Rabinowitz said the native species plantings are designed to be naturalistic and in time will create a woodland setting, provide shade and keep the water cool. The application was accepted for review with the requirement commissioners be allowed to walk the property and a list of changes be provided.
In enforcement matters, Wetlands Enforcement Officer Deborah Seavey told commissioners a 20-by-20-foot patio was approved for the new office building at 891 Straits Turnpike but a 20-by-40-foot patio with stairs and a retaining wall was built. She said the owners asked for a certificate of occupancy with the condition an after-the-fact modification application be submitted. Commissioners agreed and unanimously accepted the application for review.
At the September meeting, the commission unanimously accepted for review an application by Joseph Desantis and Richard Brown of Middlebury, D/B/A Southford Road LLC to combine a 2½ acre parcel at 1000 Southford Road with an acre from the adjoining lot at 984 Southford Road owned by Francis Cipriano of Watertown D/B/A Southford Park LLC for a new 14,000-square-foot commercial building.
Attorney Michael McVerry said the 1000 Southford Road property previously was approved for a car wash/gas station/convenience store, and the combined 3½ acres would provide room for a centrally located commercial building on the property.
The next regular CC meeting will be Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 26 at Shepardson Community Center.
