Free-Form Document Attachments Attach... Details Link Name: Meeting Minutes Description: Subject/Title: November 8, 2005 Subtitle: Keywords: Review on: [ ] Default to Printable Version STOCKBRIDGE PLANNING BOARD NOVEMBER 8, 2005 MEETING MINUTES PRESENT: All present. Meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. Minutes of the October 25th meeting were reviewed and two changes suggested. Member Pitney moved to approve them as amended, Member Hobbs seconded, and the motion carried. At 7:35 p.m. Chairman Rose opened the LPOD Special Permit public hearing for the application of Mike and Mary Zabian, for land they own at 102 East Main St. Member Bartle read the public hearing notice into the record. Dorothy Mara, representing the applicant, appeared with Mr. Zabian for the review, as well as Brent White from White Engineering. Ms. Mara explained that the land in question is in the Stockbridge Industrial Park, which is in the M Zone. The applicants own several of the buildings in the Park, and the septic systems for those buildings are failing. Tri Town Health has already issued an enforcement order for the system, requiring an upgrade. The issue in this case is that virtually all of the land is either within the LPOD or the floodplain of the Housatonic River. In the proposed new system, only one septic tank will be within the LPOD and it will be placed in the same location as the current tank. The location of this tank is 82 feet from the mean high water mark of the river. Waste from this tank, and the other proposed tanks, will be piped to a new leach field that is completely out of the LPOD; only one corner of the added fill for the leach field (since it has to be raised) will be within the LPOD. The piping within the LPOD will remain in the same location as existing. Mr. White explained that there will be no changes in the runoff velocity to the site because no regrading is needed within the LPOD. The overall impacts are minimal, and the site will actually be improved because the failing system will no longer be leaching into the LPOD. There is no tree removal necessary. Mr. White further explained that each structure will have a septic tank, which will be gravity fed to a pump chamber and then sent to the leach field near the road. The pump chamber is out of the LPOD. Chairman Rose asked if the following statement was accurate: that the current system is discharging into the environment and the new one will not. Mr. White agreed with the statement. Member Blau and Pitney asked if there was any way to get the one septic tank and the corner of the leach field out of the LPOD. Mr. White explained that they were limited in where they could place the system on the site. Member Bartle asked how many businesses were renting on the property. He was told that the system was designed to the state standards to handle discharge from all the units, both business and residential. Member Bartle asked if the system was designed to handle any expansions to the property, and was told no. Mr. Zabian stated that he was trying to reduce the number of tenants, not increase it. Member Hobbs asked if that was the case, then the system would be larger than necessary in the future. Mr. White agreed. Member Hobbs then asked what was happening to the current leach field, and Mr. White replied it was being totally disconnected. With no further questions, Member Pitney moved to close the public hearing, Member Hobbs seconded, and the motion carried. The Board then discussed the possibility of including in its decision the condition that no pollutants could be discharged anywhere on the property in perpetuity. It was decided that this action would be overstepping the authority of the Board. Ms. Mara pointed out that the whole area is in the floodplain, so if pollutants were being discharged it would become an EPA violation. Member Bartle moved to approve the application to upgrade the existing septic system at 102 East Main St. because the application appeared to meet all applicable standards and was designed, constructed and located such that it will have no significant adverse impacts, with the condition that no wastewater, pesticides, herbicides, or pollutants be discharged or applied in the LPOD in perpetuity. Member Blau seconded, and the Board voted as follows: Rose – YES Bartle – YES Plakun – YES Pitney – YES Hobbs – YES Coates – YES Blau – YES Shawn Leary appeared for the continuation of the LPOD public hearing for Kampoosa Clearing on East St. in Stockbridge. Due to the fact that her client could not complete modified plans in time for this meeting, she requested a further continuance until Dec. 13th. The Board agreed, with the understanding that Ms. Leary would again submit this request in writing. The Board then waited 10 minutes for the applicant team for the Reinholt Definitive Subdivision public hearing to arrive. Since the applicant has given a written extension until Dec. 20th, and the applicant’s engineer had missed the deadline for submitting additional material to Scott Horsley, the Board agreed to continue the public hearing until Dec. 13th. (Mr. Horsley was able to forward a final recommendation to the Board, even though he only had the material for 24 hours.) After taking a poll for attendance at the next meeting, the November 22nd meeting will be cancelled due to the lack of a quorum. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m.