Eye on Town Government

By Susan MacEachron

Work at a Doolittle Lake house and along Roughland Road was discussed by the Inland Wetlands Agency at its meeting on July 10.

Dan Green represented the homeowner of 358 Doolittle Drive where stone piers supporting the house are failing. Green proposed using helical piles to support a reconstructed house on the same footprint. Previous testing revealed that there are no wetlands soils adjacent to the water.  Green described his plan to use hay bales to protect the lake rather than digging into the natural berm to install silt fencing. Wetlands approved the plan, noting that it was less invasive than the original concept of jacking up the house and putting in a foundation.

Michael Halloran, Norfolk’s wetlands enforcement officer, reported on work in wetlands at 48 Roughland Road. Contractors were using excavators to remove trees to create a view. Halloran said there was no permit for the job, and he told the contractors to cease work with the heavy equipment. He advised the homeowners to hire a soil scientist to consult on remediation of the disturbed wetlands. Halloran said he subsequently received a detailed plan from Paul Jaehnig of Wetlands and Soils Consulting, which he provided to Wetlands members.

In the plan, Jaehnig advised against any further heavy equipment being deployed on the site. He recommended using a chain saw to cut up the large pile of felled trees so they could be dispersed on the site. Jaehnig also provided a list of seeds to restore the ground cover. Halloran said the contractor had put down hay to protect the disturbed slope. Jill Chase, a Wetlands member, said she would review the proposed list of seeds to be sure it adheres to Norfolk’s natural resource inventory of native plantings maintained by the Conservation Commission. The homeowner, Geb Byers, agreed to abide by Wetlands’ and Jaehnig’s recommendations.

After being alerted to erosion problems by First Selectman Matt Riiska, Halloran reported on his inspection of the currently-halted reconstruction of the River Place bridge. The initial engineering inspection had failed to detect that the bridge’s foundation was defective. Consequently, work has been suspended while the engineers develop a revised plan. Halloran said he contacted WMC Consulting Engineers to inform them that the erosion controls were no longer functioning and needed to be replaced. WMC vice president Stephen McDonnell said he did not believe it was the contractor’s responsibility to maintain the controls. Halloran said he told McDonnell that the town believes that it is the contractor’s responsibility. McDonnell agreed to arrange a meeting at the site with Halloran and the contractor, New England Infrastructure.