By Avice Meehan

The Inland Wetlands Agency gave the green light to five projects at its Nov. 7 meeting, including a request for new parking spaces at the Meadowbrook Senior Apartments until December. The agency declined to accept an application from the Confucian Study Association Inc., better known as the Connecticut-Asia Cultural Center, for permission to build a walkway around a swimming pond at its Westside Road property because members deemed it incomplete.

The first application approved by Inland Wetlands was for a single-family home at 493 Winchester Road. Stacey Sefcik, the town wetlands officer, said she visited the site and earlier in the day and commented that the proposed home was “located in the place that makes the most sense.” Torrington Area Health District approved placement of the septic system.

The proposed expansion of a pond at 440 Bald Mountain Road sought by All the Tired Horses Farm LLC received agency approval after a discussion about mitigating the spread of invasive phragmites and the timing of the work. Todd Parsons of Haley Ward in Winsted represented the property owner. He said the sequencing of the project – dig the new pond, dredge the existing pond and then connect the two – is intended to limit seed dispersal. The phragmites, once removed, will be placed on a tarp to rot or be burned. The expanded pond will be aerated and include a dry hydrant from which firefighters could draw water. Sefcik noted that the parcel abuts North Canaan and that she planned to meet with her counterpart.

Jameson Secco of Roots and Branches Organic Landcare shared a revised plan for the property at 31 Pettibone Lane where property owner Elizabeth Bailey hopes to rectify ongoing drainage issues before expanding a patio and developing a garden. Secco said existing drains appear to have collapsed or filled with silt with Bailey noting that Pettibone Lane itself was like “the bottom of teacup.” The application was approved.

Inland Wetlands also approved a complex drainage plan for a remote property at 42 Tower Hill Road along Doolittle Lake. Dick Moore of Allied Engineering Associates in North Canaan represented the applicant, Doolittle Moore LLC. The project entails expansion of a sump-pump system for the house to alleviate damp conditions in the large, historic house and construction of an additional septic field that would enable water to filter slowly into the pond. The project must still be approved by authorities at Doolittle Lake, which tightly manage water quality.

Jeff Torrant presented a new application on behalf of Meadowbrook to add four parking spaces that would improve handicapped access to facilities, including the kitchen. The parking spaces would be located about 75 feet away from an existing brook. The application was accepted and approved.

Inland Wetlands postponed acceptance of the application from Confucian Study Association for several reasons, including lack of detail about the full project. A letter, submitted by George Huang, indicated that the organization wants to build a 3,650-foot-long deck that would be supported by precast concrete pillars. The pond is adjacent to Spaulding Brook and a site visit is likely.

“We can’t do their thinking for them,” said Hartley Mead, Inland Wetlands chair. He and others noted the lack of information about the volume of material to be removed and other important details.