Please attend the Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting at 7:30PM Thursday Night, November 18th

PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
MONTHLY MEETING
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010
WOODSTOCK TOWN HALL, Room 1 – 7:30 P.M.

MINUTES
I. MONTHLY MEETING
a. Call to Order – Meeting was called to order at 7:34 by Chair Jeff Gordon
b. Roll Call – Dave Fortin, John Anastasi, Dr. Jeffrey Gordon, Fred Rich, Syd Blodgett, Dexter Young, Dorothy Durst (8:20 p.m.)
Absent: Ken Goldsmith, Seth Spalding, Joseph Adiletta, Gail Dickinson
Staff present: Delia Fey, Town Planner/ZEO, Tina Lajoie, PZC Clerk

Item V. SCENIC ROADS

Fey begins discussion with her evaluation. She states that she visited the road along with a few individuals who reside on the road on October 6. Her report and summary, based on her visit, was provided to PZC and extra copies were on the table for public review. She made six recommendations to the highway department and reiterates that they are only recommendations because this does not fall under her purview as the Town Planner/ZEO.

Public comment:

• Norma Jean Loftis, 104 Pulpit Rock Rd – A letter was sent to Chair Gordon on 09-23-2010 and it is read for the record. “Subject: Alarming activity on Pulpit Rock Road”. She does not believe the activity is in keeping with the spirit of the Scenic Road Ordinance or that it is justified to continue this type of maintenance and asks for BOS and PZC to re-evaluate the techniques for dirt road maintenance.

• Jean Pillo, Smith Road, comments that she is speaking as a private resident and not on
behalf of the Conservation Commission. She states that her property is on one of the town’s 15 scenic roads and that this ordinance was enacted in 1986 to maintain the rural nature of these named roads. There was a petition to the PZC asking for restrictions to these roads as to widening, paving, removal of stone walls and mature trees. She believes that the recycled asphalt being used to maintain these roads violates the Scenic Road Ordinance and is requesting the PZC’s intervention with the Highway Department in issuing a cease order at this time. Alternate techniques should be studied and instituted. (Her letter is read for the record and available.)

• Leslie Sweetnam, Smith Road – He reads a letter from Jock McClellan who could not
attend the meeting, for the record, regarding his concern for the maintenance work on scenic roads. He states that the work violates the ordinance and is requesting that the use of this recycled asphalt be discontinued.

• Jackie Bondy, Sherman Road – She resides on a scenic road and expresses her concern
regarding the work on the scenic road, how it violates the ordinance, and the unintended
negative consequences to Sherman Road from the paving of an intersecting road in town.
This paving has now caused drainage to flow onto Sherman Road and onto their property
which deposits silt through their stone wall that eventually flows down to the Still River.
She asks for the town to use caution, develop a better engineered plan that considers the
consequences of such work.

• Arthur Bondy, Sherman Rd – He reiterates his wife’s concerns with the work that was done near Sherman Road, a scenic road, and would like the asphalt that was placed around the corner to Sherman Road to be removed as it violates the ordinance.

• Alexandra Lyman, Route 169 (Corner of Rte 169 and Roxbury Rd which is a scenic road). She relates to PZC that three years ago this milled asphalt was placed on Roxbury Road the entire length and during the winter this material ended up on lawns and had to be raked back into the road. The road was truly black and she believed it was an oil based product and the run off down the steep hill could have an impact on the farms located below. A requirement of scenic road designation is that the road be unpaved and therefore this material and activity violates the ordinance.

• Norman Jean Loftis would like her observations noted for the record that the paving done on Meehan Road recently continued onto the intersecting scenic road (Pulpit Rock Road). Some of this pea gravel material was placed onto this scenic road. She would like this situation remedied.

• Letter of October 21, 2010 from Leila Philip and Garth Evans was read into the record by Chair Gordon. Request for cease and desist for any work on Pulpit Rock Road at this time.

• Letter from BOS dated October 6, 2010 was read into the record by Chair Gordon.

• Letter to John Navarro from Conservation Commission is in the record and can be provided to public if requested.