At the end of Monday night’s Mattapoisett Conservation Commission meeting, the commissioners heard from Chairman Michael King, who said that the Select Board was conferring with Christine Hatch of the University of Massachusetts in an effort to learn if soil testing is warranted at The Bogs owned by the Buzzards Bay Coalition.
The commission had asked the board to provide guidance on whether or not soil testing for hazardous chemicals at the site was necessary after it was learned that during winter storms soils had transferred off the former cranberry-bog site. The property has been undergoing a massive restoration that plans indicate will allow the manmade, agricultural features to return to a more natural woodlands, with passive recreational opportunities.
King said the lifting of an Enforcement Order issued to the BBC could not happen if and until a determination is made by the board. He did express, however, that he hopes the matter will be resolved soon.
Hatch is a UMass extension professor and associated director for academics specializing in hydrogeology, water resources and climate change, ecohydrology, and surface-water and groundwater interactions.
In business handled earlier in the meeting, a Notice of Intent filed by Christopher and Mary Riley, 3 Goodspeed Island, for restoration of the coastal bank was conditioned. Also conditioned was a NOI filed by Beth and David Oberlander, 1 Angelica Avenue, for the construction of a new single-family home.
A three-year extension permit filed by Karl and Elizabeth Pothier was granted for property located at 2 Holmes Street.
Two certificates of compliance were issued to William Fredericks, 30 Holly Woods Road.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16, at 6:30 pm.
Mattapoisett Conservation Commission
By Marilou Newell