The elegant silhouette of a Great Blue Heron frequently surprises and pleases many visitors to the Clay Pit Pond open space. In the year 2003, bird watchers sometimes had an opportunity to see two of these birds at that location. Unfortunately, last year, those two creatures had to be observed in the shallow water at the pond inlet, walking over the orange and white lines of oil recovery booms floating in the pond.
The Conservation Commission is the designated Town organization responsible for the stewardship of Clay Pit Pond. The accidental oil release from an oil storage tank at Burbank School made necessary quick and considerable attention from the commission and many other Town appointees, employees and contractors. The immediate response on the part of Town officials helped minimize the damage to the environment. As an urban pond, Clay Pit is constantly feeling the effects of human impact. This oil release is one more blow but the Conservation Commission will work vigorously in coming months to assist the pond in its recovery.
The commission has approved the short term clean-up plan and will help formulate a more ambitious recovery plan that furthers the goals of its Clay Pit Pond Management Plan.
The Great Blue Herons have found their way to Clay Pit Pond from a larger refuge in the Alewife Reservation, to the east, which extends into neighboring municipalities of Arlington and Cambridge. That open space is also vulnerable to the press of humanity and the commission found activity in the Alewife Reservation high on its agenda during 2003.
The Conservation Commission is the agency in the Town of Belmont that is responsible for the administration of the Wetlands Protection Act.
In May of 2003, the commission was asked to hear and rule on a Notice of Intent filed by the owner of a parcel on Acorn Park Drive, at the eastern edge of the town, which abuts the Alewife Reservation. As high terrain that rises from the Alewife wetlands, the parcel has become known as the “Uplands.” The proposed project is a large commercial development. After a very comprehensive and detailed hearing, input from the proponents, opponents and many interested individuals, the commission ruled that, based on the information presented, it would not approve the project. That decision has been appealed.
The table below presents information on hearings held by the commission in 2003.
Project Location |
Type |
File # |
82/84 Agassiz Avenue |
Certificate of Completion |
104-0020 |
404 Concord Avenue |
Notice of Intent |
106-0039 |
114 Fletcher Road |
Notice of Intent |
06-0040 |
15 Sandrick Road |
Notice of Intent |
106-0044 |
119 Leonard Street |
Notice of Intent |
106-0043 |
115 Mill Street |
Extension |
106-0012 |
McLean Property (Cemetery) |
Notice of Intent |
106-0041 |
Frontage Road |
Notice of Intent |
106-0042 |
336 Concord Avenue (rear) |
Notice of Intent |
106-0046 |
653 Concord Avenue |
Notice of Intent |
106-0045 |
56 Fletcher Road |
Notice of Intent |
106-0047 |
20 Flanders Road |
Certificate of Completion |
104-0051 |
Another project on this list which merits discussion in this report is 404 Concord Avenue. The First Church in Belmont Unitarian Universalist filed a Notice of Intent for a major renovation of its historic building in the Town center. The building, which has stood since 1896, is substantially within the 200-foot river protection zone which the commission oversees. The site is very close to Wellington Brook, the tributary to Clay Pit Pond but, in the opinion of some officials, as a project which develops a site which has been used in an urban setting, may not have had to meet all the requirement of the new stormwater treatment regulations. Church leaders, their architect and engineer were explicitly aware of the environmental sensitivity of the site. The project which was presented to the commission includes
extensive stormwater controls and, for the first time in the town, two large underground stormwater recharge structures. The plan very clearly demonstrated that the impact on the brook after completion of the project will be less than before. The commission issued an Order of Conditions and observed that this project will serve as a model for projects of this type in Belmont in the future.
The Conservation Commission is represented on the McLean Open Space land management committee. Utility work on the multi-use development project contiguous to that space was observed and reviewed by the commission during 2003. The commission looks forward to a cooperative relationship with the LMC and the developer in 2004 and beyond.
The meetings of the Conservation Commission have been well attended and the commission benefits considerably from the participation of many well-informed and interested people. In particular, an honorable and grateful mention must be made of the service of four associate members, Margaret Velie, Nancy Davis, Stewart Sanders and Martha Moore. Their expertise and energy is a valuable part of the working of the commission. A minimum of one meeting a month is held. The notice of meeting and agenda are posted by the Town Clerk. Usually, the meetings are at 7:00pm on the first Tuesday of the month in the Faculty Room of the Chenery Middle School.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael Flamang, Chairman
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