Walpole Planning Board

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Workshop Meeting in Basement Conference Room

Presiding: Jeffrey Miller (Chair), Robert Miller (Vice-Chair), James Aldrich, (Secretary),  Jason Perron,  Chas Street (Selectboard Representative). Ed Potter, Alternate.

Absent: Board Members Kelley Hicks and Dennis Marcom. Jeff White, Alternate

Recording: Marilou Blaine. These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the next workshop meeting November 25, 2014, for corrections, additions and/or omissions.

Meeting Opened: Mr. J. Miller, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. He asked if there were any questions or concerns about the Draft of Recommended Changes to Wellhead Protection Overlay District Ordinance prepared by the Walpole Drinking Water Protection Committee.

The committee has spent about eight months looking at the previous water ordinance written in 2008. They concentrated their efforts on the two wellheads that serve the village. One is located directly west of Shaw’s supermarket near the Connecticut River. The other is on Watkins Hill, past Hooper Golf Course.

Mr. J. Miller asked Mr. R. Miller, who was on the committee, if this would have changed the Jiffy Mart decision. Mr. R. Miller said that Jiffy Mart was over an aquifer and the protection was for the wellhead and 400 feet around the wellhead.  Mr. J. Miller said that then the wellhead by the Connecticut River is mostly impacted by farmland and really doesn’t affect the commercial district along Route 12.

Mr. Street said that there were two farmers on the committee and this was addressed. The result was that agricultural waste must be disposed of according to best management practices.

Ms. Peggy Pschirrer, Vice-Chair of the Walpole Zoning Board, mentioned that on page 14, Section XVII Saving Clause, the word should be considered not considerable. Shortly after that, she also pointed out that on page 4 in Section IV there were two spots where the article said dated _____, but there were no dates given. Mr. Miller said that it was necessary to find out these dates either at the Public Hearing next month or prior to when it is placed on the ballot to be voted on in March.

For the amendment to be put on the ballot, all of it must be written out completely and maps must show the exact location of the wellhead protection area that falls around it. The maps should be colored because when they are changed to black and white the delineation of the wellhead protection area, as well as the exact location of the well,  is difficult to see. All must be available to the public. And since the wellhead around Watkins Hill has been redefined, it will be necessary to find out if the new delineation has been approved.

Ms. Mansouri, Chair of Walpole Zoning Board, asked how it would be worded. Mr. J. Miller said that the wording would say “replace” and then cite the old and new ordinances.

Ms. Pschirrer praised the work of the committee and said that it will replace the current Zoning Ordinance and it will be put in the zoning ordinances in its entirety.  Both Mr. Millers agreed that the work was well done and that it made many things much clearer.

The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m. A Public Hearing on the Revisions to the Wellhead Protection Area Ordinance will be held on Tuesday, November 11, at 7 p.m. at the Walpole Town Hall.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilou Blaine