Objections To Tree Cutting Stall Lot Line Adjustment
by Alex Brooks
The Grafton Planning Board held a public hearing on a proposed lot line adjustment on property of Michael and Julie Longo on North Shore Road at Babcock Lake.
Jan Shields, representing Babcock Lake Estates, said the previous subdivision for the purpose of transferring land from the Longos to Sean Nealon had been approved with the understanding that there would be no clearcutting on that land. She said he had cut “almost all the trees.” Because of this she said she objects to the current lot line adjustment because she does not want to see any more land transferred that would be in danger of more tree cutting.
[private]Planning Board Chairman Tom Withcuskey said the agreement with the purchaser was that he would take care of dead trees and clear a path down to the water, but would not clearcut the parcel.
The seller, Michael Longo, was present, and said there are still 30 trees standing on that parcel, so it could not be said to have been clear-cut.
Withcuskey said he had talked to the Town attorney about definitions of clear-cutting in Town Law and had come up with nothing very definitive.
Withcuskey said he was unhappy with what occurred. He said it is “unsightly” and may have an environmental impact in relation to runoff into the lake, but he conceded that many of the trees were dead or partially so. He objected in particular to cutting of some hemlocks along the water that “should have been trimmed up.”
Neighbor Virginia Skorupski said she was pretty shocked when she returned from her winter residence to Babcock Lake and saw what happened. Although she conceded that it wasn’t “technically” a clear-cut, it was a lot more tree cutting than she expected when she supported the original subdivision, and she opposed the current lot line adjustment because she didn’t trust the new owner to refrain from cutting the trees on the additional land.
At the regular Planning Board meeting that followed the public hearing, the Board was split on what to do. Board members Grandjean and Goyer felt the cutting had gone well beyond the stated plan of clearing dead trees and making a pathway to the water.
Chairman Withcuskey suggested that the Board ask Grafton ecologist Dr. David Hunt to evaluate the environmental impact to give the Board more insight into the situation. The Board agreed to table the matter until their next meeting on August 17 when they can hear Dr. Hunt’s comments. This seemed to be the only way forward, as two of the four Board members present, Grandjean and Goyer, said if they had to vote that night they would vote no.
The Board also accepted for review an application for a two lot minor subdivision from Wesley Vars at 53 Snyder Road. Vars proposes to split off a parcel of 5.33 acres from his 99 acre lot for his son. The maps were presented by his surveyor, Fred Haley. A public hearing on this subdivision will be scheduled for 6:50 pm on August 17, just prior to the next Planning Board meeting.
The Board then engaged in informal discussion with Joe Vogt and his wife, who bought a lot in the Birchcrest subdivision a year and a half ago, and now want to build on it. They can’t build on it at present because the road is not finished, and Withcuskey said he is not going to issue any building permits until the road is taken care of.
Withcuskey told the Vogts that he had a meeting with John Darling this week to discuss completion of the subdivision infrastructure. He said, “I’m definitely going to get a timeline,” and he said his goal is to get it done by September. He suggested that Mr. Vogt give him a call after the meeting so he can let him know what commitments and agreements came out of the meeting.[/private]