Townsend Conservation Commission Continues Two Permit Hearings Amid Abutter Notification Failures

Conservation Commission · Meeting of July 22, 2026

Townsend Conservation Commission continues two wetland hearings and approves emergency culvert maintenance at its July 22 meeting. The commission voted to continue the 0 C Road notice of intent hearing to August 12 after discovering, for the second time, that an abutter had not received required notification, Conservation Agent Colby Streeter confirmed the mailing simply was not sent. The lengthiest item involved 80 Main Street, where the Townsend Historical Society and Squannacook Greenways face unauthorized construction changes to a parking lot project, including a gravel surface apparently shifted 10 to 12 feet closer to a pond than the approved amended plan shows, placing it within the 35-foot no-disturb zone.

Streeter told commissioners the order of conditions was "out of compliance" and recommended an enforcement order rather than the amendment the applicant requested, saying DEP was also "very reluctant to accept the amended OOC." The commission deferred action to August 12 to allow the applicant's engineer to present a restoration plan. Separately, the commission granted administrative approval for MassDOT District 3 to perform emergency maintenance on a deteriorating granite culvert under Route 119 near Edward Road, with Diana Walden of BSC Group describing three scenarios ranging from debris clearing to full stream diversion, and a full replacement permit application expected to be filed with DEP and the Army Corps of Engineers this summer.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report, 3,337 words

Source: the Conservation Commission meeting of July 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.