Pittsfield Planning Board
Town Hall, 85 Main Street
Pittsfield, NH 03263
Minutes of Public Meeting

DATE: Saturday, August 16, 2014

The meeting of the planning board convened at 10:11 A.M. at the lot line between lots 5-6 and 5-7 in the proposed subdivision of current tax map R-3, lot 5-5, at 275 Shaw Road, Pittsfield, NH. The purpose of the meeting was to do a site walk of the proposed shared driveway running along the lot line between lots 5-6 and 5-7 and to view the proposed building sites of lots 5-6 and 5-7. Proposed lot 5-5 already has the dwelling that Keath and Patricia Wood currently occupy.

AGENDA ITEM 1: Call to Order

Chair Clayton Wood called the meeting to order at 10:11 A.M.

AGENDA ITEM 2: Roll Call

Planning board members present:
Clayton Wood (CW), planning board member and chair;
Jim Pritchard (JP), planning board member and secretary; and
Bill Miskoe (BM), planning board member and alternate conservation commission member.

Planning board members absent:
Pat Heffernan (PH), planning board member and vice-chair;
Eric Nilsson (EN), selectmen’s ex officio planning board member;
Roland Carter (RC), alternate planning board member; and
Gerard LeDuc (GL), selectmen’s ex officio alternate planning board member.

Other town officials present: Chris Hill, conservation commission member and chair, and Diana Westgate, conservation commission member.

Members of the public appearing before the planning board: Paul Zuzgo, agent for Keath and Patricia Wood, 275 Shaw Road, Pittsfield, NH.

No one except CW, JP, BM, Chris Hill, Diana Westgate, and Paul Zuzgo was present at the meeting.

AGENDA ITEM 3: Site walk of lots 5-6 and 5-7 in the proposed subdivision of current tax map R-3, lot 5-5, at 275 Shaw Road, Pittsfield, NH.

Paul Zuzgo showed the board the lot line dividing proposed lot 5-7 from the abutting property, tax map R-3, lot 5-4, land of Diane T. Burrows and Richard R. Larose, 197 Shaw Road, Pittsfield. NH. This lot line is near a telephone pole. Paul Zuzgo showed the board the grade stake at the driveway center line at the boundary of Shaw Road. The driveway slopes down from Shaw Road.

Paul Zuzgo complained that he had been denied access to the prior, withdrawn subdivision plan, from 2005 or 2007, and planning board minutes of meetings reviewing that plan.

All town officials present agreed that that denial, if it had happened as Paul Zuzgo said, was a violation of the Right-to-Know law RSA 91-A. CW agreed to investigate the complaint.

The board reached the point where the driveway turns a corner to the right. At this point, the land slopes sharply up to the right and continues to slope down slightly in the direction of the driveway. The area had scattered boulders approximately one to one and one half feet in diameter. The ground is covered with humus and is damp but not excessively soggy. Recent heavy rain probably explains the dampness.

Approximately 147 feet from the driveway angle point, the board reached what the board thought was the first wetlands crossing. This wetlands crossing has a small stream and will have three culverts to allow the stream to pass through the driveway. The land slopes up to the right. The ground continues with scattered boulders.

After the first wetlands crossing, the ground became flatter.

Approximately 70 to 100 feet from the first wetlands crossing, the board reached what the board thought was the second wetlands crossing. This area is a local low point and will have a single-pipe culvert. The ground, which had been sloping down in the direction of the driveway, begins to slope up in the direction of the driveway. The ground has become less rocky.

Shortly thereafter, the ground resumed sloping up to the right.

The board reached what the board thought was the third wetlands crossing. This wetlands crossing will have a single-pipe culvert. Evidence of water flowing recently was visible, but no water was visible at the time of the site walk. The ground is very uneven.

The board reached what the board thought was the fourth wetlands crossing. This wetlands crossing will have a single-pipe culvert. This wetlands crossing had more water than the previous wetlands crossing and is a low point.

Chris Hill explained that the NH Department of Environmental Services is concerned about only whether the proposed development will change the water flow. Safety issues are the planning board’s concern.

The driveway began to slope up more sharply.

The board reached a dense thicket of small hemlock trees. Paul Zuzgo estimated that the thicket was approximately 500 feet from Shaw Road, but, as matters turned out, the thicket was nearer to the rear lot line. The hemlock thicket was impassible by foot, so the board went around the thicket, to the right of the driveway, and the board soon arrived at the rear lot line. In the area of the hemlock thicket, the land slopes sharply up to the right.

The board reached the test pit for lot 5-7 at 10:56 AM. The site is on a slope.

Paul Zuzgo said that today’s technology enables a leach field on a 20% slope with a 60% reduction in the area of the leach field. This building site will not require a raised leach field.

Paul Zuzgo said that the building site for lot 5-7 is perfectly adequate.

Board members and Paul Zuzgo referred to the subdivision plan and noted that the groundwater level characteristics of lot 5-6 differ from the groundwater level characteristics of lot 5-7, so lot 5-6 will require a raised leach field. The top of the leach field will be 15 inches above the natural level of the ground.

Paul Zuzgo explained that the applicants for subdivision approval had to show to the state that the building site has 22,000 square feet of upland area, meaning area that is not wetlands, and 4000 square feet where a leach field could be built. Lots 5-6 and 5-7 satisfy both of these two requirements.

The board searched for the second test pit but was unable to find it because it had been dug in 2004 and has since become overgrown. But the board did find the approximate location of the second building site. The time was 11:15 AM. Paul Zuzgo said that the second building site was perfectly adequate.

Paul Zuzgo said that the driveway, which mostly runs across a slope, would cushion the flow of water. The wetlands permit will require a 5-year maintenance plan.

The board returned to Shaw Road via the driveway path. Along the way, the board noted the four wetlands crossings that the board saw on the forward trip.

The board reached Shaw Road at 11:32 AM. No board member had any questions for Paul Zuzgo.

AGENDA ITEM 4: Adjournment

CW adjourned the meeting at 11:32 AM.

Minutes approved: September 4, 2014

______________________________ _____________________
Clayton Wood, Chairman Date

I transcribed these minutes (not verbatim) on August 16, 2014, from notes that I made during the planning board meeting on August 16, 2014.

____________________________________________
Jim Pritchard, planning board recorder and secretary