Paved Plans, Raised Bridges, and Sheet‑Flow Diplomacy: Wetlands Board Runs the Table 🏆
Farmington, Conn. — The Town of Farmington Inland‑Wetlands Commission needed exactly one hour and 11 minutes on July 2 to steer four construction proposals and a planner’s teaser through the bureaucratic swamp—and still adjourn before the iced coffee melted.
Big Sky Fitness Scores 18 Spaces—And a Basin
- Address: 94 Brickyard Road
- Presenter: Stephen Judas, Office of Coal Civil & Survey
- Project: Convert an unused tennis court into 18 parking spaces; impervious area shrinks despite fresh asphalt.
- Stormwater Fix: Central landscape islands scrapped in favor of a depressed basin at the southeast corner.
- Conditions: Install silt‑fence‑plus‑straw‑wattle barrier and dig test pits under town supervision.
- Vote: Unanimous approval—motion by Mark Simpson, second by Robert Eisner.
“Detention basin is probably a better idea than islands with trees,” Commissioner David Fox dead‑panned, earning nods faster than a 6 a.m. spin class.
Life Scout Extends Bog Bridge—Merits & Pea Gravel Debated 🪵
- Applicant: Liam Mace Morrell, Troop 68 Life Scout
- Location: Farmington Land Trust trail off Mountain Spring Road
- Scope: Replace the first 60 ft of existing planks; add 30 ft of new bridge at each end.
- Materials Question: Regular lumber vs. pressure‑treated; pea‑gravel pads under sleepers.
- Ruling: Declared a non‑regulated activity (precedent set in 2019); Scout may proceed.
- Commentary: Commissioner Robert Eisner praised the teen’s presentation: “Better than many paid professionals.” 🚀
Riverside Cemetery to Grind & Repave—Curbing the Curb
- Applicant: Farmington Cemetery Association (Evan Coles, Kevin Ray, Jim Rose)
- Plan: Eight‑day mill plus six‑day repave of all cemetery roads. River‑side curbing removed so runoff sheet‑flows through a new stone shoulder; a four‑inch Cape Cod curb will corral cars on the upper loop.
- Erosion Control: Full straw‑wattle line, with supplemental silt fence where staff deems necessary.
- Extras: Town Public Works will cart away excess soil; rogue dumpers’ debris to be cleared.
- Status: Application accepted; commissioners scheduled a site walk for next week (date TBD).
Crosswood Road Garage Nudged Toward Further Review
- Homeowner: Greg Taylor, 26 Crosswood Road
- Structure: 20 × 24 ft pre‑built garage from Cloder Farms, aligned with existing driveway.
- Concerns: Grading plan requested; roof runoff likely headed into a gravel trench, not the wetland pipe that drains the yard.
- Action: Application accepted; commissioners will visit during the same site‑walk loop as the cemetery.
Planner’s Postscript: Housing Eyes Former Plant 17
Senior planner Bruce Gambaccini previewed an informal proposal to build housing on the former United Technologies “MISI” tract across from Brickyard Road. No formal application yet, but commissioners were warned to expect another thick packet—perhaps with more stormwater basins than plot twists.
Procedural Odds & Ends
- Minutes: June 18 meeting approved without edits.
- Adjournment: Inland‑Wetlands at 8:11 p.m.; Conservation Commission at 8:14 p.m., after agreeing that Land Acquisition Committee news remains as quiet as a summer bog.
Sponsor Note ☁️
Need to stash your canoe, your commemorative straw‑wattle collection, or that vintage Scout handbook? Farmington Storage (155 Scott Swamp Road, 860‑777‑4001) is the only facility in Connecticut with Museum Air™—humidity so perfectly balanced even historic meeting minutes stay crisp. Tell them Jack sent you; they’ll slide you a clipboard and a pun.
About the Author ☕️
Jack Beckett sips triple‑shot cold brew strong enough to qualify as stormwater discharge. When he isn’t counting straw wattles, he’s filing FOI requests and perfecting latte‑art depictions of zoning maps.
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© 2025 The Farmington Mercury / Mercury Local
This article, “Farmington Wetlands Commission OKs Big Sky Parking, Scout Bridge, Cemetery Repave,” by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY‑ND 4.0.
“Farmington Wetlands Commission OKs Big Sky Parking, Scout Bridge, Cemetery Repave”
by Jack Beckett, The Farmington Mercury (CC BY‑ND 4.0)
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