3/27/2014 CONSERVATION COMMISSION Minutes

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Resource ource Areas: Land Subject to Coastal Storm Flow (Velocity and -Zones), Land Under ocean, Salt Marsh, Bordering Vegetated Wetland , Coastal Bank, Tidal Flats, Buffer zone to bare Species Habitat (Priority and Estimated NHESP). Acting Chairman Ralph Shaw asked everyone to limit their comments this proposal-to Conservation Commission insures only. Jack Vaccaro, Vaccaro Environmental Consulting, accompanied by Attorney Brian Wall presented the proposal. Gooseberry Island Trust owns the island and SN Trust owns the 90- foot long strip of land along the mainland shore (running from the southern tip of Punkhorn Point Road to a point about 350 feet north of Punkhorn Point Road), essentially the entire shorefront of the channel. The strip of land includes ars area at the east end of Punkhorn Point Road that i used as a launching point. Gooseberry Island is 3.5acre uninhabited island separated by a narrow channel. The island consists of forested upland and salt marsh along its perimeter. There was a small cabin on the Island and out building that were destroyed by hurricanes in the 190' . The Applicants' lawyer, Attorney Boudreau did an extensive title search and included his opinion as to ownership of the island and the narrow strip of land in the application. It is described in an old deed on file at the Barnstable County Registry try f Deeds, but is not on a plan. Attorney Wall said that he would provide the Board with a copy of the deed. The Agent said he would like to see the land court documents and the property boundaries displayed in the field and have that shown on a plan within a reasonable distance to the project. He specified than the plan should show where the boundary of Conservation land is in relation to applicant's land. Discussing the resource areas, Mr. Vaccaro said there is a 9-foot strip of water submerged at low mean water; next to that is an intertidal mud flat of about 40 feet; next to that is a salt marsh on the mainland and the island. There is a narrow band of bordering vegetated wetlands on either side of the proposed bridge. Most of Gooseberry Island has coastal bank that reaches a maximum height of 11 feet in one area. There is also a small area of coastal dune at the southern tip of the island. The entire project is located within land subject to coastal storm flowage. A shellfish surveywa conducted. utility work will tale plane within the priority habitat and estimated habitat which extends down Punkhorn Point Road and ends before the proposed bridge. Maximum um elevation of the island is 16 feet. There will be approximately Zoo square feet of impact n the resource area. Mitigation: The area of disturbance at the end of Punkhorn Point load will be restored with 590 square feet of saltmarsh restoration along as well as a larger area of 1300 square feet of restoration on the island. Mr. Vaccaro said that the bridge will allow for development of a house on the island. There will be a clearance of five feet from mean high water for the bridge. The 209 foot structure will be supported on span support with each span support located 14 feet apart. Each support will consist of three 14:2 pil for a total of 39 piles. A 12x12 connecting timber at the top will have stringers fastened to the header.- This will support the decking material which will be steel grate to allow for light penetration. The Bridge will be built out progressively from Punkhorn Point Road so that there will be no construction equipment in the saltmarsh, or channel. There will be timber abutments on either end of the bridge. The bridge is designed to support fire and other emergency access vehicles. It will be 11 feet gide with no arch. A 3-foot rail will be constructed above the 9--foot deck elevation. Utilities will be installed beneath the bridge with conduits for gas, cable, electric, telephone on either side of the bridge. Drainage from the road will be captured by a sloping road profile and vegetated swales on the sides. The road bed will be 8 inches of compact subgrade with a crushed i