12/11/2025 CONSERVATION COMMISSION Minutes (2)

Home Browse Search

Town of Mashpee Conservation Commission 16 Great Neck Road North Mashpee, MA 02649 NOI 69 Shoestring Bay Road, Jane & Kerry Lesslauer, Trustees of the Lesslauer Nominee Trust. Proposed new permanent dock construction. (Representative: Baxter Nye Engineering & Surveying) 43- 3378 Matthew Wye, P.E. (Baxter Engineering & Surveying), on behalf of presented an NOI for construction of a new permanent dock intended for non-motorized craft(kayaks/canoes) at the northwest end of Shoestring Bay. The applicant noted there is previous approval (Order/COC closed out in 2021), and the dock is proposed to tie into the previously approved shoreline access path and kayak rack location shown on the earlier plan. Resource areas included nearshore/ocean, salt marsh, and Land Subject to Coastal Storm Flowage. The proposed structure consists of an approximately 135-foot-long accessway with a ramp and a 10' x 15' float (as described), designed to extend to the mean low water mark to allow practical kayak launching across the marshy shoreline. The dock would utilize through-flow decking to allow light penetration. The walkway elevation was described as approximately 5 feet above mean high water. Float stops were proposed so the float would be suspended 12 inches above the ocean bottom to reduce grounding at low tide. The applicant stated there are no channel markers or other docks within approximately 400 feet, and that the Harbormaster, Shellfish Constable, and Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) reviewed the project, with no concerns reported from local marine officials. Construction methods were described as low-impact, with work anticipated to be performed largely by hand, using low-volume jetting to set piles (without heavy pile-driving equipment), and staged around tidal cycles (mobilization during high tide; installation during low tide). The applicant indicated the proposal meets applicable performance standards and is intended to reduce marsh disturbance compared to repeated shoreline launches. Commission discussion focused on several key issues raised in the DMF comment letter, including potential shadowing impacts over salt marsh, dock width/height ratio, float clearance, and fuel spill prevention during construction. Commissioners expressed that DMF recommendations should be given significant weight and suggested incorporating them directly into permit conditions. After discussion, the applicant indicated willingness to revise the design, including raising the walkway height to achieve DMF's recommended light/shadow ratio (keeping a 4-foot width but increasing height to approximately 6 feet) and adjusting float clearance if required(discussion contrasted 12 inches vs. 18 inches). Commissioners also requested that the project be conditioned to remain non-motorized craft only in perpetuity, to prevent future conversion to motorized use. Additional concerns included the number of piles (noted as approximately 40 along the dock, and discussion of whether fewer piles could be used for the float—reducing from four to two was suggested and accepted as feasible). Commissioners also raised time-of-year restrictions due to habitat considerations (including winter flounder habitat) and discussed whether a condition should address seasonal work windows. The Commission further discussed upland mitigation for pile impacts (using a 2:1 mitigation concept, acknowledged to be a small, calculated area), with consensus trending toward practical planting/infill (e.g., native shrubs such as highbush blueberry) coordinated with Conservation staff rather than rigid square-foot measurements. The applicant agreed to work with staff on identifying appropriate locations for small-scale upland planting improvements. 7