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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence 10.21.2020 Grant, Kelly From:Grant, Kelly Sent:Wednesday, October 21, 2020 8:25 AM To:'Bill Myers' Subject:RE: Violation Notice, invasive grasses Attachments:Correspodence 10.16.2020.pdf Hi Bill I was a bit behind on my correspondence but I sent out the letter on October 16 to your Connecticut address. A copy is attached. Please note that any work or alteration (including vegetation removal and digging) within 100 feet of the pond or within the pond itself requires prior approval from the Commission. I did not notice any invasive species on the pond edge during my visit. Let me know if you have any questions. Regards Kelly Grant Conservation Administrator Town of Yarmouth 508-398-2231 Ext 1288 kgrant@yarmouth.ma.us From: Bill Myers \[mailto:wmyers0305@cox.net\] Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2020 2:24 PM To: Grant, Kelly <KGrant@yarmouth.ma.us> Subject: Re: Violation Notice, invasive grasses Hello, I’m wondering if I misplaced a letter you may have sent me in following your visit to my home. I had been reported as possibly Violating town or state shoreline statutes or whatever it was called. I enjoyed your visit and inspection. I don’t think I mentioned that some of what we saw as far as shore line, etc. is because it’s a working pond connected to a cranberry bog. The water level changes during the summer as water is pumped out to the bog. It’s extremely low right now. So, is there a written response I should get from your office? Thanks. Now that the water it really low one of my neighbors is encouraging me to dig out an area of grasses. She says they are an invasive species. I don’t mind them. I see her point if it’s true but if I were to do anything I’d want to know that what she says is true and it’s alright to dig some out. I hope you are well and staying safe, Bill Myers 1 On Aug 5, 2020, at 8:30 AM, Grant, Kelly <KGrant@yarmouth.ma.us> wrote: Thanks Bill th Tuesday 11 at 9am works fine. I will see you then. Regards Kelly Grant Conservation Administrator Town of Yarmouth 508-398-2231 Ext 1288 kgrant@yarmouth.ma.us From: Bill Myers \[mailto:wmyers0305@cox.net\] Sent: Tuesday, August 4, 2020 1:16 PM To: Grant, Kelly <KGrant@yarmouth.ma.us> Subject: Violation Notice Tuesday morning would be best. Is 9:00 to early, 10:00? The The The The The The linkelinkelinkelinkelinkelinke d d d d d d imagimagimagimagimagimag e e e e e e canncanncanncanncanncann What follows is a bit of a novel, sorry about that, not any excusea ot …ot …ot …ot …ot …ot … context. There is a beautiful pathway behind our house that leads straight to the pond. It’s been there since the house was built in 1984. The former, and original owners, rarely used the home and the insides are in a very nice condition. The yard, however, had not been very well maintained. There was overgrowth everywhere. For example, the shrubbery planted in front of the house had grown up over the top of the windows. We had it all pulled out. Both sides of the front yard were seriously creeping in. The annual raking of leaves only pushed everything to the sides. Our neighbor was Very glad we raked decades of leaves out from under her forsythia that lines the side of her yard. We started making a pile in the backyard, out of sight, of all the brush, branches and stumps we found lying around some of which I had cut. I added to the pile with old rotten firewood from Claire’s backyard. She was glad to be rid of that. Our backyard was the worse. Trees had fallen over, one very, very large one just the week or so before we closed on the house (during the tornado last year.) It landed on the house, thankfully mostly on the garage. 2 There was a ridge over a foot high and 4-5 feet deep of leaves that had simply been left year after year. Claire said it got worse down the path. The lawn crew the owners used would walk grass clippings and leaves down the path and dump them. One of the reasons we bought the home was it proximity to the pond. The first line in the real estate postings always said, a private path just of the deck in the backyard leads to the pond. We have two children and two grandchildren, 20 and 25 months old. We wanted to fence in a section of the backyard for safety’s sake. I asked for and got permission from the CR Bog association to put it in. I removed 3 small trees that were pencil thin, straight up, almost no branches, and cut most of them up into firewood. I had a larger tree, a leaner over the house, removed by a crew. A lot of wind comes off the pond and we want to avoid any other surprises on our rooftop. The backyard pile grew and grew. I took down a tree at the beginning of the path that had twisted, split and rotted at the base and hanging, dangerously overhead. Most of that tree was removed but the stump left behind tells the tale. I Cleaned out some of the vegetation along the path, mostly pickers and such. There are old rotted stumps along the way and I just let them be. At the end of the path we found the piles of leaves that the lawn crews had been discarding over the years. It was set back, above the high waterline which is clearly delineated by its own ridge. I raked back much of that leaf pile and left an area, about 10x10, to sit at on a lawn chair. The chairs sink into the remnants 30 years of leaves so you have to be careful but the view is beautiful. A word about that. When the house was shown to us the owner, Mr. Klieger took us down the path and walked us over to the beach area at the pump house. We had to move a few branches aside as we walked, but not many. Branches that hung over and dipped into the pond were occasionally cut back by the association. We closed on the house in September. This spring we noticed that more branches had been clipped off. It’s clear to see where that happened. Most, but not all of the branches had been cleaned up by whatever crew was maintaining the waters edge. Some were actually still in the water and some on top of the leaf pile. Some of them we brought back to our pile behind the house but some we tossed to the sides along the path. We had the pile removed and the lines of leaves sucked up by Sears and Sons for over $1,500. They are and have been our service professionals for decades. Our former home was in South Yarmouth. We’ve been with them for 35 years. I’m not sure what I may have done that I shouldn’t have but I’m sure I’ll fully cooperate with you and the commission. Thank you, Bill 3 On Aug 4, 2020, at 10:31 AM, Grant, Kelly <KGrant@yarmouth.ma.us> wrote: HI Bill th Thanks for contacting me. The 11 or 12 work for me. They are open at the moment so let me know a time that works for you. Any information you can provide in advance is appreciated. Regards Kelly Grant Conservation Administrator Town of Yarmouth 508-398-2231 Ext 1288 kgrant@yarmouth.ma.us From: Bill Myers \[mailto:wmyers0305@cox.net\] Sent: Monday, August 3, 2020 12:27 PM To: Grant, Kelly <KGrant@yarmouth.ma.us> Subject: Violation Notice Attention! This email originates outside of the organization. Do not open attachments or click links unless you are sure this email is from a known sender and you know the content is safe. Call the sender to verify if unsure. Otherwise delete this email. Kelly Grant Conservation Administrator Hello, I received notice that I may have violated the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and/or the Town of Yarmouth Wetland By-law, Chapter 143 and it's regulations. The letter asked me to cease and desist from any activities that may be of question and to contact you to arrange for a site visit. Could that visit be scheduled for August, 11, 12 or 13? What dates would work for the Conservation Commission? 4 I'd be happy to explain anything I may have done that I shouldn't have by email prior to a visit. Site Location: Parcel 47/75, 00 Buck Island Road (CR Bog Homeowners Association property) 93 Sullivan Road West Yarmouth, MA 02673-3543 Thank you, Bill Myers 1141 Strong Road South Windsor, CT 06074 5