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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRE_ 30 Higgins Crowell Road - 2025 Restoration Monitoring ReportFrom:DiRienzo, Brittany To:Paul Mancuso; Jerolimo, Joseph Cc:Matthew T. Creighton; Steve Caradimos Subject:RE: 30 Higgins Crowell Road - 2025 Restoration Monitoring Report Date:Wednesday, November 19, 2025 3:16:39 PM Attachments:image001.png image004.png Hi Paul, Thanks for your detailed reply. Mitigation/restoration plants would fall under ‘beds and ornamentals’ and are allowed to be hand watered or dripped during level 2 drought, please review the mandatory conservation measures below or learn more at this link https://www.mass.gov/info-details/drought-status: Thanks for acknowledging the bayberry and agreeing to replant in the spring and re-seed. The requests to not replant trees and not install the required fence will need to be reviewed by the commission at a hearing since I cannot grant exceptions to items already included in the enforcement order. Please let me know which hearing you would like to be scheduled for, the next few are Dec 4, Dec 18, and January 14. The chairman will be absent in December, but we will still have a quorum. Best, Brittany DiRienzo Conservation Administrator Town of Yarmouth bdirienzo@yarmouth.ma.us 508-398-2231 x1288 Conservation Website From: Paul Mancuso <pmancuso@bscgroup.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2025 2:22 PM To: DiRienzo, Brittany <BDiRienzo@yarmouth.ma.us>; Jerolimo, Joseph 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. <JJerolimo@yarmouth.ma.us> Cc: Matthew T. Creighton <mcreighton@bscgroup.com>; Steve Caradimos <scaradimos@gmail.com> Subject: RE: 30 Higgins Crowell Road - 2025 Restoration Monitoring Report Hello Brittany, I apologize for the delayed response. You wrote to me on 9/30. The next day on 10/1 I spoke with Steve Caradimos (the owner) and then I visited 30 Higgins Crowell Road in the afternoon to review what you listed in the email below. Anyways, about 30 Higgins Crowell Road. Below I have addressed each one of your comments in the 9/30 email. 1. When I visited the Site back on 5/21/25 the stumps that had been left to regrow had not been topped at about 4’-5’ tall. On my 10/1 visit, it was clear that someone had topped the stumps left to regrow as you said. I spoke with Mr. Caradimos about this, and he will not have those stumps topped again. The original plan was to manage the stumps to regrow as single-stem trees, which has not been done. Mr. Caradimos will have his landscaper trim suckers off the stumps that are regrowing so that they regrow as single-stem trees but will not top them again. 2. Mountain laurel was not on the final approved restoration plan dated 11/9/22. However, we had a proposed restoration plan dated 11/4/22 which had mountain laurel. I believe at the last hearing for the enforcement order the commission requested that we change the plant list so that it had bayberry and not mountain laurel. Mr. Caradimos hired a landscaper to plant the approved plan but I believe the landscaper must have been given the 11/4/22 plan and not the 11/9/25 plan. So, planting of mountain laurel instead of bayberry was not intentional. The landscaper did follow the plan that was given to them perfectly and all plants were installed as shown on that plan. The bayberry plants were unintentionally not planted but mountain laurel was planted instead by mistake. 3. There was one dead rhododendron but most of them are not in great shape at this point. Mr. Caradimos would be happy to replace the rhododendrons with something else. Sweet pepperbush and inkberry seem to be doing well so those would be good options. Bayberry would likely do well also. 4. You commented that the restoration area looked like it had been mowed. When I went to the Site on 10/1 there were areas that had very minimal groundcover/herbaceous growth. Specifically, the western side of the restoration area. However, the eastern side of the restoration area had ground cover/herbaceous plants that were well established. See images below. Figure 1: View of western side of restoration planting area at 30 Higgins Crowell Road. Ground cover in this area has been well established. 10/1/25 Figure 2: Close up view of a dead rhododendron on the eastern side of restoration planting area at 30 Higgins Crowell Road. Ground cover plants in this area are not doing very well due to drought conditions and the town water ban. 10/1/25 Mr. Caradimos told me that the restoration area has never been mowed. The restoration area has been set up with irrigation lines running to each of the planted areas. If someone were to take a lawn mower through the restoration area, they would likely cut up some of those irrigation lines. The town implemented a water ban, so Mr. Caradimos was not able to water the restoration area at all this spring/summer. It is very unfortunate that drought conditions along with the town water ban have negatively impacted the restoration area. I do think it is fortunate that we have had as many plants survive as we have considering the water ban and drought conditions. This may not be something you have an answer for, but I’m wondering if there is way that Mr. Caradimos could get an exemption from the water ban for next growing season; just for the restoration area. He spent a lot of money to install all the plants and seed the restoration area, and they would be doing much better if he could have been watering them. The plants appeared in much better condition during my visit in May than they did in October. Based on the info above, I believe the only intentional activities that occurred on Site that goes against the approved restoration plan is that the stumps left to regrow were topped at about 4’-5’ tall and none of the stumps were managed to regrow as single- stem trees. The mountain laurel was unintentionally planted instead of bayberry. Mr. Caradimos has not had the restoration area mowed and will not have the restoration area mowed. I believe the town water ban along with drought conditions have caused the dogwood and rhododendron to die. As such, we are hoping to discuss the list of activities you stated must be completed to reach compliance. 1. Mr. Caradimos has not mowed the restoration area and will continue not to mow the area. 2. We request that we do not need to install a single rail fence or other markers along the 50’ buffer since no mowing has occurred anywhere within the 100’ buffer. 3. We request that we do not need to replant the dogwood tree as we have 90% success rate of the trees planted and that one may have survived without the water ban. 4. Mr. Caradimos will plant the five bayberry shrubs that were originally proposed to replace the five mountain laurel that were incorrectly planted. 5. Mr. Caradimos will have the restoration area seeded in the early spring. He would hope that he can water the restoration area to help the seed sprout and grow. 6. Mr. Caradimos will have his landscaper trim stumps proposed to be managed as single-stem trees. The stumps being managed but will not be topped again. I would be happy to discuss the Site over the phone, in person on Site, or at a Conservation hearing if necessary. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you! Best, Paul Mancuso Paul Mancuso, WPIT (he, him) Associate 349 Route 28, Unit D / West Yarmouth, MA 02673 O: 508-778-8919 / D: 617-896-4587 / C: 781-264-8043 PMancuso@BSCGroup.com www.bscgroup.com From: DiRienzo, Brittany <BDiRienzo@yarmouth.ma.us> Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2025 1:32 PM To: Paul Mancuso <pmancuso@bscgroup.com>; Jerolimo, Joseph <JJerolimo@yarmouth.ma.us> Cc: Matthew T. Creighton <mcreighton@bscgroup.com>; Steve Caradimos <scaradimos@gmail.com> Subject: RE: 30 Higgins Crowell Road - 2025 Restoration Monitoring Report Hello, Thank you for submitting the monitoring report. I inspected the site today, and additional activities have been done in violation of the enforcement order and wetlands protection act. The oaks that have sprouted should have been managed as single trees or left to regrow undisturbed. Most have been topped at about 4-5 feet tall. The restoration area has also been mowed. To reach compliance, please complete the following immediately: 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. Cease and desist from all mowing within the 50’ buffer. No work may take place in this area other than to service the temporary irrigation or complete the following work. A single rail fence or markers must be installed to delineate the 50’ no disturb zone in the field. Mountain laurel were not approved and have not done well. The 5 approved bayberry must be installed. You may leave the poor and dead mountain laurel in place or remove them. Replace the dead dogwood with an approved oak or dogwood Replace the dead rose bay rhododendron or substitute with another bayberry The area has not reached sufficient coverage; there are large bare areas between the plantings. Native groundcover vegetation must be established. Please submit a specific seed mix or plug /small container plants for approval for implementation as soon as possible this fall. The commission may require additional tree or large shrub plantings due to the damage of the resprouting oak trees. I will discuss with the chair to see if a hearing will be necessary to decide. Please let me know if you have any questions. Regards, Brittany DiRienzo Conservation Administrator Town of Yarmouth bdirienzo@yarmouth.ma.us 508-398-2231 x1288 Conservation Website From: Paul Mancuso <pmancuso@bscgroup.com> Sent: Friday, September 19, 2025 9:13 AM To: DiRienzo, Brittany <BDiRienzo@yarmouth.ma.us>; Jerolimo, Joseph <JJerolimo@yarmouth.ma.us> Cc: Matthew T. Creighton <mcreighton@bscgroup.com>; Steve Caradimos <scaradimos@gmail.com> Subject: 30 Higgins Crowell Road - 2025 Restoration Monitoring Report Hi Brittany & Joseph, Attached here is the 2025 restoration monitoring report for 30 Higgins Crowell Road. This site had an enforcement order issued for tree cutting within a buffer zone. Mr. Caradimos and BSC worked to get a restoration plan approved. All proposed plants were planted and this report details survivorship as of May 2025. Please review the report and let me know if you have any questions. I will drop off a hard copy later today. Best, Paul Mancuso Paul Mancuso, WPIT (he, him) Associate 349 Route 28, Unit D / West Yarmouth, MA 02673 O: 508-778-8919 / D: 617-896-4587 / C: 781-264-8043 PMancuso@BSCGroup.com www.bscgroup.com