TOWN OF HINESBURG

PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES

May 17, 2006

Approved June 7, 2006

Commission Members Present: Jean Isham, Joe Iadanza, Carrie Fenn, Fred Haulenbeek, George Bedard, Kay Ballard, Nancy Norris, Johanna White.

Commission Members Absent: Joe Donegan.

Also Present: Alex Weinhagen (Director of Planning and Zoning), Heather Stafford (Recording Secretary), Kris Perlee, Carol Jenkins, David Lyman, Henry White, Sandra White, Dale Wernhoff, Gerry Livingston, Rocky Martin, Lisa Godfrey.

The meeting began at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Village Growth Project – Wastewater Capacity – Rocky Martin

Rocky Martin, the town Director of Buildings and Facilities, discussed the town's current available wastewater allocations. He noted that although the Cheese Factory is permitted to produce 127,500 gallons per day, they have been exceeding that figure in recent weeks (140,000 gallons per day). The Cheese Factory views this as a temporary situation as they have just started to produce a new cheese (Lorraine) and are still working out the logistics of the process which has resulted in excess wastewater production.

Carrie asked if replacing older toilets with low flow models would be cost beneficial for the town. Rocky said that idea had been discussed, but it was determined that it would take a committed effort to complete and would not necessarily result in that large of a difference in daily wastewater flow. Alex asked which options presented in the Yellowwood report seemed as if they would have the biggest effect on daily flow if they were resolved. Rocky said that by far the biggest issue is infiltration or inflow into the system when there are heavy rains. Some sump pumps in basements and roof drains are piped directly into the sewer line which is not allowable in Hinesburg.

Carrie asked if Hinesburg's ground water supply is sustainable if the sewer system is upgraded. Rocky said that they would be looking for a new water supply when the upgrade occurs as the two existing wells would not produce enough water to support the system. There was some concern in town as to whether there is a large enough water source to support this increased demand. Fred noted that there are a number of high yield wells in town and that some owners of these wells have asked the town if they would like to collect some of the excess water for town use.

Jean asked how realistic the 2008 completion date is for the upgrade. Rocky said that the preliminary engineering should be completed in November. They will then need to complete the final design and enter the permitting phase. He said that completing the upgrade by 2008 would require that everything is completed on time and without any hold ups of any kind. He agreed it is an optimistic time table.

Alex asked if the Yellowwood Report gave an idea of how much wastewater flow could be saved if infiltration issues are resolved. Rocky said no, it did not list an amount but that this is an area where the town must enforce the existing ordinance to preserve as much daily flow as possible. Carrie suggested that Rocky write an article for the Hinesburg Record about the infiltration issue to make people aware of the ordinance. Johanna asked where the water should go as opposed to the sewer. Rocky said an ideal location would be a natural vegetated area.

LaPlatte Watershed Partnership – Lisa Godfrey

Lisa explained that she had been working with the LaPlatte Watershed Group to complete a stream assessment of the LaPlatte as well as it's tributaries: Patrick Brook, Beecher Hill Brook and an unnamed brook that crosses Charlotte Road. The group's research is being used to establish a stream corridor plan for the LaPlatte. The corridor would designate the area in which the LaPlatte and its tributaries could be expected to move within a certain period of time. This would help the town to determine what areas should be avoided for future growth near waterways.

Lisa began the presentation by explaining that the LaPlatte serves many purposes within Hinesburg including: providing recreational areas, habitats for wildlife, stormwater collection, wastewater treatment runoff collection, and drinking water. A stream needs to balance discharge, sediment and slope. When one of these items goes out of balance the stream must work to re-balance the system. Some erosion is part of the normal process of a stream's movement however erosion becomes a larger problem when change takes place quickly that throws off the natural equilibrium.

During the evaluation of the LaPlatte the researchers looked at the geomorphic condition of the stream as well as the habitat. In both categories there were no areas rated as 'reference', a couple areas rated as 'good' and the majority of the river and its tributaries was rated as 'fair' to 'poor'. Lisa suggested that tree plantings, and a protective buffer to allow the stream to meander could help to improve the habitat of the stream.

Lisa explained that the state uses a special program to calculate a river's corridor width. The corridor is the minimum width of land that the stream could occupy over time. The typical width of the LaPlatte corridor is approximately 300'. Lisa added that the corridor does not take into account the area around the stream that could be eroded. She noted that a great deal of expense from flooding has been due to erosion as opposed to inundation of water. In Hinesburg, a large area of the river corridor is open which is great news for the town. One area which is an issue is near the wastewater treatment plant. The channel has been straightened upstream and that bank near the plant is starting to erode towards the treatment plant. Rocky estimates that over the last 5 years the bank has moved 10'. These lagoons as well as the Saputo lagoons are in the corridor.

Several members of the audience asked Lisa her suggestions as to how this erosion could be slowed or stopped. She suggested that rip rap could be buried 12' into the bank, root masses could be buried into the bank to create a soft rip rap affect, and/or meanders could be introduced upstream to create sinuosity to help the river dissipate its energy before reaching this point.

Some recent events in Patrick Brook have affected the flow of water in town. Years ago Patrick Brook was straightened and diverted into the canal. In January of this year the dam broke and sent the water back into a stream (which feeds Patrick Brook) that runs behind the businesses on the northern side of Commerce Park. The water is no longer flowing into the canal which is a problem for fire prevention purposes since several individuals and businesses rely on the canal as a secondary source of water for emergency situations. Lisa suggested that if the town decided to keep the historic path of Patrick Brook filled, perhaps they could fill the canal from the other tributary in this area and/or storm water detention ponds from surrounding developments. Alex noted that the State recently indicated that it will allow the reconstruction of the control structure as a short term fix, and is interested in working with the town and landowners to find a long term solution for this area.

Lisa explained that channel shaping in a river typically occurs during 1 ½ to 2 year storms and that a flood plain gives the high water a place to go without causing excess erosion. Nancy asked if the trees that are being planted along the LaPlatte will be victims to erosion. Lisa said that as long as they are planted outside the boundary of the corridor, they should be fine.

Culverts are another area which causes problems with the river. Culverts are undersized and not able to transport sediment which is crucial to a river's functionality. Consequently, sediment buildup occurs near culverts and wildlife has a difficult time navigating their way through the culverts.

Lisa explained that all of this information is being used to create a river corridor map as well as a erosion hazard area map in connection with the state's resources. For now the two areas in need of immediate attention are the broken dam near Nestech and the eroding bank near the town lagoons. It is the state's hope that mapping river corridors and erosion hazard areas will help towns to keep development out of areas that will conflict with the natural movement and function of a river.

Other Business:

Minutes of the May 3, 2006 PC Meeting

Fred MOVED to accept the minutes as amended. Nancy SECONDED the motion. The motion PASSED 8 – 0.

Citizen Resource Kit – Lincoln Institute

Jean received a mailing about this free resource and has asked that a copy be forwarded to the Planning Commission.

Wind Turbine on Dynamite Hill – Daggetts

Alex told the board that there would be another hearing on the proposed wind turbine on Dynamite Hill on May 24^th. A site visit will be conducted at 4:00 pm followed by oral arguments in the conference room in town hall.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 10:00 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted:

Heather Stafford

Recording Secretary