Standish Planning Board Meeting Minutes
Standish Planning Board
Meeting Minutes
October 03, 2016
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Brian Libby at 7:00pm. Present were Cindy Beckwith, Jolene Whittemore, Carol Billington, Mike Willette, Bud Benson, Town Planner and Jackie Dyer, Secretary to the Planning Board. Absent were Adam Higgins and Betty Thompson.
Approval of Meeting Minutes from September 12, 2016
Mrs. Billington made a motion seconded by Mrs. Beckwith to approve the minutes of the September 12, 2016 meeting as written. All in favor.
Approval of Finding of Fact:
Suzanne Lacroix & Stacey Anderson, 97 Smooth Ledge Rd., Map 43, Lot 102,- Shoreland Zoning Application
Mrs. Billington made a motion seconded by Mrs. Beckwith to waive the reading and approve the Finding of Fact. All in favor.
Old Business :
Michael Lyons, dba Tower Publishing, 650 Cape Road, Map 3, Lot 20- Site Plan Application
Michael Lyons was present to represent himself. He gave a brief over view of what they are attempting to do. They are taking the property and doing a renovation of the building. He said in order to have the business they want to have there, they need to provide fire protection. They want to produce buckskin wallets and he showed the Board a sample of what they do. He said they would be doing some cutting, stitching and some embossing on the leather. He said they have a high demand all around the world and are having a hard time keeping up with the orders and demand. This product is made in Lewiston.
He said the fire protection has been their biggest challenge. He said it is very expensive. He said they have looked at fire tanks and what capacity they are. He said they came to the conclusion that a fire pond would be the best think. He said the pond they are going to build has a water capacity of around 225,000 gallons. He said the pond will be around ten and a half feet deep and is fed by a very small stream. He said they have been granted an okay by the DEP to do this. He said they have done testing for the dry hydrant and have come up with a spot for it.
He said coming off Cape Road, there are two driveways. The hydrant access is on the first drive way and they have also done an easement with an additional sixteen feet added to the end, so that the fire trucks could get in and have a place to go that would allow them the room they need. He said the Fire Chief thought the location of the hydrant should be away from the two buildings and not between them. They will know the exact boundaries of the pond as soon as they start digging for it and are also hoping they do not hit any ledge.
Mr. Lyons asked if the Board had any questions. Mr. Libby said they have had this pending for a few months as they have been trying to decide on their fire protection. Mr. Benson said the easement is in place and requires an attachment as to where the fire pond will finally be and what area it is in. Mr. Lyons said the fire pond will be very, very close to where it is delineated on the plan right now. He said they don’t have much room to move it. Mr. Libby said it sounds like all of the details have been worked out and wanted to know the wishes of the Board.
Mr. Benson said the parking table is on the plan. Mrs. Billington made a motion seconded by Mrs. Beckwith to find the application complete. All in favor. The following are the Standards and Conditions of Approval 181-73:
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A. The provisions for vehicular loading, unloading and parking and for vehicular and pedestrian circulation on the site and onto adjacent public streets and ways will not create hazards to safety nor will impose a significant burden upon public facilities.
Mrs. Billington made a motion seconded by Mr. Willette that Standard A has been met. All in favor.
B. The bulk location and height of proposed buildings and structures and the proposed uses thereof will not be detrimental or will impose undue burdens on the public facilities. NA
C. The provisions of on-site landscaping and screening do provide adequate protection to neighboring properties from detrimental features of the development. NA
D. The site plan adequately provides for the soil and drainage problems that the development will create.
Mrs. Billington made a motion seconded by Mr. Willette that Standard D has been met. All in favor.
E. The provisions for exterior lighting will not create undue hazards to motorists traveling on adjacent public streets nor are inadequate for the safety of occupants or users of the site nor will such lighting damage the value and diminish the usability of adjacent properties. NA
F. The applicant has provided reasonable evidence of his financial capabilities to complete the development as planned and approved.
Mr. Willette made a motion seconded by Mrs. Beckwith that Standard F has been met. All in favor.
G. The proposed development will not create undue fire safety hazards by not providing adequate access to the site or the buildings on the site for emergency vehicles or by failure to meet other fire safety ordinances or laws. The Fire Department shall file a written report with the Planning Board prior to the hearing. (This was done prior to constructing a fire pond.)Mrs. Billington said the pond isn’t there yet and how do they do this. Mr. Benson said they are approving the plan, with the pond on it. Mr. Lyons said his understanding is that he has to have approval from the Fire Department before they can operate the business there. Mrs. Billington made a motion seconded by Mr. Willette that the Standard is met with the added condition of approval:
The pond and hydrant shall be tested and approved by Fire Chief. The 12 ft. wide paved access road will need to be constructed as required, approved by Public Works Director, posted “No Parking Fire Lane” and an easement for pond hydrant and road granted to the Town as required, prior to commencing any new use in the structures. A parking table should be added to the final site plan with fire pond / hydrant easements and fire lanes.
Mr. Willette made a motion seconded by Mrs. Beckwith that Standard G has been met. All in favor.
H. The proposed development has made adequate provision for sewage disposal. NA
I. The proposed site plan will not alter the existing character of the surrounding zoning district or division to the extent that it will become a detriment or potential nuisance to said zoning division or district.
Mrs. Billington made a motion seconded by Mrs. Beckwith that Standard I has been met. All in favor.
J. The proposed development has made adequate provision for water supply, including an adequate supply of water for fire-protection purposes.
Mrs. Billington made a motion seconded by Mrs. Beckwith that Standard J has been met. All in favor.
K. No plan shall be approved by the Planning Board as long as the applicant is in default on a previously approved plan. NA
L. Architectural drawings showing exteriors of proposed new nonresidential/commercial buildings in the Village Center District shall be compatible with a Colonial New England design. Such design can be achieved by incorporating features such as, but not limited to, broken rooflines, clapboard siding, steeply pitched roofs, roof overhangs, small pane windows, dormers, window shutters. NA
M. Within the Standish Corner District, the plan must meet all of the following additional standards: (Not within the Standish Corner District) NA
Acres of Wildlife, Pequawket Trail, Map 11, Lots 1-4 Site Plan Review
Mike Baptista was present to represent himself. He said he doesn’t really have any new paperwork, but was hoping BH2M had dropped off something to Bud. Bud told him that new paperwork from them came in late this afternoon and he nor the Board had really had any time at all to look at it. Mr. Libby said he felt the Board needed another site walk and a workshop, as a couple members of the Board had not been there. Mr. Baptista said he agreed as now people were gone and he was trying to wrap things up before winter. A site walk was scheduled for Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 9:00am and then a workshop on Monday, October 17th, 2016 at 7:00pm.
Shaw Brothers Construction,(dba S.B. Freeport, Inc.,) Map 20, Lot 57-Route 35 - Gravel Pit renewal with expansion
Dan Shaw was present to represent himself. Mr. Libby said they did have a site walk. Mr. Shaw said they received the information from Grondin’s today about where they had dug their test hole previously and they were right around the same place Shaw Brothers had done theirs. He said this information was from 5 years ago and nothing has really changed. He said the biggest change in the test pit is that there has been some fluctuation around two feet or so and they are within ten feet of where they need to be.
He said that now they have water in one hole, they will start monitoring this and give the results to the Town. Mr. Shaw said they really do not have a property line between the two pits anymore, as they purchased the Grondin pit in Gorham. He said they have read the ordinance and said it talks about two working gravel pits and now that they own both, there is no abutter. He said going to the Town line, would not really affect them. They have been to the Town of Gorham to remove the hump that is the property line, but haven’t heard from them yet. Mr. Libby said the property line essentially went away when they purchased the other pit.
Mr. Libby said he felt things were good at the pit. Mr. Shaw said they still use a lot of materials from the pit and the highest water table is where they are operating now. There is not much open area that isn’t being used. Mr. Libby said there are no complaints about the pit and being an abutter, he finds the pit well run and quiet. Mrs. Billington made a motion to find the application complete, seconded by Mr. Willette. All in favor.
Mr. Libby said they do not have to deliberate the standards on a renewal. Mr. Benson said they are doing an expansion, so it is a different plan. He said he has suggested conditions of approval on the memo the Board can look at. He said there is one change that he has underlined. Mrs. Billington made a motion to approve the application with the previous conditions of approval and with the added condition on condition #6, as stated on Mr. Benson’s memo. Mr. Benson said there should also be an added revision that the plan is dated 08-02-2016. He said this revision is in condition #1. Mrs. Beckwith seconded the motion to approve. All in favor.
St. Joseph’s College, 278 White’s Bridge Road, Map 20, Lot 32 - Site Plan Application for change of use(conversion of barn to a social events center)
Mr. Benson said he had stated in the memo that they wished to be tabled to the November 07, 2016 meeting as they have some added information they wanted to put on the plan. A motion was made by Mr. Willette and seconded by Mrs. Beckwith to table the application. All in favor.
New Business:
Central Maine Power Co., Inc. Map 14, Lot 93B/172, 71, 70/147, 60/62 Installation of a transmission line between Shad Gully and Shaw’s Mill Road- Site Plan Application
Mark Christopher from TRC Solutions was present to represent the applicant with Nate Farmer, the project manager for CMP. He said that CMP is proposing to install a new transmission line. This will be renamed to section 138. This is now section 181A and connects into a switch at Shad Gully Road. They want to extend this line to a substation on the Shaw’s Mill Road. He said they have one transmission line in the corridor and this extension would make a second transmission line. The new line would allow them better management of delivering electricity to the substation in Gorham and also to those that get it from those lines in part of Standish.
The corridor is 100 feet wide from tree line to tree line. CMP is proposing to widen that corridor by fifty feet. He said that would give them enough room for two transmission lines and also a safety area away from trees on both sides. He said they would have to clear this 50 foot strip on the west side. They would have to clear on that side as there is a subdivision in Gorham and it would be a bit difficult to go through the subdivision and everyone’s back yards.
Mr. Christopher said they would cross two streams, one being an unnamed stream and then the branch of the Northwest Little River. They would cross both streams and the area by Shaw’s Mills. They have opted to shift the line in Standish a bit and go into Gorham so they can stay away from the remains of an old sawdust mill. They will connect into the Shaw’s Mill substation after that. The substation on the Standish/Gorham town line would be taken out of service after they connect to that one.
He said that the existing transmission line would come out of the corridor and the existing line would be used as the new one until the flip is made to the new substation. He said the existing line will eventually become the new line. They need to find a way to avoid passing over the streams, so they have chosen to go to a new substation and connect at both ends to make it more reliable. He showed a couple of photos of the existing line and also said they have a pending DEP application with this. He said DEP would like to protect the natural resources as much as they can.
Mr. Christopher said that DEP wants to prevent any erosion they can. He said the unnamed stream won’t be crossed during construction and they will use mats when they do the work. He said the mats work well and when they cross the branch of the river, they will lay the mats down so they can cross and get access. He said he included the graphics in the application so they could represent how they deal with erosion when they are building a transmission line and crossing streams. He said they also use silk fence or mulch socks besides the mats. They work with the topography of the wetlands.
He said where the mats come off across the wetlands, they lay hay bales down to prevent the erosion and contain everything as far as run off goes. He is confident the contractors will do everything they can to prevent erosion and control what they need to.
Mrs. Beckwith asked where on his map Standish was and he pointed it out. He showed where the new transmission line will go between the two towns. Mr. Libby asked for questions. Mrs. Billington said they have strong over sight on their projects and they are used to working with projects like these. Mr. Christopher said he had been dealing with things like this for a long time and CMP does a very good and clean job. Mrs. Billington asked about the woods, habitat and other concerns. Mr. Christopher said they have to take the trees out. He said they do not remove the stumps, just leave them. He said they allow the native vegetation to grow back. Mr. Libby said the mats help to save the vegetation and Mr. Christopher said they are very expensive, but they make a nice steady and safe crossing.
Mr. Libby said a lot of logging operations use these mats to cross the wetlands. Mr. Benson said that the CMP contractors do a very good job with any project. He said the dam at Shaw’s Mill is part of the Town, which was part of England and the mill done by Mr. Shaw made the boards to start building the Town of Standish. He said it is a historic site.
Mrs. Billington said she is fine with the project. Mr. Libby said DEP has a huge impact as far as these projects go. Mrs. Billington made a motion to find the application complete, seconded by Mr. Willette and Mrs. Beckwith. All in favor. Mrs. Billington said there are just a few conditions, but asked Mr. Benson. Mr. Benson said this is just the Standard Condition of Approval. Mrs. Billington made a motion to approve with the Standard Condition of approval with the addition that a buffer of trees would be at all road crossings. Mr. Willette seconded the motion. All in favor.
Mr. Libby said the next Ordinance Committee meeting would be October 26, 2016 at 7:00pm. The meeting was adjourned at 7:53pm.