At Thursday’s meeting of the Russell Conservation Commission, Bill Hardie announced that he will be retiring in May, after serving on the commission since 1972.
In 2008, Hardie retired after 36 years as a lab technician in the Biology Department of Westfield State. Hardie’s wife, Virginia, who serves as Russell Town Clerk, will be retiring next year, Hardie said. That leaves at least two openings on the Conservation Commission, and new members are being sought. Hardie said they are seeking interested and motivated people to fill the seats.
“No experience is necessary,”Hardie said.
In other business, Bob Kidd and Henry Lenart of the Boy Scouts of America came to alert the commission that they plan to do some work on the existing beach by the cemetery at the Horace Moses Scout Reservation on Russell Pond, one of three BSA beaches at the Reservation. The work includes putting down paving bricks in order to provide easier access for wheelchairs to the beach area, and replacing the top three inches of sand. They will not be expanding the beach area. They also plan to put up some fencing to control access to the water. Kidd said the Scouts are concerned about accidents and liability on their property. They have to abide by BSA guidelines, Kidd said.
Kidd said they wanted the commission to know about the work in advance, because they are trying to be good neighbors and let the town know what they are doing, and trying to see if they need to do anything in advance of the work.
“The goal is curb appeal. Get rid of some of the junk, and put down new sand,” Kidd said.
Kidd said they were anxious to get the work done in advance of camping season this year.
Lenart added that there will be a handicapped troop at camp this year so there will be more wheelchair activity than there ever has been.
The BSA representatives were told to file a Notice of Intent, and to have an engineer sign off on their plans.
Thomas O’Brien, Commission moderator, said, “We need to make sure that we don’t have a situation that adversely affects the lake, we’ve had enough of that lately.”
The matter was moved to the next meeting of the Commission at 6:30 on May 1 in Russell Town Hall.
The Conservation Commission then voted on whether to grant a continuance on the public hearing on a Notice of Intent from James Oleksak to correct environmental damage on General Knox Road caused by two culverts that he placed in a brook on his property without permission, and in violation of the state Wetlands Protection Act.
The commission has been dealing with this matter since last August. The request for continuance noted that Oleksak had retained the engineering services of D.L. Bean to correct the situation.
Concern was raised by neighbors about a bulldozed path on the property that is causing silt to erode into the brook. O’Brien said stabilization needs to be done immediately on this path.
After much debate, the commission voted to continue the matter to May 1, and to send a letter to D.L. Bean and Oleksak requiring a stabilization plan and definitive timeline for correction of the culverts by that date, and proof of immediate stabilization of the bulldozed path that is eroding. No further delays will be permitted, or the public hearing will be closed.
Bill Hardie said that plans are in place to stock fish in Russell Pond the week of May 15. Fish & Game will be stocking one hundred 10-12 inch brook trout, and one hundred 10-12 inch rainbow trout. The state does not pay to stock Russell Pond, and it has been a longstanding practice of the Conservation Commission to donate their salaries, along with local donors, to pay for the fish.
