7:30 PM Water Study Committee
8:15 PM Meet with Selectmen on Beal/West/North Corridor Study, 3rd Floor Meeting Room
Old/New Business
Form A - 8, 14 Emerald Street
Preliminary Discussion of Zoning Articles for 2008 Town Mtg.
Central Meeting Room North _____
Present: Planning Board Members, Paul Healey Chair, Sarah Corey, Clerk, Susan Murphy, Judy
Sneath and Gary Tondorf-Dick. Also present was Planner Katharine Lacy.
Mr. Healey opened the public meeting at 7:30 P.M. at the Hingham Town Hall.
RE: Water Study Committee
Roger Sullivan and Bob Stuart of the Water Supply Committee presented a proposed amendment to the Town's General By-Laws establishing a permitting system, performance standards, and enforcement procedures for residential lawn and garden irrigation systems. The By-Law is written so that all new irrigation systems would require a permit prior to installation. Existing systems would have to file for a permit within one year after enactment of the By-Law. As a result of this by-law, all irrigation systems would be required to have controls ensuring water saving measures, such as automatic turn-offs when it was raining.
Mr. Sullivan noted that during the recent watering ban, water use in Hingham decreased by 750,000 gallons per day, indicating the extent to which watering taxes our water supply.
Board members spoke generally about water supply issues in the Aquarion Service area, which is included within the Weir River Watershed District. There was general concern that the current outdoor watering ban was to be lifted the next day, in light of the fact that it still appeared that ponds, streams and wells were very low.
Board members asked Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Saunders how this by-law would be enforced, and which Town agency would issue the permits. They said that they had spoken with Dick Morgan, and the plan was to have the Building Department issue the permit, which would be accompanied by a plan stamped by an engineer indicating that it complied with the By-Law.
Paul Healey asked much it would cost to upgrade an existing system, and Mr. Sullivan said it would cost about $500. Ms. Murphy asked who would be responsible for tracking down those with un-permitted systems, and Mr. Sullivan responded that it was his hope that it would be a self-regulating system. Board members concluded that they were in favor of the proposed irrigation By-Law, but felt that the enforcement provisions needed work.
RE: Meet with Selectmen on Beal/West/North Corridor Study - 3rd Floor Meeting Room
The Board met with the Board of Selectmen to hear Jeff Dirk present his final recommendations for the Beal/West and North Corridor, incorporating whatever comments came out of the public hearing held earlier this fall.
Mr. Dirk summarized traffic counts, and projected traffic growth in this area, as well as its impacts on crash rates and Level of Service for area intersections. He also outlined traffic calming measures that would alleviate traffic problems in this area, including specific measures that could be put in place along upper Beal Street using the $500,000 provided by Samuels and Associates as mitigation for the Hingham Shipyard.
Conversation quickly shifted to the ongoing problems on North/West and Beal. Mr. Dirk noted that peak hour traffic volumes on West Street averaged 1000 cars per hour. The idea behind the improvements was to slow traffic down on Beal Street to the extent that it would no longer serve as an efficient cut-through for those seeking to avoid 3A. Ms. Murphy noted that the bulk of the traffic on West Street was heading southwest on Fort Hill Street towards Weymouth, and asked whether these drivers wouldn't continue to go this way even with the proposed changes.
Area residents expressed continued dissatisfaction with the extremely high volumes and speed of traffic in this area. In particular, they complained about the current and proposed configuration of the intersection at Beal/West and North, saying that it created an unsafe condition. Chuck Cosgrove of North Street requested a sidewalk or crosswalk on the south side of North Street, pointing out the number of children that live there.
At that point conversation switched to whether it still might be a good idea to create some sort of By-Pass road through the proposed housing projects leading out to Fort Hill Street. Laura Burns noted that she had gone back and forth on this in her mind over the past few years, and made the determination that the location of the roadway should be left to the permitting boards in the process of reviewing and approving the proposed housing development. Planning Board members indicated that they would be considering this further.
Mr. Cristello indicated that because Selectmen Tully was not present, that they would not vote on the specific scope of work for upper Beal Street until the next meeting.
RE: Old/New Business
Form A - 8, 14 Emerald Street
This is a land swap of parcels of equivalent size at 14 and 8 Emerald Street. Neither parcel will become more no-conforming than they already are as a result of the swap.
It was moved seconded and SO VOTED, unanimously, by those present to endorse the Form A entitled," Subdivision Plan of Lots 14 and 8 Emerald Street Hingham, Massachusetts", prepared by Joseph Calabro Jr., East Weymouth, MA for Nick Shostak, 8 Emerald Street, Hingham, MA. Owner and John Downey, 14 Emerald Street, Hingham, MA, owner and applicant.
Discussion of Proposed Zoning Articles for 2008 Town Meeting
This discussion was tabled for a later meeting-tentatively November 5.
Minutes and Bills
It was moved, seconded, and SO VOTED, unanimously, by those present to accept the minutes of September 24, 2007 and October 4, 2007.
The meeting adjourned at 9:40 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Katharine Lacy
Town Planner