Alton land-clearing project on Hidden Springs Road to move forward

ALTON — Town leaders have decided to complete a land clearing project on Hidden Springs Road, intended to create space to build a public works garage, after consulting with an attorney and engineering firm.

Selectboard Chair Paul LaRochelle said, during the July 28 meeting, the board has consulted with legal counsel, as well as engineering firm Tighe and Bond. With an alteration of terrain permit approved by staff of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Boggs Logging will continue the project.

“At this time, we have not paid any more for the work or anything that has been done at this point,” LaRochelle said. “The contractor has agreed to continue as outlined in his bid specs, to stump grind and stabilize only the 11 acres covered under the alteration of terrain permit.”

LaRochelle said the board thinks it's important to finish the scope of work before jumping to conclusions as to what may need to be addressed in the future.

Clearing the town-owned land is part of a plan to construct a new public works building in 2022, which has been put on hold due to budget woes in recent years.

In an interview last month, Town Administrator Ryan Heath said there was a plan for a 13,000-square-foot garage, with 6,000 square feet of administrative space. The plan was attached to the terrain permit, and was a footprint design only. Cutting and clearing of the land is paid for through American Rescue Plan Act funds, and the intention was to clear the land to have a better idea of what the town was working with for a potential building.

The proposal is dated Dec. 1, 2022. Since then, taxpayers have voted down the proposed budget at Town Meetings three years in a row. A revised budget was passed at a Special Town Meeting in June. Heath said plans for a new public works building will not proceed until budget conditions are better.

However, ARPA funding was already allocated and set aside, so clearing of land proceeded. He said the area was hard to visualize when it was wooded, so the town applied for the permit to clear it. Heath said in the interview that testing, surveying, and addressing environmental concerns went on for more than a year, and then the town put cutting, stumping, and grinding out to bid. Boggs Logging won the bid, at $5,000 per acre, totaling $142,000, through ARPA funding.

There was some miscommunication between Boggs and the town, and more of the area was cut than intended, at close to 23 acres.

In a July interview, Heath said the rest of the stump work was to be completed by Boggs.

At the July 28 meeting, LaRochelle said Tighe and Bond finalized a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan — required by the Environmental Protection Agency — which was followed by a 14-day review period by state and federal agencies.

Once the review period is finished, and the town receives notification to proceed, the contractor can begin work.

LaRochelle said Tighe and Bond was also scheduled to delineate the 11-acre limits of work for grubbing on July 28, using GPS equipment to field, locate and mark approved boundaries.

Heath said Tighe and Bond crews assessed and provided a written report of the stabilization of the entire lot after the cut was made. He said this was done once wetlands experts determined stability, and the best management practice for the overcut area. He said the point of the report was the town shouldn’t touch the land until a deliberate method was made to reforest it.

LaRochelle said Tighe and Bond staff will be conducting site visits weekly, as well as after any rain exceeding 0.5 inches, to complete written reports about erosion for NH DES, as required by the land-clearing permit.

Selectboard member Drew Carter questioned who is paying Tighe and Bond. Heath said this is part of the existing contract, and no additional payments have been incurred.

“The town has not incurred any additional cost outside the contracted amount,” Heath said. “This isn’t work because of that.”

Carter said he wanted to be clear, and questioned whether Tighe and Bond crew’s efforts are only to focus on the 11 acres where stumping has yet to occur. LaRochelle said this was correct.

Heath said the fact nothing has been disturbed, as it hasn’t been stumped or grubbed, provides the most stability, and the area should be left as is. Public Works Director Seth Garland agreed, adding crews from Tighe and Bond evaluated the entire site, and recommended leaving the areas of overcut as it is, and it will reforest on its own. He added the brush will help with any erosion.

Heath recommended having a public site walk with the selectboard, so everyone can take a look.

“This is a continuing situation,” Heath told the board. “Nobody is walking away from anything. We’re just trying to get to a better position to actually evaluate.”

“To start the process of cleaning up,” LaRochelle added.