Hanson Conservation Commission Approves 66 High Street Grading Project With Conditions

HANSON -- January 21, 2026, Hanson Conservation Commission unanimously approves grading project at 66 High Street after neighbor objections over fill and drainage. The commission cleared property owner Mr. Ferrer to create a recreational lawn area near wetlands, with conditions requiring removal of fill and cut logs from the 50-foot no-disturb buffer and submission of a planting plan featuring fruit trees and blueberries; commission members David Mansfield and Dr. Frank Skellinger had conducted a pre-vote site visit. Neighbors from the adjacent Dunham Farm complex questioned whether asphalt pieces on the site constituted hazardous waste, the commission's agent said they did not, and raised drainage and property-line concerns the board said fell outside its jurisdiction. The commission also voted 4-0 to support an Appalachian Mountain Club grant for replacement of the Port Meadow boardwalk off Smith-Nowski Road, and approved a trail-maintenance weed wrench purchase not to exceed $350. A separate dispute with the town accountant over $7,250 in Community Preservation Act funds for the Sleeper Street parking area, the accountant contends the project was completed before town meeting authorized the spending, remained unresolved, with the commission returning the matter to the town administrator for guidance.