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.