Conservation Commission Approves Garage, Backs $8,000 Dam Cleanup at Nine Branch Hour

NORTH ATTLEBORO -- January 14, 2020, North Attleborough Conservation Commission approves residential garage, endorses $8,000 dam cleanup plan. The commission unanimously approved a Notice of Intent and Order of Conditions for a 1,864-square-foot, two-car garage at a property on Nine Branch Hour, with applicant representative Russ Waldron confirming all work falls outside the 50-foot wetland buffer; an existing shed must be relocated outside the full 100-foot buffer or removed from the site. The commission also voted 5-0 to endorse a Phase 1 engineering recommendation for emergency maintenance on a town-owned dam, removing loose collapsed material, regrading slopes, and adding riprap, at a contractor estimate of $8,000, less than the $9,500 Phase 1 inspection that identified the problem. A commission member noted the work could "pretty much wipe out" the conservation budget and said the funding question would go to the Select Board; dam work is targeted for July or August when water levels drop, pending access permission from a neighboring property currently listed for sale.