ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
Meeting Minutes of June 13, 2006
Town Administration Building
Planning Board Meeting Room, 7:00 PM
Chairman Tony Andre opened the meeting at 7:05PM. Present were board members Norm Czech, Dennis Fountain, Russ Brown, Ingrid Thompson, and Alternate Voting Member Walter Solzak. Also present was Linda Leduc recording minutes.
7:05 PM - R. Brown motioned to waive the reading of the abutter’s list. D. Fountain seconded. The vote passed (5:0).
Don Frydryk of Sherman and Frydryk was present and representing the applicant. Cam Bienvenue of Wing Memorial Hospital was also present.
D. Frydryk presented the plan and stated that the new helipad will be relocated to where the garage currently exists. Instead of demolishing a currently well-used building, the hospital chose to relocate the garage to a new site on the property. The garage is currently used to house maintenance equipment and will be needed for storage during the construction phase of the project. The initial location chosen to place the garage has a water easement, creating the need for a 15’ separation from the building.
Jim Amman of the Palmer Water Dept was present and stated that the water line is currently 16’ from the hospital building. As a result the garage would need to be placed 15’ from the side yard setback.
The board asked if there were any other areas that the garage could be moved. The parking lot expansion limits the western side of the property. If it were placed in the front of the building it would create an eyesore and be inaccessible for the maintenance crew. The north side of the property would also be to far away for maintenance operations to be conducted efficiently. D. Frydryk reminded the board that the sideline is adjacent to the Mass Pike and would not be impinging on a residential neighborhood.
N. Czech mentioned that his recent site visit revealed some removal of trees in the area in question. He stated that the planning board required a site visit to be conducted prior to the beginning of any work. D. Frydryk apologized for the removal of trees and stated that it was bad judgment on the hospitals part. C. Bienvenue also apologized for the premature tree removal. He blamed budget constraints and poor communication.
N. Czech asked how this variance request addressed the issue of hardship. This project must disclose a hardship of soil, shape and/or topography. This request can’t set a precedent for all other projects. D. Frydryk stated that the steeply sloped areas of the property are off limits fort the placement of the garage. And, the easement (shape) does not allow for the required 30’ setback.
N. Czech asked if the garage could be placed where the current helipad exists. D. Frydryk stated that the new building addition would be in that area. What about the back corner? There are underground utilities and the area is part of the current drainage system for the site.
The waterline serves Fletcher Street and the fire hydrant on site. J. Amman stated that the fire hydrant has a minimum setback of 10’ from the building. It could possibly moved to within 4’ of the building but that relocation would need to be approved by the fire department.
The board asked if the water line easement was enough of a hardship. It was discussed that if the easement was not in place a variance would not need to be requested. The board also expressed concerns that the 15’ request would not leave adequate room for emergency vehicles to access the back portion of the property. N. Czech motioned, with the applicant’s permission, to amend the variance request from 15’ to 10’ for safety purposes. N. Czech motioned to amend the setback request from 15’ to 10’. I. Thompson seconded. The vote passed (5:0).
R. Brown motioned to accept the amended request and grant a variance as stated using the waterline easement and safety as hardship as they create unique site restrictions. D. Fountain seconded. The vote passed (5:0).
Discussion Items:
N. Czech motioned to accept the draft minutes of April 18, 2006. D. Fountain
seconded. The vote passed (5:0).
Next meeting date set for July 13, 2006.
Board members received examples of new applications for review
7:45 PM – I. Thompson motioned to adjourn the meeting. D. Fountain seconded. All in favor.
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