Here is a Google video of most of the Conservation Commission meeting of February 26. Only a short portion at the end was not recorded. This video is 3 hours and 12 minutes long and was recorded by Adam Cohen. It is also available on Vimeo. Here are the agenda items covered in the video: […]
Kohl Construction Plans
“Degraded” Wetlands Can Get a Lot Worse
Over the past year or so, Kohl Construction and even some members of the Conservation Commission have noted that the wetlands and buffer zone off North Street are “degraded with masonry and other construction and road building debris, as well as invasive plant species”. While it’s true this area is not perfect, it’s still an […]
Kohl Releases Latest Condo Proposal for February 26 Conservation Commission Hearing
Kohl Construction has released its latest proposal (PDF, 1.2MB) for condos off North Street. Despite concerns about the number of units expressed by members of both the Conservation Commission and the Planning Board, Kohl has eliminated just two units relative to its previous proposal (from 25 to 23). Here is a comparison of the latest […]
The Role and Function of Forest Buffers in the Chesapeake Bay Basin for Nonpoint Source Management
This 1993 research paper (PDF, 156KB) underscores the value of the North Street woods for water management and pollution control around Millyard Brook. Kohl Construction proposes to cut down many mature trees near the Millyard Brook wetlands to make way for a condo project. Highlights from the paper: “A mature forest can absorb as much […]
Mosquito Control Practices Near Wetlands: Methods, Risks and Limits
We’ve mentioned before how Kohl Construction’s plans to build condos near wetlands would place a large number of residents in an area that’s buzzing with mosquitoes during the warmer months. It would be hard to blame those residents from wanting to apply pesticide and other mosquito control measures to prevent disease and use their outdoor […]
Glyphosate Factsheet: Unwanted Impacts
The herbicide glyphosate not only kills plants but may also be harmful to animals and people. Caroline Cox compiled a factsheet for Journal of Pesticide Reform (v.108, n.3, Fall 1998 rev. October 2000): Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide widely used to kill unwanted plants both in agriculture and in nonagricultural landscapes. Estimated use in the […]
Herbicide Caution: Glyphosate Use May Damage Woody Plants
As we wrote yesterday, Kohl Construction proposes to apply herbicide in an effort to eradicate two invasive species on its property: Japanese knotweed and multiflora rose. Here is a news release from Ohio State University Extension with cautions about the use of glyphosate, found in a number of popular herbicides. 06/17/2008 PDF / Photos / […]
Japanese Knotweed and Multiflora Rose: Is Herbicide the Answer?
In an effort to earn ‘extraordinary mitigation’ points and justify close encroachment to the wetlands off North Street, Kohl Construction proposes to apply herbicide in an effort to eradicate two invasive species on its property: Japanese knotweed and multiflora rose. Northampton Land Use and Conservation Planner Bruce Young says that if Kohl did this to […]
Video: Planning Board Meeting of January 22; Hospital Hill; Kohl Condo Proposal
Here are two Vimeo videos (part 1, 86 minutes; part 2, 112 minutes) of portions of the Planning Board meeting of January 22. These videos were recorded by Lachlan Ziegler. Part 1[We join the Planning Board just a minute or so into the start of their meeting] 0:00:00-0:59:59… Informal discussion with Mass Development on Planned […]
Video: Conservation Commission Meeting of 1/22/09; Non-Compliance with Wetlands Protection Agreements; Kohl Asked to Revise Condo Proposal Again
Here is a Google video of a large portion of the Conservation Commission meeting of January 22. This video is 3 hours and 7 minutes long, and was recorded by Adam Cohen. See portions of a Gazette article on this hearing, pictures of the Kohl condo proposal as reviewed, the conservation staff report and a […]