Brookfield Conservation Commission Ratifies Enforcement Order Against Unresponsive Applicant

BROOKFIELD -- July 22, 2024, Brookfield Conservation Commission unanimously ratifies enforcement order after applicant ignores directives. The commission, chaired remotely by Bill Meeker, voted to ratify an order issued July 2 against a property where no approved site plan could be located and slope-clearing work raised questions about potential wetland intrusion. Member Sarah reported the applicant received the order by green-card receipt on July 3 but never responded within the required five-day window, never scheduled a mandated 14-day site inspection, and did not appear at Monday's meeting despite two text-message reminders. A citizen argued the applicant's dissolved corporate status made the underlying RDA voidable, but town counsel KP Law advised against revoking it; the commission instead endorsed requiring a neutral third-party engineer, paid by the applicant, to assess whether work encroached on resource areas. The board also voted unanimously to authorize emergency removal of two trees at 30 Allen Road on South Pond and opened discussion on a potential wetlands bylaw rewrite targeting a June 2025 annual town meeting vote.