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.