Wetlands Commission Approves Granby Street Map Change

Inland Wetlands · Meeting of September 22, 2026

Bloomfield's Inland Wetlands and Water Course Commission ordered a Blue Hills Avenue property owner to post a $10,000 bond and clean up years of wetlands dumping before its October meeting. Wetlands Agent Peter Castaldi showed commissioners photos of debris, livestock tanks, tires and dead trees in the wetlands behind 1236 Blue Hills Avenue, where owner Andy Morrison said he "did went over" into protected wetlands "but not intentionally." Secretary Kevin Wilcox pressed whether barriers should have protected the wetlands and whether dead trees would be replaced, calling the damage more than Morrison's permit ever allowed. Castaldi said Morrison's 2021 wetlands application was approved but the permit itself was never issued.

The commission separately voted unanimously to approve a wetlands boundary map amendment for 62 and 66 Granby Street, shrinking mapped wetlands there to about 15,402 square feet, and set an October 19 public hearing on a proposed addition at the same site that would disturb 288 square feet of wetlands.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,548 words

Source: the Inland Wetlands meeting of September 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

JLN Contracting Wetland Map Amendment, 62 and 66 Granby Street

The commission opened this public hearing because JLN Contracting, based in Cromwell, sought to replace the town's approximate official wetlands map for its two-acre property with field-delineated boundaries ahead of future development. The question before the commission was whether to amend the official wetlands map to match a field delineation performed in April 2026.

Civil engineer Justin Packard of Hallisey, Pearson and Cassidy told the commission the property, bounded by the Home Depot site across Granby Street, the VIP Car Wash to the north and Mercury Cleaners to the south, contains two wetland cells. Under the current town map, those wetlands total approximately 19,177 square feet; after incorporating the field delineation performed by soil scientist Matt Davidson of Davidson Environmental, the wetlands area would be about 15,402 square feet. Davidson, appearing for the record, said he delineated the site in April using Scituate-Shaker-Maybid soils typical of the old glacial Lake Hitchcock lacustrine deposits, which he described as straightforward to map but wetter than their appearance suggests.

Wetlands Agent Peter Castaldi's staff report, read into the record, recommended approval with the commission's standard conditions: a revised wetland map incorporating all recommended plan revisions, three paper print sets, one mylar set filed on the land records, and specific language describing how the delineated flag lines reconcile with the official map at two locations. Castaldi said he personally investigated the discrepancies between the field flags and the official map, including an area near wetland flag 25A, and found commissioner Glenn Breland had walked the site with staff as well. "I think the flagging that was done by Mr. Davidson is accurate here and in the other spot," Castaldi said. He also addressed a photograph in Davidson's report showing standing water, noting he saw none in that cell during his visit but did see some in the northerly wetland, and concluded neither area qualifies as a vernal pool because both connect to other wetlands and watercourses to the east.

No one from the public asked questions or offered comment. A commissioner moved to close the hearing, and the motion carried unanimously. A commissioner then moved to approve the wetland boundary amendment for 62 and 66 Granby Street, referencing the parcels' unique identifiers and the conditions in Castaldi's September 9, 2026 memo, tied to the map dated September 22, 2026 (an update of an August 13 map). The motion was seconded by Secretary Kevin Wilcox and passed unanimously. The amendment formally shrinks the mapped wetlands on the property and clears the way for the applicant's next proposal on the same parcels.

New Application: Commercial/Industrial Addition, 62 and 66 Granby Street

Immediately after the map amendment, the same applicant team returned with a new application for a building addition on the property, triggering the commission's threshold question of whether a public hearing is required. Packard's plans showed the addition would directly disturb about 288 square feet of wetlands, with a proposed mitigation area in the project's southeast corner to compensate at a 3-to-1 ratio, or roughly 950 square feet of restored or created wetland.

Castaldi recommended a public hearing "because there is a direct wetland impact" combined with the adjacent mitigation proposal, even though the impact is small. Commissioners did not object. "I think we would want it," one member said, noting the project also pushes into the upland review area. The commission agreed to schedule the hearing for its October 19, 2026 meeting, alongside two other continued matters.

Continued Public Hearings: Unnamed Farm Applicant

An applicant the transcript identifies only by the mangled phrase "our back farm" had two items on the agenda: a wetland map amendment and a permit to reconstruct a road with new storm drainage. Castaldi told the commission he received a written request from the applicant to continue both public hearings to the next meeting rather than open them that night. Connecticut law allows a public hearing to be extended up to 65 days from its opening, and Castaldi noted the hearings had already been legally advertised in the Hartford Courant at the commission's expense; re-advertising for October would cost a modest additional amount. Commissioners agreed by consensus, without a formal vote, that the hearings would not be opened September 22 but would open at the October 19, 2026 meeting instead.

Agent Permits

Castaldi walked the commission through three applications he recommended handling administratively as wetlands agent permits rather than full commission hearings, since none involved direct wetland impact.

The Town of Bloomfield's own public works department applied to fully reconstruct West Dudley Town Road, a long L-shaped road running from Filley Street north to Blue Hills Avenue, widening it to 24 feet in places. Castaldi said an existing culvert and outfall would be replaced in roughly the same location and a new hydrodynamic separator added for stormwater quality, all within the upland review area but without direct wetland impact. Commissioner David questioned whether the project needed more transparency given its scale, and asked whether the commission should hear it directly rather than let staff issue the permit. After discussion, including Castaldi's confirmation that an earlier version of the plans had direct wetland impacts that were since eliminated, the commission agreed by consensus to let Castaldi issue it as an agent permit, with the understanding he would return to the commission with any problems. One commissioner recalled the commission once issued a cease-and-desist order against the town's own public works department on a prior project, decades earlier under then-chairman Jonathan Coleman.

TJX, the owner of the Home Goods warehouse at 1451 Blue Hills Avenue, applied to replace underground conduit and light poles in the store's west yard, within the upland review area of flagged wetlands dating to the site's original 2003 map. Castaldi said the work involves no direct wetland impact and recommended an agent permit, which the commission approved by consensus.

A property owner at 71 Doncaster Road, accessed by a shared private driveway, applied to replace an existing 20-by-40-foot garage in the same footprint, within the upland review area but without direct wetland impact. Castaldi recommended an agent permit; commissioners had no objection.

Enforcement Action: 1236 Blue Hills Avenue

This item occupied nearly half the meeting. The commission has an open enforcement matter against property owner Andy Morrison stretching back to a 2019 violation and a 2021 wetlands application that was approved but never formally issued as a permit, because required revisions were never carried through the town's planning review. Planning separately obtained a court order against Morrison this year for operating without an approved permit. The question before the commission was whether to escalate from a warning letter to a formal notice of violation, and what conditions to impose before the next meeting.

Castaldi presented photographs from a site visit showing piles of rock, steel barrels he said were livestock watering tanks, tires, stacked firewood crates, a former shipping container, stored heavy equipment and wood chips piled against and inside flagged wetlands near the rear of the property, along with dead trees. He said Morrison has been cooperative since a July 20, 2026 warning letter, based on a July 16 inspection, directed him to pull material back to an approved limit of clearing and replant removed vegetation, and that Castaldi did not think a formal notice of violation was necessary "as long as he's continuing to do this."

Commissioners pushed back on that assessment. Secretary Kevin Wilcox said the pattern went well beyond the limits of what had been approved: "I don't recall the permit process ever saying that he would also be storing large piles of wood chips or topsoil." Commissioner David asked Castaldi to produce an overlay comparing what Morrison has done on the ground against the approved plan sheets, and asked about the permit's expiration date, noting the commission has authority to revoke a permit for violations. Commissioner Alan, who said he has served on the commission more than 25 years, called it "a major violation" that goes beyond the previously approved plans and said replacement trees planted now will take decades to match what was destroyed.

"What we're seeing is a significant violation of our wetland regulations... it's totally unacceptable." [01:26:37] — Commissioner Alan, Inland Wetlands and Water Course Commission

Castaldi clarified a point of confusion: no wetlands permit was ever issued to Morrison, only an approved application, and the town attorney handling the related planning court case had recommended the $10,000 bond included in the July 20 letter, which Morrison had not yet posted. Morrison, joining by video, apologized for earlier profanity on the recording and said he did not intend to encroach on wetlands, attributing some of the material to a beekeeping operation and firewood business he has run for years. He said a neighbor told him wood chips were acceptable in wetlands, and he committed to posting the bond. "Getting the site clean up, not a problem," Morrison said, adding that wet, muddy conditions have slowed removal of heavy equipment.

The commission settled on three directives, issued as agent guidance rather than a formal vote: Morrison must post the $10,000 bond, complete cleanup, and submit to a follow-up inspection before the October meeting. Castaldi confirmed this was "an agent action" requiring no commission vote. Morrison also raised future plans, including hunting, removing fallen trees and dredging a watercourse to improve fishing; Castaldi and commissioners told him each would require a separate wetlands permit application and that none of those activities are allowed without one. Commissioner Steven asked that the discussion stay focused on the immediate violation rather than Morrison's future plans.

Minutes and Regulation Revisions

Commissioners approved the August 17, 2026 meeting minutes after several small corrections, including restoring "Secretary" to Kevin Wilcox's title in two places and fixing a misspelled applicant name. The motion passed unanimously, seconded by Wilcox.

The remainder of the meeting was a work session on proposed revisions to Section 6 of the town's wetlands regulations, based on a July 14, 2026 memo from Castaldi and an email from commissioner Glenn Breland, who was absent. The question before the commission was whether to recommend specific regulatory language changes before sending them to a future public hearing, as required to formally amend the regulations.

Commissioners agreed to add definitions for "natural resources" and "riparian vegetation," and to strike "non-invasive" from the riparian vegetation definition after a member argued invasive plants functioning to stabilize banks and cool water should still count. They discussed adding a new "vernal pool critical habitat zone," a 100-foot buffer drawn from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers guidance, and agreed to replace the proposed requirement of a "closed canopy of mature trees" with "mature vegetation," since vernal pools can exist in open fields. They also agreed to change "these obligate species include" to "may include," since not every vernal pool supports every listed species.

On Section 6.5(B), governing how much of a vernal pool habitat area may be disturbed, commissioners debated whether to keep Castaldi's percentage-based discretion language or adopt simpler caps proposed by Breland (20 percent for residential properties, 15 percent for others). They agreed the word "minimum" in the existing 10 percent disturbance goal should read "maximum," and asked Castaldi to redraft the section using Breland's clearer phrasing while preserving commission discretion. A member also raised whether the habitat area's frequent spillover across multiple properties should be addressed; Castaldi said the 10 percent figure, lower than the Army Corps' 25 percent benchmark, was chosen partly to account for that spillover, since the commission cannot impose conditions on non-applicant neighboring parcels.

Commissioners also discussed a new Section 6.7 treating clear-cutting or tree removal, regardless of whether stumps are removed, as a regulated activity equivalent to grading. One member asked whether the language would improperly restrict a resident cutting a single tree by hand; Castaldi said he intended the provision to target heavy-equipment clearing and agreed to add clarifying language distinguishing hand-tool work from mechanized clearing, citing a recent case at a local golf course where a similar jurisdictional question arose. Castaldi will incorporate the discussed changes and return with revised language for the next meeting; any final regulation change still requires a public hearing and review by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Chair — presided over the meeting; name not stated in the transcript. Secretary Kevin Wilcox — Member, seconded multiple motions, questioned Morrison enforcement details. Commissioner Alan (also rendered "Allen" in the transcript) — Member, more than 25 years of service, led questioning on the Morrison enforcement matter. Commissioner Paul — Member, participated in votes and discussion. Commissioner Adam — Member, listed present at roll call. Commissioner Steven (also rendered "Steve") — Member, asked the commission to stay focused on the agenda item during the Morrison discussion. Commissioner David (surname rendered inconsistently as "Laiopa"/"Liupa" in the transcript) — joined partway through the meeting; questioned Morrison's permit status and compliance history. Glenn Breland — Member; absent from this meeting but submitted written comments on proposed regulation language. Peter Castaldi — Wetlands Agent; presented staff reports, enforcement update, and proposed regulation revisions. Rebecca — staff/technical support; managed the video meeting platform; surname and formal role not stated in the transcript. Justin Packard — civil engineer, Hallisey, Pearson and Cassidy (Cromwell); represented applicant JLN Contracting. Dr. John Fowler — colleague of Packard; appeared for JLN Contracting. Jack Taylor — JLN Contracting; applicant representative. Matt Davidson — soil and wetland scientist, Davidson Environmental (Chester, Connecticut); performed the wetland delineation for JLN Contracting. Andy Morrison — property owner, 1236 Blue Hills Avenue; subject of the enforcement discussion.

JLN Contracting — Cromwell-based applicant seeking the Granby Street wetland map amendment and addition. Hallisey, Pearson and Cassidy — civil engineering firm representing JLN Contracting. Davidson Environmental — Chester, Connecticut environmental consulting firm that performed the wetland delineation for the Granby Street application. Town of Bloomfield Public Works — applicant for the West Dudley Town Road reconstruction, reviewed as an agent permit. TJX / Home Goods warehouse — applicant for light pole and conduit replacement at 1451 Blue Hills Avenue. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — source of the vernal pool critical habitat zone concept and guidance cited in the regulation revision discussion. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) — must review any final regulation amendments before adoption. Hartford Courant — newspaper where the commission's legal notices for public hearings are published. Town Attorney (unnamed in transcript) — recommended the $10,000 bond condition in the Morrison enforcement matter. Staff memo from Peter Castaldi, dated September 9, 2026 — set the conditions of approval for the Granby Street wetland map amendment. Warning letter to Andy Morrison, dated July 20, 2026 (based on a July 16, 2026 inspection) — documented wetlands encroachment and proposed the $10,000 bond. 2021 wetlands application approval for 1236 Blue Hills Avenue — approved by the commission but never issued as a permit, central to the enforcement discussion. Memo from Peter Castaldi, dated July 14, 2026 — proposed the regulation revisions discussed at this meeting. Email from Commissioner Glenn Breland — proposed alternative disturbance-percentage language for Section 6.5(B). Minutes of the August 17, 2026 commission meeting — approved with corrections at this meeting.