Wetlands panel approves 4-H farm road overhaul

Inland Wetlands · Meeting of October 19, 2026

BLOOMFIELD — The Bloomfield Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Commission approved a wetlands boundary amendment and a construction permit for the 4-H Education Center at Our Farm's driveway and parking lot overhaul. The boundary amendment passed 5-0 with one abstention from Kevin Wilcox, who arrived mid-vote; the $15,000-bonded permit for the two-phase, 3,000-cubic-yard road reconstruction passed unanimously with 22 staff conditions. Engineer Timothy Kuhn said the center's gravel driveway floods and washes out, calling it "in very bad shape." New commissioner Diane Perry asked whether doing nothing was an option; staff said no.

Separately, the commission voted unanimously to continue a hearing on JLN Contracting's warehouse addition at 62 and 66 Granby Street to November 16, after staff flagged a building sited just 5.18 feet from a wetland and recommended "prudent and feasible alternatives" including a narrower structure. Staff also reported an unresolved 2021 enforcement case against property owner Andy Morrison, whose promised $10,000 bond and erosion controls remain outstanding under a court injunction.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,461 words

Source: the Inland Wetlands meeting of October 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

Opening Business and a New Commissioner

The Bloomfield Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Commission opened its October 19 meeting with a roll call showing five members present, Byron, Glenn, Paul, new member Diane Perry and the chairman, with commission member Kevin Wilcox arriving partway through the meeting. Perry's appointment is going through a renewed "committee on committees" review process at Town Council, which members noted had been reinstated after a period without it; Perry will need to complete a council interview to continue serving, as will other members whose terms are up for renewal. No other business occupied the opening beyond welcoming Perry and a brief aside about the appointment process.

4-H Education Center at Our Farm: Wetlands Boundary Map Amendment

A soil scientist's updated wetland delineation at the 122-acre 4-H Education Center at Our Farm, 147 Our Farm Road, prompted the first substantive item: a request to amend the town's official wetlands map to reflect field conditions. The amendment exists because soil scientist Rick Zulik's delineation, submitted in support of a planned driveway reconstruction, found considerably more wetland acreage, by the applicant's estimate about 2.8 acres more, than the town's existing map shows, including areas in open lawn that are not wooded.

The question before the commission was whether to accept the delineation and authorize the official map to be revised accordingly.

Engineer Timothy Kuhn of J.R. Rousseau and Associates walked the commission through an aerial plan showing wet meadows, a drainage ditch and Tumble Brook crossing the property in a 60-inch culvert. The commission's staff reviewer, Peter, reported having field-verified much of the delineation with commission member Glenn and found it "in general" accurate, though in several spots, including near the first fork in Our Farm Road and along the edge of the gravel driveway near Simsbury Road, wetland flags extended beyond what the official map depicted. Staff recommended four conditions: filing revised mylar maps and digital GIS data on the land records, and resolving overlapping delineation lines "at the closest logical point" where the new boundaries meet the existing map.

During discussion, commission member Byron asked whether Our Farm Road is a town-maintained road; staff and the applicant confirmed it is privately maintained. Commission member Paul asked whether flag numbers should be added near Simsbury Road in case that area later needs to be referenced; staff agreed to add them as a fifth condition after confirming flag numbers already existed in the field data.

The commission closed the hearing and voted to accept the amendment with the four staff conditions plus the added requirement for numbered flags, using the site plan dated September 21, 2026. The roll call, taken because the vote was not unanimous, showed Glenn, Byron, Diane Perry and Paul voting in favor along with the chairman, for five votes in favor, while Kevin Wilcox, who had joined mid-meeting and said he had "only heard two minutes of it," abstained. The amendment now moves forward for filing on the land records, formally expanding the town's mapped wetland boundary on the property.

4-H Education Center at Our Farm: Driveway and Parking Lot Reconstruction Permit

With the boundary settled, the commission turned to a wetlands permit allowing the center to reconstruct and pave its driveway and parking lot, a project the applicant said is needed because the existing gravel surface floods, washes out and requires frequent regraveling. The project exists now because the center secured a state economic development grant to fund at least the first of two planned phases.

The question before the commission was whether the proposed grading, drainage and paving work, including work within or adjacent to delineated wetlands, met the standard for approval with mitigation.

Kuhn described a two-phase project: phase one reconstructs roughly 3,000 feet of driveway, the entrance circle and the bus loop, excavating about 15 inches of existing material and adding curbing, catch basins and riprap aprons to control runoff before it reaches Tumble Brook and adjacent wetlands; phase two repaves the existing gravel-and-dirt parking lot and adds a stormwater treatment unit, a CS4 cascade separator, before discharge to the wetland at the base of a slope. Staff reviewer Peter estimated the project would disturb 1.6 acres of upland review area, generate about 3,000 cubic yards of excavated material, and create roughly 225 square feet of direct wetland disturbance from two riprap aprons where aging culverts will be replaced. He called the exposed road corridor "the largest single area of exposed ground in the first phase of the project" and recommended temporary sediment basins wherever runoff concentrates.

Diane Perry, participating in her first substantive case, asked whether doing nothing was a feasible alternative.

"Timothy, I'm wondering, is it feasible or prudent to do nothing? Meaning no reconstruction of the road or the parking lot? If not, why?" — Diane Perry, commission member

Kuhn replied that the driveway is in poor condition with numerous potholes and that the center must periodically add gravel because drainage problems wash material off the edges. Applicant representative Erica Fern, participating by phone from her car, told the commission the application had been thoroughly reviewed by staff.

"I believe that our application is clear. It's been reviewed by your staff, and I would feel very comfortable proceeding." — Erica Fern, applicant representative, 4-H Education Center at Our Farm

Staff recommended 22 conditions, including a $15,000 bond for roughly three acres of disturbance, weekly construction reports, and mitigation requiring removal of a 0.29-acre lawn area from the regular mowing schedule for conversion to wetland buffer plantings, an area staff and the applicant discussed expanding toward roughly two-thirds of an acre to offset buffer-zone impacts estimated at 0.67 acres. Kuhn agreed to coordinate final planting species with staff and commission member Kevin Wilcox, who said he had not yet had a chance to review the planting materials online.

The commission voted to approve the permit, moved by commission member Paul, with a friendly amendment requiring the planting plan be submitted to town staff and confirming the plan date as September 21, 2026. The vote was unanimous. Phase one construction is expected to go out to bid this winter for work next construction season; phase two, the parking lot, remains contingent on the center securing additional funding beyond the current economic development grant.

JLN Contracting: Warehouse Expansion at 62 and 66 Granby Street

The third hearing concerned a roughly two-acre combined property at 62 and 66 Granby Street, across from a Home Depot, where JLN Contracting seeks to add an 11,040-square-foot warehouse storage addition to an existing industrial building. The commission approved a wetlands boundary amendment for the same site the prior month; this hearing addressed the activity permit itself.

The question before the commission was whether the proposed building addition, expanded parking and stormwater basins, which require filling part of an on-site wetland, represent the minimum feasible encroachment, and whether the proposed mitigation adequately compensates for it.

Civil engineer Justin Packard of Hallisey, Pearson & Cassidy said the project proposes 288 square feet of direct wetland fill, mostly to allow construction equipment access near the building's rear, and about 1.054 acres of upland review area disturbance, with total impervious coverage reaching 43.8 percent of the combined lot, below the town's 50 percent zoning threshold. Soil scientist Matt Davidson of Davidson Environmental said the on-site wetlands' primary function is flood-flow alteration, driven by poorly draining glacial lake clay soils, and that the specific area proposed for filling sits on an upper terrace above the wetland's main flood-storage zone. Davidson recommended relocating the mitigation area to an open lawn section rather than a wooded upland area to avoid cutting mature trees, a change reflected in revised plans submitted the day of the meeting.

Staff reviewer Peter said the plans showed the building positioned only 5.18 feet from the wetland edge, with grading expected to extend roughly 8 to 10 feet further, and suggested the commission consider whether a narrower or notched building represented a more prudent and feasible alternative.

"There are, you know, there are, I should say, some prudent and feasible alternatives here, including a narrower building or even a notched building that would eliminate the direct wetland impact." — Peter, commission staff reviewer

Engineer Jim Cassidy of Hallisey, Pearson & Cassidy responded that the building's footprint is driven by the need to maneuver a 50-foot tractor-trailer in and out of loading doors, and that shifting the addition would worsen, not improve, the wetland proximity. Commission members pressed on whether a 24-foot-wide access driveway near the northern wetland could be narrowed; the applicant's team agreed to explore reducing it to 18 feet, which Peter said would not require commission review because it reduces rather than increases wetland encroachment. A commission member also asked whether the town could grant a parking variance to avoid building deferred spaces altogether; staff clarified that variances fall to the Zoning Board of Appeals, not the wetlands commission.

Before the hearing opened, commission member Paul disclosed that he is a neighbor of the Granby Street property owner, though on friendly terms and without financial interest, and asked that another member make the motion to open the hearing. The commission agreed to continue the hearing rather than close it, to allow the applicant to submit a revised mitigation plan with detailed plantings and an updated driveway design.

"And as Byron said, we would be moving to continue, not table, right?" — exchange among commission members confirming the procedural distinction

The motion to continue passed unanimously, with the hearing set to resume November 16, 2026.

Enforcement: Morrison Property

Staff reviewer Peter updated the commission on an ongoing violation involving property owner Andy Morrison, operating under a court-ordered temporary injunction tied to an unresolved 2021 wetlands permit for which Morrison never obtained required planning and zoning approval. Morrison, participating by phone, said most large logs had been removed from the wetland area but that wet ground conditions have prevented him from completing seeding and erosion controls, and that a promised $10,000 bond had not yet been submitted. Peter said soil stockpiles on the site need stabilization, via hydroseeding or similar measures, before winter, separate from ongoing wetland debris removal. The case includes weekly Thursday site visits with the town's zoning enforcement officer, Alex, as part of the injunction. No vote was taken; the commission directed staff to continue monitoring, with the next site visit set for Thursday, October 22.

Enforcement Follow-Up: Sawmill Property

Peter also briefed the commission on a prior violation at a sawmill property on Mountain Avenue, owned by Mr. Moore, where roughly 1,200 square feet of unauthorized tree clearing occurred along an intermittent watercourse. An earlier willow-planting restoration attempt largely failed due to weather timing, but Peter said natural revegetation has since stabilized the area, and a site visit found no ongoing problem despite a neighbor's complaint that restoration was insufficient. The commission took no formal action, with staff recommending no notice of violation given Moore's earlier cooperation.

Status of Ongoing Construction Projects

Staff reported site visits to several active construction projects townwide. A self-storage facility at 59 Douglas Street is nearly complete, with remaining landscaping and stormwater basin stabilization work. A senior housing project at 871 Blue Hills Avenue showed no signs of recent activity, with framing and elevator towers built but no siding installed and some unresolved erosion control issues; Peter said he saw no recent equipment tracks. A project at 529 Cottage Grove Road is progressing, with Metropolitan District Commission utility coordination underway for water and sewer connections. Two condominium projects, Edith Lane off Watkins Road and Abbey Court on Blue Hills Avenue, are substantially built but stalled awaiting Metropolitan District Commission utility permits, some for roughly two years. Commission member Kevin Wilcox, who said he serves as Bloomfield's representative to the Metropolitan District Commission, offered to inquire about the delays outside the meeting.

Administrative Items

The commission approved September meeting minutes as amended after several members flagged typographical errors, with commission member Byron abstaining because he did not believe he attended that meeting. The commission also unanimously approved its 2027 meeting calendar, adjusting January and February dates around state holidays and shifting November and December meetings to the second Monday to precede the town's planning commission schedule. A discussion of a matter involving "Vernon Pools" was deferred to the November meeting for lack of time. No members of the public spoke during the meeting's public comment period.

Chairman, presiding over the meeting (referred to only as "Mr. Chairman" in the transcript; first name possibly Alan, surname not available) Byron, commission member Glenn, commission member Paul, commission member Diane Perry, commission member (newly appointed) Kevin Wilcox, commission member (arrived after roll call) Peter, commission staff reviewer (title not specified in available sources) Alex, town zoning enforcement officer (referenced in enforcement discussion, not present) Erica Fern, applicant representative, 4-H Education Center at Our Farm Timothy "Tim" Kuhn, engineer, J.R. Rousseau and Associates, representing 4-H Education Center at Our Farm Rick Zulik, soil scientist, author of the 4-H property wetland delineation (not present) Justin Packard, civil engineer, Hallisey, Pearson & Cassidy, representing JLN Contracting Jim Cassidy, engineer, Hallisey, Pearson & Cassidy Jack Neubiser, JLN Contracting, applicant Matt Davidson, soil scientist/wetland scientist, Davidson Environmental Andy Morrison, property owner under enforcement action (appeared by phone) Mr. Moore, sawmill/cider mill property owner, subject of prior enforcement follow-up (not present)

J.R. Rousseau and Associates — engineering firm representing the 4-H Education Center at Our Farm on both the boundary amendment and driveway permit Davidson Environmental — wetland and soil science firm that prepared the delineation, impact assessment and mitigation plan for the JLN Contracting application Hallisey, Pearson & Cassidy — Cromwell-based engineering firm representing JLN Contracting Connecticut Department of Economic Development — state grant source funding phase one of the 4-H driveway and parking project Metropolitan District Commission — regional water and sewer authority cited as the source of permitting delays at 529 Cottage Grove Road, Edith Lane and Abbey Court Town of Bloomfield Planning and Zoning Commission — zoning authority that will separately review parking requirements for the Granby Street project Zoning Board of Appeals — clarified by staff as the body that grants zoning variances, not the wetlands commission Wetlands file number 75-202618 — permit file for the 4-H Education Center driveway and parking reconstruction, approved this meeting 2021 wetlands permit — prior approval cited as the basis for the ongoing Morrison property enforcement case Temporary court injunction — order governing weekly inspections at the Morrison property, referenced in the enforcement update Wetland Impact Assessment, submitted by Matt Davidson of Davidson Environmental — basis for the relocated wetland mitigation area discussed in the Granby Street hearing