Boxborough Conservation Commission closes hearings on crane site, school playground, fire station

BOXBOROUGH -- February 5, 2025, Boxborough Conservation Commission approves orders of conditions for three sites at February 5 meeting. The commission closed public hearings and issued orders for a crane company's project at 340 Potomac Hill Road, a new playground at Blanchard Memorial School on Mass Ave, and a wetland resource area delineation at 502 Mass Ave tied to a planned new fire station. The 340 Potomac Hill Road order includes perpetual conditions requiring the property owner to maintain a turtle nesting management area indefinitely, submit annual habitat reports to the commission, and obtain prior approval before any herbicide use on the site. Ron of Oxbow Associates, representing applicant Astrocrane, confirmed the revised plans added hardware cloth to the perimeter fence to prevent hatchling turtles from escaping and moved the annual nest survey report deadline to August 1. For the fire station parcel, the commission's consultant Bill advised members that the Wetlands Protection Act does not permit prohibiting redevelopment of the previously altered riverfront site, provided impervious coverage is not increased and stormwater is treated to the maximum extent practical. The playground at Blanchard Memorial School is targeted for an April construction start, with the existing structure to be demolished over a single weekend using heavy equipment.