Hampden Conservation Commission Votes to Modify Ridge Road Wetland Boundary Markers

HAMPDEN — March 18, 2026 — Hampden Conservation Commission grapples with warrant requirement for wetland inspection. The commission, meeting March 18, spent the bulk of its session debating how to proceed against a roughly 48-acre agricultural property where satellite imagery and photographs submitted by Mark Stinson suggest driveway expansion and vegetation alteration near wetlands between 2024 and 2025 — but where the owner, Jonathan, has declined a site inspection. Town counsel Rosa informed the commission it cannot enter private property without owner consent or a judicial warrant, a conclusion that surprised members who had believed their inspection bylaw carried broader authority. The commission voted unanimously to modify Condition 14 of the order of conditions for Lot 24 on Ridge Road, substituting cemented-in split-rail fence posts for concrete-filled lally columns as the permanent limit-of-work monument along the fence line, after builder and owner Mr. Dasco explained the original intent of the condition. On the disputed agricultural property, the commission agreed the agent would contact neighboring conservation agents for guidance, notify the Select Board that legal costs may follow, and send a notice letter to the owner; no warrant application was authorized at this meeting. The commission also signed an emergency certification for removal of a dead cedar tree that had split and partially blocked the Scantic River on the 700 block of Main Street.