Southbridge Conservation Commission Confronts Two Enforcement Deadlines With No Resolution

SOUTHBRIDGE — May 28, 2026 — Southbridge Conservation Commission confronts dual enforcement crises and an unusual DEP challenge at May 28 meeting. The commission discussed a property with a 30-day enforcement deadline set to expire around June 10, one day before its next scheduled meeting on June 11, but was still awaiting attorney-drafted enforcement order language before it could formally serve the property owner. Members acknowledged that pursuing a lien or sending in contractors at the owner's expense — the next step if the deadline passes without action — was "new territory" for the body, and said they would rely on town counsel for guidance. A separate dispute with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection centers on a Notice of Intent filing that DEP has found insufficient, apparently because the commission labeled the resource area as a buffer zone rather than riverfront, triggering a demand for a more detailed and costly submission from a property owner who had cooperated with the commission. Commissioners debated whether they could withdraw the underlying Request for Determination of Applicability to relieve the owner of cost, and directed staff — referred to as Katie — to call DEP before a June 9 site visit to explore that option.