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.