Ayer Conservation Commission Issues Three Negative Determinations for DPW Infrastructure Projects

AYER -- May 14, 2026, Ayer Conservation Commission clears three DPW infrastructure projects and schedules May 23 site walks for two others. The commission voted unanimously to issue negative determinations for water main and road work on Scully Road, drainage improvements on Groton-Harvard Road tied to the Lincoln Hills construction project, and separately continued a request for determination on a failing culvert at Bly Street near Peroni Park, scheduling a site walk for Saturday, May 23, at 8:30 a.m. before deciding that matter. The board also approved an amendment to New England Power Company's existing order of conditions for its Bishop Road substation, allowing a five-foot-by-15-foot cut through a soil ridge to drain a waterlogged wetland replication area where shrubs and herbaceous plugs have been dying from prolonged inundation; Vice Chair Mark Phillips abstained on both that vote and the subsequent motion to close the public hearing. Phillips stepped aside entirely to receive a partial certificate of compliance as the homeowner of 3 Mountain Laurel Drive, which the remaining members approved. Conservation Agent Heather Hampson was authorized to proceed with purchasing a new $1,800 kiosk sign for the High Meadow Conservation Area entrance on Groton-Harvard Road before the fiscal year's tighter purchasing rules take effect in June.