Hearing on SWSA snow pond continues Nov. 26

SALISBURY — After a lengthy discourse between Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) representatives and Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission members, the public hearing for the construction of a new snowmaking pond at the ski jump was continued to 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 26.

The first session of the hearing occurred before the Commission’s regular meeting on Nov. 13. Wetland and soil scientist Jay Fain, who represented SWSA as a volunteer expert, and project engineer Pat Hackett both gave detailed presentations on the environmental and construction aspects of the proposal.

Fain opened with an appeal to the cultural and recreational importance of the ski jump in the Northwest Corner. “I don’t know if everybody knows the mythical status this facility has,” he said, touting his longstanding admiration for the facility and SWSA.

Land Use Administrator Abby Conroy cautioned the Commission members that “The Wetlands Commission regulates the use, not the user,” and urged the group to focus on its fundamental purpose, which is to “balance the need for economic growth in the state and the use of its land with the need to protect its environment and ecology.”

Fain described the need to implement greater snowmaking capacity as existential to the future of SWSA and the jump due to warmer winters in the region. “You used to drive up to [the Northwest Corner] and find three to four feet of snow and enjoy a day of winter sports, but it’s just not happening anymore,” he said. “In order for SWSA to fulfill their mission statement, they have to make snow.”

Fain also reported that the wetland is suffering from an infestation of invasive phragmites and Japanese knotweed. He stated that the project, which would create an emergent wetland zone on the fringes of the open water of the pond, would add value to the ecosystem. “We’re not just trying to create a pond, we’re trying to create a wetland,” he said.

Commission alternate John Harney suggested that Fain’s report be reviewed by a third party wetlands expert, which the other members ultimately agreed with, despite the restrictions of the 35-day public hearing time limit.

Commissioner Maria Grace also expressed a desire to see expert review for the applicant’s invasive species management plan, along with further specification of planned methods.

The public comment section yielded several statements.

Newton Tedder, whose father Scooter Tedder sits on SWSA’s Board of Directors, told the Commission that he has spent his career working with the environment, and encouraged them to consider that wetlands are naturally dynamic ecosystems.

Elyse Harney then spoke up, voicing her decades-long admiration for SWSA and its volunteers, but expressed concern that this project “could set a precedent for disturbing other wetland areas.”

For his part, SWSA President Ken Barker noted that he has been working on this project’s application for “well over a year,” and is hoping that things will move forward at the next meeting.