Kent wetlands dispute nears settlement

KENT– A year-and-a-half-long legal dispute over an unpermitted roadway and dock built through wetlands on North Spectacle Pond is approaching a resolution. The town’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission and the entity KenMont and KenWood LLC. are close to reaching a mutually acceptable agreement.

The conflict began after the IWWC denied a retroactive application in March 2024 for the road and dock, which were constructed without town approval sometime last decade. The Commission found both structures violated town regulations, leading the entity to file a legal appeal.

KenMont and KenWood LLC, formed roughly two decades ago by the camp’s former owner—who later sold the camp and has since died—is not connected to the present-day summer camp. The dispute concerns a separate 63-acre parcel off Kenmont Road where the roadway and dock were constructed.

Although most deliberations occurred in executive session, IWWC Chair Lynn Werner announced at the Commission’s Nov. 24 meeting that both sides had found a path forward. “We’ve come to a place where both sides are in agreement,” she said.

The Commission then voted unanimously to approve the settlement, which must now be submitted to the court for final approval. During the meeting, the Commission’s legal counsel, attorney Michael Ziska, explained that KenMont and KenWood had agreed to terms that would prohibit vehicle traffic on the road, require invasive-species management around it, and allow the IWWC to conduct regular inspections.

Ziska noted the roadway was built largely of logs that are now degrading into the wetland. Expert consultants for both KenMont and KenWood and the IWWC have advised allowing the roadway to be naturally reclaimed by the landscape, with light management to ensure several culverts beneath the structure remain functional.

“I believe that this settlement agreement protects the Commission’s interests,” Ziska said. “[It] recognizes the unique aspects of this particular violation – the number of years it’s been in place...and the fact that the consultants have said things should probably be left as is for the time being. All of that commends itself to this draft settlement that we have proposed.”

Clarification: An earlier version of this story indicated that the parcel in dispute was affiliated with the KenMont and KenWood Camp. However, the property is separate and does not involve the camp.