The Andover Conservation Commission will not review past decisions to look for discrepancies between what was discussed during its meetings and the finalized special permits it issues.
At a meeting last month, commissioners discovered language in a permit issued for Gillette’s $1 billion plan to modernize its facilities in South Boston and Andover had been changed after it receive unanimous approval. When the permit was approved, commissioners included a condition preventing the emission of chemicals into wetland areas. At a Dec. 3 meeting, commissioners noticed the word “emission” and the phrase “into any wetland resource” were omitted from the special condition regarding the storage, disposal, or emission of PFAs and other hazardous materials.
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Conservation Director Bob Douglas told the commission at its meeting last week he had reviewed two years worth of minutes and compared them to the permits that were issued without finding any major discrepancies.
“For the most part, they are identical to what was asked for by the commission,” Douglas said. “So I’m satisfied with the output that we’ve had for the last two years.”
The commission considered establishing procedural rules to prevent future discrepancies, but ultimately decided to consider changes on a case-by-case basis. Commissioners emphasized slowing down discussion to properly formulate language for special conditions, clearly stating changes in motions, and reviewing redlined versions of permits before signing them.
“I think the moral to this story…is that we need to take more time during the time that we are considering it to work out the language,” Chair Donald Cooper said. “To have a policy or something that’s written and carved in concrete…would be aggrandizing the problem more than it really is. I think we can deal with it on a case by case basis. That would be my recommendation — to slow down and get it right that night.”