Groton Conservation Commission fines 60 Valley Road owner, orders new wetland permit

GROTON — June 9, 2026 — Groton Conservation Commission votes to fine 60 Valley Road owner and demand new wetland permit. The commission voted four to zero, with one member recused, to issue a $50 fine against the owner of 60 Valley Road for unpermitted construction of stone pillars within the 50-foot wetland buffer zone, and ordered a new notice of intent filing due by the Monday before the June 23 meeting. Members described the violation as part of a pattern, citing an existing enforcement order for earlier unpermitted tree clearing. "These guys just don't get it," said one member during deliberation. The commission separately issued unanimous orders of conditions — under both state law and the Groton bylaw — for the long-pending Squanacook River Dam repair project, with engineer Dennis Bell of Haley and Aldrich noting that Shirley has already issued its own matching order. A negative determination of applicability was also issued unanimously for debris and tree removal at a fire-damaged home at 605 Lowell Road, with biodegradable erosion controls required before work begins.