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.