Sample Article

Exerts from a sample article I produced for the local newspaper to show that I could write and report on a meeting.

WOODBURY  -

Land Use Officer Joe Chapman did not actually witness Mr. Taylor drive a tractor in to the water, although the tread marks on the bank, and the muddy John Deere parked nearby suggested that a violation had taken place. “If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s probably safe to assume that it’s a duck” the officer concluded. 

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An additional concern was raised about wooden barriers which are periodically placed in the river to create a ponding effect on his property, providing a source of water for the snow-making operation to draw on. Mr. Taylor stated that the boards were placed low enough so that fish could “jump over” them. The commission determined that, in the future, Mr. Taylor should speak with Mr. Chapman before undertaking any work in or near the river...

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Ms. DeRollo and Ms. Lucera, homeowners on Minortown Road, appeared before the Commission to voice concerns about trees being cleared on the Starchack property adjacent to their own acreage, an area they believe is classified as wetlands. 

According to the Enforcement Report the plant life being removed consisted of overgrown shrubs and small caliper trees which Mr. Starchack maintains that he was thinning out in order to increase his pasture area, a permitted, non-regulated activity. When Ms. DeRollo characterized the clearing as a “massacre” and asked the Commission to provide a precise definition of the word “shrub,” Mrs. Tyrell reminded everyone that the only question pertinent to the Wetlands Commission was whether or not the land in question was indeed designated wetlands, an issue quickly resolved by looking at the map. 

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The minutes from the last meeting were considered and a motion was made to approve them after several minor typos—including a misspelling in commission member Don Richardson’s name—were corrected. 

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Charlie Lewis reported that he had observed a restaurant dumpster set too close to the brook. Proving wrong the old adage that there is no free lunch, at least if you’re a crow, scavenging birds had gathered at the dumpster and were "yanking out garbage bags." Savoring the gourmet meal, a few overly-enthusiastic birds spilled quite a bit of litter in to the brook as they ate. The Land Use Officer reported that he had already investigated this situation and the problem had been corrected. Mr. Richardson expressed his opinion that crows are a zoning issue anyway.

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Correspondence was read, updates made and the meeting was adjourned at 10 PM.