HARTFORD — Selectmen meeting Thursday night heard about new requirements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and recent permits issued by the Planning Board.
Planning Board member Morrill Nason said a permit was issued for a garage on Bear Pond Road and another for cutting timber next to Swan Pond. The latter allows a 30 percent cut, which is 10 percent less than the state allows in the shoreland zone.
A permit to build a garage on Blueberry Lane next to Bear Pond was denied because the lot wasn’t large enough, Nason said. It was suggested the applicant get an easement from the abutter, but Selectman Jack Plumley, code enforcement officer for Peru and former CEO for Hartford, said the easement would make the abutter’s property nonconforming, which is not legal.
Selectman Lee Holman suggested using a Quonset tent for a garage, but Plumley said those are considered permanent structures in the shoreland zone.
In other business, Plumley said he learned at a floodplain workshop that FEMA will require towns to recognize and evaluate flood hazards in all official actions relating to land use in floodplains. Changes are needed due to global warming, which will impact rivers and streams from rising sea levels. Towns need to establish standards to protect against flooding beyond the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program, he said.
Plumley will attend another workshop on the issue and will report more fully on the requirements, he said.
The annual audit report was reviewed and will be discussed at the next meeting Nov. 21.
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