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Date: 1/5/2022
SOUTHWICK – The Conservation Commission voted unanimously Dec. 20 to support rescinding an enforcement order against a Babb Road property where work was previously done that spilled over into North Pond.
Commission Chair David MacWilliams said that he believed Aiden Kirkpatrick, who lives on a property abutting North Pond, was well within compliance with the enforcement order and had shown a good-faith effort toward restoring the disturbed area on his property and on the North Pond beach.
Kirkpatrick had been accused by the Conservation Commission of doing earthwork and using heavy machinery on his property that resulted in silt spilling into North Pond. He is also the person behind a recent incident at Kings Beach where heavy machinery was used, causing damage to the beach.
MacWilliams said that it eventually became clear that Kirkpatrick had intended to beautify the beach, but inadvertently damaged it. He has committed to fixing the area.
MacWilliams and Conservation Coordinator Dennis Clark met with Kirkpatrick and developed a restoration plan for the areas he used heavy equipment in, including the replanting of native grasses in the area.
“He wants to work with the Conservation Commission and Citizens Restoring Congamond, and take part in a maintenance plan of the North Pond property,” said MacWilliams, “His intent was always to beautify the property as much as possible.”
Clark noted that Kirkpatrick is going through the restoration plan at his own expense. The commission has also been considering whether to make him the town-sanctioned steward of that property going forward.
Kings Beach is part of the 146 acres of land off North Pond purchased by state agencies, a nonprofit land trust and the town of Southwick in 2019 to prevent a housing subdivision on the last undeveloped shoreline of Congamond Lake, and provide a passive recreation resource for residents.