Fire Commission Going Back To Inland Wetlands

Update at 2:40 p.m. July 16:

The meeting scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled, according to Kristine Sullivan, a Land Use Analyst with the Town of Woodbridge.

"The Agency determined that the meeting was not necessary at this time," she said.

The appeal is still in place, she noted.

The original report follows:

The Woodbridge Fire Commission wants the town's Inland Wetlands Agency to take another look at its case.

The fire commission's initial attempt at an approval for an after-the-fact permit of a patio with two fire pits was met with a denial back in March.

During a special meeting Wednesday, July 17, the Inland Wetlands Agency will hold an executive session with Town Attorney Gerald Weiner regarding the Fire Commission's appeal of that denial.

The controversy surrounding the reported encroachment on wetlands dates back to October of 2012, when the town issued a cease and restore order to the fire commission. The construction of the fire house itself, at 100 Center Road, was a longstanding point of contention in the community and, according to reports, was only OK'd once a buffer zone was added to protect nearby wetlands.

The patio encroaches on those wetlands, and the fire commission did not obtain a permit before building its patio with the fire pits.

The meeting Wednesday will take place in Woodbridge Town Hall, 11 Meetinghouse Lane, at 6:45 p.m.