Groveland Conservation Commission Approves King Street Substation Permit Unanimously

GROVELAND -- April 8, 2026, Groveland Conservation Commission unanimously approved a buried conduit permit for the 209 King Street NEC substation and raised jurisdictional concerns about a town-meeting article that would give the Select Board authority to negotiate leases at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park. TRC Companies wetland consultant James Treacy told the board construction, accessing the trench through the substation by removing a portion of the security fence, would take approximately one month beginning in late April. On VZ Park, the commission approved a $11,200 funding request to the Friends of VZ Park for capital repairs including roof work, exit signs, and crumbling entrance stairs, while also noting the departure of two tenants costing $6,140 in annual rent. The sharpest exchange came over Article 3 of the April 27 town-meeting warrant, which authorizes the Select Board, not the commission, to negotiate long-term leases at the park; the commission agreed to draft a floor amendment restoring or sharing that authority with the Conservation Commission. The board also scheduled an April 23 site visit at 16 Evergreen Lane, where wetland scientist Sean Moriarty of Jones and Beach Engineers presented an informal preview of a proposed two-bay garage with an accessory dwelling unit that would encroach grading into the 50-foot wetland buffer.