Manchester Conservation Commission Approves Porch Addition, Allocates $2,500 for Trail Tree Removal

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — June 9, 2026 — Manchester Conservation Commission unanimously approved a 15 Eaglehead Road covered porch and authorized $2,500 for hazardous tree removal at Powderhouse Hill trails at its June 9 Zoom meeting. The board issued a Negative Determination of Applicability — conditions 3 and 6 — for applicant Marianne Muckle's plan to add 170 square feet of impervious covered porch within 93 to 95 feet of vegetated wetlands, with Chair Steve Gang telling Muckle the commission saw "no risk of significant impact to the resources." The $2,500 tree removal vote represents the first phase of a larger project: Conservation Administrator Bethany Barstow and Director of Land Management Mark Resnick identified 63 dead, leaning, or broken trees on the trail system, with a full removal quote of approximately $7,200; Town Administrator Tony advised against volunteer chainsaw crews on liability grounds, leading the commission to fund one day of professional work targeting the most hazardous trees. Commissioners Steve Gang and Dr. Henry Ottinger were elected co-chairs by unanimous vote. The meeting ended with a lengthy informal briefing on the proposed SLV Venture 285-unit 40B development on Gordon Woods land — a project that Resnick confirmed carries no conservation land-swap benefit despite earlier press coverage suggesting otherwise — with a formal commission presentation deferred to July.