Berlin Commission Closes Wheeler Pond Dam Hearing, Eyes March Order of Conditions

BERLIN -- February 18, 2026, Berlin Conservation Commission closes Wheeler Pond Dam removal hearing and clears barn RDA in single session. The commission voted unanimously February 18 to close the public hearing on the Wheeler Pond Dam removal, DEP file 107-0280, after receiving word that a 401 Water Quality Certification arrived from MassDEP on January 16 and that all 10 sediment samples from the impoundment came back at rural background levels with no contamination. The order of conditions is targeted for the March 4 meeting to support a March 20 deadline for a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant application being filed with the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, a grant that, because Berlin qualifies as a rural municipality, requires no local match. In separate action, the commission unanimously issued a negative determination of applicability for a barn to be built on a 10-year-old existing foundation near the Burning Tree Country Club on Randall Road, with the sole condition being coir wattles placed around the rear of the foundation and along an adjacent gravel drive. The commission also voted unanimously to cancel its April 15 meeting for lack of quorum.