Dover Conservation Commission Continues Brookline Road Septic Hearing Over Missing DEP Number

DOVER -- March 25, 2026, Dover Conservation Commission continues Brookline Road septic hearing, cites missing DEP number and unpermitted pond. The commission voted 4-0 Wednesday to continue a public hearing on a proposed new septic system at 0 Brookline Road, filed by applicant Kevin Smith for a renovated off-grid cabin on a roughly 53-acre parcel near Wolf Brook, after MassDEP failed to issue a file number and raised questions about a pond built on the property during the COVID-19 pandemic without a conservation filing. Engineer Jack Maloney told the board the proposed system sits approximately 1,400 feet from the nearest abutter well, well above the state's 100-foot minimum, and that the system is designed four feet above the groundwater table. Abutters from a six-unit condominium at 201 Brookline Street, including residents Rebecca Goheen and Brian Blaggan, attended to press concerns about their shared well, prompting conservation agent Colby to direct them to the Board of Health and recommend independent water testing. The commission separately issued unanimous orders of conditions for a residential project at 198 North End Road and issued a certificate of compliance for 75 Pierce Road contingent on silt fence removal. Commission member Sandra Lord reported the town's new Community Preservation Committee projects $191,000 in first-year revenue, roughly $167,000 in local surcharges and $24,000 in state matching funds, with spending deferred to fiscal year 2027.