Bellingham Conservation Commission Approves Tree Removals, Continues Two Major Infrastructure Hearings

BELLINGHAM -- December 10, 2025, Bellingham Conservation Commission approves emergency tree removal and advances Lake Hayawa drainage overhaul at December 10 meeting. The board voted unanimously to allow a new resident at 49 Lakeshore Drive to remove a diseased red oak within the 100-foot wetland buffer after a licensed arborist found the tree was "beginning to fail" with deterioration at the base. The commission also issued a negative determination under the local wetlands bylaw for Massachusetts Electric Company's replacement of two utility poles on Pulaski Boulevard, a project entailing just 8 square feet of ground disturbance near Arnold's Brook. A more complex notice of intent, covering stormwater upgrades, a new water quality treatment unit, and replacement of an asbestos-cement water main along Lakeshore Drive, Indian Run Road, and Bernier Lane near Lake Hayawa, was continued to January 14, 2026, pending a DEP file number and revised plans from engineer Jean Christie of Tighe and Bond. The board also granted emergency certification for hazardous tree removal at 39 Fox Run Road rather than requiring the owners to wait for a formal RDA hearing, citing imminent danger to the property.