Southwick Conservation Commission Approves Vining Hill Conservation Restriction, Adds Associate Member

Conservation · Meeting of February 2, 2026

Southwick Conservation Commission approves Vining Hill Road conservation restriction and seats its first associate member. The commission voted unanimously at its February 2 meeting to accept a conservation restriction from Saltmarsh Brothers Construction Incorporated covering property at 17-39 Vining Hill Road, permanently limiting development on the parcel. The board also unanimously approved seating an associate member identified only as Bob, a current Eversource supervisor with a background in wetland delineation and large-scale construction, who will receive full meeting packets and sit at the table but cannot vote or count toward quorum.

A $10,000 bond release for 1 Hudson Drive was referred to the Planning Board after members noted the town's former stormwater reviewer, Randy Brown, is no longer available and his replacement's qualifications are unconfirmed. The commission approved a minor plan change for a College Highway self-storage development six to zero, with Chair Andy Reardon recused, and voted five to one to advance a draft charter for the Open Space Management and Planning Committee, with Commissioner Norm Sheever casting the lone dissent.

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• The complete report — 1,116 words

Source: the Conservation meeting of February 2, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.