RIDGEFIELD, CT, February 2, 2019 – The Peaceable Neighborhood Alliance (PNA), through its representatives Jeff and Jennifer Hansen, have filed an Appeal of the Inland Wetlands Board (IWB) approval of the Ridgefield Winter Club application on January 8th. “We are very disappointed that four members of the Board failed to recognize their statuatory obligations to protect the fragile wetlands on and surrounding the 340 Peaceable property” said Jeff Hansen. “The ecosystem is more vulnerable than ever” continued Hansen: “We saw a drought in 2017 thattrapped fish in the small puddles that remained in the Mill River. In contrast, 2018 brought repeated flooding – culminating with two floods of Old South Salem Rd., where the proposed Ridgefield Winter Club plans to divert a large amount of drainage from their development site.”
The appeal alleges reasonable likelihood of pollution of wetlands as the Club would divert stormwater drainage and meltwater. The operations will affect wildlife in the area, including wood frogs which serve as important biological components of the wetlands on and near the proposed development site. Wood frogs prevent eutrophication of wetlands by cycling nutrients out of wetlands into surrounding uplands. The vernal pools surrounding the property were never studiedby the Applicant. “If the town’s Peer Review consultant, Ed Pawlak's, testimony that supported the testimony of the esteemed Dr. Michael Klemens were accepted over the Applicant's experts, this application would not have been approved” stated Hansen. “The Wetland’s Board had a legal obligation to weigh the credibility and expertise of the various witnesses in reaching their conclusion” stated Hansen. “Instead they ignored the extensive testimony provided by the Town (Pawlak) and PNA (Klemens) and chose to rely solely on the Applicant’s experts.”
