The Town of Danvers Wetlands Protection Commission voted Sept. 13 to grant an Order of Conditions for a town‑led stormwater and bank‑stabilization project at 55 Adams Street (DEP file 14‑1446). The town engineer said the work aims to repair a failed retaining wall and reestablish streambed connectivity along a tributary to Crane (Crane Brook).

Steven King, town engineer for the Department of Public Works, presented the plan and described the work area as the tributary between 55 and 53 Adams Street, which drains roughly a 70‑acre watershed and includes riverfront, bordering vegetated wetland and inland bank resource areas. "I'm the town engineer for Department of Public Works, town of Danvers," King said in his opening remarks. He told the commission the existing 24‑inch concrete culvert is undercut and that repair is needed to stop erosion of the south bank.

King outlined structural measures the town will take: remove and replace the failed north retaining wall, install a new south retaining wall and restore the embankment, install a cast‑in‑place concrete headwall for the 24‑inch culvert, and place gravity block retaining walls along about 40 feet of brook on each bank. He said the project will place roughly 45 cubic yards of riprap to reconnect the downstream riverbed and will install new catch basins and a manhole in the roadway to reconfigure the stormwater piping. "We're looking to stabilize about a 160 linear feet of inland bank with a gravity block retaining walls and cast in place head wall," King said.

King described typical construction controls: silt fence, catch basin sediment controls, temporary riprap, and potential bypass pumping during storm events. He told commissioners access and safety will require temporary road closures: "The road will be closed for a period of time, yes, while we're doing the work," he said. King estimated the primary construction would take about two to three months, with an additional three to six months for roadway restoration depending on weather and contractor availability; he added the town expects to put the project out to bid during the winter.

Staff told the commission the project qualifies as a "limited project" under the Town of Danvers Wetlands Protection Bylaw and therefore does not require a waiver. Emily (town wetlands staff) said the engineering department submitted a waiver request to inform the commission of the scope, but the bylaw exempts qualifying limited projects from the waiver requirement. Commissioners asked whether proximity to the brook and the amount of in‑stream work could trigger different permitting needs; staff and King said those determinations depend on final design details.

A member of the public asked whether the concrete barriers would be reinforced with rebar. King replied that only the cast‑in‑place headwall will be reinforced with rebar; the block retaining walls will be gravity blocks that rely on mass and tiebacks for stability.

After questions, a commissioner moved to close the public hearing; the commission approved the motion and then voted to grant an Order of Conditions for 55 Adams Street with additional local standard conditions. King said all required materials had been submitted and reviewed and that the town will proceed to bidding and construction scheduling.

The commission set local conditions as part of the approval and noted standard monitoring and erosion control expectations; King said he will be mindful of contractor availability and seasonal constraints when scheduling the work.