Douglas Conservation Commission Approves Emergency Riprap Certificate for Collapsed Depot Street Wall

DOUGLAS -- October 20, 2025, Douglas Conservation Commission issues emergency riprap certificate for Depot Street wall, directs Breezy Acres owner to file permit for pool removal. The commission voted 5-0 at its October 20 meeting to issue an emergency certificate allowing expansion of a previously approved 5-by-5-foot riprap splash pad to 25-by-5 feet at 59 Depot Street, where a free-stack retaining wall had already collapsed once from water infiltration behind it; Building Commissioner Ken Frazier, participating remotely, testified that leaving any unarmored soil at the wall's base risked another collapse "within 25 years." The applicant must return with an amended order of conditions for DEP review. At 520 Northwest Main Street, owner Keith Forgett was told he must file a request for determination of applicability before removing a 30-by-30-foot waterslide catch pool within the pond's 100-foot buffer zone, overriding initial staff guidance that the improvement might not require review. The commission also voted unanimously to amend an enforcement order at 349 Southwest Main Street, giving contractor KD Construction 14 days to install silt fence along the eastern edge of the disturbed area and clean up sediment that had reached adjacent wetlands before any other site work proceeds.