Manchester Conservation Commission Fines Developer $900 for Unpermitted Wetland Work

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — May 12, 2026 — Manchester Conservation Commission fines 7 Central Street operator $900 for unpermitted wetland excavation and continues Boardman Avenue seawall debate. The commission voted 6-0 to ratify an April 15 enforcement order against the commercial property and 5-1 to levy $300 per day for three days of documented unpermitted digging — work Conservation Administrator Bethany Barstow discovered on April 14 when she found contractors installing what appeared to be a dry well without any permit, emergency or otherwise. Commissioner David Lumsden was the lone dissenter on the fine. Chair Steve Gang said the penalty, while modest, was necessary: "Without a fine, it's like we're shouting in the dark to nobody." In a separate matter, the commission continued to June 9 a contested notice of intent for 18 Boardman Avenue, where property owner Fred Morris wants to raise an existing seawall two feet; commissioners called the approach "brute force" and "archaic," pressing consultants Jordan Folds and Evan Guvendiren of DeRosa Environmental Consulting for resilience-based alternatives before any approval.