The Hanover Conservation Commission issued a cease and desist order and a $25,000 fine Monday against the South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School construction project after town officials said workers violated environmental protection conditions and damaged wetlands on the site.
The commission held an emergency meeting Monday, June 15, to discuss what officials described as significant violations of environmental protections that had been included in the approved site plan for the project.
Select Board Chair Greg Satterwhite told South Shore Times that it appeared workers had destroyed about 20,000 square feet of wetlands.
Conservation Agent Sandy McFarland told commissioners that the site conditions she observed showed a blatant disregard for the environmental protections that were supposed to be in place. Officials said several delineated wetland areas were trampled during construction.
The town also plans to report the violations to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
The order marks a serious setback for one of the largest public school construction projects underway on the South Shore. South Shore Technical High School, located in Hanover, serves students in grades 9 through 12 from member communities across the region.
The school is in the process of building a new vocational high school facility after voters in its member communities approved the project last year. The project has been described by school officials as an effort to replace an aging building and expand vocational technical education capacity in the region.
The school’s project website lists LeftField as the owner’s project manager. The firm is described on the site as an owner’s representative and project management company with experience working with municipalities and building authorities.
Suffolk Construction is listed on the project website as the construction manager. The site describes Suffolk as the largest contractor in Massachusetts and says the company has 7.6 million square feet of Chapter 149A experience in the state.
School officials did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
This is a developing story and will be updated.