Douglas panel orders partial removal of shoreline wall

Conservation · Meeting of September 21, 2026

Douglas conservation board splits 4-1 on lakeside rock wall removal. The Conservation Commission ordered Andy and George Kuypers to remove an unpermitted stone wall from the north side of their 23 Smith Hill Way shoreline on Whitin Reservoir, while voting 4-0, with one member abstaining, to grant a variance letting similar stonework elsewhere on the property remain. Conservation Agent Brandon told the board a June site visit convinced him "those rocks were not there, that they were brought to the site." Member Brendan Doyle cast the lone vote against allowing any of the after-the-fact work to stand.

Kuypers told the board the family restacked loose stone to stop erosion and protect grandchildren from a hazardous bank: "How do I protect my grandchildren? How do I keep them from getting hurt?" Elsewhere, the board approved a 48-plant wetland restoration plan for New Sherborne LLC after an excavator disturbed 3,880 square feet of wetland at 285 Southeast Main Street, with a completion deadline of October 31, and continued roughly six other applications, including a Jarvis family pool and a reservoir aquatic-plant management project, to October 19.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 4,217 words

Source: the Conservation meeting of September 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.