Dighton Conservation Commission Continues All Five February Applications to March

DIGHTON -- February 19, 2026, Dighton Conservation Commission continues all five February 19 applications to its March 19 meeting. The longest discussion centered on a MassDOT-backed replacement of the Pleasant Street Bridge over Muddy Cove Brook, where Beta Group consultant Tyler Drew told commissioners the project qualifies for the state bridge exemption but still requires local bylaw authorization because it affects coastal bank, riverfront area, and a mapped diadromous fish run adjacent to the Taunton River. Town Administrator Ralph Tackle confirmed MassDOT cannot currently rate the bridge's weight capacity. A project timeline of five to eight years, driven by Division of Marine Fisheries time-of-year restrictions barring in-water work from March 15 through June 30 each spring, prompted sharp skepticism from commissioners. The only formal vote was a unanimous negative determination, numbers three and six under the local bylaw, for tree clearing on seven lots along Bayberry Drive at the Hunter's Hill conservation subdivision, conditioned on individual lot filings before any earth disturbance in the 100-foot buffer zone.